Writing What I See at General Convention

I am serving as a deputy to the Episcopal Church’s General Convention for the first time this week. I thought that this would be as good a time as any to “write what I see.” So instead of sermons, I offer here my off-the-cuff impressions of life at Convention. If you’re looking for substantive reporting on the issues, there are other much better blogs to read! If for some reason you want to know what’s going on in the heart and soul of one inexperienced deputy, then this blog is for you.

While other deputies and bishops have been working out the intricacies of legislation, I have been serving as the “TSA agent” of Convention, checking the credentials of deputies from the dioceses beginning with the letters “M” and “N.” (Including the “North” and “Northern” folks, there are quite a slew of them.) For the first and probably only time in my life, I wielded the heady power of the command, “You need to show me your picture ID.” But the best part of the experience was that, from my perch behind a high counter, hidden from view except for my eyeballs and the top of my head, I was quietly able to watch Convention participants in all of their infinite God-given variety as they arrived and began their journeys in Salt Lake City. It was like filming an episode of Candid Camera, as I watched the faces of tired travelers gape slack-jawed with exhaustion, squint in confusion, scowl in annoyance, and break open with joy upon seeing old friends. I will try to remember this warm feeling of our sacred humanity as my introverted heart is challenged for the next 10 days to interact at close quarters and for long hours with my fellow Episcopalians.

After two whole days of shuffling small squares of personal information in triplicate around dozens of manila folders, I was excited about beginning the first legislative session today. Finally, a chance to dive into the meaty issues confronting the Church. Unfortunately, after the first day in the House of Deputies, the image that comes to mind has nothing to do with a hearty stew. Instead, I am reminded of the writing process at its worst. You know, you have a sermon or a paper to write—a long and important one, one that will require a great deal from you as you dredge words up from your deepest and most hidden places. So what do you do? Do you sit down at the computer and start to put words on paper? No! You find some files on your computer that need arranging before you can get started. Then you decide that you absolutely have to clean out the junk drawer in your desk. Then you allow yourself to read what everyone has posted on Facebook. Then you wonder about what to cook for dinner and decide to look up and catalog some new dinner recipes online. And so on. And before you know it, a whole day (or more) has passed before you have written a word or even engaged your topic to any extent. Convention seems to be set up in such a way that we start by doing everything we can possibly imagine in order to stall getting down to what matters. 

“Let’s just clear this little detail up before we begin ….. Let’s just get some things in order…. Let’s just do all of the easy, “technical” stuff, and when our desk is completely clear, then we can get to work on the “adaptive” change.

“Will the desk ever be clear enough?” I began to fret at about 6 p.m. tonight. I pray that it will.

I know, I know. To follow proper parliamentary procedure, we probably have to do it this way. I just hope that we will have time to debate any of the things that matter while we still have some wind in our sails.