Deputy Matt Hall from Arizona nominates Canon Frank Logue for President of the House of Deputies.
Yesterday in the House of Deputies, the Chair of the Georgia Deputation was nominated for President of the House of Deputies. This was accomplished in a 2-minute speach by the nominator. Two others are nominated: The Rev. Gay Jennings of Ohio and Martha Bedell Alexander of North Carolina. At the close of the legislative session at 6:30 p.m., a two hour long session was held for the nominees to briefly introduce themselves and then take questions from the deputies gathered. The election will be July 10 at 12:30 p.m. EDT. The results will be published as an update to this post.
Election Results for President of the House of Deputies
The Rev. Gay Jennings of the Diocese of Ohio was elected on the first ballot. Canon Frank Logue came in second of three nominees.
Legislation Updates
Perhaps the most widely watched resolution has passed the House of Bishops. The proposed rite for the Blessing of Same Sex Relationships passed the House of Bishops 111 yes, 41 no and 3 abstentions. As the rite still reflected more closely a marriage liturgy, as promised to the Diocese in advance of the Convention, Bishop Benhase voted no to the rite. The resolution will now make its way to the House of Deputies calendar for voting. Resolutions must be approved in the same form by both houses of the convention to be an act of the General Convention.
The resolution the Diocese of Georgia passed unanimously in 2012 to call for restructuring of the General Convention was received by the structure committee with 47 other resolutions calling for change. They have created from those a single omnibus resolution on structure that is headed for a vote.
The resolution calling on The Episcopal Church to acknowledge Deaconess Alexander as a saint of the Church through inclusion in Holy Women, Holy Men is being referred to the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music for study during the coming three years. The resolution was unanimously passed by the Docese of Georgia convention in 2011. This is the same action taken on the four proposed additions to the calendar. This is not surprising as it usually takes persistence for someone to be added to those honored and this action means that the committee will not drop the proposal until the next convention, but will make room to hear more about the work of the Deaconess as they prepare for the General Convention in 2015.
For those of us who place great value on the gathering of our congregations at General Convention, thank you for the updates on the “goings on” in Indianapolis. What a church, as we gather and debate, argue, address issues many other churches don’t, and finally reach decisions prayerfully. My prayer is that you hear each other out, value our gift of conflict, and leave as brothers and sisters in Christ. To the clergy and deputies: Soak in the beauty and excitement of worship, learn at least one thing during debates, cherish the diversity, and bring it home!
Dear Friends in our Georgia Deputation,
I understand that the following will at some point be debated, a proposed resolution that I’m rather sure none of you will support in this particular form as the final sentence makes the resolution untenable:
“Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, that The Episcopal Church reaffirms that baptism is the ancient and normative entry point to receiving Holy Communion and that our Lord Jesus Christ calls us to go into the world and baptize all peoples. We also acknowledge that in various local contexts there is the exercise of pastoral sensitivity with those who are not yet baptized.”
An observation (I’m not throwing down any gauntlets, really); just an observation which most likely will surprise no one:
Is it not interesting that after General Convention invented a new Baptism rite for BCP 1979 — removing regeneration for initiation and adding several social justice issues under the title “Baptismal Covenant”: all of which has been hailed by the Church as the greatest thing since Hippolytus; that now General Convention (or a significant segment at least) seems to appreciate Baptism to be the watered-down rite that it is (at least compared to ’28) and therefore directly admit the non-Baptized to the Lord’s Table.
Further, if I understand correctly, a similar resolution was or will be submitted which would no longer require the emasculated (again compared to ’28) Confirmation Rite (after all in the proposers’ terms it’s only a “pastoral office”) in order for one to hold an elected position in our Church –both ideas offered in the name of a terribly misguided understanding of Christian hospitality.
In seminary, I wrote a paper from the standpoint of devil’s advocate stating that the Confirmation rite as written in ’79, was relatively meaningless and ought not to be required for anything — and got an A.
I would never (surprise) support either of the above ideas — nor do I believe any of you would either — yet as we on the Search Committee learned, politics is not the only institution which makes strange bedfellows. That is, apart from wanting to admit the non-Baptized to the Holy Eucharist, the sad (if not comic) irony re: the two above ideas, is that the Society for the Preservation of the Book of Common Prayer was essentially stating the same as far back as 35 years ago!
Could we with some of our liturgical revisions have perhaps (just perhaps) thrown out the baby with the bathwater?
Please know how much we all appreciate the time, love and energy you all so freely give to serve our Diocese and Church. Our prayers remain with you all — as well as my gratitude to be allowed to comment.
Faithfully,
Rick
Rick
Rick, I just passed this around to make sure the whole deputation read this comment before we get to these weighty issues. Prayers for our work here are appreciated. Frank
Dear friends:
I have to agree with Rick. The first sentence of the current proposal is very strong – but it is rendered entirely toothless by the second, which effectively makes this “ancient and normative entry point” as merely an option which may be trumped by “pastoral sensitivity”. Moreover the exercise of “pastoral sensitivity” comes without criteria and parameters for its exercise, no process for challenge, review, or oversight. The first sentence is just a facade for the abandonment of the scriptural, historic, and ecumenical norm. As Rick suggests, it will be a sad commentary on “liturgical renewal” if the much-vaunted recovery of “baptismal piety” ends in the devaluation of baptism. I am of course (notoriously) skeptical about the claims made for the 1979 Prayer Book. Those who defend the merits of the 1979 Prayer Book should have no truck this abandonment of one its chief emphases.
The bishop and delegates of Georgia all remain in our daily prayers: “to direct, sanctify, and govern them in their work, by the mighty power of the Holy Ghost, that the comfortable Gospel of Christ may be truly preached, truly received, and truly followed, in all places, to the breaking down the kingdom of sin, Satan, and death; till at length the whole of thy dispersed sheep, being gathered into one fold, shall become partakers of everlasting life”.
Dear Frank,
Thanks for this, and I’m sorry for the HOB that you were not elected their President. You would have been a great gift to that body. On the other hand, everyone here is thankful that you won’t be leaving the diocese.
Y’all have a safe journey home.
Best,
Rick