Budget

It all began when I woke up, later than usual because we felt that sleep was more important that Eucharist that morning (since we went to two Eucharists the day before). All of us girls got ready and packed all of our clothes and the close to forty pounds of free buttons, water bottles, bags, key chains, and etc we all got at the exhibition hall. Misjudging our time, we all were ready to go to the convention center about an hour early, so we used our time to have a pillow fight (which was tweeted about and then retweeted by the Episcopal Church's twitter). We were all excited about our last day; mostly the knowledge of us all going back to our own homes, sleeping in our own beds, and not having to wear nice clothes all the time. However, I was excited because I knew I would be able to spend most of the day in the House of Deputies, listening to the different resolutions and debates, and then finally hearing about the budget, which contained resolutions I was tracking. In the end, the budget contained $600,000 to be used for youth ministries on things like Episcopal Youth Event and National Happening Leadership Convention. That was the biggest thing I was worried about--in the proposed budget from the Executive Council, there was virtually NO money for youth ministries. I wasn't the only one worried about it; Jenna Guy, one of our own deputies from Iowa, spoke to the House of Deputies on the importance of things like EYE and how money was needed to support the youth. All in all, it was a magical last day of General Convention. Of course, the ride home was also fun: playing mafia and having catchphrase tournaments. I couldn't have asked for an experience any better--until (hopefully) I become elected to be a deputy from Iowa. 

 - Jessie, St. Luke's, Cedar Falls

Open Table

Hello people! My name is Mike and I went with the Iowa Youth to The 77^th General Convention. The issue that I covered was the open table debate. Throughout the whole time we spent at GC77 I became increasingly interested in the issue. The committee had an interesting conversation on the resolution and kept me on the edge of my seat. For any who don’t know, open table is the practice of inviting all people to the altar for communion even if they have not been baptized. Even though lots of the priests at our churches already do this, it is technically not allowed because of our cannons. C040, one of the two proposed resolutions regarding open table, would allow open table and change the cannons to allow this. This was the one that I felt the most passionate about. Being a youth in the church feels better when you know that people accept you for who you are, regardless of your baptism status. I think that is why I enjoy Happening and New Beginnings so much-everyone is welcome at the table. One of my favorite priests says a great intro to communion and there is one line that means a lot to me “Welcome all who have tried to follow God, and you who have failed.” This always seems to bring everyone together. But back to the debate. At first it seemed that it would be amended quite a bit and might not even resemble the original thing. In the end they amended the other resolution C029 to include the general outline of C040. Then they did not send C040 to the House of Deputies. C029 stated that the church would prefer baptism but acknowledged that in different local contexts people are exercising pastoral sensitivity with those who aren’t baptized. And now I have been informed that C029 has passed the HoD. While I feel like they could have gone farther with the resolution, I am glad that we are taking steps in the right direction. Hopefully I will get to see what happens with this issue at GC78.

 - Mike, Trinity, Iowa City

General Convention

As members of the church, we go to service, receive communion, and sometimes attend out-of-church events. This process repeats itself over and over, with no foreseeable end or change. While in this cycle, I never took the time to think how these processes came to be, or how they would develop. That all changed after attending General Convention #77. After attending numerous meetings, countless committee hearings, and too many resolutions to count, I began to think. How did the Church of the past become the Church of the present? And more importantly, how can it become the Church of the future? The answer is us. From bishops to priests to lay persons, from youth to adults to elders, we all play a critical role in the process.

            The thing that I found the most interesting was the way both houses were run. The level of formality was surprising to say the least.  The parliamentary procedure was so complex, that the House of Deputies had its own parliamentarian. Between the constant procedural checks, and amendments to amendments, I was left feeling like I had just watched the Episcopalian version of Inception.  The modus of operation was that tedious, that slow, that I wondered how the two governing bodies were able to accomplish anything at all. But after coming to that question, I asked myself “What if all of those things weren’t there?”  It would be a mess of 800 persons, all strongly minded, wanting to push across their personal agenda. I quickly came to the conclusion that this system was not the most efficient, but instead the fairest. 

 - Matt, Trinity, Iowa City 

Same-Sex Blessings

Same-sex blessing is a highly debated and very touchy subject for most people to talk about. Over the course of General Convention 77 I tracked the same-sex blessing resolution (A049). I learned many things that I didn’t know about how the church and the nation in general treat same-sex couples. When same-sex couples get married in a state that recognizes same-sex marriages, then cross state lines into a state that does not the marriage is recognized legally but they are not recognized as a true couple. Worse then that if the couple has children they cross in to a state that doesn’t recognize same-sex marriage they will not be considered parents and could lose their children if they do not fight the government for custody.

The largest resolution connected with same-sex blessings was allowing the church to bless same-sex couples. The resolution first went to the House of Bishops and many of the bishops commended the Presiding Bishop on how she and the other authorities within the church addressed the matter. Eventually the resolution passed on to the House of Bishops after being voted on by a roll call vote.

Once in the House of Deputies the deputies spoke for or against the resolution. One of the deputies that spoke on the resolution was Deputy Jenna Guy from Iowa. She said “It’s always with great pride that I tell people of the inclusive nature of this church.” I have found this to be true as well. The resolution then passed the House of Deputies with 78 percent approved in lay order and 76 percent in the clergy order. According to MSNBC the Episcopal Church is the biggest Christian church to approve the blessing of same-sex unions. Along with the passing of this resolution, resolutions on transgendered people passed as well. This is indeed a big step for the Episcopal Church and hopefully more to come.

 - Gracie, St. Tim's, West Des Moines

A Day in the Life of the Last Lehman at GenCon 77

Today, after waking up absurdly early and eating a very healthy breakfast consisting of two donuts, the Iowa Youth Group wandered over to the morning Eucharist. When we walked in, the choir's heavenly sound resonated through our very soul. Although the service was unexpectedly bilingual (some parts were multilingual), it was eye-opening. And the ASL signers were very fun to watch. After the Eucharist, we fought through the ginormous sea of  bishops and deputies, finally meeting in the lobby to embark on the seemingly mile long walk back to our hotel. We changed into more appropriate clothes for the 100 degree weather (plus hair-frizzing humidity) and set back out to Victory field for the Indianapolis diocesan 175 birthday. We got free food and drink, plus the ever popular Dippin' Dots which we ate while watching our most dearest best friend Matthew Murry almost win a Kindle Fire in the abnormally large game of musical chairs. After the upset of the century, we got up and discovered the giant fans located in various places throughout the stadium, staying at one for 10 or 15 minutes imagining ourselves in the icy waters of the Atlantic after the Titanic sank. We parted with our blow-y friends and went back to the Convention Center and on the way I was pulled aside by a very nice gentleman who persuaded me to join the Navy. (Unfortunately I am only 14, so I can't, but he didn't know). Anyway, we got to the Center and had our "free time" where we ran around the Exhibit Hall gathering buttons and tried to understand the presentation in the HOD. We eventually got bored (sorry) and went out to get coffee and socialize with our new friends from the Diocese of West Missouri otherwise known as WeMo. Our friends left and our free time was over. Our minds immediately thought of food. So we went to Steak n' Shake and enjoyed some wonderful milkshakes and friendly conversation, because deep, DEEP down, we all love each other. We couldn't stay long though, because we had a film screening to go (fashionably early) to. The film was "Bullied", a very heart-breaking movie with a good ending. When the movie ended there was a very long, open discussion about bullying in middle and high school. Mostly the adults talked but near the end they directed a question toward the youth, which we happily answered, making us feel like representatives of the youth of the world. Sadly, the discussion came to an end and we scurried back to our hotel to settle an "argument" between the group over which gender would win tonight's round of Catchphrase. The boys won this time, making the overall score tied. Tomorrow will decide who wins the "tournament". And now I am going to bed.

Goodnight,

Olivia Lehman :)

Hi! Maddy here from Christ Episcopal in Cedar Rapids, IA. At General Convention 77, I was asked to follow a few resolutions that I am interested in. After watching the video, "Out of the Box", I knew the resolutions that included change for transgender people were for me. I, personally, wanted D019 and D002 to pass because transgender people should not be treated differently in the Episcopal church. The debate in the House of Bishops before the final vote included discussions on sexuality, gender identity and expression. Bishop Douglas from Connecticut talked about his daughters definition for sexuality and gender identity; sexuality is who you are attracted to and gender identity is who you are. Your expression is how you display your gender, by the clothes you wear or by your interests. Overall, there was not much opposition except for the bishop of South Carolina who spoke against these resolutions by airing his objections. Soon after, they voted to end the discussion for both resolutions and they passed with a majority of vote. I can't wait to see how the House of Deputies vote!

Its been a fantastically interesting day in Indianapolis! Ignoring the sweltering heat on our walk to our legislative sessions this morning and ignoring the arctic temperatures maintained inside of the conference center, the conditions could not be more perfect for a wonderful trip! As a chaperone, I had the distinct privilege of getting lost in no less than 3 hotels and our conference center, all in the name of delivering young adults to and attending different events and sessions.
I have been absolutely floored by the beautiful art that has been gathered together here. From our group mid-morning worship (a Bach canon preformed by a steel drum band from Brooklyn stuck out especially) to intricately designed albs and baptismal fonts in an impromptu art museum, the love of our great Church is present everywhere you go.
From what I can tell, all youth are enjoying the experience, a few have even expressed a desire to return as deputies.
All in all it's been a great time.
Lovely to catch up with old friends, make new friends, and network network network! Hi to Iowa!

Emily Wright

Seated in the Special Guest section on the floor of the House of Deputies