The General Convention of The Episcopal Church is the governing body of the church.  It meets every three years to pray, worship, consult, consider and decide on all manner of things that stretch from theology to operations.  This year the 81st General Convention met in Louisville, Kentucky, with a full complement from the Convocation participating.  Along with Bishop Mark there were four deputies plus an alternate in both the lay and clergy orders, as elected by our Convocation Convention, as well as two persons standing as candidates for election to church-wide bodies and both our Canon for Administration and our Communications lead who were highly active in sustaining the deputation and ensuring that we gained visibility; people are still surprised that The Episcopal Church has a presence across Europe. 

The full complement was:

Kentucky is known for Bourbon, the Kentucky Derby and, surprisingly, is the world’s manufacturing center for disco balls and Louisville is the birth place of Muhammed Ali and the resting place of Thomas Merton.  Although warmly welcomed by the Diocese of Kentucky, the deputation didn’t see much of the city or the diocese as the days were filled.  Legislative Committee work started for some at 07:00, choir rehearsal at 07:30 and on a couple of days the House of Deputies continued in session until 21:00.

What did we do?  We came together, we prayed, we worshiped, we listened, we debated, we voted, we elected, we shared bread together, we celebrated, we commemorated and we opened ourselves to the Holy Spirit.

The General Convention (GC) is a bicameral body, i.e. one that operates collaboratively with two legislative chambers, namely the House of Deputies (clergy and lay, ca. 829 people) and the House of Bishops (ca. 158).  This year GC consisted nominally of six legislative days (23-28 June), however a few days before the official start there were times set aside for the registration, certification and orientation of participants, additional hearings on resolutions, and on the eve of the formal GC start, there was a glorious revival Together in Love – love. ALWAYS[1] – in which we were challenged, encouraged and inspired by our Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry.  That said, as has now become customary, work in various committees[2] had been running through online sessions for months well in advance of us gathering.  In these meetings, we considered and crafted resolutions[3], listened to testimony and prepared for the in-person meetings in Kentucky.

What was special?  Undoubtedly, it was very special to offer thanks and bid farewell to our beloved Presiding Bishop, the Most Reverend Michael Curry, and it was great to see him in good shape and very good spirits after his multiple hospitalizations.

It was very special too for the bishops to elect the Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe[4][5]to be the next Presiding Bishop and for this to be concurred by the House of Deputies.

In terms of other elections of note, the President of the House of Deputies Julia Ayala Harris was reelected and the Rev. Dr. Steve Pankey, Diocese of Kentucky, was elected as the new Vice-President.

There was a rousing celebration of the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women in The Episcopal Church and there was a highly visible public rally against gun violence[6] led by Bishops United Against Gun Violence and Youth Working to End Gun Violence that was joined by many participating in GC.

Much of what was considered at GC turned out not to be contentious and in respect of the Convocation a number of important resolutions were passed.  It has been agreed that Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia will be added to the calendar of the church in Lesser Feasts and Fasts, likewise Élie Naud, Huguenot Witness to the Faith, 1722.  Additionally, the agreement[7] “Sharing the Gifts of Communion” between The Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria was passed by both Houses; this should lead to full communion between the two churches.

Unsurprisingly this year there were multiple resolutions that were debated long and hard concerning the desperate situation in Israel and Palestine.  In particular, there was significant contention in both Houses and between the House of Deputies and House of Bishops as to whether or not it was appropriate to use the terms apartheid and genocide in relation to the situation in Gaza.  Resolution D013, entitled Affirm the Imperative of a Palestinian State, actioned by Legislative Committee 06 – Social Justice and International Policy which was led by our very own Janet Day-Strehlow, took a long time to pass.  Feelings were strong and while many were very clear about the need to call out in stark terms the actions of terror committed by Hamas and the government of Israel, others were equally clear about avoiding anything that might be perceived as showing some form of equivalence of suffering or of being critical of the Jewish people.  Ultimately, a conference committee comprising members of both Houses agreed on a final statement[8] that was passed by bishops and deputies.  It includes the following statement that “the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas was an indefensible act of terrorism; that Israel’s counterinsurgency in Gaza has exhibited a reckless disregard for the civilian population; that Hamas has shown reckless disregard for that civilian population by sheltering its armed combatants underneath and within places where civilians live or shelter; that the current government of Israel continues to commit acts and pass laws that result in fragmentation, segregation, and dispossession against the Palestinian people and the Occupied Territories.”

The final resolution not only laments the situation in the Holy Land, it demands action, specifically calling for the church’s Office of Government Relations to act and inviting all Episcopalians “to play a role in working for a durable, just peace.”

While much focus was placed on the situation in Israel and Palestine, other troubled areas of the world were not forgotten and we passed resolutions on Justice and Peace in Ukraine, Support and Advocacy for Iraqi Christians, Response to the crisis in Sudan and support for the Episcopal Church of Sudan, as well as Support For a Solution to the Crisis in Haiti.  Indeed, we engaged with the Haitian delegation, inviting them to share lunch with us.

Extensive discussion took place on a wide range of subjects including: Migration with Dignity; Continued Funding of The Beloved Community; consideration of Creation Care Language for the Baptismal Covenant; trial use Eucharistic Prayer C – Dialogic which encompasses the following:

God of all power, Source and Sustainer of the Universe,

you are worthy of glory and praise.

Glory to you for ever and ever.

At your command all things came to be: shining light and enfolding dark;

the vast expanse of interstellar space, galaxies, suns,

and this fragile earth, our island home.

By your will they were created and have their being.

Perhaps as something of a sign of the times, we approved the juncture of the Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan thereby ratifying and acknowledging in gratitude the creation of the new Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes.  Similarly, we approved the reunion of Dioceses of Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, and Milwaukee, which now form the Diocese of Wisconsin.

If you are interested in learning more about General Convention and the resolutions considered, full details are available on the vbinder[9] where you can filter through key words, committees or by those who submitted the resolutions.  A list of resolutions that may be of particular interest to Convocation parishioners is also available[10]. You can also watch the proceedings of the House of Deputies[11] and the House of Bishops[12].

Not all of Convention is business or resolution-related! In between sessions or after the long days there was time to meet with friends, make new ones, and forge or strengthen relationships with other deputations. This year, TEC Europe shared the “main stage” in the exhibit hall with the DFMS group from New York, our church’s headquarters. They kindly offered us a few slots in their program so we could introduce ourselves, take questions from those touring the exhibits and hand. outour now-famous swag, branded travel adapters and lots of European candies. Bishop Mark was able to participate in a few short interviews as part of the exhibit’s information sessions and our deputation members came to work the booth when they had time in their schedules.

We also had the pleasure to host our friends from Haiti again this year. We invited them over to our suite for lunch and some conversation en français.

At the same time as the GC in Louisville, The Daughters of the King (DOK) had their 3 day Triennial Event, which involved over 400 daughters from all over the United States, and many international daughter representatives from all over the world. Yvette Manigold (St. Paul’s Within the Walls, Rome, Italy) and Agnes Sullivan (St. Boniface, Augsburg, Germany) were representing the DOK chapters in the European Convocation. Both daughters had presentation tables to raise awareness amongst DOK women and girls about the European ministries in the church.  One of the evening’s events was International Night where each international daughter was highlighted, speaking about what was happening in each country.

So where does GC81 leave us?  It leaves us as a church that recognizes the crucial import of the message from Jesus ‘love. ALWAYS’, a church that is willing to grapple with difficult issues, one that laments and celebrates, a church that is at the same time international and local, one that continues to work to accomplish the mission of restoring all people to unity with God and each other in Christ and a church that does so Together in Love.

[1] Revival Prayer: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/LoveAlways_Revival_Prayer.png

[2] Legislative Committees and their resolutions: https://www.vbinder.net/resolutions/browse_committees?house=HD&lang=en

[3] GC81 considered 396 resolutions

[4] Bishop Sean Rowe: https://episcopalpartnership.org/our-bishop/

[5] Rowe – PB Nominee Video: https://youtu.be/NEU8yyXAi3U

[6] End Gun Violence Rally: https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2024/06/27/bishops-and-youth-working-to-end-gun-violence-unite-in-louisville-rally/

[7] Augsburg Agreement: https://extranet.generalconvention.org/staff/files/download/32391

[8] D013: https://www.vbinder.net/resolutions/635?house=HD&lang=en

[9] GC Resolutions: https://www.vbinder.net/resolutions?house=HD&lang=en

[10] Resolutions of interest to the Convocation: 2024_GC_Resolutions

[11] HoD Video: https://media.episcopalchurch.org/video/house-of-deputies/

[12] HoB Video: https://media.episcopalchurch.org/video/house-of-bishops/