July 7 -- Saturday at Convention

Gary Runs

No, I'm not running for any office (through we had the first of many elections today). Instead, I decided that instead of heading off to another 7:30 am hearing I went instead for a run. A little warm, a lot humid, and very much welcome. Ah, fresh air!

Five Minutes of Work

We met in two legislative sessions this morning and then most of the afternoon. All too often it felt like we were lost in parliamentary hell, that painful alternate reality where an organization manages to cram five minutes of work into an hour. In other words, legislation is a terribly inefficient process. Some of this is by design, of course, meant to reduce the chances that governing bodies will decide matters in too hasty a manner or that the voices of minority positions will go unheard.

This is both admirable and necessary. It can also be a huge pain in the a__ since we're left sitting in a way too chilly convention hall while we slowly reach decisions that at this point are not even final. (I'd explain why that is, but it's too late at night and the explanation would be both technical and boring.)

I only hope that we become more efficient in our legislative sessions. We have only just begun to consider resolutions, and the ones that have come forward have been pretty uncontroversial. The really meaty issues have yet to emerge on the floor of the House of Deputies.

Hearing on the Blessing of Same Gender Relationships

A witness offers testimony to a committee. You can see only about half of the 51 members of this legislative committee on liturgy and music.

Tonight I attended a hearing before the committee on Liturgy and Music on a resolution and draft study materials and liturgy for the blessing of same gender relationships. I expected a few fireworks. The organizers expected a lot of participants. 

Both expectations were wrong. The comments were quite civil and, in some instances, very moving. The large room was over half empty, perhaps indicating that this is no longer the incendiary issue it once was. (Either that or everyone was too tired after the slow-moving legislative sessions to bother attending.)

What is being proposed includes study materials use for local use and a liturgy that, if allowed by the diocesan bishop, may be used on a trial basis. The liturgy is careful to avoid the word "marriage," and for good reason. "Marriage" is a very loaded term that carries with it not only legal implications but also great meaning for many people. Instead the focus is on the "covenant" that is created between two people and which the church recognizes is blessed by God.

I'll have more on this when the committee sends the matter on to the floor.

Dinner with Old Friends

One of the great joys of General Convention is running into old friends, including my buddies Mike and Dianne from the Diocese of the Rio Grande (in New Mexico). After the hearing on the Blessing, we went to California Pizza Kitchen for a bit of wine and pizza. Oh, yeah! We had a great visit as though we'd been apart just a few days and not a few years. What a blessing I have in my friends!