God's blessing makes life rich; nothing we do can improve on God." - Proverbs 10:22
Greetings from the beautiful city of Anaheim:
This is the second time that the people in the Diocese of Texas have sent me forth as a Lay Deputy to the 'gathering of the faithful.' It continues to be an honor and a privilege to serve God, the Holy Spirit, and the Diocese of Texas. I enter this work in deep reverence, with humility, and prepared for a lot of hard work.
As I approached the convention center, there was a vivid blue sign that said, "The Episcopal Church -- Welcomes You." It made my heart sing. I will take that vision with me when I leave this place. There have been many eye-opening, tear producing, heart felt moments during convention.
General Convention is the 'gathering of the faithful' however it is not like a Diocesan Council. The Rules are different. The House of Deputies, composed of 846 lay and clergy deputies from all nine provinces of the Church, is a much larger, blended family. Of the 846 Deputies, there are less than 200 Deputies of Color [Black, Latino, Asian, First Nations]. Being on the floor of the House can be intimidating with the overwhelming numbers of people who do not look like me.
This is a reunion of the members of the body of Christ who come together every three years to do the business of the Church. Each Deputy brings their own unique history, culture, and experience, both as individuals and as members of a Diocese. The result is that there is a real possibility that during a Legislative session, if an individual behaves and/or relates to the 'new' family from an old familiar place... a clash will occur. It is an interesting observation that people tend to be more aware of the "I" instead of the "we" when in front of a mike. Even so, General Convention provides Deputies with an opportunity to view the ministry and mission of the Church, not through a local lens but with an expanded or increased vision of the larger community of faith.
The grace for me in being a part of such a large and diverse 'gathering' is to look, listen and learn. I am called to be attentive and share the power of Christ in my life. Then I can leave this place having been transformed by the Spirit found in the 'gathering'.
Deputies are working quite earnestly on B033 and will continue to do so. We worked as a Committee of the Whole, first approaching the issue with one-on-one conversations between people from different Dioceses with whom we were not familiar. The second time, Deputies were allowed to voice their opinions about B033 without debate -- we just listened to each person for two minutes. We let them tell their story. At the close of the work of the Committee of the Whole, we stood and sang, "The Church is One Foundation.' WOW~ What a moment of grace. Look at the words when you have time.
One of the things that I have learned during the last two General Conventions is that there is a difference between power and influence. Influence is when you develop relationships and those relationships help to determine a common path. Power is when you attempt to force a direction upon others. It is my opinion that General Convention is a time for building relationships and using influence rather than trying to gather power.
I believe that film director/writer Spike Lee, in the naming of his movie Do the Right Thing, has set the course for the Episcopal Church. We are called by Christ to "do the right thing" for all people, everyone who is made in Christ's image -- we must not only welcome everyone, but also ensure that everyone feels that they belong to the Body of Christ; that they are valued and beloved by the Creator and by each one of us.
The one thing that hurts me deeply is the fact that the Diocese of Texas only contributes 6.7% of its operating income to the Episcopal Church to support mission and ministry within the nine provinces and internationally. I know we can do better. This is not about ideology; this is about helping our brothers and sisters. It is not about finances, either. The Diocese of Nevada, whose operating income is around $700,000 is able to give the entire 21% asking to the Church. The Diocese of Texas has an operating incomce of over $7,000,000 --- yes, that's millions ... we can definitely do better than we are doing.
Thank you again for allowing me to represent all of the people of Texas.
Deputy Houston -- Texas 6.7%
Shalom,
Oh
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Well said, Ora. The DoT is blessed to have you representing those of back here who are not represented in our bishop's sad comments. Truly sad, as well, about our continued practice of ignoring our financial responsibility to the Church. You, however, are a ray of God's true Light.
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