July 9, 2018 - Issue #7
PB: Make America Great Again by
Making America Good and Just and Loving
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Bishops United Against Gun Violence hold public witness
Bishops, many wearing orange stoles signifying their continued prayers for an end to gun violence, participated in a Sunday morning public witness at the park across the street from the Convention Center.
Guest speakers included both Philip and April Schentrup, parents of Carmen, a high school senior who was killed by gun violence in Parkland, Florida on Ash Wednesday earlier this year. Carmen's siblings Robert and Evelyn accompanied their parents. Also addressing the crowd was Abigail Zimmerman, a Texas high school student who has led student walk-outs to protest gun violence. Her bishop calls her a modern day prophet.
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[
Presiding Bishop
Michael B. Curry
]
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[Bishop Suffragan
Laura J. Ahrens]
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[Bishop Diocesan
Ian T. Douglas]
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Episcopalians join second public witness at Hutto Detention Center
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Sign outside the Hutto Residential Detention Center in Taylor, Texas (in background)
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Translated as, "My name is Jesus, I don't have documents."
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Public witness outside residential detention facility
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Over 1,000 Episcopalians traveled in a caravan of buses after the witness in Austin to another witness at the Hutto Residential Center in Taylor, TX. The Center is a guarded, fenced-in facility and former prison run by a for-profit company, currently holding non-US citizens awaiting outcome of their immigration status. These include mothers separated from their children; the facility has housed families with children as well.
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Jose Orta, a lifelong resident of Taylor, Texas is a longtime social justice activist and a leader in the local county Democratic Party. He is also the founding member of Taylor's League of United Latin American Citizens Council 4721. I asked him a few questions about this Center. He's been protesting here since 2006, actively involved in the campaign to shut it down.
Click here or on the image for a short video.
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The Rev. Nancy Frausto is the Associate Rector at Luke’s Episcopal in Long Beach, CA, a founding member of a diocesan Sanctuary Task Force and a Dreamer (DACA recipient). She was a featured speaker at the Racial Reconciliation TEConversation at GC79 and agreed to very briefly share her feelings about being at the Center.
Click here or on the image for the video.
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Sunday's sermon by Andrés Gonzalez-Bonillas of AZ
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Excerpt: "Listen, I may not be a prophet, but I have been given this amazing opportunity to speak to this church, to speak as a young Chicano, as a person of color, who sees this church and sees what it can be. We must be willing to change ourselves and our institutions if we are to make change in our world."
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PB's sermon from the Revival Worship is online
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Debate on HOD begins on B012, Marriage Rites for the Whole Church
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The legislative session began at 3:15 p.m. on Sunday, following the morning worship and then the return of buses from the Hutto Detention Center. It took several hours for the deputies to complete elections; then Rob Radke, head of Episcopal Relief and Development, addressed members of the HOD to talk about the global impact of ERD's work.
Finally, after 6 p.m., deputies got down to their legislative calendar, where the first resolution to consider was B012, "Marriage Rites for the Whole Church," as amended (
text here). The first 10 minutes were spent with questions of clarification. Debate then began, but the session ended before the time allotted. It will be continued today.
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Bishops adopt living covenant pledging to work for equity and justice
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(ENS) The House of Bishops on July 8 adopted a covenant that commits them to seek changes in their dioceses to combat abuse, harassment and exploitation.
Bishop Audrey Scanlan of Central Pennsylvania said during the debate that plans are underway to create a toolkit to help dioceses create their own kind of listening events to begin the hard work that is needed.
“Sexual violence, aggression, exploitation and harassment exist in our church. We can’t let that be the last word,” she said."
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Coming up today in legislation (two sessions: 10:30 am-1 pm; 2:15 -5 pm, CT)
HOD
Legislative calendar (one at a time). Among those listed for 7/9:
X011, Special order with rules for debate on D019
B012 Marriage Rites for the Whole Church
D019 Ending Church Complicity in the Occupation
B007 Ethical Investing in Gun Manufacturers
A147 Pilot Board for Episcopal Transitions
A088 Proposed Guidelines for Amending Church Records
HOB
Consent calendar (voted as a group) - Among those listed for 7/9:
B007 (from ECCT) Support a research project on Stewardship in Communities of Color
D010 Create Position of Indigenous Theological Education Coordinator
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Wear orange (like hunters do) for gun violence awareness
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The Very Rev. Miguelina Howell models her orange stole, representing her commitment to working against gun violence. She said she bought it, "for my country, for this country, and for my boys." The stoles were on sale in the Exhibition Hall and sold out earlier in the week.
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Photo of the "Gun Violence Awareness Stoles" booth in the Exhibition Hall taken July 4, before the supply sold out. June 2 is
National Gun Violence Awareness Day, aka "Wear Orange Day," hence the orange color.
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Upcoming events (Central Time)
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EVENTS TODAY & COMING UP: (non legislative)
Camp and Retreat Ministries Day
July 9: Worship 5:15 pm; 6:30 p.m. Province I Caucus
July 11: Exhibits close at 2 p.m.
July 13: Final day
More events listed in General Convention calendars -
link here
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Media Hub (link on the image at left)
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Livestream and on demand:
- Worship (including 7/4 Listening Session)
- HOB and HOD sessions
- TEConversations
- Daily newscasts (4:30 English, 6:30 Spanish)
Links to:
- Episcopal News Service (ENS) articles
- Calendars/Schedules
- Legislation (Virtual Binder)
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Resolution info
- "Virtual Binder" - all resolutions to date (gear image at top right allows you to switch between Houses and between Spanish and English.) See the infographic for help deciphering the terminology.
- "Blue Book" - reports from all the official committees, commissions, and task forces that have worked since the last General Convention in 2015, with all of their proposed resolutions ("A" resolutions)
- ECCT's graphic depiction of how a resolution moves through General Convention. Key steps, terminology, in the process.
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Link to glossary & terminology:
Here
or click on image. Let me know of others to add.
Contact Karin Hamilton by
email
or cell, 860-608-6969
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Karin Hamilton | Canon for Mission Communication & Media | khamlton@episcopalct.org | 860-608-6969
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