VIEWPOINT – Tuesday afternoon we had a special presentation to a joint gathering of the House of Bishops and House of Deputies. The Presiding Bishop and President of the House of Deputies, the presiding officer over each house, gave a brief overview of what is to come and framed the conversations that were to come.

I was not at all comforted by the PB’s use of the word “crisis” in her remarks, although, I do agree with her conclusions that a crisis sparks a response. However, to be honest, not all responses to a crisis will make things become better. But I guess if one is trying to prepare a large number of folks with varying positions and desired outcomes to have a substantive conversation you have to start somewhere.

And, given the state of the worldwide Anglican Communion, crisis is not a bad somewhere.

What strikes me is the dissimilarity between the Scriptural pictures of God’s chosen people waiting on Him to act and the insistence that the time to decide and act is upon the Episcopal Church. Have we allowed ourselves to come to a time that a decision, any decision, is more desirable than waiting on the Lord to reveal His will and direction?

“Be still” says the Lord God as He acts in power to save His people. Be still – how hard a concept that is for people these days. It requires patience. It requires trust. It requires a certainty that God will act one way or another. That God has not abandoned, not forsaken, not forgotten His people and His promise to them.

The question I am grappling with is this: Can I be still in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of General Convention and know that God is God, that God is good? Will I show patience? Will I trust God? Will I be on the look out for His grace and His mercy and His providence as the week drags on and weariness sets in?

So while I do not take comfort in the crisis which confronts us, I do take comfort that God is Sovereign, that Jesus is Lord and that all things are being brought to perfection in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Blessings!
Ram Lopez
Clergy Deputy
St. George, San Antonio

VIEWPOINT - Before I begin, let me digress. (Is there a message here?) Yesterday afternoon, the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies spoke to the assembled throng (Bishops, Deputies and Visitors) from 2pm until 2:45pm. The PB was excellent. Oh how I wished I had taken notes—lesson learned! The PB wasted no time addressing the crisis facing the Episcopal Church. She used the ways to deal with a crisis as the frame for her comments–prioritizing what is most important (dealing with food, water and shelter before rebuilding the school), discerning what to do (emulating Jesus in turning toward Jerusalem and not toward Jericho), valuing and aiding others (especially the weakest and poorest among us) and traveling light. She effectively made the point that embedded in crisis is great opportunity.

The theme of General Convention is Ubuntu, an African term meaning something like “I in You and You in Me”. I think what it is really saying is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Seems like we’ve heard that before. It’s the putting into practice that is the challenge!

Now, back to the marathon—today’s calendar:

Legislative session from 8 to 9am, opening Eucharist from 9:15am to 10:30am, committee meetings and/or hearings from 11 to 12:30pm, the West Texas Deputation meets for lunch and reporting, committee meetings/hearings resume from 2pm to 4pm, a legislative session from 4:30pm to 6pm, the West Texas Deputation meets to discuss the day and plan for tomorrow, and then more legislative meetings/hearings from 7pm to 9pm.

Our deputies and alternates have divided the various committees among us and have assumed the responsibility for tracking what goes on in those committees. You will be apprised about pending actions in a timely fashion.

It’s becoming apparent that pace, a sense of humor, eating and exercising right and good company are key ingredients to a successful marathon.

Blessings,

Drew Cauthorn
Lay Deputy
St. Mark’s, San Antonio

VIEWPOINT – General Convention is extraordinary. There is just no other way to put it. In terms of delegate days (no. of conventioneers times no. of days), I’m told it is the third largest convention in the U.S. behind the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention.

Its pace is like a roaring river. It doesn’t wait for anyone. You paddle with all your might and even then you can’t keep up.

The first legislative session of the House of Deputies started at 8a.m. this morning, mostly house keeping. The Bishops started at 7:30a.m. Opening Eucharist, from 9:15a.m. to 10:30a.m., was worth the price of admission and then some. A man, carrying and beating a drum, bellowed an African chant as he danced around the stage—if anyone could enliven a church, that man could do it! I loved it! And there was a woman in the choir who sang a spiritual who had one of the most beautiful voices I have heard.

Add to that the sermon given by the Presiding Bishop. One of the scripture readings was out of Ezekiel—“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

The PB said we don’t need to change our minds. We need to change our hearts. We need to learn a new way of understanding and a new way of acting. We need to receive new hearts from the organ donor who gave his heart that others might live. With this one heart, together we are made whole. We find abundant life in being poured out into the world. Mission is the heart beat.

This is a poor summary of one part of her wonderful sermon—I urge you to go to the website of The Episcopal Church and listen to the sermon. The Presiding Bishop does an excellent job with metaphor.

After that we had committee hearings until noon, the West Texas deputation assembled for lunch with the West Texas delegation for the Women of the Church, additional committee hearings after lunch, another legislative session from 4:30pm until 6pm, then the West Texas deputation assembled again, committee hearings resumed from 7pm until 9pm and that’s not all—whew!!!!

Other nits and gnats—I bumped into (maybe almost bumped into) the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Exhibition Hall. He has joined us for two days as have Bishops from all over the world. He looks somewhat like Gandalf. I suspect he may be as wise and prophetic as he appears. There were shouters outside the Convention Hall yelling insults at The Episcopal Church. And then there are literally thousands of wonderful, friendly, deeply committed church people of all ages functioning as best they can with the limitations they have. I wish you all could experience this!

Blessings,
Drew Cauthorn
Lay Deputy
St. Mark’s, San Antonio

VIEWPOINT – That is my term for the time the Lopez family will spend here in Anaheim. We arrived a couple of days early and relaxed and recharged at both the San Diego Zoo and both Disney parks. The fun part of the time here is now being replaced by the work that makes up the General Convention as the deputation from West Texas signed up to follow the different legislative committees – which means attending legislative committee hearings a couple of times a day – and volunteered to author blog entries to keep our sisters and brothers back home informed.

But, this morning was the last chance to play unencumbered with the wheeling and dealing of General Convention. So the Lopez crew was up early on Tuesday morning to squeeze out just one more half-day of family fun. California Adventure was on the morning docket: just have to ride Soarin’ and Tower of Terror!

I was reflecting that these two rides are good metaphors for how I feel about General Convention. Either we will be “soarin’” high about our recommitment to the mission and ministry we Episcopalians share in Christ Jesus with each other and our worldwide Anglican Communion partners. Or we will create our own “tower of terror” by centering on and polarizing around single issue agendas.

From what I have seen in the last couple of weeks in my email inbox, the latter seems to be shaping up. A small but very vocal, very insistent and very organized group is pushing an agenda that could embroil the convention. So rather than focus on mission and ministry, we are apt to feel like we are on the “tower of terror” ride – feeling high one moment and then having the bottom drop out.

But, bottoms can be good place to start life again. Ask any addict who spent his or her entire life focused on one the single purpose of changing how they felt before God moved powerfully in their life to refocus, reenergize, redirect and renew them.

So, while I do not know what to expect and feel a bit of trepidation, I do not feel like this 76th gathering of Episcopalians will bring in the Kingdom of God. Nor do I feel like will it hinder the Kingdom of God. God is bigger than the Episcopal Church. And bigger than any gathering of His people in any one time or place regardless of their worship styles, political beliefs or anything else. No expression of Christian faith, Catholicism, evangelicalism, Pentecostalism, emergentism, or any other “-ism” can ever fully capture and represent God’s plan of renewal and reclaiming of His world.

God is bigger than our minds, our ideas, our worship styles, our local and regional churches.

He just IS!

So, I guess, that at the end of the day – today, tomorrow, and eternally – I will be “soarin’”. That’s the promise we have in Christ Jesus. Nothing, nothing at all, will ever be able to “separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

So bring on the rides! And bring on Convention!

Every one of us at this convention will soon return to our homes and parish churches. And when we do, there will be much work to do for the Kingdom of God in the name of Jesus. And I hope that what we come home to find is a people eager to do the hard and important work of ministry of Christ Jesus we in the Diocese of West Texas already share.

Ram Lopez
Clergy Deputy
St. George, San Antonio