Checking in with Jake and Susan and the usual suspects

Yesterday, Tuesday, was a full throttle day. The Houses would not meet until today, but the run up to the first day was life in the fast lane. Legislative Committees met all morning and all evening. The afternoon was taken up with a presentation on General Convention, an introduction to the Public Narrative Project and Deputies / Bishops orientation. There were two meetings of the Chicago Consultation folk, and a Program, Budget and Finance hearing.

Still, there was time to check in with a few friends:

To the right is my heroine/ myself. Susan Russell is an amazing person, clear, present and grounded all at once.

Walking down the hall yesterday, Fr. Jake himself walked up and gave me a Friends of Fr. Jake button. Terry looked great.


And best of all, yesterday I ran into the YouthPresence at General Convention. They were at the Program, Budget and Finance hearing on budget priorities.



Now under normal circumstances we would wonder just why anybody in their right mind would go listen to thirty or forty people make one minute statements on budget priorities, but these young people have been working at understanding how decisions are made at General Convention and were up for it. Hope it doesn't ruin their minds. They are very bright, energetic and full of promise. What they heard at PB&F if they listened carefully was that The Episcopal Church not only welcomes it cares deeply.
Having them around is a gift.

The World Mission legislative committee, on which I sit, got underway with its work. We are dealing with the 16 or so resolutions on B033, the infamous resolution of the past convention that called on bishops and standing committees to refrain from giving consent to the election of any bishop whose "manner of life" was a source of difficulty for the wider Communion. On Thursday and Friday there will likely be a committee of the whole in the House of Deputies to hear one another on concerns about B033 and future direction. There is a lot of work that goes into a presentation of this sort, and our subcommittee on B033 has its hands full. But the energy is good in the group and the willingness to work together is there.

More later.