Disconnected Despite the Progress

I've not kept up with my hope to post each day (or almost). A big reason for this is that I'm not particularly disciplined when it comes to keeping a journal, whether electronic or not. Another reason is simply the reality of keeping up with the fullness of life while trying to stay connected with what is going on in Anaheim at General Convention. I have a parish to manage, people to care for, a family that includes two teenagers and a new puppy, and several evening commitments (my son's baseball games). Beyond that, there simply seems to be too much to keep up with at Convention. I can't quite imagine how the deputies and bishops get through it all.

What strikes me as most central in my struggle to find time to blog is a rather apathetic view toward the convention. I know this triennial gathering is important and I know decisions made there impact my parish and me. However, so much of what I read feels like something that is great for the insiders but not necessarily a highlight for those of us at home.

I had a conversation this morning with a young woman who was in Anaheim for the first few days of convention. One of her observations struck me. She is in her mid-20s. From her perspective, most of the people there were "old." Now, she is not trying to say they are out of touch or over the hill. Her point was that she suspected many of those participating were retired because they are the ones who can give up all of this personal time to be there. Laity who work need to give up about 2 weeks of vacation to participate. She also observed that there did not seem to be a lot of people who were new to all of this, that a lot of deputies appeared to have been at several conventions.

This leads me to wonder about the people whose voices are not heard in the central gathering of the Episcopal Church. Where are the voices of . . .

• the young adults who are hard to find in the pews of our churches
• the laborers who couldn't conceive of giving up two weeks of vacation (if they even get any) to attend such an event
• the people who participate faithfully in a local Episcopal congregation but have no particular loyalty to the Episcopal Church
• the unchurched and "no longer going to church" who don't care what we do or feel that what the church offers is not relevant to their lives

All of this brings me to these questions:

• Are our structures and our polity truly inclusive?
• Are we willing to listen to the voices of those who stand on the margins? (and by that I mean the margins that we don't see well, not the ones that we talk about all the time)
• Is the way the church is structured an obstacle to engagement and invitation?

I'm not denying the importance or necessity of General Convention. I simply ponder what it means that I, as a priest with good reasons to pay attention, feel disconnected. If I am not sure how much of this is relevant, what are others thinking?

Having written all of that, I will at least express hope in one item of legislation to come out of General Convention. Resolution D025 has been adopted by both the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies. In short, this resolution affirms that ordination is available to anyone in the church through the discernment process outlined in the Constitution and Canons of the church while also affirming our desire as a denomination to be a part of the Anglican Communion. What does this mean? That all baptized Christians can be ordained, if the process they follow is aligned with the canons of the church. The moratorium on gays and lesbians being elected and consecrated as bishops, which began at the convention in 2006, has been lifted. This is a huge step toward full hospitality and inclusion.

While much of what happens at convention may seem disconnected from congregational life, this is something that is very much connected to who we are as a church. If nothing else comes out of convention, this is something to celebrate.

So, yes, I feel disconnected. But I still celebrate the progress.