79th General Convention digest for July 5

[Episcopal News Service – Austin, Texas] Much happens each day during General Convention. In addition to Episcopal News Service’s primary coverage, here are some additional news items from July 5 and another from the days leading up to the first legislative day of the 79^th convention gathering.

Praying for the victims of gun violence

Just before the House of Bishops and House of Deputies officially convened for the first time, some members of Bishops United Against Gun Violence held a prayer service in a hallway of the Austin Convention Center. It was the first of nine planned sessions, each praying for the victims of a specific type of gun violence: suicide, domestic violence, urban shootings, school shootings and other mass shootings, police shootings, children shooting children, accidental shootings, shootings during the commission of a crime and gang-related shootings.

Bishops United Against Gun Violence has scheduled a public witness event at Brush Square Park at 9:30 a.m. July 8. Speakers will include Philip and April Schentrup, Episcopalians from Florida whose daughter, Carmen, was one of the 17 students and educators killed by a gunman Feb. 14 at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Abigail Zimmerman, a ninth-grader and Episcopalian from Texas, also will speak. She co-led a school walkout in March in response to the Parkland, Florida, massacre.

– Mary Frances Schjonberg

Each day, Bishops United will distribute 96 small crosses to symbolize the 96 people who die from gunfire each day in the US. We ask you to wear the cross during #GC79, and pray for victims of gun violence. Join us at 7:45 in the solar atrium, 1st floor, convention center. #GC79 pic.twitter.com/cVOXcFrRHK

— The Cross Lobby (@TheCrossLobby) July 5, 2018

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The running of the Michaels

The Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, House of Deputies president, decided to fulfill in a unique way the house’s job of reporting to its colleagues in the House of Bishops that the deputies were organized and ready to conduct the business of the church. She sent a delegation of deputies named Michael, 11 men and one woman, to inform to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. They were all sporting navy blue baseball caps emblazoned with “Michael” in white letters on the front of the crown.

House of Deputies Sergeant-at-Arms Beth Rowley led the group to the House of Bishops’ hall. The bishops stood to welcome them. After the group made its way to the dais and addressed Curry and the house, they presented Curry with his own hat.

 

“I am glad to know that at least one house of this house is organized,” Curry said as the deputies left the house to the strains of “Michael, row the boat ashore.”

– Mary Frances Schjonberg

Former Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori takes up committee duties

The Social Justice and International Policy Committee kicked off its work at this General Convention with an organizational meeting July 3 featuring one of those tried-and-true welcoming exercises, the circle of introductions. But there was one woman among the bishops and deputies who arguably needed no introduction.

Assisting Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori is on the committee roster as representing the Diocese of San Diego, where she has served since 2017, but she is better known as the Episcopal Church’s previous presiding bishop, and the first woman in that role.

Jefferts Schori didn’t mention her past role as churchwide leader during committee introductions, though she said she’s had the opportunity to travel around the world and advocate for peace, including in the Middle East, and she emphasized the need to engage people in “deep conversation” on such issues.

Several resolutions relating to Israeli and Palestinian relations are being discussed by the committee, with an open hearing on those resolutions scheduled for 7:30 a.m. July 6.

– David Paulsen

This post appeared here first: 79th General Convention digest for July 5

[Episcopal News Service – General Convention 2018]