Special Edition - 81st Annual General Convention Report | |
Members of the Maine deputation with Bishop Brown on the floor of the House of Deputies. Front row, from left: Catherine Mansir (a member of the Official Youth Presence), Rev. Kerry Mansir, Rev. Lauren Kay, Christian Clough, Rev. Lisa Fry. Back row, from left: John Hennessy, Rev. Steve Muncie (a member of the Secretariat), Mark Spahr, Dick Rozene. Have a question for the deputies? Email them here. | |
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Together in Love: Reflecting on the 81st General Convention
Held every three years, the General Convention of The Episcopal Church (GC) is where decisions are made about church governance and policy. The theme for GC81, "Together in Love," reflected outgoing Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's essential creed: "If it's not about love, it's not about God." Curry's message, and his significant imprint on the church was palpable in the two houses of convention—the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies—where on the fourth day, a new presiding bishop was elected and confirmed. These elections happen every nine years, and as a first-time convention attendee, I felt especially lucky to witness the anticipation and elation surrounding the process, and to capture some of it for Dio Log readers.
For a week in in June, GC81 filled the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville with Episcopalians focused on doing the work of Jesus. It was hard work; on more than one occasion the House of Deputies continued their legislative sessions well into the evening. But there were also opportunities for joy and inspiration: powerful and celebratory worship services, masterfully accompanied by live musicians and a choir (which included our own Rev. Lauren Kay); connecting with Episcopal clergy, lay leaders, and bishops from all over the country; and listening with awe as young people eloquently raised their voices to urge that more be done to combat gun violence. Capping it all off was the excitement around the election of the Rt. Rev. Sean W. Rowe as 28th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church.
For this Special Edition Dio Log, Maine deputation chair John Hennessy and Official Youth Presence member Catherine Mansir shared their reflections, and deputy Christian Clough offered a sermon he preached at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke shortly after he returned from Louisville. Check out more commentary from Maine deputies in an Instagram reel here. I hope these highlights will inspire you to explore and share the good news of GC81, and perhaps be part of the action in 2027 (scroll down to find out how).
—Susan Sherrill Axelrod, director of communications
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Advocacy in Action with Deputation Chair John Hennessy
GC81 was deputy John Hennessy’s second General Convention and first as elected chair of the Maine deputation. A public policy consultant for the diocese with long experience in advocacy at the state and federal level, Hennessy served as co-chair of the convention’s LGBTQ+ caucus and on the Committee on Social Justice and U.S. Policy. He says that while being present for the election of a new presiding bishop was exciting, his interest at GC81 was more on the legislative side—work that began in the late winter with meetings of the Social Justice and U.S. Policy Committee on Zoom. “It was fascinating to hear people from around the church share their opinions about policies—like gun policy, for example—things that we've been working on in this diocese for years and understanding that they share the same focus on the issue,” he says.
Read more here.
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Faith Formation and Fun with Official Youth Presence Member Catherine Mansir
Several aspects of General Convention resemble the structure and process of our secular government, with one notable exception—the active participation of young people. Established by a 1982 resolution, the Official Youth Presence includes up to two members from each of The Episcopal Church’s nine provinces, who can attend legislative sessions and have a seat and a voice in the House of Deputies.
Sixteen-year-old Catherine Mansir of Gardiner was selected via a highly competitive, rigorous process to represent Province 1. Not only did she participate in GC81 as a member of the Official Youth Presence, but she also helped create and testified on behalf of Resolution A086 – Create a Task Force for Youth Formation and World Mission, which was passed by both houses.
Read more here.
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Together in Love, Deputy Christian Clough
The following is an excerpt from the sermon preached on Sunday, July 7 by Clough, the canon for liturgy & music at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Portland.
"Jesus is teaching; do we have ears to hear? His gospel message is countercultural and anti-political, and therefore is a threat to the statūs quo (plural), maybe better understood as the “statuses quo.” The Jesus Movement challenges almost everyone. I’m not sure how Jesus would respond to all the questions and challenges we confront today, but I imagine many of his answers would test our faith; each and every one of us would struggle. The General Convention did not adopt the resolution calling for the abolition of police forces and prisons; what would Jesus do? The General Convention did not tackle the global refugee crisis, nor the travesty at our southern border; what would Jesus do? We are trying to understand, absorb, adopt, and embody his word in a world that is often hostile to it."
Read the complete sermon here.
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Read about the election of the Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe to the office of Presiding Bishop and Maine deputies' reactions here.
Watch Bishop Brown's video message about the election here.
See our GC81 photo gallery here.
General Convention news is also available from the Episcopal News Service.
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Maine youth, led by Director of Faith Formation Emily Keniston (second from left), joined Bishop Brown and other members of Bishops United Against Gun Violence for a Public Witness Against Gun Violence event in Louisville's Jefferson Square Park. | |
Bishop Brown's Curated List of Key Resolutions | |
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- A015, Owning a Commitment to Reparations
- A028, Support for Freedom to Consider Ethical Issues in Investing
- A035, Establish Model Policies for Anti-Racism work
- A049, United Methodist Church, toward Full Communion
- A053-A058, several canonical amendments related to Title IV disciplinary process
- A101, Revise Denominational Health Plan pricing
- A110, Clarify distinction between Biblical Israel and Modern Israel
- A121, Authorize Commemoration of Bishop Barbara C. Harris
- A168, Establish the Diocese of the Great Lakes
- A169, Establish the Diocese of Wisconsin
- B010, Revise Title IV process
- C009, Establish Navajoland's autonomy
- D007, Israel-Palestine
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D074, Renouncing the Theology of Slavery by the Reverend James Craik, 11th President of the House of Deputies. nota bene—you will be hearing a GREAT DEAL more about this resolution and its connection to one among us in the Diocese of Maine.
All of the resolutions are easily accessible online here. Enter the resolution number into the search bar.
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You can be a part of all the action in 2027!
The 82nd General Convention will be held in Phoenix, Arizona, in July of 2027.
Every diocese will send a deputation—four clergy and four lay people.
You can be one of these deputies! The diocese will fly you out, pay for your accommodations, and you will take part in voting and worship with the entire church.
Nominate yourself or someone else here. Voting will take place on Nov. 16 at the 205th Diocesan Convention in Portland.
Have questions about the General Convention? You can reach out to John Hennessy, this year's chair, or the Rev. Steve Muncie, chair of the Nominating Committee, for more information.
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