Sunday:  Arrived in Denver – it’s flat and hot.  The mountains are visible in the distance, but the city is truly flat!  The weather was as hot as Atlanta, only with very low humidity – but dry heat is still heat.  The airport is huge – looks a lot like Atlanta’s – designed by the same folks.

 

Our hotel is a “faded gem” whose glory lies in its past.  But it’s clean and within a two-block walk of the Convention Center.  It also had a decent restaurant.

 

Monday:  Got my credentials and “the” notebook – not nearly as many resolutions as in previous conventions.  Checked out the Convention Center – nice space, large meeting areas.  Helped the Integrity folks unload their materials for the booth, counted T-shirts, socialized.  God (or someone) has a sense of humor and/or irony.  The Integrity booth is across the aisle from Exodus!  (Exodus is an organization that claims to heal people of their homosexual orientation.)

 

Tuesday:  Orientation for the House of Deputies.  Soulforce held their demonstration – little reaction – small blip on large screen.  The Episcopal Church is in a far different place than the Methodists, Presbyterians and Baptists with regard to human sexuality issues.  Even though it is the 4^th of July, I didn’t get to any fireworks displays. But that didn’t matter:  The view from my hotel room stretched across the western horizon, so I saw about a dozen displays from all over (no idea where!).

 

Wednesday:  We started the day with “Table Church” – some 3,000 – that’s Big Church!  I started my volunteer stint as a verger for the convention.   There were twelve communion stations.  It took less than fifteen minutes to serve communion to 3,000 people!  We would be starting each day of Convention with the Eucharist.

 

The first legislative day began.  Some of the business was routine “getting the house in order” type business, but several significant resolutions did pass.  One created tobacco-free zones in interior spaces under the jurisdiction of the Episcopal Church.  Another strongly urged dioceses and congregations to provide a safe, hospitable environment for conversations with youth and young adults about human sexuality.  I actually provided the language for part of the latter during the hearing on the resolution.  I suggested to a committee member that the conversation take place within the context of the Baptismal Covenant.  And another called for dialogue on fidelity in human relationships.  The House of Bishops subsequently concurred on all three. 

 

Thursday:  We began the day with the Eucharist again.  This was also designated as Jubilee.  I had the honor of leading in the altar party procession – which included the Presiding Bishop and the Bishop of Maine (Chilton Knudsen).  Following the Presiding Bishop’s meditation, we spent an hour and a half responding to the concept of Jubilee.  Some meditated alone, others talked in small groups, others walked the Labyrinth and others walked outside the Convention Center to look at the mountains and scenery.

 

After the meditations, Bishop Knudsen presided at the Eucharist.  The time of Jubilee got a variety of reactions, but was generally positive. 

 

The second legislative day began in the afternoon – and I was seated as a voting deputy for the session.  Part of the legislative business was a resolution on HIV/AIDS.  I was able to offer testimony.  The resolution passed with amendment.

 

That evening was Integrity’s General Convention Eucharist at the Cathedral of St. John in the Wilderness in Denver.  Nearly a thousand people filled the Cathedral – and it was hot!  It’s not air-conditioned.  An incredible, powerful and emotional service – I was in tears through most of it.  I verged in the clergy – all gay and lesbian priests and deacons, nearly forty of them.  It was a powerfully affirming site to see them behind the altar for the celebration of the Eucharist.  Bishop Steven Charleston, former Bishop of Alaska and now Dean of Episcopal Divinity School, blew the roof off with his sermon.  He denounced the distortion of the Gospel in attempting to exclude people from the Body of Christ.  He said:  “That we want to see men and women in the Church stand united to proclaim that from this moment on, in this cathedral, at this convention, this [exclusion] will never be allowed to happen again and every gay and lesbian person in this Church will be treated with respect and dignity and empowered by this Church to the service of God, for so have they been chosen and appointed.”

 

Following the service our Assisting Bishop, Robert Tharpe, took the entire Atlanta “crowd” out to dinner.  We ate in the old vault of a bank building!  Food and fellowship were a fitting end to a glorious day.

 

Friday:  I’m back in the Alternate Deputy section.  We were all shocked then saddened as Louie Crew, Chair of the Newark Deputation asked for a point of personal privilege to request that salt be cleaned up from underneath the Newark Deputation’s chairs.  A clerical deputy from the Diocese of Dallas had spread salt, as an act of purification or exorcism, under the tables of Newark and several other dioceses, the podium, several microphone platforms and the chair of the President of the House of Deputies.  After a moment of stunned silence the House was recessed to have the salt cleaned up.  Spontaneously, about two thirds of the deputies gathered around the Newark Deputation and began to sing.  First was We Shall Overcome.  That was followed by Jesus Loves Me This I Know, and There Is a Balm in Gilead.  Tears flowed freely.  During the singing, two deputies from another Texas diocese got down on their hands and knees and cleaned up the salt.  Those of us in the Alternate section generally stood – stunned and in silence.

 

When the House was back in session, the priest who had spread the salt went to a microphone and claimed he had acted out of the pain of being called a sinner for his heterosexism.  Another member of the Dallas deputation then went to the microphone and apologized for the incident on behalf of the entire Dallas Deputation and the Diocese of Dallas, noting that the priest did not represent the views of the Deputation or the Diocese.  Some noted a sick feeling that comes from not feeling safe, even on the floor of the House of Deputies.

 

Friday night was the time set aside for an open hearing on all the resolutions before the General Convention dealing with issues of human sexuality.  The hearing was convened by Committee 25 – a special committee appointed to deal with sexuality issues.  The atmosphere was cordial and polite – despite the nearly three hour hearing.

 

Saturday:  I was seated as a voting Deputy for the entire day – what a day it turned out to be!  The first order of business was a point of personal privilege from the chair of the Dallas Deputation.  He rose to apologize on behalf of the Deputation for the salting incident the previous day.  He also announced that the deputy who was responsible had resigned as a deputy and was going home.

 

Later I voted in favor of the Call to Common Mission, which brought us into full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  We then voted to approve the canonical and constitutional changes required to effectuate our earlier actions.  It felt like we were taking at least one small stitch in trying to knit back together the Body of Christ.  Once all the votes were counted, Lutheran visitors were invited onto the floor of the House and we all stood and sang “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”  I was privileged to be part of an historic event in the life of the Episcopal Church and hopefully the wider church.

 

Subsequent business included the election of the President of the House of Deputies.  I was torn by loyalties to two of the candidates with whom I had worked over the years.  The Very Reverend George Werner, Dean of the Cathedral in Pittsburgh, was elected.  We had a busy day!

 

A friend had invited me to dinner that evening.  Apparently I had not been paying close attention to what he said.  As it turned out, we were having dinner with the newly elected President of the House of Deputies and his wife!  We ate at a great Brazilian restaurant and had a wonderful time – President-elect George, his wife, me, my predecessor as National President of Integrity and my successor in that position (and his life partner).  A fitting close to quite a day.

 

Sunday:  We gathered early at Currigan Hall for Sunday worship.  The space had been turned into a very special worship space in anticipation for some 10,000 worshipers.  Special lighting was in place, incense rose in the air as worshipers gathered.  The procession would ultimately include over 700 people:  choirs, Eucharistic ministers, deacons, Episcopal Church Women representatives, the entire House of Bishops.   It was my distinct honor to lead in half of the House of Bishops.  (Some forty-two vergers were involved in the service!)  Though not possible to really capture in words, the Holy Spirit was truly in that place.  (Following General Convention, the hall was to be torn down to make room for an addition to the Convention Center.  Seems fitting that its last major event was a worship service.)  After church I went to brunch and then did my laundry!

 

Monday:  Convention go-ers were greeted by a group that has become synonymous with hatred and intolerance:  Fred Phelps and his crew from Kansas.  They gathered on the sidewalk and held up placards declaring that “God hates fags” among other equally offensive slogans.  The saddest part was the participation in the demonstration by children – no more than eight or nine years old.  I doubt they understood what the signs they were holding really meant.  While waiting for my credentials change I was greeted by another member of the Atlanta Deputation.  He had just come through the demonstrators.  He hugged me and burst into tears.  Trying to soothe him, I told him I had seen it before and was used to it.  His poignant response was: “But I’m not used to it.”  I worried about him the rest of the day.  Hatred is so ugly.  We went into the morning worship service.  Words of compassion helped.  And we had gotten serving communion to nearly three thousand down to a science – a reverent science of course – taking less than ten (10) minutes! 

 

More legislation – I was an Alternate again.  General Convention was picking up speed as we began the second week and much business remained.  The deputies and alternates had decided to have a “just us” dinner on Monday night.  Our intention was to have a serious discussion about the legislation on human sexuality – perhaps not the most important business of the convention, but certainly among the most visible.

 

Dinner that night was a wonderfully spiritual, supportive time of sharing.  I learned that the godparents of the children of one deputy were gay and lesbian.  I also learned that the uncle of one had been a gay man.  Our conversations dealt candidly and pastorally with where we were on the issue of human sexuality.  One deputy gave me credit for moving him from clinging to the “right edge” of the church to being in the middle.  I was affirmed for who I am as a child of God in an incredibly powerful way.  They moved me to tears.  At the end of our discussions, we were fully in support of the legislation on human sexuality that would come to the floor of the House the next afternoon.  On top of all of that, they made sure I would be on the floor as a voting deputy for the discussion and vote!

 

Tuesday:  Morning was rather routine (after church of course).  I was seated for the afternoon – and as it turned out, I was on the floor for the rest of the General Convention.  (One of the deputies became ill and had to return home.)  The debate and vote on Resolution D039 – the omnibus sexuality resolution that came out of Committee 25 was scheduled for the afternoon session.  There was a lot of energy (tension?) as the hour approached.  At the legislation was brought forward for discussion there was a scurrying of deputies to the six microphones – there must have been 15 people at each.  We only had 30 minutes of unencumbered debate (i.e., no amendments, etc.).  The debate was civil and polite.  Then there was a motion to divide the resolution with the eighth (and most controversial) resolve being voted on separately by orders. 

 

The first seven resolves passed with little dissent.  The eighth resolve failed by 3 votes in the lay order but passed in the clergy order.  That resolve would have authorized the creation of rites to bless relationships other than that of heterosexual married couples.  It did not specify same-gender couples because it also applied to opposite gender couples who could not get married.  Despite the loss of the eighth resolve, the House spoke very loudly with the passage of the first seven resolves.  For the first time the church recognized that relationships other than heterosexual marriage actually existed between faithful and committed members of our church.  The resolution spelled out the expectations of relationships and stated that promiscuous, exploitive and abusive relationships – regardless of the sexual orientation of the partners was not acceptable.  It stated that the church intended to hold its members accountable for the values expressed in the resolution.  It recognized that we are still not of one mind on the subject of human sexuality and that faithful Christians will, in good conscience, act contrary to the church’s traditional teaching.  And it called for continued dialogue. 

 

I was excited that the first seven resolves passed.  (They subsequently passed the House of Bishops as well.)  I was disappointed by the loss of the eighth resolve, but not dismayed.  Real progress had been made.  Time will only tell just how much.

 

Tuesday night lesbian and gay deputies, alternates and their friends and supporters gathered for an informal Eucharist.  About 125 people attended – there would have been more, but they couldn’t find the location!  Again, it was a gathering where the presence of the Holy Spirit was clearly in evidence.  There was much pain and grief to be shared and, as much as possible, to be resolved.  The Eucharist was the salve we all needed.  The Liturgy of the Word came from among us as stories were shared.  Once the bread and wine were consecrated, we fed each other in a huge circle that filled the room.  Each one took bread, gave it to the one next to them with the familiar words:  The Body of Christ, the bread of heaven.  The paten was passed to all.  Then the chalice was passed in the same way with the soothing words:  The Blood of Christ, the cup of salvation.  Few were able to give the Body and Blood without shedding tears.   We followed communion with a series of hymns sung accompanied only by the human voice.  The service ended with a lengthy exchange of the peace amid both laughter and tears.  There was great healing in that service.

 

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday:  Time began to pass much quicker than we needed it to pass.  Resolutions came to the floor for debate and action about as fast as we could act on them.  We thanked the people of Colorado for hosting us.  We endorsed the “Birmingham Pledge” as part of our continued battle against racism in our church and society.  We directed dialogue with various “continuing Anglican” churches and other faith communities with an Anglican identity.  We adopted a budget for the next triennium of the church.  We re-affirmed the church’s opposition to the death penalty.  We urged pastoral counseling for women and men who had participated in abortions and who felt the need for such counseling.  We urged our congregations to share the Episcopal Church’s policy on non-discrimination based on sexual orientation with local and national leadership of the Boy Scouts of America, with the hopes that they might change their discriminatory policies against gays.  We adopted a variety of supplemental liturgical texts, including those for those dealing with end of life issues and coping with the death of a child.  We authorized a variety of translations of the Bible for use during worship.  We adopted a Revised Common Lectionary – one already in use by a number of faith communities.  We apologized to those for whom our past liturgical revisions had caused pain.  In summary, we acted on nearly 300 resolutions affecting our life together in the Episcopal Church. 

 

Perhaps the most wonderful aspect of General Convention was that we managed to transact our legislation effectively and still maintain civility, grace, compassion and care for each other.  Late Friday afternoon, the House of Bishops joined us in the House of Deputies and the Jubilee Convention, General Convention 2000, adjourned sine die!  That night I went to dinner and a play, did most of my packing and collapsed.

 

Saturday we bid our faded jewel of a hotel farewell and headed for the airport.  Flights were full of Episcopalians headed home – remember anybody flying anywhere in the Southeast had to go through Atlanta!  After a delay due to mechanical problems, we were airborne, arriving in Atlanta over an hour later than scheduled.  I was worn out and glad to be home in time to crawl into my very own bed!