ISSUES

2006

WEDNESDAY JUNE 14

Resolution Affirms the Rights of Workers to Organize and Form Unions

Resolution C008 affirms the rights of workers in the United States to form unions as a means of securing adequate wages, benefits, and safety conditions. This resolution was adopted by the Diocese of Michigan and proposed in its present form by the Diocese of Newark to General Convention. It is a response to the growing inequality resulting from the combined effects of globalization, immigration, and the weakening of government regulation. In recent years we have seen the re-emergence of sweatshop conditions, child labor, and the exploitation of immigrants and other vulnerable workers. The explanations for Resolution C008 reminds us that our baptismal covenant calls us to stand with the least of God’s children and to work for justice for all.

Mike Maloney (Yes, ‘Mal...” Sorry for previous miss-spelling, Mike!)

TODAY--

OPEN MEETING

of The Consultation

in Room D242 in the

Convention Center

from 12:30 to 1:30

No food or drink, please!

The Consultation endorses for Trustees of the Church Pension Fund:

Barbara B. Creed

John E. Harris, Jr.

Deborah Harmon Hines

Tracey Lind

William B. McKeown

Diane B. Pollard

George L. W. Werner

Thomas B. Woodward

Is Baptism Full Christian Initiation?

The 1979 Prayer Book states unequivocally, “Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s Body the Church.” Yet three dioceses—California, Connecticut, and Northern Michigan—have submitted a resolution on the subject “Baptism is full initiation” (resolutions C020, C031, and C044). Didn’t we settle this thirty years ago?

Since the Prayer Book was adopted, the canons have been revised several times to require that a person be a “confirmed adult communicant in good standing” in order to serve as a licensed lay minister, hold office, or be considered for ordination.

Requiring confirmation goes beyond the Prayer Book language that the rite is “expected” in the course of one’s Christian development, and could imply that baptism is not full initiation. Those supporting the requirement for confirmation have argued that confirmation ensures formation in the tradition and polity of the Episcopal Church and so is an appropriate prerequisite for leadership.

The resolutions before this General Convention call for the Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons (SCCC) to prepare amendments to the canons in order to clarify that baptism is the only membership requirement (other than age) for eligibility for licensed ministries, holding office, or access to the ordination process. Undertaking this work during the next triennium, the SCCC could consult with bishops, liturgists, Christian educators, canon lawyers, and justice advocates about providing appropriate resources for formation of Episcopal identity and about suitable expectations for those who exercise leadership in the church.

To provide background for the Convention’s consideration of these resolutions, a group of distinguished liturgists and Christian educators—Marion Hatchett, Leonel Mitchell, Louis Weil, and John and Caroline Westerhoff—will speak at public forums on Wednesday and Thursday, June 14-15, from 12:30-2:00 p.m. in the Hayes Room at the Hyatt Regency. All are welcome. Deputies and bishops will receive a background pamphlet on the resolution prepared by these speakers.

Ruth Meyers

Clergy deputy, Diocese of Chicago

Academic Dean and Professor of Liturgics, Seabury-Western Theological Seminary

Episcopal Peace Fellowship

Prayer for today

The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” Ps. 19:8

Holy God, open our eyes to a fresh vision for a peaceful world along with the will to seek alternatives to revenge and violence. Awaken in us compassion for the victims of war: soldiers of all nations, grieving families, civilians, the wounded creation. Open wide the eyes of world leaders, especially in our own country, to see a path toward peace in Iraq and in all conflicts that tear apart the one human family. Grant us eyes wide open to peace. Amen

Remembering Alan

Sunday is Father’s Day. I know, because the ads for Father’s Day are everywhere.

They are in my e-mail, on billboards, on the side of buses, in store windows, in magazines, in newspapers, on television, on the radio – there is nowhere one can hide from reminders of Father’s Day.

And every one of them feels like a stab in the heart.

My father, Dr. Alan Sherrod, died last summer, one month after Father’s Day. He was 89 and had been becoming more and more frail. Still, against all reason, his death caught us all by surprise. He was such a monumental figure in our lives that I guess we expected he would be there forever.

He had eluded death so many times. During World War II doctors told my mother to take him home to die when he contracted TB in the Army. But he fooled them, just as he fooled all the doctors who told us time and again to come home, because he was about to die from various heart problems, or cancer, or an aneurysm. He practiced medicine for nearly 50 years, played saxophone in a jazz band, raced sport cars, traveled with my mother and loved life to the hilt. He cheated death for so long that I guess we thought he always would.

As we’ve moved through the months since his death, grief has traveled with us. The journey is a familiar one to any person who has lost someone they love – the first day after the death, the first week, month. His birthday. Their wedding anniversary – it would have been their 63^rd year together. The first Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter without him were especially hard.

Among the Liturgies for Rites of Passage [A067], the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music of The Episcopal Church has offered prayers and rites for remembering the departed, saying, “The service for The Burial of The Dead focuses on the bereaved, offering a public gathering in which to lament. It also opens the prospect of growth in the hope of resurrection. . . Our Christian faith assures us that death does not sever the bonds of love, but that our relationships live in faith and hope until the day when we will see God face to face in the presence of those we love who went before us.”

They have offered prayers and collects “for particular anniversaries making the journey of grief’s healing.”

There are prayers for a week, a month and year after death; for Coming Home Without a Departed Loved One; for Giving Away Belongings of a Departed Loved One; for Visiting a Graveside; for The Birthday of a Departed Loved One; On Visiting the Site Where a Loved One was Last Encountered; On Grieving a Violent Death; and For a Child Who Dies by Violence.

With the exception of the last one – which I also appreciate – my mother and my brothers and I would have benefited from these prayers as we moved through our grief. It often is a lonely journey. We would have felt comforted by the thought that the Church was moving with us.

These prayers will help make that happen for all grieving families.

Katie Sherrod

Communion Station Reflections

When sitting at a table at the edge of the congregation at the Morning Worship, I was invited to administer Communion at one of the stations. It gave me another chance to experience the breadth of the Episcopal Church in very brief encounters. Tall and short, young and old, female and male, lay and ordained, with varied ethnic backgrounds, the people came lifted their hands and shared in “The Body of Christ, The bread of heaven.”

There were the many who walked with ease, and there were some riding in a wheelchair. All of them were here because of their love of their Lord, their dedication to his Church, and because they were trusted to represent their diocese or their organization. Whatever we bring to the Convention, whatever joy or sorrow we carry to the Eucharist, we are all reminded that we are loved by God and called by him to make that love known. The joy in people's faces and the smiles with which they received was moving to this old priest.

At home when parishioners kneel at the altar rail their faces are below my gaze, and they frequently drop their heads staring at their hands, so it was a treat to see them face-to-face and to recognize close friends and family, as well people I recognize but don't know. It was a blessing to see again this face of the Church and to be able to share with it this sacred moment. Thanks be to God!

Ron Miller

Who, what, where, when:

Social and Urban Concerns Committee

WEDS. 2:00 PM

Should General Convention be held in a state which is treating gays and lesbians and their loved ones differently under state law? 

Walking into General Convention can make anyone anxious, but some deputies and bishops are more anxious than others. For them, General Convention is not necessarily a safe, welcoming space.

When most of us arrive at General Convention we know our hotel room, our loved ones know how to reach us in an emergency, and we have our credentials -- we are ready!

But what if that were not true? What if you arrive at General Convention and try to use your credit card at the hotel and it doesn’t work? The clerk at the front desk asks, ‘Are you an Episcopalian? Our state laws don’t recognize credit cards of Episcopalians. Your credit card is not valid here.”

Or imagine your cell phone won’t work. You call your mobile service provider and complain and they say, “Well, I’m sorry, but you’re an Episcopalian. The state you’re in does not recognize the cell phones of Episcopalians. Our network will not work for you in that state.”

These examples are obviously a bit extreme, but this is what it can feel like if you a GLBT Episcopalian in Ohio today. Things you take for granted at home will not work here.

If a GLBT person who is a deputy or bishop were taken to a hospital in Ohio, their partner would not be able to see them without proving they are next of kin. But the laws of Ohio do not recognize domestic partnerships. There would be no way for the partner of the deputy or bishop to prove they are next of kin. But the spouse of a straight deputy or bishop would have no problem at all. In fact, he or she would most likely not have to show proof of anything except insurance.

What does it feel like when the laws that govern your daily life did not apply here in Ohio?

That is the situation my gay and lesbian Episcopalians friends encountered as they boarded the plane to come here.

Marriage laws, civil unions, and domestic partnership laws vary state-by-state, region-by-region, town-by-town. A friend whose partner has health insurance, who can register her “domestic partnership” in a town in southern California will find upon arrival in Ohio that the state’s voters directed the state NOT to recognize those rights here. What would happen in a medical emergency? What paperwork would she have to show to clerks at the emergency room to prove that she is covered by her partner’s insurance? What proof would the hospital be allowed by law to accept?

Same –sex couples married in Massachusetts arriving in Ohio will not have the same rights they have at home. Connecticut couples or those in Vermont who have registered as civil unions will be bound by the laws of that state, granting full equivalent responsibilities of a spouse (including financial burdens) but may not be able to claim the benefits during General Convention in Ohio or on vacations in the states that have passed laws refusing to recognize such unions.

What would it be like for you, if no one understood that you and your wife or husband were a couple the minute one of you left town for a trip? What would it be like if you were seen as “married” the day before you left for General Convention and “single” the day you arrive at General Convention? While this may make for cute jokes among heterosexuals, it is very serious and heartbreaking business for gay and lesbian couples in committed relationships recognized as civil unions, domestic partnerships or marriages in their home states.

Should the Episcopal Church begin to pay attention to the patchwork of laws as it chooses the future locations of General Convention? C010 attempts to start the conversation.

I think so. After all, all the baptized have a stake in this conversation.

Katie Sherrod

Lunch Time Speaker

under

The Consultation banner

Today at 12:45 -- Sr. Ellen Frances, O.S.H. reports on her recent fact finding visit as a member of a delegation to the Islamic Republic of Iran

Thursday, the Rev. Canon Naim Ateek

Friday, Janet Chisholm

Signed contributions to ISSUES are welcome; send to issues@theconsultation.org. The editors retain their right to exercise discretion.

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correction Correction CORRECTION

At your next opportunity would you please put a notice in ISSUES that the info in the GC Guide published by Episcopal Life for the EWC

breakfast has an incorrect time.

The breakfast will be in the Hyatt Regency Ballroom on Sunday, June 18th at 7 AM. (The Guide has it listed at 8 AM).