Monday morning -- just getting started

Monday, June 12, 1:30 p.m.

Before the convention comes to order, committees have begun their work. My Prayer Book & Liturgy committee met from 8 a.m. to 11:50 to begin looking at the 45 resolutions that we have to consider so far. Wednesday at 5:00 is the filing deadline, so we'll have a handful more to consider. We went through all of the resolutions that need money appropriated. We have to get those requests to the Program, Budget & Finance (PB&F) committee as quickly as possible so they can be considered among all of the appropriations. Our request will total $200,000. Pan Adams is the chair of PB&F, possibly the most difficult job at General Convention. I just looked into their hearing on budgetary priorities and couldn't get into the room because it was so packed.

Among the more interesting things our committee is looking at are Liturgies for Rites of Passage for times of transition. We have proposals for rites related to stages in human development -- youth, rising adulthood, midlife, elders. Prayers for things such as the first day of school, going away to camp, earning a driver's license, beginning to date, going off to college, moving from the family home, beginning or ending a job, surviving a tragedy, healing after a divorce, taking on the care of elder parents, becoming a grandparent, remembering a departed soul a week / month / year after death, visiting the site of a death, coming home without a departed loved one, the birthday of a departed loved one, and many others. There are liturgies for celebrating a significant birthday, celebrating an engagement, receiving or claiming a new name, celebrating our elders. I'll be on a sub-committee working on many of these rites of passage texts.

We're halfway through a six-year revision of the Lesser Feasts and Fasts. We're setting up principles of that revision. We expect some spirited debate about the place of the two lectionaries -- the Prayer Book and the Revised Common Lectionary.

There is a lot of work on additional liturgical resources in the Enriching Our Worship alternative services. There is a much needed service titled The Renewal of Ministry with the Welcoming of a New Rector that I imagine will become the standard replacement for the Prayer Book Celebration of New Ministry service. The new version emphasizes the shared ministry of congregation and priest more than the Prayer Book liturgy. There is a lot of material for use with the Burial service. These pastoral rites will offer welcome resources for some of the times when we most need our prayers.

This afternoon the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies will give their opening presentations to the Convention, and we'll have an orientation to the new voting and microphone systems. There is also something called "deputy conversations." Tonight, the committees reconvene at 7:00.

Lowell

To add your voice to the conversation, please post a comment on our General Convention Blog.
Go to www.generalconvention.blogspot.com
At the bottom of each of these emails is a "comment" link. Click it and post your comment.
_____________________________________

The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Clergy Deputy to General Convention