After the budget was handed out on Wednesday, I noted that it eliminated entirely the Office of Women's Ministry. During the question period, I then asked what was happening to the things that this office did and was told that the ministries were being "combined." This made no sense since the office coordinated activities between groups as different as National Altar Guild and the Episcopal Women's Caucus, it was an unsatisfactory answer.

It was day eight of the legislative session, but we were only on the calendar for day 6 by the end of the day. As the day progressed there were motions cutting the time for debate on a resolution from 30 minutes to twenty minutes and then later to fifteen. There were also motions cutting the time allotted to each speaker from two minutes to one; and finally one to cut the time each committee had to explain a resolution from five minutes to three.

      The House of Deputies has finally gotten down to business. Yesterday, after a long discussion filled with parliamentary maneuvers by those opposed to the resolution, the House of Deputies did vote to approve D025.  The resolution was carefully crafted to begin with several statements of support for the Anglican  Communion and then moved to affirm what is already in our canons and in resolutions passed by General Convention in 2000.

Today, we fell farther behind in dealing with the resolutions already sent to the floor from committees.  Every time we would start to move through matters, we would stop for a "time certain" event or have technical difficulties.  Apparently every printer/copier in the convention center print shop jammed at one time meaning that the handouts for deputies (with all of the "perfected" resolutions cleared by committee, agendas, etc.) were late getting to the floor of the House of Deputies.  Twice we stopped for special presentations, the first by the retiring

This morning the House of Deputies suspended its ordinary business to go into the Committee of the Whole to listen to a number of speakers make 2 minute statements on the impact of the 2006 General Convention measure B033 which asked bishops, conventions, and search committees to exercise restraint and not elect a bishop whose manner of life might result in objections in the rest of the Anglican Communion.  Despite the "random" drawing, a number of the most vocal proponents and opponents of the measure spoke.

June 24, 2009 — We note with sadness the latest acts of schism by those who have left The Episcopal Church in search of another Anglican church home. Recognized only by those primates already tied to the ACNA through Episcopal Church parishes claimed by their provinces, this is still a place apart from the entire Anglican Communion.