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. Those with even numbered tokens stood at one microphone and those with odd numbers at the other -- a pattern deliberately structured to prevent people lining up by their stance on the resolutions. The most powerful speakers on the measure, however were the new voices we heard.  Several deputies said that they now regretted voting for the measure, others told more personal stories.  Some of the youngest deputies in the house spoke.  This is not an easy decision.  No matter what we do there will be pain, and those possibilities were clear in the comments made by those standing in the long line of speakers at the microphones. 

The statements were all advisory to the Committee on World Mission.  They have unenviable task of taking 4 separate resolutions proposing some form of moving beyond B033 and deciding how to combine or fashion something to bring to the House.  They have already held committee hearings on the resolutions, but because there are multiple hearings going on at once, many deputies can't get to the all of the ones that concern them.  Those of us on committees have even fewer options since we have to skip our own committee hearings to go to another.

After turning in my badge and seating our alternate deputy for the afternoon session, I went off to committee meetings for the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church.  When I returned after the society dinner (the first real dinner I have had since Tuesday, I joined a group of the Via Media members at a restaurant.  It was a different kind of listening and talking among a group of people who understand what it means to live in a diocese divided by these debates and trying to rebuild a community.Several of us sitting around the table were deputies -- a real change in our dioceses.  Some came from dioceses that have avoided a division of the diocese so far, but have had property lawsuits.  Much of the time was spent in catching up.  Some of us had not seen each other for several years.

None of us was ready to predict how this Convention would end or what would happen of B033, but General Convention is SO MUCH MORE than this one resolution.   The list of resolutions proposed runs 16 pages of fine type. My committee has been dealing with resolutions related to environmental issues, world issues such as the U.S. embargo of Cuba and the Palestinian question, questions of human rights including resolutions on tribal recognition, Indian burial sites, job descrimination and hate crimes against transgendered people, the equal rights amendment, labor unions, and those are just some of the ones we have held hearings on in the first two days.  Our next hearing is Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. 

Joan Gundersen, Pittsburgh Lay Deputy