House of Bishops Daily Account for Thursday, Sept. 16

From ELO-

The following Daily Account, issued by the Episcopal Church's Office of Public Affairs, offers an overview of the first day of conversations and activities of the House of Bishops, which is meeting Sept. 16-21 in Phoenix, Arizona. The sessions are closed to the media and the general public.

The House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church is meeting in Phoenix, AZ (Diocese of AZ) from September 16 to September 21. The following is an account of the activities for Thursday, September 16, 2010.

The House of Bishops (HOB) opened today’s session with a welcome from the host, Diocese of Arizona Bishop Kirk Smith. He thanked the bishops who participated in the border visit earlier in the week, which he called "a transformative experience for many of us." He also believed that the border trip was "one of the greatest public witnesses that this House (of Bishops) has made on a public issue." He informed the HOB that if they receive comments about attending a meeting in Arizona, "There really is no boycott and no boycott has been endorsed by any religious bodies or Hispanic groups in this state." Laura Smith pointed to a large blue water tank with a dark blue flag on display in the back of the room. She said these are water stations used in the desert for humanitarian reasons for migrants. The tanks are filled and maintained by Samaritans; the diocese will make a donation in HOB's name to the organization to help to maintain this service, No Mas Muertes.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori welcomed the HOB, introduced new bishops and visitors: ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson; Bishop James Jones of Liverpool (England); Bishop Coadjutor of Cuba Griselda Delgado del Carpio.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_124602_ENG_HTM.htm