Pre-General Convention Thoughts

I'm reflecting a bit as I get ready to travel to the 79^th General Convention(GC) of the Episcopal Church in Austin, Texas.  The GC occurs once every three years. This will be my second GC as deputy for The Episcopal Church in South Carolina.  During this General Convention, I am serving on the Governance and Structure Committee.  The committee’s mandate is to “Receive and propose Resolutions that address the governance and structure of the Church including General Convention, Executive Council, and the Anglican Communion.”  So far, the committee has received over 30 resolutions for consideration and debate.  More resolutions could be assigned to our committee.

So, the question for me as I prepare for General Convention: What gives the larger Church energy and vitality?  I believe it’s faith, gratitude, and proclamation.

Faith: Faith challenges us to go beyond self, to be with God, have a relationship with Christ, and trust that God will be there for us throughout age and time.  Faith also grants us the vision and courage, to trust in the Holy Spirit and to share with others the blessings God has given us.  Because of faith, we honor God with a passion for serving, discipleship, and ministry. To be people of faith means we leave our comfort zones, venture into unchartered waters and trust in God’s amazing power, grace and love. 

Gratitude: To express our joy to God through love, hope and reconciliation confirms our faith.  Gratitude is spiritually renewing as you give thanks to God through time, talent and service because of God’s goodness and blessings.  Gratitude acknowledges your belief that God is Creator, a gracious provider, a constant sustainer and ever-present in our lives.

Proclamation: The third characteristic of the Church is our willingness to proclaim the Gospel.  “Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?”  This should be one of the core values of our work at GC.  Deputies are asked to tell the story of how God that is active in their diocese and ministries. God is asking us to be “holy partners in a heavenly calling.”  We are asked to be partners in showing God’s grace and mercy to a hungry and thirsty world.  I pray our time at General Convention will do that.  

Recently an active Episcopal Bishop posted a quote from Thomas Merton on Facebook. The words caught my attention as I prepare for General Convention. The quote comes from "Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander."  Maybe these words will speak to you.  

“There is a pervasive form of contemporary violence to which the idealist most easily succumbs: activism and overwork. The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of its innate violence. To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to violence. The frenzy of our activism neutralizes our work for peace. It destroys our own inner capacity for peace. It destroys the fruitfulness of our own work, because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful.”

Please keep all the deputies to General Convention in your prayers.

Blessings,

Rev. Dr. Jim Taylor