Day 9, Wednesday, July 15

From Brian Amato

Fifty (50) resolutions! That’s how many the Committee on National and International Concerns has had to deal with during this General Convention. These resolutions are attempts to set the church’s policy on a wide range of issues, or change existing policy. They are important because (1) they tell the world where we stand on these issues, and (2) more practically, they set limits on what our Government Relations Office in Washington, DC can advocate for. The Government Relations Office is well-respected and very effective, but it is only allowed to advocate for policies that have been approved by General Convention or, in some cases, by the Executive Council, the body which runs the church between general conventions.

Some topics considered at this General Convention include the Palestine/Israeli conflict, recent troubles in Honduras, the Iraq war, the effects of global warming and the recent world-wide economic problems. Closer to home we looked at immigration policy, the rights of Native Americans, employment rights for transgendered people, health-insurance policy and the so-called “defense of marriage” laws.

How it works: Each proposed resolution has to be given a hearing before the full committee and then be worked on by one of the four subcommittees. (I was on the Environmental and Other Concerns subcommittee.) After that, they are brought before the full committee for further discussion and may be sent back for further revision. Once the full committee agrees on a resolution’s language, they may send it to the House of Deputies with a recommendation to pass the final version, reject it, refer it to another committee or church body or “discharge” it (which means to stop further work on it because, for example, another resolution was passed that addresses the same issue.

As of this afternoon, the House of Deputies has passed several committee resolutions, including

· A comprehensive resolution on Israel/Palestine, calling for concessions on both sides.

· A resolution asking for better treatment for illegal immigrants.

· A resolution calling for a reform of our labor laws to restore the balance between unions and management.


From David Lovelace

"I have ten minutes to save the earth," the Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston began his sermon at the Wednesday Eucharist with these startling words. Calling on the witness of his Native American ancestors, scientific information and the many voices who have been telling us for thirty years the clock is ticking Bishop Charleston said, "the ticking has stopped and the alarm is sounding." All the issues that we think are so important will amount to nothing if the place we call home becomes a charred ball rotating around the sun. The time is at hand to respond to the alarm least we leave our children no place to call home. He concluded by asking if we would join him in protecting mother earth. A resounding "yes" was followed by a standing ovation.

A Denominational Health Plan for all employees of the church working 1000 or more hours per year was passed by both Houses. Both also concurred on the establishment of a Lay Employee Pension Plan for those who work 1000 hours or more per year. Both plans have been studied during the past three years and were presented as a justice issue for the church. We have a responsibility to take care of those persons who facilitate the ministry we all share. Parishes will have three years to comply with these resolutions. While they raise financial concerns for both large and small parishes, those who work for the church enable us to be about God's work in the world. We have a responsibility to do all we can, to provide for their health care and retirement.

The Triennial Budget comes before us tomorrow (Thursday). Reviewing the documents provided to us ahead of time was daunting. Some concerns seem to have been left out, thereby challenging all of us to provide support for mission and ministry. Determining priorities, what can best be done at a local level and what will need the support of the larger church is not an easy assignment. A budget of $140,854,531 is a lot of money, until you are faced with the difficult decisions of where and how to allocate these funds.