7/17/09
+Porter Taylor

And then there were none.

Today we finish at 6:00 pm whether we are finished or not. The last day is always a blur for the House of Deputies as they move through their legislation at a sprint. The House of Bishops has been ahead of them, and so we will have to switch gears from our leisurely pace to something much faster.

This is my third General Convention, and I can say I enjoyed it most. At least in the House of Bishops, there was much more concern for one another and for the wideness of The Episcopal Church. There were fewer maneuvers to subvert a full dialog on the hard questions. Most of all, there was an effort to tell the truth about our finances as a Church and our wide diversity as a Church. We did all we could to avoid “winners and losers.”

I think we are becoming more Anglican, which may sound ironic to some people given what others say about our future in the Anglican Communion. We are coming to hold on to a common core of essentials and allow a latitude in local expression. This is going back to our roots. When the Church of England was formed, everyone had to use the Book of Common Prayer, but they could vary the way they worshipped with it. Some had candles; some didn’t.

One more thought. It is very clear that the economic downturn has pushed us to remodel the way we operate. We will have fewer people working at The Church Center in New York, but we will have a greater emphasis on mission on the ground. We are going through a birth process for a different Church for the 21st Century.
This Convention has been long and tiring, but essential for grasping the wideness of The Episcopal Church. I am happy that the next Convention will be two days shorter and I am very happy that it’s three years away, but I am glad to have been here. We did many good things; we made many wonderful connections; and we also caught a glimpse of the wideness of the Body of Christ.