Wednesday Word from Rev. Grace: General Convention Update

Friends,

• Presiding Bishop Michael Curry preached. Read or watch his sermon here.
• To continue expansion of our liturgies, Convention passed a first reading of a change to the Church's Constitution which will define the Book of Common Prayer not as a printed book but as all “liturgical forms and other texts authorized by the General Convention.” Convention also designated episcopalcommonprayer.org as the official liturgical website of The Episcopal Church.
• Convention created a new Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice and set aside funds to research and confront The Episcopal Church’s ties to the federal system of Indigenous boarding schools.
• The House of Deputies elected new leaders. Julie Ayala Harris, President, is the first Latina and the youngest person to lead the house. The Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton, Vice President, is the first Indigenous and first ordained woman to serve as vice president.
• Convention passed Resolution D083 “Addressing the erosion of reproductive rights and autonomy.”
• Convention spoke out against gun violence, passing resolutions B003 on ghost guns, B006 urging advocacy for state legislation against gun violence and B007 commending investment in community violence intervention to prevent gun violence.
• Several resolutions addressed creation care. The House of Bishops issued a “Mind of the House” statement on Climate and our Vocation in Christ, which states in part, “Climate change and environmental degradation are manifestations of our turning away from God,” and “All areas of justice are either worsened or made better depending on the health of the planet.”