Deputies Dispatch, Friday, 6/28. The Final Day

We began our final day gathering with everyone for Holy Eucharist. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry presided, and Presiding Bishop-elect Sean Rowe preached. We began the service with a Four Directions Prayer, led by a priest from the Navajoland Deputation, which was quite powerful. Presiding Bishop-elect Sean Rowe preached an inspirational sermon where he encouraged us to spend more time preaching like Paul and less time debating things that don’t matter. As always, the music and singing were superb, and we have perfected how to get over 1,000 people to Communion stations in an organized way.

Then it was time for some legislating! The main thing we did in our morning session was vote to approve the merging of the Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan into one new entity called the Diocese of the Great Lakes. And there was much rejoicing! After our lunch break, the first big thing on the agenda was to approve the reunion of the Dioceses of Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, and Milwaukee, into the Diocese of Wisconsin. As this area includes part of what is often called the Biretta Belt, the Chaplain offered a prayer of blessing using a Rite I collect. (That chaplain knows his stuff!) And there was much rejoicing.

Then we spent a LOT of time dealing with resolutions on the Prayer Book and how to define various aspects of it. After the break, we thought carefully about the compromise resolution regarding resolution D013. The Bishops had sent us a modified resolution, which we rejected, and then a consultation was formed from both houses to try to find middle ground. The general sense was, nobody got what they wanted, but we felt something must be said, and this version was eventually passed in both houses.

Then we approved some changes to marriage rite language options, which expand opportunities for clergy to use more inclusive language when appropriate. From there, we headed for the finish line by looking at a collection of lesser feasts and fasts, culminating in approving CO23 which included a first reading of honoring the Philadelphia Eleven, celebrating the first women to be ordained in The Episcopal Church 50 years ago this summer. The President asked all the ordained women to stand up and be recognized, and there was much rejoicing.  

And then . . . we were done. It is significant to note that among our deputation, two of our members were chairs of committees, two others served on committees, and several from our deputation spoke to amendments on the floor. The Diocese of Ohio Deputation worked hard to make our voices heard, and did us all proud!

Deputies Dispatch, Thursday, 6/27

We began Thursday with Morning Prayer in the House of Deputies. You could say we were praying the Office in our office. As part of that service, the chaplain explained that they had placards from the cathedral showing the location and date for every mass shooting in 2023 within the geographic space of The Episcopal Church. As we sang quietly together, ushers delivered the stack of placards to each Diocese within which the shootings occurred. Our deputation received 17; many others received fewer; some received more. In plain words: it was a stark and meaningful gesture. We will decide what to do with these when we get back, but one suggestion is to have a display that travels around the Diocese.

The Official Youth Presence offered their vision for the future of the church, and their vision is joyful and clear! We are so blessed to have them with us in the House of Deputies. (For one thing, they’re the ones who catch all the typos!) From there we moved on to electing a Vice President for our house. On the second ballot, the Rev. Steve Pankey was elected to the vice presidency. We did some more legislating and headed for lunch.

When we returned, President Ayala Harris brought out a surprise guest: our own (former House President) Gay Jennings, and presented her with the President’s Service Award. Gay had told several of us Ohioans she would not be here, and yet, there she was. (But you know how politicians are.) After that, we did some more legislating, including approving C032, “A Prayer to Remember the Innocents.”

This was a deeply meaningful experience for us. At the last General Convention in Baltimore, we heard testimony from indigenous people and their descendants who were taken from their families and placed in boarding schools run by The Episcopal Church. Saying these children were mistreated would be a gross understatement. In the two years since Baltimore, there has been a lot of work done on finding our way toward healing and repentance. The prayer contained in C032 is one small step, and we look forward to having an appropriate date on the calendar to begin using this prayer.

After that, we had an hour for dinner, and at 7:15 we were back on the floor. This session mostly involved affirming changes to the Book of Common Prayer (BCP), which the Bishops had already approved. Deputy George Baum was honored that Deputation Chair Bill Powell allowed him to “drive the bus” when it came to these votes by order. And now, we will all put in our earbuds and sing along silently in our hotel rooms with “One Day More” from Les Misérables.

Deputies Dispatch, Wednesday, 6/26

We began the day with Holy Eucharist in Spanish, with Bishops, Deputies, and guests. It was a tangible reminder that a significant part of our church primarily speaks languages other than English. And the service was beautiful from beginning to end. The prayer petitions were read in a variety of languages, including Haitian Creole, with the final petition being read in Navajo. (Again with the tears!) The lighting on the walls for this service was fittingly the colors of the rainbow.

The Rev. Yejide Peters Pietersen preached an inspiring sermon, saying, “We are not working on a self-improvement project. It is a project of being remade by the Holy Spirit.” When Communion was over, the entire House of Bishops left to go to the cathedral where they prayed and sang and pondered which of the five candidates would become our next Presiding Bishop. (Interesting facts: their cell phones are surrendered; they vote with paper ballots; and they have to stay in that space until we affirm their decision. Who’s the senior house now, right?)

We headed back to our own house to hold elections for a few of the churchwide bodies. A little after noon, a delegation from the House of Bishops delivered a message to our President, which contained the name of the Presiding Bishop elect. And were we allowed to know that name? Of course not!  This is The Episcopal Church! We needed to form a committee. That committee went off to their own secret room to draft the resolution containing the Bishop’s name.

When we reconvened after lunch, our first act of business was to hear the resolution that the Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe of the Diocese of Western NY and the Diocese of NW Pennsylvania had been elected Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. And we quickly and joyfully approved their discerning choice for the leader of their house. Following that, we trudged through the slow but important work of electing people to various church bodies.

During that time, all the Bishops entered our house and sat in the back (since they’re not allowed on our floor), and in a break in the elections, the Presiding Bishop-elect was invited to address the entire assembly. He gave a fantastic speech to rousing applause. And then we returned to the slow but important work of electing more people to various church bodies.

After that, we heard lots of testimony on two resolutions concerning Palestine and approved them both. Then we broke for dinner. When we returned, the first order of business was to turn off the lights, put on flashing rabbit ears, and dance to house music, which the President of the House of Deputies called “Episco Disco.” (We kid you not.)  After the dust settled, we took up the third resolution on Palestine, and heard many heartfelt testimonies, eventually approving it with amendments.

We ended the evening session with a vote by orders on the second reading of Article X, a change to the Constitution regarding the definition of the Prayer Book, which passed overwhelmingly.

It was a long day of legislating, with lots of emotions. There’s been a lot of rain in Louisville the past two days. And when we left the House of Deputies for the evening, God rewarded us with a rainbow. A perfect circle, reminding us of the morning worship service.

The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe elected 28th presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church 

The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe, bishop of the Episcopal Dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York, was elected and confirmed the 28th presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church on June 26 for a nine-year term beginning Nov. 1.

 
Rowe was chosen from among five nominees on the first ballot. Following his election by the House of Bishops, the House of Deputies confirmed the election.
 
Election voting results in the House of Bishops by ballot, with names listed alphabetically, were as follows:

• The Rt. Rev. Scott Barker: 24
• The Rt. Rev. DeDe Duncan-Probe: 9
• The Rt. Rev. Daniel Gutiérrez: 17
• The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe: 89
• The Rt. Rev. Robert Wright: 19

Rowe, 49, was ordained bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania in 2007 and became bishop provisional of Western New York in 2019. From 2014 to 2018, he served as bishop provisional of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem.
 
Born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, Rowe earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Grove City College, a master of divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary, and a doctorate in organizational learning and leadership from Gannon University.
 
Rowe was the youngest Episcopal priest in the U.S. when he was ordained in 2000 at age 24, and he was the youngest member of the House of Bishops when he was ordained and consecrated at age 32.
 
Known for his research and work on organizational learning and adaptive performance in the church, Rowe serves as parliamentarian for the House of Bishops and the Episcopal Church Executive Council; chair of the Episcopal Church Building Fund; and as a member of the Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, and Constitution and Canons. He also serves on the Greater Buffalo Racial Equity Roundtable. In 2018, he became the first bishop to serve on the House of Deputies Committee on the State of the Church.

Rowe is married to Carly Rowe, a Christian educator; they have a daughter named Lauren.

As the new presiding bishop-elect, Rowe will preach at General Convention’s June 28 closing Eucharist service at 8:30 a.m. ET. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will preside. The service will be livestreamed on the General Convention Media Hub.
 
The presiding bishop takes office on Nov. 1. Details about the transition and celebration will be announced after General Convention.

Deputies Dispatch, Tuesday, 6/25

You’re not going to believe it, but we began Tuesday with Morning Prayer, with Bishops, Deputies, and guests. And yet again, the band and the All Y’all choir were amazing. The level of singing among the congregation was once again inspirational, and it was another fine start to our day.

From there, we went to a joint session with the Bishops to hear from the Nominating Committee for the Presiding Bishop. After that, it was Ohio Deputation lunch where we wished the Rt. Rev. Arthur Williams a happy 89th birthday, with a carrot cake (his favorite) and singing to him (which might not have been his favorite).

Others from our cohort went to the ECW luncheon, to honor the Rev. Barb Maxwell, deacon at St. Barnabas, Bay Village, who received the Distinguished Woman Award from the Episcopal Church Women at a festive luncheon in her and the other recipients' honor. Each diocese was eligible to nominate one woman who stood out for her service to the church, and Ohio chose Barb! She was presented by Bishop Jolly. Ohio led the way in shenanigans, chanting “O-H!” “I-O!” as Barbara made her way to the platform. She received a certificate and a special medallion pin naming her as a Distinguished Woman.

The Young Adult Festival participants were invited to a lunchtime Q&A with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. Bishop Curry shared wisdom on discerning the Holy Spirit, finding community, sharing love even in the face of difference, and what changes he thinks The Episcopal Church needs to make to thrive in the future.

Then it was time to get back to legislating, which we’re happy to report went much faster than yesterday. We made our way through quite a bit, including a few controversial resolutions. Julia Ayala Harris was re-elected President of the House of Deputies, which was its own controversy, since no sitting President has been challenged in living memory. One high point was voting to include The Episcopal Church in Micronesia within the Diocese of Hawai’i.  And another was to declare The Episcopal Church in Navajoland to be a Missionary Diocese.

That second resolution involved suspending the rules to allow every member of their Deputation to offer testimony. Not going to lie: there were tears from many of us.  One Deputy said that when he started using their native language in church services, people asked, “Why are you bringing the Navajo language to church when we were told we couldn’t?” And he responded, “Because this is who we are.” With this legislation, we have righted one of the many wrongs we have done as The Episcopal Church, and the people of Navajoland will now be able to elect their own Bishops, ordain their own people as clergy, and worship in their own language. As we learned today, the Navajo word Hózhó is the notion that the world is interconnected and balanced between the static and changing, the part and the whole, and the physical and spiritual. May the people of Navajoland experience Hózhó to the fullest in all that they do together in this church.

After that productive session, many of us went to the Ohio Dinner, while the Bishops went to a special reception honoring the Most Rev. Michael Curry. Still others went to receptions sponsored by the seminaries of The Episcopal Church.

At the General Seminary/Virginia Seminary dinner we heard testimony from students at both schools explaining how their residential or hybrid experience allows them to be fully formed into future leaders on the church. For those of us who graduated from GTS, the future of our alma mater looks brighter than it has in a long time.

Recent EfM graduate Danielle attended the Sewanee Night reception. She was fortunate to sit with the majority of the EfMstaff present, and all enjoyed many conversations on the program and people's experiences.

The Ohio Night reception was undoubtedly wonderful, but no descriptions of the event were submitted as of this writing. Possibly because it could still be going on for all we know!

House of Deputies reelects Julia Ayala Harris as president

Julia Ayala Harris, a deputy from the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma, was reelected June 25 as president of the House of Deputies of The Episcopal Church. Originally elected at the 80th General Convention in 2022, Ayala Harris' second term as one of the denomination’s two presiding officers begins on June 28 at the close of the church’s 81st General Convention.
 
Ayala Harris, 43, is the first Latina and the first woman of color to serve as president of the House of Deputies. A first-generation Mexican American and the daughter of an undocumented immigrant, she was reelected from a field of three candidates on the first ballot. To ensure procedural impartiality, she yielded the chair to Crystal Plummer, a deputy from the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago during the vote.
 
Ayala Harris received 521 votes, 107 more than the required number to elect. Candidate Zena Link of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts received 241 votes; the Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton, a candidate from the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, received 64 votes.
 
Ayala Harris’ reelection on June 25 was historic, marking a slate of three women of color vying for the leadership position. Ayala Harris can serve up to three consecutive terms, or, in her case, a total of eight years.
 
“As leaders in the church, we are in a moment of significant transition,” Ayala Harris wrote on her personal website. “We’re facing critical questions about how we will navigate the road ahead and co-create, with God and one another, the future of our beloved yet imperfect Episcopal Church. I have strived to embody these principles, providing strong, stable, and bold leadership through times of change and transition, through moments of progress and celebration, and through crises and challenges. Over the last two years, together, we have worked to address our challenges, not ignore them; to bring those challenges into the open, not discussed from the sidelines. We’ve begun addressing issues of accountability, transparency, and safety in our systems.”
 
The House of Deputies, comprising over 800 lay and clergy members, forms half of the church’s bicameral General Convention, which typically meets every three years to set The Episcopal Church’s mission priorities, budget, and policies. This convention convened after just two years due to the postponement of the 80th General Convention in 2021 because of COVID-19; that convention was held in the summer of 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland.
 
Ayala Harris holds a bachelor's degree from Trinity International University and a master's degree from the University of Oklahoma. She is a doctoral student in leadership development at the University of Oklahoma and a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Norman, Oklahoma. Her professional background includes working in social service organizations serving women, children, and people with disabilities and international aid work in Kenya and South Sudan from 2005 to 2008.
 
From 2015 to 2022, Ayala Harris served on The Episcopal Church’s Executive Council, where she chaired the Joint Standing Committee for Mission Within the Episcopal Church. As president of the House of Deputies, she will serve as the Executive Council’s vice chair.
 
Ayala Harris resides in Norman, Oklahoma, with her husband, John Harris, a regional and city planning professor at the University of Oklahoma, and their teenage daughter, Isabella.
 
Ayala Harris will work alongside the newly elected presiding bishop, whose election will be held on June 26.

Deputies Dispatch, 6/24

We began the day with Morning Prayer, with Bishops, Deputies, and guests.  Once again, the band and the All Y’all choir were amazing. The level of singing among the congregation was inspirational, and it was a fine start to our day.

From there, we gathered with the Bishops for a joint session to look at the budget and ask questions. Insightful and impassioned questions led to fruitful discussions about the Church budget, and unspoken affirmations that budgets are moral statements in many ways. The Deputies are set to vote on the budget tomorrow.  Our Ohio Pilgrimage group arrived before this meeting, and it is good to have them with us!

After lunch, the houses reconvened separately, and Deputies heard from the President of Episcopal Relief and Development. Following that, we got back to business. Though we had 19 resolutions on the agenda, we only made it through 5 of them in our 4 hours together. Hopefully, we can pick up the pace going forward, but that remains to be seen.

For dinner, many of our group headed over to the Food Truck Rodeo by the river. There were a lot of hungry people, but not a lot of food trucks, so some people opted for other venues. The evening was capped off by Kentucky Night, which offered lots of options for us to explore.

Of the Kentucky Night offerings, Alternate Deputy the Rev. Leah Romanelli DeJesus described the Do Say Gay event as follows: "The program began with the choral anthem “Meet Me Here” from Considering Matthew Shepherd by Craig Hella Johnson. Spoken word poetry followed and was on the theme of making Kentucky home for everyone. Bishop Glasspool shared her life story, including the parallel journeys of realizing she was called to ordained ministry at a time when women were not ordained, as well as realizing she was a lesbian. Author Fenton Jones shared some of his life experiences, why he ended up in The Episcopal Church (because the one in Chelsea gave the LGBTQ community a planning space following Stonewall), and his thoughts on how stories shape lives."

Verger and GC volunteer from the Diocese of Ohio Danielle Shaffer says, "The Silent Disco attracted both young and old to dance the evening away in Christ Church Cathedral, as three music channels played music into headphones, spanning generations of music tastes. Snacks included locally made cookies and cotton candy from Kizito and pop from Ale 8, with the Ramiro food truck providing more substantial offerings.  This excellent party was followed by Compline at 11."

Also, a late-breaking update from the Rev. June Hardy Dorsey: "The pilgrimage folks went for beverages at Jockey Silks, ate apps, fully intending to go to the food trucks, but the service was slow. However, the fellowship and camaraderie in the venue was beautiful so we kept hanging out, making new friends, and sharing DOhio stickers.  We missed closing times for the food trucks, so we came back to the hotel to find sustenance in our snack bags and vending machine fare. We feasted on the rich conversations across seven decades from four parishes, and our first time at General Convention for everyone."

Folks went to other events as well. While we don’t have reports at this time, we’re certain their adventures were worthwhile, fun, informative, and other adjectives as well. Thank you Diocese of Kentucky for being such welcoming and creative hosts!

June 23 Deputation Update

Sunday morning began with a glorious service of Holy Communion, with Bishops, Deputies, and guests.  With the Bishop of the Diocese of Kentucky presiding, the President of the House of Deputies Julia Ayala Harris preached a fine sermon, culminating in explaining the origin of our theme, Together in Love. She explained her own emphasis on the word “together” in her witness to the gospel, and Bishop Curry’s emphasis on love.  (Calling him a walking valentine!)  

The music was glorious and creative and the musicians were spectacular.  Two of our deputies were asked to be Chalice Bearers, and it was a fitting celebration as the official start to the General Convention.  Afterward, the Bishops headed to their house and the deputies headed to ours, to have discussions about the rules of each house.

After lunch, both houses reconvened, and the Bishops began actually debating and voting on resolutions, while the House of Deputies spent the majority of our time hammering out resolutions on procedure.  (i.e. How will we meet when we actually get down to meeting?)

However, we finally made our way to two resolutions that impact what happens outside the room, from the Social Justice & United States Policy Committee, chaired by our own Evangeline Warren, who walked us through resolutions D008 and D014.

We heard powerful testimonies on both resolutions from people directly impacted by the events that inspired the resolutions. On D008, from Deputies from Hawaii, as well as a Deputy from Navajoland who spoke in solidarity.  When it came to D014, we heard powerful testimony from people who live in communities impacted by mass shootings, as well a member of the Youth Presence, who pointedly noted that the Church has an important voice when it comes to combatting gun violence, because we’re the ones who bury the bodies, and we’ve buried too many bodies.

After both houses adjourned for the day, many of our delegation chose to attend the 150th anniversary celebration of ECW (Episcopal Church Women).  The evening included Line dancing and cupcakes! President Julia joined in the celebration and joyfully danced several line dances on the crowded dance floor. There was a large variety of beautiful and delicious cupcakes. And the Diocese of Ohio was well represented.

June 22 Deputation Update

Our first couple days have mostly been spent getting ready for the real work.  Wrapping our minds around nearly 300 resolutions, getting the lay of the land, attending Legislative Committee meetings, and so forth.

Friday evening, our Diocese reserved three tables for the UBE Gala (Union of Black Episcopalians), where outgoing Presiding Bishop Michael Curry was honored with a lovely mahogany Communion set.  He was then “put on trial” for all the good he has done for our church, and declared guilty!

Saturday afternoon, we heard an opening address from the President of the House of Deputies Julia Ayala Harris, as well as something of a farewell address from the Presiding Bishop (who often preaches fantastic sermons while saying, “This is not a sermon.”)  In his remarks, Bishop Curry reminded us over and over that he is not worried about the future of The Episcopal Church, because he has seen the challenges we’ve already overcome, with God’s help.  As he concluded, in his inspirational rising tone, he said . . .

“This Episcopal Church is stronger, more durable, and has a future that God has figured out. . . . Don’t you weep, and don’t you moan, just roll up your sleeves and let’s get to work!”

After that, we learned how to navigate voting with the i-pads provided, and engaged in a spirited floor debate over whether hotdogs are sandwiches as a trial run.  (You really had to be there.)  Following dinner, most of us went to the Revival in the nearby YUM Center, which has become an inspirational part of the General Convention experience.  

“Joy” does not begin to describe the feeling at GC 81’s Revival.  From the myriad voices we heard leading prayers and reading scripture, to the truly righteous band and singers who led everyone in song, to the powerful testimony from an eloquent young member of the Youth Presence, there was ample opportunity to experience The Episcopal Church is all its glory. 

And then there was the sermon. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry was energetic, enthusiastic, and engaging in his exhortations to the assembled. The entire service was simultaneously translated into 3 languages, Spanish and Haitian Creole (for those who chose to listen with headsets) and ASL, which was signed from the stage. The immediate translation into Spanish was a highlight of Presiding Bishop Curry’s sermon because the translator was on stage with him. Her translation in conjunction with Bishop Curry’s preaching was a mesmerizing interplay of language and physical expression, with the interpreter matching the Bishop’s energy and enthusiasm throughout. 

From beginning to end, the Revival was a time to rejoice in the love of Jesus as it is shared by The Episcopal Church through a broad diversity of leaders, musicians and music, prayers and healing. It was a colorful, raucous, righteous, and sacred time.

Essay on election process for presiding bishop

In the last of four educational essays, the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop offers a detailed overview of how the 28th presiding bishop will be elected. The essay highlights four events that will also be livestreamed on the GC Media Hub, including a June 21 introductory forum of the nominees (see “Events” below) and a sermon from the new presiding bishop-elect at the closing Eucharist June 28.

GC81 Media Hub: Bookmark this one-stop website for links to livestreams in the House of Bishops and House of Deputies, as well as revival and convention worship. Presented with support from the Church Pension Group, the media hub also contains links to Public Affairs, Episcopal News Service, GC81 photographs, press conferences, and more.

GC81 resource page: This Episcopal Church webpage contains quick links to media resources, schedules, resolutions, infographics, and much more.

Reports to the 81st General Convention | Blue Book: This compilation of reports from groups carrying out the work and governance of the church is available online.

‘House of Deputies Blue Book Podcast with Julia Ayala Harris’: Hosted by House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris and produced by the church Office of Communication, this podcast features conversations with church deputies and members of interim bodies about topics related to GC81 and beyond.

House of Deputies social media sites: Social media correspondent Sophie Kitch-Peck will be active on TikTok and Instagram throughout GC81, providing daily updates and behind-the-scenes content. Find links to all House of Deputies social platforms online.