General Convention Report
For the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles
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81st General Convention wraps up in Louisville
By Ens Staff
[Episcopal News Service – Louisville, Kentucky – June 28, 2024] The triennial Episcopal family reunion, worship extravaganza and legislative session that is General Convention was back in full force during its meeting here after the pandemic had pared down the previous gathering.
This year’s June 20-28 convention, six legislative days that began June 23 with three days of events before, was shorter than most past conventions, where legislative sessions typically spanned eight days or longer.
The 80th General Convention, on the other hand, was postponed from 2021 to 2022 because of the pandemic, was shorted to just four days and had limited face-to-face engagement. That gathering also implemented other health precautions, such as daily testing, to slow the spread of COVID-19.
This week’s 81st General Convention was not without an appearance by COVID-19. Enough participants came down with the virus that some others wore masks and a nearby pharmacy reportedly ran out of Paxlovid, the antiviral used to treat the virus.
General Convention, as the church’s primary governing body, splits its authority between the House of Bishops and House of Deputies. The two houses handled 390 resolutions, many passing via daily, sometimes massive, consent calendars.
While in Louisville, the convention elected the Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe to be its the 28th presiding bishop, reelected Julia Ayala Harris as House of Deputies president, elected the Rev. Steve Pankey as deputies’ vice president, passed a $143 million budget for the next triennium, approved a constitutional change to clearly define the Book of Common Prayer, reexamined its clergy disciplinary canons while agreeing to consider how lay leaders might be disciplined for wrongdoing, and supported changes in the structures of seven of its dioceses.
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Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, left blesses the congregation after celebrating the closing Eucharist of General Convention. At right, Presiding Bishop-elect Sean Rowe preaches at the service. Photos: Randall A. Gornowich | |
Presiding Bishop-elect calls the church to ‘think differently’ about how it should work for the sake of sharing the Gospel
By Shireen Korkzan And Melodie Woerman
[ENS – Louisville, Kentucky – June 28, 2024] In his first sermon as presiding bishop-elect, the Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe said The Episcopal Church needs to be ready to tolerate uncertainty, make sacrifices and think differently about how the church should work so it can better share the Gospel of Jesus with a world that needs to hear it.
“In the work that lies ahead, we have what we might call an armor of love that will help us withstand whatever comes our way,” said Rowe, who now serves as bishop of the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania and provisional bishop of the Diocese of Western New York. “Because, thanks be to God, the church in our day has been given [the Most Rev.] Michael Bruce Curry.”
The final worship service of the 81st General Convention on June 28 began with a Four Directions prayer by the Rev. Leon Samson of the Episcopal Church in Navajoland and later honored the work of civil rights leader James Weldon Johnson by singing the hymn for which he wrote the lyrics, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
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Bishops, deputies unanimously vote to adopt prayer to remember Indigenous children forced to attend boarding schools
By Shireen Korkzan
[ENS – Louisville, Kentucky – June 28, 2024] The House of Deputies unanimously voted on June 27 to adopt Resolution C032, “A Prayer to Remember the Innocents,” which expresses the church’s remorse for its role “in the irreparable harm suffered by Indigenous children who attended Indigenous boarding and residential schools in the 1800s and 1900s, and acknowledges that the effect of that harm carries on in boarding school survivors and their descendants.”
It also offers a prayer, titled “A Prayer to Remember the Innocents,” which the resolution says the church receives as a gift and a way to remember children forced into boarding schools:
Ohiŋni wičhauŋkiksuyapi kte. “We will always remember them.”
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Pride of the diocese(s)
Most of the deputations at General Convention decorate the stanchions marking their seats on the floor of the House of Deputies with symbols of their state or area. Deputies of the host diocese, Kentucky, promised a silver disco ball trophy for the best decorations.
And the winner is ...
The prize went to the dioceses of Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, and Milwaukee, which by action of this meeting of General Convention are now reunited as the Diocese of Wisconsin. More about the reunion is here.
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Seen at the 81st General Convention | |
Women bishops of The Episcopal Church pose with retiring Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and Presiding Bishop-elect Sean Rowe (standing at center) after taking part in the June 28 closing Eucharist at General Convention. Two former bishops suffragan of the Diocese of Los Angeles are part of this ever-growing group; Bishop Mary Glasspool (standing at lower left), now bishop assistant in the Diocese of New York, and Bishop Diane Jardine Bruce (at center behind and to the left of Bishop Curry), serving as bishop provisional of the Diocese of West Missouri and secretary of the House of Bishops. She was elected at this meeting as a bishop member of Executive Council of The Episcopal Church. | |
Solomon Galan, left, is a member of St. Luke's/San Lucas Church in Long Beach. He is one of two youth representatives for Province IX in the Official Youth Presence at General Convention. Photo: John Taylor | | |
Bishop John Harvey Taylor takes a selfie with the Rev. Pat Hendrickson, deacon from the Diocese of L.A., who is staffing the registration booth. She has volunteered at many past meetings of General Convention. | | |
The Rev. Susan Stanton, chief financial officer for the Diocese of Los Angeles, greets a friend before tackling a generously sized ice cream cone. Photo: John Taylor
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The Rev. Rachel Nyback, chair of the Los Angeles deputation, makes good use of her time while listening to debates in the House of Deputies. Photo: John Taylor | | |
Bishop Ed Little, former bishop of the Diocese of Northern Indiana, currently assisting in the Diocese of Los Angeles, is pictured entering Christ Church Cathedral June 26 for the election of the new presiding bishop. Photo: Randall A. Gornowich | | |
The Rev. Canon Thomas Quijada-Discavage, missioner for Formation and Transition Ministry in the Diocese of Los Angeles, takes a turn staffing the exhibit hall booth for The Episcopal Church's Task Force on LGBTQ Inclusion. Photo: Janet Kawamoto | | |
The Rev. Fennie Chang, a Diocese of L.A. deputy and vicar of St. Thomas' Church, Hacienda Heights, and the Rev. Norma Guerra, associate for Formation and Transition Ministry of the diocese (at left) are two of the women clergy of color attending General Convention who gathered for this picture. Photo from Facebook | |
GC81 Daily Digest, June 28: Closing legislative sessions and a post-convention drag show
[ENS – Louisville, Kentucky – June 28, 2024] The 81st General Convention concludes June 28 with final debates and votes in the House of Deputies and House of Bishops on resolutions covering a range of topics, including diocesan mergers, Middle East peace, prayer book revision and potential sites of the 83rd General Convention in 2030.
81st General Convention finalizes reunion of the Diocese of Wisconsin
[ENS – Louisville, Kentucky – June 28, 2024] The Episcopal Church again has a Diocese of Wisconsin. As one of its final acts of its June 23-28 meeting, the 81st General Convention approved the reunion of the dioceses of Milwaukee, Fond du Lac and Eau Claire, after a nearly three-year process of discernment that was celebrated on the floor of the House of Deputies and later in the House of Bishops.
Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan celebrate approval of merger as Diocese of the Great Lakes
[ENS – Louisville, Kentucky – June 28, 2024] A nearly five-year journey of experimentation and collaboration between the dioceses of Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan culminated in jubilant votes June 28, as the 81st General Convention authorized their merger as the new Diocese of the Great Lakes.
Prayer Book liturgies, church calendar commemorations reach final action in House of Deputies
[ENS – Louisville, Kentucky – June 28, 2024] In the final two days of General Convention, the House of Deputies acted on the last of the 43 resolutions from the legislative committees on Prayer Book, Liturgy & Music. All of them first were considered by the House of Bishops, the house of initial action for all resolutions from these committees.
Bishops, deputies pass compromise resolution backing Palestinian state; no mention of ‘apartheid’
[ENS – Louisville, Kentucky – June 28, 2024]Resolution D013, “Affirm the Imperative of a Palestinian State,” has become an act of General Convention. Both houses passed the resolution June 28, finishing the slate of resolutions related to the Holy Land.
Presiding bishop-elect to forego installation at National Cathedral; scaled-back event to be held at church’s New York headquarters
[ENS – Louisville, Kentucky – June 28, 2024] Presiding Bishop-elect Sean Rowe and the installation planning and transition committees announced June 28 that Rowe’s installation service will take place Nov. 2 at The Episcopal Church’s headquarters in Manhattan, New York, instead of Washington National Cathedral, the seat of the presiding bishop, according to a press release by the church’s Office of Public Affairs.
Anglican Communion leaders share thoughts about their first General Convention
[ENS – Louisville, Kentucky – June 28, 2024] For 23 leaders from across the Anglican Communion, including nine primates, the 81st General Convention here was an opportunity to see how The Episcopal Church makes decisions about its governance, ministry and life.
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Looking back at General Convention | |
General Convention 2024 is over, but these resources are still available if you want to follow a resolution or view videos of the legislative sessions or worship services, or learn more about the polity of The Episcopal Church. Also check out the extensive convention coverage offered by Episcopal News Service.
General Convention Office
This is communication central for the convention, with links to information about schedules, legislative actions, resolutions and more.
Media Hub
On this page you'll find live video coverage of the House of Bishops, House of Deputies, and worship services, along with a photo gallery and short videos.
The General Convention schedule
How resolutions move through General Convention
The General Convention Virtual Binder
For true church nerds: this is the information used by bishops and deputies as they go about their work at the convention, including texts and progress of all resolutions. It is updated regularly.
House of Bishops
House of Deputies
Social Media
Follow social media updates from General Convention with the hashtag #GC81
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From the editor:
That's it for the 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church. Time to leave Louisville – a fun and quirky city at its center. Horse statues everywhere; an art museum inside a hotel connected to a restaurant; the Ohio River sparkling at dawn or glowing with the sunset; the gathering of friends old and new; and the hard work of hundreds of people, including my colleagues at Episcopal News Service and the photographers who caught thousands of images. I'm also grateful to Bishop John Harvey Taylor for his many photos of people and happenings, and to the Los Angeles deputies, who generously shared their anecdotes and pictures as they ably represented our diocese. They're a wonderful and hard-working group.
This General Convention, like the seven others I've attended, meant so much to so many people. Hopes were raised and sometimes fulfilled and sometimes dashed; Episcopalians really are passionate about their causes. We'll miss the amazing and inspiring Presiding Bishop Michael Curry (who says he's looking forward to retiring and getting himself a dog), but everyone seems to be looking forward to meeting new challenges under the leadership of Presiding Bishop-elect Sean Rowe.
See you back in the Diocese of L.A.
Janet Kawamoto, editor
The Episcopal News
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