'Buckle up'

Deputy Rick Lindsey at South Carolina's table in the House of Deputies prior to the opening of General Convention.

The Very Rev. Rick Lindsey, chairman of South Carolina's deputation, is our "Deputy of the Day" for July 3 and shares this dispatch from the 79th General Convention.

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I find myself sitting in a beautiful and cavernous empty hall that will be our legislative home for the House of Deputies beginning tomorrow for almost two weeks. The bishops of our Church will meet in a hall next to ours. 

I’m collecting my thoughts and imagining eight-hundred-plus Deputies and Alternates filling this space, with two hundred bishops meeting next door, representing the length and breadth of the Episcopal Church.

Another deputy quipped earlier today, “Buckle up,” and I understood what she was getting at. Today, on the eve of the 79th General Convention, my thoughts are about being part of a vibrant and sometimes messy church that collectively seeks to honor God in our all deliberations and actions. A lot of words, often impassioned, will transpire over the course of several days, but what will stand out will be the spirit of it all; Deputies, Alternates and Bishops as they undertake to live into the life and mission of our Church and the world.

This morning I pray for that peace that passes all understanding; a peace that will be tested with all the activity that comes with over a thousand people representing every diocese in The Episcopal Church, including several overseas dioceses. I pray for the gift of love and patience that I contribute to the greater good of a Church that I love and cherish. I pray that a spirit will prevail that reflects the transformative power of God to do infinitely more than we could have ever imagined, without whom we are nothing.

Indeed, I am “buckling up” for the “road” ahead, but I am prayerfully searching for those thin places where God speaks most profoundly.

Sincerely hope in Christ,
Rick Lindsey, Deputy

The Episcopal Church in South Carolina