EDS Chairs on Transition

From The Living Church-

In a letter dated Sept. 13, the Rev. Gary Hall and Canon Bonnie Anderson write to community members of Episcopal Divinity School:

We’re writing today, as we did last month and as we’ll continue to do this academic year, to update you on our progress toward developing a sustainable plan to conserve the seminary’s resources for future mission.

First, we want to be sure that you saw the good news, released just before the Labor Day long weekend, that the Rev. Dr. William C. Nelsen has joined EDS as interim president. We hope you will be as pleased as we are that such an experienced leader and pastor has joined EDS at this pivotal time. As you may remember, former Interim President Francis Fornaro submitted his resignation at the board meeting in July and made it effective in mid-November, as per the terms of his contract. He asked us, however, to be relieved of his responsibilities as soon as possible, and in order to honor that request, we quickly began the search that brought Interim President Nelsen to us on September 2. We kept Interim President Fornaro apprised of the progress of our search process and notified him well in advance of Interim President Nelsen's start date. We are grateful to Interim President Fornaro for his seventeen months of service to EDS; he will, of course, be paid his full salary and benefits through his contractual resignation date of November 19, and will be teaching a course on campus this fall.

More here-

http://livingchurch.org/eds-chairs-transition

House of Deputies president election schedule changes

From ENS-

Episcopal Church House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson has announced changes in the timetable for electing her successor.

The schedule for electing a new vice president of the house remains the same.

The up-to-date schedule for the elections, which will take place during the 77th meeting of General Convention July 5-12 in Indianapolis, is here.

Nominations from the House of Deputies floor for the office of president will now open on July 9 instead of July 8. This change appears to allow the deputies to then host a “meet the nominees” gathering the evening of July 9 from 6:30 to 8:30. The location will be announced.

The election for president will take place on July 10. Nominations for House of Deputies vice president will open that same day and that election will take place the next day, July 11.

Anderson announced May 23 that she would not ask convention to elect her to a third and final term as president.

The office of vice president has been open since February 2010 when the Rev. Brian Prior was ordained bishop of Minnesota. There is no canonical procedure to follow in choosing an interim vice president when the office becomes vacant between conventions. Anderson announced that she will follow the precedent established by Pamela Chinnis, who had to decide how to fill a vice presidential vacancy in 1994 during her terms as president of the House of Deputies (1991-2000).



More here

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/06/12/house-of-deputies-election-schedule-changes/

Shared Governance: The Polity of The Episcopal Church

From Bonnie Anderson- (I was privileged to serve on the committee and to contribute three of the essays)

Shared Governance: The Polity of The Episcopal Church, a collection of essays on the history and theology of church governance by the House of Deputies Special Study Committee on Church Governance and Polity is now available from Church Publishing.

"The collection is intended specifically as an educational and reflection tool for Deputies to the General Convention, and offers a number of insights particularly geared to their work," said the Rev. Tobias Haller, who chaired the committee, which was appointed by Bonnie Anderson, President of the House of Deputies, after the 2009 General Convention. "However, any Episcopalian wanting to be better informed about how and why our church came to function in the way it does will find the essays helpful."

The book focuses particular attention on the history and structure of the two Houses of the General Convention and how they interact; the role of the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies and how their offices have evolved; and the role of the Executive Council, which carries out the work of the church between sessions of General Convention.

Haller said the collection dispels "some of the prevailing mythology concerning the origins and practice of our shared governance."

More here-

http://houseofdeputies.org/shared-governance-the-polity-of-the-episcopal-church.html

Anderson will not seek re-election as House of Deputies president

From ENS-

Bonnie Anderson has announced that she will not stand for re-election as President of the House of Deputies during the July 5-12 meeting of General Convention in Indianapolis.

In a May 23 announcement letter to the deputies and first alternates of the Episcopal Church’s General Convention, Anderson said she plans to spend more time with her family.

“I have been honored beyond measure to lead this house, and gratified to observe the many ways in which Deputies and Alternates serve and lead God’s Church, both when General Convention is in session and when it is not,” she said in her letter. “Your voices resonate not only within the great representative diversity of General Convention, but also in our communities and in commissions during the triennium, in vestries, and in the leadership roles you hold in our congregations, dioceses and provinces.”

The president of the House of Deputies is elected every three years to serve throughout the triennium. Anderson was vice president of the House of Deputies and a lay deputy from the Diocese of Michigan when she was elected at the 2006 General Convention to serve as president of the House of Deputies. She was re-elected at the 2009 General Convention.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/05/23/anderson-will-not-seek-re-election-as-house-of-deputies-president/

Executive Council Update

From ENS

Executive Council challenged to engage in adaptive change

Bonnie Anderson’s opening remarks to Executive Council

Bishop Stacy Sauls’ opening remarks to Executive Council

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/tag/executive-council/

Restructuring discussions continue after House of Bishops meeting

From ENS

The on-going conversations about whether and how to restructure the Episcopal Church got a boost this week when the Rt. Rev. Stacy Sauls, a member of the House of Bishops who is also the church's chief operating officer, presented his fellow bishops with what he called a way of testing the "grassroots support" for such change.

On Sept. 23, the PowerPoint of Sauls' presentation and the model of a resolution that diocesan conventions could submit to General Convention were made available online here. The Spanish version of the resolution is available here. Sauls' transcription of the notes he used to narrate the PowerPoint presentation is here.
Sauls told Episcopal News Service during a Sept. 22 interview that what he offered "was in no way intended to be a proposal or resolution or even a suggestion, particularly. It was more that these are the ways that we might could go about doing something." Sauls added that his presentation "didn't begin to be the sum total of ideas" that have been and are being discussed elsewhere in the church.

"This is not a bishop-imposed [initiative]; this is testing to see if there's a grassroots support for this kind of thing," Sauls said.

A range of reactions has greeted his presentation made Sept. 20 to the House of Bishops meeting in Quito, Ecuador. Some people have commented on the broad outlines of his suggestions while others have focused on his decision to make such a presentation to the bishops.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_129916_ENG_HTM.htm

COO asks church to engage in 'structural reform' conversations to shift focus toward mission

From ENS-

The Episcopal Church's chief operating officer has asked the House of Bishops to engage the laity and clergy in their dioceses in conversation in support of a potential structural reform that he said could shift the church's focus toward mission.

The Rt. Rev Stacy Sauls on Sept. 20 offered the bishops a "model" resolution for each diocese to submit to the 77th General Convention in 2012 for consideration.

"We find ourselves at an adaptive moment in the time of the church, if we choose to take it," said Sauls at the start of a presentation titled "Becoming a Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society: An Adaptive Moment."

Sauls gave his presentation during the Sept. 20 morning session of the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops Sept. 15-20 meeting being held at the Hilton Colón Hotel in downtown Quito.

The model resolution would call for a special commission to be charged with "presenting a plan to the church for reforming its structures, governance, administration, and staff to facilitate this church's faithful engagement in Christ's mission…."

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson would appoint members to the special commission. The resolution would also call for a special meeting of General Convention before the 78th General Convention in 2015.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_129893_ENG_HTM.htm

House of Deputies president presents award to family of Church Army pioneer

From ENS-

Episcopal Church House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson recently presented an award to the family of late Sister Margaret Hawk, a missionary and church leader, to honor her pioneering ministry posthumously.

The presentation came Sept. 10 during the Diocese of South Dakota's annual diocesan convention in Pierre. The President of the House of Deputies Award for Distinguished Service honors "individuals and communities who have exhibited an exceptional commitment to the work of reconciling a broken world," according to a press release.

Hawk was a native of Red Shirt, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Reservation of the Oglala Sioux. In 1963, at the age of 50, she joined the Church Army, a society of lay missionaries in the Anglican Communion. After training in New York and missionary work in Buffalo, New York, she returned home to the Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations where she served for 18 years, the release said.

Anderson presented the award to Hawk's granddaughter Alice Testerman and her family. Anderson said she was especially struck by Hawk's commitment to seek training and education in New York, 1,700 miles from her home in South Dakota.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/80263_129759_ENG_HTM.htm

On Capitol Hill and beyond: Bear witness to the poor and vulnerable

From Bonnie Anderson via ENS-

I went to Capitol Hill to talk with legislators last week, and came away with the first two lines of William Cowper's famous hymn running through my mind: "God moves in a mysterious way; His wonders to perform."

The Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations scheduled seven meetings for me with legislators and legislative staff. I wanted to talk about poverty and women's issues, but found that all that the legislators and their staffs wanted to talk about was the 2012 federal budget. As it turned out, however, our interests were one and the same; many of the programs that affect the most vulnerable Americans -- the poor, women, children, and the elderly -- are encompassed in approximately $3 trillion worth of cuts that the House of Representatives proposes to make over the next 10 years in programs that help low-income individuals and their families.

In February, the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church passed a resolution that "urges all Episcopalians in the United States to engage in advocacy for a responsible federal budget that expresses the shared moral priorities of the nation." After my visits on Capitol Hill, I am more committed to this work than ever, and hope you will consider joining me. We have a significant moral priority as Episcopalians, as Christians, to bear witness on behalf of the poor, the vulnerable and the marginalized. The baptismal promise to strive for justice and peace among all people makes the choice between cutting programs for the poor and elderly or raising taxes an easy one.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/80050_128385_ENG_HTM.htm

House of Deputies president calls church to 'courageous change'

From ENS-

Episcopal Church House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson told audiences at Episcopal Divinity School May 5 that "the church is stuck in an organizational model" with "a bureaucracy with rules, roles, and relationships that we accept as our social reality."
"The church needs to be a movement. Right now we are an organization. We have a critical mass of 2 million ministers," Anderson said during the 2011 Kellogg Lectures.

Her lectures, collectively titled "Courageous Change: What it takes, and how it happens," combined multimedia with her words. Sean McConnell, Diocese of California canon for communications, produced the multimedia portion of the lectures.

Anderson said in her first lecture that "since we believe in a dynamic God, and by our baptism we participate with God in the quest to reconcile the world," the baptized "are called upon to … create the change that we believe will bring about a reconciled world."

She also said that the church mistakenly thinks that the ministry of the laity is performed only within the walls of the church when "the real job of the laity is to reconcile the world. Out there."

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/80263_128254_ENG_HTM.htm

Episcopal, Anglican dioceses to meet

From Fresno-

A representative of the U.S. Episcopal Church will speak in Modesto at the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin convention.

Bonnie Anderson, president of the House of Deputies for the Episcopal Church, will speak at 6:45 p.m. Oct. 15 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1528 Oakdale Road, Modesto. The convention will conclude next Saturday.
In December 2007, Bishop John-David Schofield led the diocese in a secession movement out of the U.S. Episcopal Church over differences such as the ordination of an openly gay bishop and the supreme authority of Scripture. The breakaway diocese, based in Fresno, is now part of the Anglican Church in North America.

Not long after the diocese voted to break away, the national Episcopal Church sued over ownership of church property. In July 2009, a Fresno County Superior Court judge handed a critical victory to the national church. The breakaway diocese is asking the 5th District Court of Appeal to overturn the ruling. Oral arguments are scheduled for 10 a.m. Oct. 20.

Read more:

http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/10/08/2110758/episcopal-anglican-dioceses-to.html#ixzz11rWLoB7h

Deputies President Responds to Bennison Case

From The Living Church-

I was moved by your letter expressing your pain and frustration over the recent ruling by the Episcopal Church’s Court of Review which has made it possible for the Rt. Rev. Charles Bennison to resume the position of Bishop of Pennsylvania. Good people can disagree about how the court interpreted our canons. I believe that most Episcopalians who have followed this case agree that Bishop Bennison’s choice to resume his episcopacy presents significant problems for the Diocese of Pennsylvania and for the wider Church.

I want you to know that I share your hope that the Episcopal Church can be, “a guiding beacon to all people everywhere who are affected in some way by clergy sexual abuse.” I also share your frustration that in your case, and in others, our churches were not “safe sanctuaries” for vulnerable people. And I share your outrage that individuals in positions of authority have been complicit in maintaining a climate of silence and denial that has inhibited our efforts to end sexual abuse within our church.

Like the Diocese of Pennsylvania’s Standing Committee, and many diocesan clergy and laity, I wish that Bishop Bennison had the wisdom and generosity of spirit to resign. As bishop he is more likely to deepen divisions and discredit the church than he is to bring healing or advance our common mission. I join the Court of Review in its assessment that Charles Bennison’s handling of the sexual abuse charges against his brother John was “totally wrong.” Bishop Bennison’s lack of remorse about his handling of this situation, and his solipsistic view of what is at stake, concern me deeply.

More here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2010/9/2/deputies-president-responds-to-bennison-case

SPRINGFIELD: House of Deputies president set to visit diocese

From ELO-

The Concerned Laity of the Springfield Diocese is sponsoring a July 23 visit by Episcopal Church House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson to the Diocese of Springfield.
Anderson's talk will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel in Decatur, Illinois.

Her presentation, "The Ministry of All the Baptized," is designed "to strengthen the ministry of lay people and clergy throughout southeastern Illinois," according to a news release from the group.

"I am eager to visit the Diocese of Springfield as it prepares to elect a new bishop," Anderson said in the release. "Such elections provide the perfect opportunity for laity and clergy to collaborate on a new vision for their diocese, and to explore new ways of working together in building up the church and reaching out to the poor and the marginalized."

Bishop Peter Beckwith retired on Feb. 1, 2010 and the diocese will elect his successor during an electing synod Sept. 17-18. Four candidates are to be selected at a "nominating synod" Aug. 6-7 from among 14 nominees.

The Concerned Laity of the Springfield Diocese group said in its release that it "hopes to appeal to what it characterizes as the moderate majority of local Episcopalians."

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_123435_ENG_HTM.htm

Brazilian Anglicans commemorate long history, deep roots within Episcopal Church

From ELO

Episcopal Church House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson helped the Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil (IEAB) bring its historic 31st General Synod to a close June 6 by preaching during the gathering's final Eucharist.

"I am reminded of the long and strong relationship between the Episcopal Church in Brazil and the Episcopal Church," Anderson said from the pulpit of St. Paul's, the Anglican cathedral in Sao Paulo. "I give great thanks for that relationship. Your prophetic witness to justice, your creative and inspired worship, music and song is an inspiration to us."

The 31st synod, held June 3-6 at Recanto Betania retreat center just outside Sao Paulo, honored 200 years of an Anglican presence in Brazil; 120 years of the IEAB, which has deep roots in the U.S.-based Episcopal Church and the 25th anniversary of the ordination of women in the province.

During its final session, the synod voted by acclamation to tell the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada that the IEAB supports those provinces' full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people in the life of the church.

"The love of God has no boundaries," Andrade said to loud applause.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_122712_ENG_HTM.htm

House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson outlines Haiti's needs in Feb. 28 bulletin insert

From Episcopal Life Online-

The Episcopal Church has responded to the devastation caused by the magnitude-7 earthquake in Haiti with unexpected and astonishing generosity.

Building upon a partnership that began before the Jan. 12 earthquake, Episcopal Relief & Development has experienced a generosity of giving from Episcopalians that has enabled its relief effort to secure food, water, vehicles for supply deliveries, fuel and shelter.

Many congregations in the Episcopal Church have forged important and mutually supportive relationships with congregations and individuals in Haiti over the years. It is natural for these congregations in the Episcopal Church to want to do everything possible to assist their brothers and sisters in Haiti. However, Haiti Bishop Jean Zaché Duracin asked in a Jan. 21 letter that, unless the people who want to come and help are "certified professionals in relief and recovery, they must wait."

In his letter to Robert Radtke, Episcopal Relief & Development president, Duracin added: "We will need them [people who want to come to Haiti] in months and years to come, but at this point, it is too dangerous and too much of a burden for our people to have mission teams here."

Duracin has appointed a 15-member commission that is assisting him in coordination and organization of the diocese's rebuilding effort as well as its response to current needs.

In addition to continued generous giving to Episcopal Relief & Development, we need to be advocates for Haiti. It is important to understand that, just as the relief and rebuilding effort will unfold in stages over the coming months and years, so will the advocacy effort, and that is where Episcopalians can assist best, right from home.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_119473_ENG_HTM.htm

House of Deputies president condemns proposed Uganda anti-homosexuality legislation

From ENS-

The pending Ugandan legislation that would imprison for life or execute people who violate that country's anti-homosexuality laws would be a "terrible violation of the human rights of an already persecuted minority," Episcopal Church House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson has said.

Anderson was responding to a Nov. 16 request that Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, Archbishop Henri Orombi of Uganda and she speak out against the legislation. Anderson is the first to issue a statement.

Homosexuality in Uganda currently carries a penalty of up to 14 years imprisonment. If passed, the bill would extend prison sentences for homosexuals up to and including life imprisonment and introduce the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality," which includes assault against people under the age of 18 and those with disabilities.

Opponents fear that people, including family members and clergy, who support and advise homosexual people could be prosecuted and punished under the proposed law, which also would give Ugandan courts jurisdiction over Ugandan citizens who violate the law "partly outside or partly in Uganda."

The proposed legislation is "an attempt to use the authority of the state to deprive individuals of their God-given dignity, and to isolate them from the care and concern of their fellow human beings," Anderson said in her Nov. 25 letter to the co-conveners of the Chicago Consultation, a group of lay and ordained Episcopalians.

General Convention in 2006 condemned (via Resolution D005) the criminalization of homosexuality, Anderson noted.

The church's Executive Council, an elected group of 40 clergy, laity and bishops that carries out the programs and policies adopted by the General Convention according to Canon I.4 (1)(a), is expected to meet by teleconference Dec. 7 to consider a possible statement on the Ugandan legislation.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_117435_ENG_HTM.htm

House of Deputies president sets out plan for naming vice president's successor

From Episcopal Life Online-

Episcopal Church House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson sent a letter Nov. 16 to diocesan deputies and first alternates that outlined the process she will use for replacing the Rev. Brian Prior as the house's vice president.
Prior was elected Oct. 31 to be the next bishop of the Diocese of Minnesota. Pending consent, he will become the ninth bishop of Minnesota on February 13.

Prior's vice president position will become vacant on that day, Anderson said, according to Episcopal Church Canon V.4.1(b). Prior was elected to a second term as vice president of the House of Deputies during the July 8-17 meeting of General Convention in Anaheim, California.

In the letter, Anderson noted that there is no canonical provision for filling a vacancy in the office of House of Deputies vice president until the first day of the next General Convention.

"Following the precedent set by Dr. Pamela Chinnis, president of the House of Deputies in 1993 when a vacancy in the office of vice president occurred prior to the General Convention of 1994, I will nominate a clergy deputy, respected by the house, who has agreed to serve, if elected, for the 77th General Convention only, and not to run for any office to be elected by the House of Deputies at the 77th General Convention," Anderson wrote. "This would enable the house to be served by a vice president without compromising the election of the vice president to be elected to serve during the succeeding triennium."

More here-

http://www.episcopal-life.org/79901_116976_ENG_HTM.htm

House of Deputies president calls for attention to church's governance

From Episcopal Life Online-

Bonnie Anderson, president of the House of Deputies, plans to appoint a committee on church governance and polity "to examine and explain the history, theology, political structure and practical realities of the ways in which we believe God calls us to govern the [Episcopal] Church."

In a September 14 letter to General Convention deputies and first alternative deputies, Anderson said that after the July 8-17 General Convention meeting "it makes little sense to speak of governance and mission as two different things."

"Our church is able to enlist the energy and talent of every member in building God's kingdom precisely because we make room for the Spirit-seeking wisdom of all orders of ministry in the governance of our church," she said.

Anderson, who was re-elected to a second three-year term during the 76th meeting of convention, also placed the need for such a study group in the context of two other issues. One is the expectation that the Episcopal Church will have to consider an Anglican covenant once a final text is released to the Anglican Communion's 38 member provinces. The second is the effect of budget cuts on the work of the church's committees, commissions, agencies and board (CCABs).

The Anglican Consultative Council in May postponed releasing the Ridley Cambridge draft of the covenant to the communion's provinces for consideration. The council asked that the draft's Section 4, which contains a dispute-resolution process, be given more scrutiny and possibly revised.

A small working group is reviewing Section 4. The members, all of whom served on the original Covenant Design Group, have called for provincial responses by November 13, 2009. The working group will meet November 20-21 in London and report to the Standing Committee meeting December 15-18. (The Standing Committee is a group of elected representatives of the ACC and the Primates Meeting).

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_114725_ENG_HTM.htm

A letter From Bonnie Anderson

Sept. 14, 2009


Dear Deputies and First Alternates,

It has been two months since I brought the gavel down to close the House of Deputies at the 76th General Convention in Anaheim, but the remarkable spirit of those ten days has stayed with me. During our time together in the House of Deputies, we worshipped and prayed, shared some very deep feelings about the controversial issues that confront our Church, learned new skills through the Public Narrative Project, and acted on an extensive legislative agenda that will shape our Church for decades to come. Watching the sensitive, respectful way that deputies went about their business, observing the efficient committee work, and listening to the well-informed debate made me appreciate once again the wisdom of our founders, who determined that all orders of ministry should share in the governance of our Church.

We are living in difficult times, but the members of the House of Deputies have indicated that they are ready to make even stronger commitments to the work of God's church. It is my hope that we can bring this new energy to bear on a new set of challenges. During this triennium, we must do more with less. We must determine how our interim bodies,the Commissions, Committees Agencies and Boards on which clergy and lay people have extensive representation, can continue to play a vital role in the governance of the Church. We must create ways to continue essential mission initiatives, even without the Church Center offices that once sustained this work. And we must begin to formulate our response to the Anglican Covenant once the final draft becomes available.

For my own part, I would like to begin the new triennium with three announcements:


1. In response to our financial situation, I have decided to reduce the size of my Council of Advice from 14 members to 8. Each member of the council will have a specific portfolio or project and will be supported by his or her own network of informal advisors whom I will call upon from time to time as the need arises. I believe this is the most cost-effective way for me to remain well-informed and advised.

2. This week I am sending letters to various lay and clergy leaders throughout the Church inviting them to serve on the Commissions, Committees, Agencies and Boards that play an essential role in the governance of the Church. In extending these invitations I paid special attention to balancing the new energy and insights of an emerging cohort of lay and clergy leaders with the experience and institutional memory of veteran deputies. Once the invitees have responded and rosters are complete, they will be posted on the General Convention Office Web site.

3. Circumstances including our impending consideration of the Anglican Covenant and the need to sustain the work of our CCABs in the face of reduced budgets suggest a need to speak clearly and convincingly about the distinctive way in which authority is exercised in our Church. To that end, I am appointing the House of Deputies Study Committee on Church Governance and Polity to examine and explain the history, theology, political structure and practical realities of the ways in which we believe God calls us to govern the Church. This group, whose membership I will announce shortly, may also make recommendations to the next General Convention on strengthening our self-understanding.

After this General Convention, I am more convinced than ever that it makes little sense to speak of governance and mission as two different things. Our Church is able to enlist the energy and talent of every member in building God's Kingdom precisely because we make room for the Spirit-seeking wisdom of all orders of ministry in the governance of our Church. The relationship is symbiotic, it is a relationship of UBUNTU. I urge you to remember that deputies are deputies even when General Convention is not in session. Please remain involved in the life of your congregation and your diocese, and don't hesitate to inform me of any developments you find significant. I am always available to you at banderson@episcopalchurch.org. Soon I will reactivate the HOD communications tool in the form of the deputy online forum that served us so well prior to General Convention. We will use it as a place for us to share information and opinions about matters pertaining to our work together as the House of Deputies on behalf of the Church.

As always, you are encouraged to share this communication with all the alternates of your deputation and other people of your diocese and beyond.

Thank you again for your participation in an inspiring General Convention.

Peace,

Bonnie Anderson, D.D., President
The House of Deputies

Convention Officers Write Archbishop, Primates on Same-Sex Blessings

From the Living Church-

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson have written to Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the primates of the Anglican Communion to explain General Convention’s adoption of Resolution C056.

That resolution calls on the House of Bishops, in conjunction with the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, to develop and collect liturgies and other theological resources for the blessing of same-sex unions, and report on their efforts at the 2012 General Convention.

In the meantime, the resolution also encourages bishops to provide “a generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this church.”

“It is now left to each bishop to determine what such a generous pastoral response might mean in her or his diocesan context,” the presiding officers wrote.

“While the resolution honors the diversity of theological perspectives within the Episcopal Church, it does not authorize public liturgical rites for the blessing of same-gender unions," the letter continued. “The Book of Common Prayer remains unchanged, the marriage rites are unaltered, and the Rubrics of the Book of Common Prayer define marriage as a ‘solemn and public covenant between a man and a woman in the presence of God.’”

Bishop Jefferts Schori and Mrs. Anderson previously wrote to Archbishop Williams to explain the passage of Resolution D025, which affirmed “that God has called and may call” gay and lesbian people “to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church.” That resolution is widely seen as a repudiation of Resolution B033, passed at the 2006 General Convention.

Though many bishops have commented that such was not the intent of D025, Bishop Kirk Smith of Arizona described that action on his website as “a movement away from the ‘restraint’ of last convention’s [Resolution] B033,” calling it “a de facto repudiation of that stance.” Speaking in the House of Bishops, Bishop Shannon Johnston of Virginia argued that the house needed “to face the fact, the plain fact, that this is a repudiation of B033. It’s just in another guise.”

Archbishop Williams has yet to issue any official response to the actions taken at General Convention.

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2009/7/23/convention-officers-write-primates-on-sex-sex-blessings