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75th General Convention
June 13-21, 2006
Columbus, Ohio

June 21, 2006
By Larry Bingham

An historic and productive 75th General Convention was adjourned at 6 p.m. this afternoon, June 21, 2006, the ninth and final legislative day. You have already heard from the other Kansas deputies about the events occurring earlier in the Convention, including Sarah’s report on the election of Katharine Jefferts Schori. I will devote this final column to the important action taken to respond to the Windsor Report.

It was a long, treacherous and painful legislative journey, but at 1:30 this afternoon we completed the major and most controversial part of the response: the issue of a moratorium on the election of a gay or lesbian bishop. Previous to today we adopted other portions of the response, including a statement of interdependence and an expression of regret. Later in the afternoon today we adopted a commitment to the Windsor and Listening Process, a conversation with our Anglican partners. But all of these important responses were overshadowed by the emotional issues surrounding the election of bishops living in an open same-sex relationship.

In my opinion, the manner in which our Church developed this response is a tribute to the polity of the Episcopal Church and the gracious community that we share with one another. As all of you know, there is a wide divergence of opinions within our Church on the issues of gay and lesbian full inclusion. We are proud of our heritage that claims to welcome persons who hold a wide variety of beliefs and this claim was tested by fire during the past several days.

There is insufficient space here to give you the full measure of debate and legislative action leading up to the final solution, but here is a very brief synopsis:

A-161 is a resolution crafted by the Special Committee on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. It urged dioceses to refrain from electing bishops “whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion.”

This resolution was hotly debated on Tuesday in the House of Deputies. It was criticized by both liberals and conservatives; it went too far for the liberals and didn’t go far enough for the conservatives. Attempts to modify the language on the floor became futile, and we were totally unable to reach the necessary consensus. Eventually it came to a vote, and an unusual coalition of the left and the right combined to defeat the resolution. Many in the House left in frustration that we were unable to find a satisfactory response.

At the beginning of the legislative session this morning, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold addressed a joint session of the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. He presented a new resolution, B033, which had been drafted by the bishops who were members of the Special Committee. It changed the wording slightly, but it still called for a moratorium on the election of a gay or lesbian bishop. He strongly urged that we accept this resolution so the Episcopal Church may continue our conversation with our Anglican partners.

The House of Bishops adopted B033, without amendment, later this morning.

The House of Deputies debated B033 during the noon hour. In the middle of our debate, Presiding Bishop-Elect Katharine Jefferts Schori requested permission to speak to our House. In her very practical, down-to-earth style, she explained to us that the language of the resolution was “exceedingly challenging” but that this was “the best that we can do” at this time. She repeated the plea that we stay in conversation and adopt the resolution.

The left and the right continued their opposition based upon their respective agendas. However, between Tuesday night and Wednesday noon, the breadth and depth of the center was expanded. We can all speculate how that happened. It may have been a reflection on Tuesday night’s debate. It may have been the influence of Bishops Griswold and Jefferts Schori. It may have been the leadership of the House of Bishops. Or it may have been, just might have been, the action of the Holy Spirit. However it happened, when the votes were counted at 1:30 a strong majority of 75 percent of the dioceses agreed to adopt B033. After much prayer and consultation, a majority of the Kansas lay and clergy deputation voted in favor of the resolution.

The text of this resolution is as follows:

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, that the 75th General Convention receive and embrace The Windsor Report’s invitation to engage in a process of healing and reconciliation; and be it further

Resolved, that this Convention therefore call upon Standing Committees and bishops with jurisdiction to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion.

I encourage each of you to join us at 10 a.m. this Saturday at the Cathedral. There you can hear from our deputies and get their reflections on the Windsor response resolutions as well as the other important actions taken at this Convention.

All of us are grateful for the opportunity that you have given us to serve the Diocese of Kansas and the Episcopal Church here in Columbus during the past 10 days.