by the Rev. Roman Roldan, Clerical Alternate, Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana-
1. Sometimes the Holy Spirit works through democratic processes and sometimes those democratic processes serve as a roadblock to the Holy Spirit. The jury is still out as to what actions taken this week belong to each category.
2. At heart, Episcopalians are people of the Table. The liturgies of our church unite us, reconcile us, and ground us in a common language. Regardless of theological or political positioning, seated in front of the Table of the Lord, we are all equally broken, equally needy, and equally thirsty and hungry for forgiveness, mercy, and compassion. It was a great honor and a priviledge to attend the daily Holy Eucharist. I purposely sat with a different group each day and by doing so, I was able to experience first hand the great cultural, ethnic, and liturgical diversity of our church. Liturgy alone would be worth the price of admission. To me, this will be the fondest of all memories.
3. There is a particular group of people who thrive in parliamentary settings. They memorized Robert’s rules of order before Confirmation; drafted their own marriage vows, adding amendments and secondary amendments as necessary; and have framed posters of the House of Deputies new rules of order hanging prominently above their fire mantles. They know when to divide motions, call for points of personal priviledge, correct the chair or speaker via points of order, slow the House down by calling for votes by order, and properly end debate when the matter has been discussed beyond any usefulness. These people thrive in Diocesan, Synodal and General Conventions. They will do whatever they need to do to get elected time after time, many achieving the title of “Senior Deputies” because they have been driving other delegates insane for dozens of years.
4. General Convention is like a family reunion with members coming from all over the place. This church is so small that many of these delegates look forward to seeing each other every three years and pick-up just where they left off at the prior Convention. As all family reunions, there is a great amount of inquiry as to who is doing well, who has fallen out of grace, who is in transition, and who has new spouses, children, or body parts. It is also a great recruiting ground for parishes starting searches, Deployment Officers seking to bring talent into their Dioceses, and clergy seeking new jobs.
5. Just because you pass a resolution, it doesn’t mean that it will be funded. This was made clear today when the budget for the next three years was discussed. Absent from it was the money approved unanimously by the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops for Hispanic ministry and church planting. The Committee on Budget and Finance often has to make decisions for available money and not all resolutions are funded. This was corrected via amendment of the budget resolution, returning those funds to the budget. When no amendments to the budget were proposed, any resolutions not funded by budget, went to rest comfortably in a ledger of convention that almost no one will ever read. This is very anti-climatic when you think of the hours spent drafting, negotiating, and discussing resolutions.
6. The Episcopal Church is quite diverse: Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, the Convocation of Churches in Europe, Navajo Land, Liberia… No to forget over 100 diocesis in this country. This in itself added an international flavor to convention that made it very exciting. The multitude of accents, languages, worship styles and even humor made it fascinating to experience. At some point during the week, I was looking for the Colombian delegation to introduce myself and get to know them. When I arrived, there was no one at the table (They had gone out together to look for coffee). The delegation from Ecuador was seating right behind them. I asked one of them in Spanish, “Have you seen the Colombians?” Without missing a beat, he responded, “I think they are hidding from the DEA!” For someone who didn’t know the context, the joke might sound cruel, but to me it was extremely funny. My laughter helped me built an automatic connection with the Ecuadorians.
7. I noticed an anti-Bishop sentiment among many lay delegates. This was surpising to me because I come from a Roman Catholic background in which the Bishop is so respected and appreciated that few dare criticize him. It was different here. When some resolutions from the House of Bishops came to the floor of the House, some speakers would oppose them and add a phrase here and a phrase there indicating a certain displessure and lack of trust for the House of Bishops or a Bishop in particular. This is foreign to my view of the church. We are Episcopal, which means that we are led by the leadership of Bishops. I looked into this perception, thinking I might be wrong, but other delegates had noticed the same thing. I think General Convention would be served well if more interaction is allowed between both houses to build trust and reduce negative sentiments.
8. There is a great deal of formality at General Convention. In fact, you could actually reduce the business agenda to 3 or 4 days and accomplish just as much as we have accomplished in 9. Some of the formality has to do with recognition events to celebrate someone’s ministry, various trainings and group exercises, courtesy resolutions (which, with a few exceptions, should belong in the consent calendar), etc. The church would be served well if some of these events were to be moved to other venues or other times, in order to free-up legislative time.
9. Better hospitality is needed at General Convention. It must be extremely hard to organize and plan for General Convention. I appreciate the great job of all who had something to do with this event. I do believe that if iced water is going to be provided to the main House, there should be provision of the same for the Alternates, visitors, and media area. Getting a glass of water was nearly impossible, which means that Alternates needed to pay the $3.50 for a small bottle of water at the concession stands. I believe this is a simple gesture that would go along way in making Alternates lives more comfortable.
10. Lastly, being an Alternate is like marrying a beautiful woman on Skype. You can see her, you can admire her, you can even touch her image in the screen, but you can’t kiss her, hug her, or make love to her. Alternates are secluded in an area from which they can see and hear the procedures, but they have no voice and no vote, unless one of their Delegates chooses to share the floor and allow the Alternate to take his or her place on the House floor. I was blessed to be deputized for two days, but the woman next to me did not go on the House floor for even one legislative session in the 10 days she and I sat next to each other. On the other hand, she did crochet two baby blankets, three hats and a purple scarf for her Bishop. Not bad for a trip to the United States from Port Au Prince. If you want to come to General Convention as a lay or clergy delegate, you need to start campaigning now. If you are not elected as a Delegate, stay home and learn to water color. At the end of the day your life will be richer and you will have beautiful art with which to decorate your bathroom.
All in all it was a good experience, but not worth repeating, unless I can be involved in the action. Good Bye Salt lake City and thanks for the hospitality. It was fun, but I can’t wait to get home.
Blessings to all, Fr. Roldan+