We finished all of our committee work. That means that means we have reviewed, reworked, debated and sent on to the House of Bishops 33 resolutions all having to do with urban and social justice issues. A few have passed through both houses and are in effect. Some are still in either house. Some will never see the light of day. We have 3 legislative days left and probably around a hundred of resolutions to pass. Each committee has prioritized 5 resolutions that we felt needed to be heard this year.
The amount of work expected of the deputies and bishops is borderline ridiculous. some things flow through quickly. But, many of them require a lot of research and testimony and face amendment or substitution on the floor. Sometimes they go back to committee and the process starts again.
Although the media might disagree, one of the most important pieces of legislation passed through both houses today. The section of our canons (rules) that has to do with clergy misconduct has been completely rewritten. We have been working on this for 5 or 6 years.
We've recommitted the church to work with those with HIV/AIDS and to fight the spread of several life threatening diseases. We have recommitted the church to an exploration of the causes and effects of racism.
And, we have passed a resolution that recognizes the church's reality as it relates to gay and lesbian committed relationships and ordination. We did not authorize liturgies for same-sex blessings. We did say that we truly desire to remain in relationship with the Anglican Communion but must remain true to our structure and cultural reality.
We are not done hearing about this and related issues. I ask again to not base your view of the church's actions on the basis of the media, including church publications. When I read what a church owned media outlet said about one of the resolutions, I had to double check the number because it sure didn't sound like anything we worked on.
Your deputation has been working hard. And, we have stolen a moment here or there to have some fun. We try to eat dinner together and tend to get a tad rowdy. So far we haven't been kicked out of any restaurants, but we have a couple days to try.
My committee is done, so I get to sleep in til 8:00.
Good night.
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Fr. Bob -
ReplyDeleteYour witness to and about the faithful work being done by delegates is stirring. While I don't rely on your reflections for a full accounting of events, it is SOOO refreshing to hear someone say that the actual process is respectful, nuanced, and faithful, even if you do not report on it at length.