The spirit in the House of Deputies has been amazing and wonderful. There is a sense of calm, mutual respect and devotion to the job before them. From my seat on the platform, I see deputies engaged in very intentional listening and it makes me proud of our church and the House. Then I look down at the table in front of me and am yanked back to the reality that this process is a bit messy. Part of our job is to make it appear to not be messy. For example, when we jump around to handle special orders, or take resolutions out of order – yikes! Where are we? Who has a copy of that? Which microphone gets to speak next? How many minutes are left on the timer? Does that one take a majority vote or a two-thirds vote? You definitely have to be a multi-tasking juggler to do this job! The other part is to keep the process fair. Sometimes reading your gut instinct is more important than a rule and you strive to allow the voices to be heard.
Worship on Sunday was magnificent. It brings me to tears to share our Episcopal liturgy with several thousand other Episcopalians. In spite of the huge crowd, when it was time to exchange God’s peace, I discovered a cherished retired bishop and his wife sitting in front of me – I’ve known them since high school (mine, not theirs). What a treat. For me, General Convention has been like a giant coffee hour – this wonderful family called the Episcopal Church comes together in reunion and devotion and we get to reconnect with old friends and make a whole bunch of new ones. I found an old friend I graduated from high school with – she is now CEO of the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes. As we walked through the Exhibit Hall together it seemed as though, between the two of us, we know most of the Church.
Polly Getz
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