Talk To Your Bishops & Deputies
About General Convention!

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Our Hopes For Anaheim

Integrity has two goals for General Convention 2009:

1. To move beyond Resolution B033. Adopted in haste and under external pressure in 2006, this ill-considered resolution has been used to bar qualified LGBT persons from consideration in elections to the episcopacy. 

2. To move toward adopting rites to affirm and bless all relationships of mutuality and fidelity between two people who love each other. Since 2003, some bishops have been allowing parishes to bless LGBT couples as a matter of pastoral practice. Various 2009 General Convention resolutions ask for changes ranging from inclusion of such rites in the Book of Occasional Services through rewriting of the marriage service in the Book of Common Prayer.

How You Can Help Make It Happen

Achieving these goals will require most Episcopalians to become comfortable with and committed to full inclusion of all in the Church.

We will get there by listening, talking, and praying together as clergy and laity, gay and straight.

Some suggestions to prepare for Anaheim:

Establishing a conversation: Of course, we do have an agenda. I'll say it again: "full inclusion of all the baptized in all the sacraments." All our deputies need to know that there are faithful Episcopalians who see full inclusion as a part of living out our baptismal vows—and they need to hear, again, our personal stories of why full inclusion matters. And you need to be the person who tell them.

Listening: As you know, diocesan deputies to General Convention are not representatives. They are members of the Church whom our diocesan conventions elect; but in doing so we are trusting in their discernment of the movement of the Spirit. Those of us working for full inclusion need to hear from them. So try to make their acquaintance, perhaps take them to lunch and, as much as seems possible, ask them what their hopes and dreams are for the Episcopal Church. Also, find out what their anxieties are for our Church. 

Our purpose is not to argue or harangue. But we can hardly consider ourselves members of one body if we are not talking—so let's be proactive about talking with our deputies and bishops.

And let's keep praying to the God we know loves all and includes all in love.

Recommended Actions

• Contact your bishops and deputies about General Convention as soon as possible.
• Tell them your position on the consecration of qualified LGBT clergy to the episcopate and the ecclesiastical blessing of faithful same-gender couples. Tell them what you would like to see happen in Anaheim.
• Ask them their position on these issues. Ask them what kinds of resolutions they are willing to vote for in Anaheim.
• Thank them for their time and attention.  Promise to pray for them before and during General Convention.  Set up additional opportunities for communication if possible.
• Share what you learn with Jan Adams, Integrity's Field Organizer, at jan@integrityusa.org or 415-378-2050.

Useful Links

• The Anaheim Appeal
• Our resolutions website  
• Our General Convention website
• Walking With Integrity blog