Highlights from GC80: Day Two
The first two days of convention have featured jam-packed sessions extending into the evening hours, as bishops and deputies alike tackled topics, legislation, and elections. Time was dedicated to powerful testimony and truth-telling on the impacts of the Indigenous Boarding Schools, racial equity, and bodily autonomy for all people. The Committee on the State of the Church, of which our Deputation Chair the Rev’d Paul Canady is Secretary, presented their report and resolutions that seek ways to adapt the church to the changes in our world. Engaging in ‘holy listening’ and deliberative conversations shaped the legislative sessions of the second day, as bishops and deputies reflected on the state of the church, the world, and what it means to be Episcopalian.
The day began with Morning Prayer with the sermon by the Rev. Gay Jennings, President of the House of Deputies. Speaking in reference to Caravaggio’s painting The Call of St. Matthew, President Jennings highlighted the various reactions people can experience when facing the call of Christ and the unexpected nature of God’s calls to service. You can view President Jennings’ sermon below:
The major event of the day was that a new President of the House of Deputies was elected just prior to lunchtime: Julia Ayala Harris, the first ever Latina nominee and now President Elect of the House of Deputies. You can learn more about Ayala Harris and her sense of call to this position here. Ayala Harris, a self-professed “church geek, cited her eagerness to dig in to the work of governance at the start of her term (when GC80 concludes on July 11) and her deep sense of gratitude and honor at being on the most diverse slate of nominees for the President of the House of Deputies in the history of the Episcopal Church.
Julia Ayala Harris is elected President of the House of Deputies, Photo Credit to Randall Gornowich
In the House of Bishops, much discussion was had on the long and purposeful path towards revising the Prayer Book, as bishops grappled with their understandings of what the Prayer Book is and talked through by what means liturgical materials (like Enriching Our Worship and marriage rites outside of the BCP) might be given Prayer Book-level authorization. The process to revise the Prayer Book is a long one, and it is intentionally so, and discussions on this matter will continue. Learn more about the Prayer Book’s future here and about the broadening definition of The Book of Common Prayer here.
Day three resumes with worship at 8:30 a.m. with a sermon by the Rt. Rev’d Sutton of the Diocese of Maryland. Legislative sessions will follow in both houses, along with the election of a new Vice President of the House of Deputies.
Stay tuned for more highlights and reporting from the 80th General Convention in Baltimore, both on our Facebook page and here on our website.