Chicago Consultation Responds to Archbishop of Canterbury's Reflections

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

contact:  Rebecca Wilson, 330-524-2067, rebeccaswilson@sbcglobal.net

 CHICAGO CONSULTATION RESPONDS TO THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY’S REFLECTIONS ON GENERAL CONVENTION

CHICAGO, IL., July 28, 2009--The Chicago Consultation released this statement from its co-convener, Ruth Meyers, in response to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s reflections on the Episcopal Church’s General Convention. Meyers is the Hodges Haynes Professor of Liturgics at Church Divinity School of the Pacific:

During General Convention, the Episcopal Church was pleased to welcome many international visitors, including the Archbishop of Canterbury. We are glad that he felt generously welcomed and are grateful that he experienced first-hand the Episcopal Church’s deep and abiding commitment to the worldwide Anglican Communion.

In his statement, the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke to the entire Communion, including provinces in parts of the world where gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people face serious criminal penalties and even death. We hope and pray that the Archbishop’s strong condemnation of prejudice against GLBT people, and his call to penitence for our inconsistencies on these issues, will embolden Anglicans across the world to stand against hatred and discrimination when they encounter it in their midst.

We also urge all Anglicans, including the Archbishop, to regard the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in the body of Christ as nothing less than a Gospel mandate and a requirement of our baptismal vows. To understand this issue as simply one of civil liberties or human rights—to which the Gospel also calls us—does grave injustice to our sisters and brothers in Christ and our fundamental understanding of baptismal theology.

The Archbishop raises important questions about how the Anglican Communion can best structure itself and continue to develop Anglican doctrine. The Episcopal Church has a long, albeit imperfect, history of developing theology and doctrine to support fully including women, people of color, and GLBT people in the life of the church. We can contribute this valuable experience to the Communion, and we look forward to working together with our fellow Anglicans around the globe as we continue discerning God’s call for our common life and mission.

The Chicago Consultation, a group of Episcopal and Anglican bishops, clergy and lay people, supports the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Christians in the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion. We believe that our baptismal covenant requires this.

The Chicago Consultation believes that, like the church’s historic discrimination against people of color and women, excluding GLBT people from the sacramental life of the church is a sin. Through study, prayer and conversation, we seek to provide clergy and laypeople across The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion with biblical and theological perspectives that will rid the church of this sin.

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Weekly Witness For 28 July 2009

Election Results

During May the membership voted for a new Board of Directors and for Provincial Coordinators. Now that General Convention is over, we are pleased to announce the election results.

Those candidates elected to the national Board of Directors are…

• David Norgard, President
• Louise Brooks, Secretary/Director Of Communications
• David Cupps, Treasurer
• Neil D. Houghton, Vice-President For Local Affairs
• Albert Ogle, Vice-President For National Affairs

Those candidates elected as Provincial Coordinators are…

• Sara Hamlen, Province 1 Coordinator
• Chap James Day, Province 2 Coordinator
• Mimi Walters, Province 3 Coordinator
• Keith Bliven, Province 4 Coordinator
• Deniray Mueller, Province 5 Coordinator
• Gretchen R. Naugle, Province 6 Coordinator
• Susan McCann, Province 7 Coordinator
• Matt Haines, Province 8 Coordinator

In a separate ballot sent to voting members of the Stakeholders Council, Joshua Blackwood was elected as Stakeholders Council Chairperson and Gretchen Renfro was elected Vice-Chairperson. Josh will represent the Stakeholders Council on the Board of Directors.

Congratulations to these new officers! More information about each candidate can be found at http://www.integrityusa.org/candidates/.

Thanks to those candidates who were not elected for their willingness to serve. We greatly appreciate Integrity/El Camino Real for acting as the teller for the election.

As part of the ballot, the membership also ratified a previous vote to amend the national bylaws. The bylaws can be viewed at http://www.integrityusa.org/bylaws.

Have You Registered For After Anaheim?

So far 30 people have signed up for After Anaheim--a leadership conference for national, provincial, and local leaders of Integrity--that will be held September 9-12, 2009, in St. Louis. Although the conference is primarily intended for leaders, all Integrity members who want to be more effective inclusion activists are welcome to attend.

The core of the conference will be the "Faith-Based Community Organizing" workshop facilitated by staff from the Institute for Welcoming Resources. In addition, Integrity's new Stakeholders' Council will hold its first-ever annual meeting.

After Anaheim is a crucial first step in planning the next 3 years of Integrity's ministry. We hope that as many of you as possible will be able to attend.

Please visit http://sites.google.com/site/afteranaheim/ for more information about the conference and to register. Seating is limited, so sign-up now! Register by August 7th to take advantage of a special rate for hotel rooms.

Integrity Responds to Archbishop of Canterbury's post-GC2009 Statement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Archbishop of Canterbury issued a statement this morning entitled "Communion, Covenant and our Anglican Future" and subtitled: Reflections on the Episcopal Church's 2009 General Convention from the Archbishop of Canterbury for the Bishops, Clergy and Faithful of the Anglican Communion. In it, +Rowan Williams does what he believes he is called to do as an "Instrument of Unity" for the whole communion: He trys to keep as many as possible at the table doing the work of the gospel. Integrity does not envy him that task.

Integrity regrets the Archbishop's categorization of TEC's commitment to full inclusion of the LGBT baptized as a "rights" issue rather than a "theological" issue -- believing that it falls sadly short of recognizing all the theological reflection that has both moved and motivated this church over the years.

"We are frankly tired of being told we 'haven't done the theology,'" said Integrity President Susan Russell, "when the truth is that there are those in our wider Anglican family who do not agree with the theology we have done. But what we can do is keep doing it. We can keep reaching out. We can keep working together with our communion partners on mission and ministry all over this Worldwide Anglican Family of ours with those who will work with us. And we can stay in conversation with those who won't.

Because we recognize that those who have been waiting for the casting-out-of-TEC-into-outer-darkness are not getting what they want. And as we continue to move forward in mission and ministry with those who embrace historic Anglican comprehensiveness, we believe those "outer darkness" threats are going to ring more and more hollow until they fade away altogether.

And meanwhile, we can live into the liberated-for-mission message our General Convention sent home from Anaheim and bless those who come to us asking for the church's blessing on their already-blessed-by-God relationships and raising up into ALL orders of ministry those who God calls into vocations of deacon, priest and bishop.

Because, as the closing word's of +Rowan Williams' statement assure us:

If the present structures that have safeguarded our unity turn out to need serious rethinking in the near future, this is not the end of the Anglican way and it may bring its own opportunities. Of course it is problematic; and no-one would say that new kinds of structural differentiation are desirable in their own right.

But the different needs and priorities identified by different parts of our family, and in the long run the different emphases in what we want to say theologically about the Church itself, are bound to have consequences. We must hope that, in spite of the difficulties, this may yet be the beginning of a new era of mission and spiritual growth for all who value the Anglican name and heritage.

As American Anglicans, we've "rethought structures" before (see also: "1789" and the birth American Episcopal Church) and lived to tell about it! And -- at the end of the day -- that may in fact be the good news and great hope we have to offer our worldwide Anglican Communion family as we move forward together into God's future."

Contacts:

Louise Brooks, Director of Communications, tvprod@earthlink.net, (626) 993-4605

MARRIAGE RESOLUTION PROTESTS CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 8 STANCE AGAINST EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 22, 2009

Clergy will not sign state-issued marriage licenses

Lauren Azeltine, mail@stmikessc.org
818-763-9193

In protest against California's Proposition 8, which amended the state
constitution to state "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or
recognized in California," the Vestry of St. Michael and All Angels
Episcopal Church, Studio City, unanimously voted to approve a resolution in
support of the rights of all people, straight or gay, to legally marry in
the State of California. The clergy of St. Michael's parish will continue
to bless heterosexual, gay, and lesbian marriages, but will not sign
state-issued marriage licenses until all people have the right to marry in
the state of California.

This action was influenced strongly by a visit to St. Michael and All Angles
this spring from V. Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire. During a
discussion at St. Mike's, Bishop Robinson supported churches getting out of
the civil marriage business and instead performing blessings for all
marriages, same or opposite sex. A similar action was taken by the Vestry of
All Saints Church, Pasadena, California.

The Reverend Canon Dr. Henry Atkins, Priest-in-Charge at St. Michael's, said
"This community strongly believes that both gay and straight couples should
be equally blessed in the sacrament of marriage, and we happily commit
ourselves to doing so. But we will not participate in state-sanctioned
discrimination." He noted that other countries, such as France, also
separate the legal from the religious marriage ceremonies.

"The church is no place for such discrimination," said John Pryor, Junior
Warden of St. Michael's. "A welcoming community holds the door open for all
people," he stated, "we should not be in the business of shutting that
door."

Copies of the resolution are available [below].

St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church is a welcoming community of
conscience engaged in faith by embracing diversity and encouraging growth
through prayer, scholarship, social action, and artistic endeavor. Located
at 3646 Coldwater Canyon Ave. in Studio City, it is an inclusive community
and welcomes all.

-----------------------------

MARRIAGE RESOLUTION
Adopted by the vestry, July 21, 2009

WHEREAS, on November 4, 2008, a majority of the California electorate voted
to approve Proposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to state
"[o]nly marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in
California;"

WHEREAS, on May 26, 2009, the California Supreme Court voted to uphold the
constitutionality of Proposition 8, a decision which not only deprives
same-sex couples of the fundamental right to marry, but, in the words of
dissenting Justice Carlos Moreno, "places at risk the state constitutional
rights of all disfavored minorities";

WHEREAS, the institution of civil marriage in the State of California is, as
a result of Proposition 8 and the Court's decision, a
constitutionally-mandated instrument of discrimination, which furthers
injustice and denies same-sex couples the fundamental dignities to which
each human being is entitled;

WHEREAS, our active participation in the discriminatory system of civil
marriage is inconsistent with Jesus' call to strive for justice and peace
among all people and respect the dignity of every human being; and

WHEREAS, Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church is called to make the
sacrament of marriage equally available to all couples, regardless of their
sexual orientation;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Rector, Wardens and Vestry do declare
that the sacramental right of marriage is available to all couples, but that
the clergy of Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church will not sign
civil marriage certificates for any marriage so long as the right to marry
is denied to same-sex couples.

+Barbara's Integrity Eucharist Sermon

"Hot off the presses" -- here's a link to a transcription of Bishop Barbara Harris' fabulous sermon at the July 10th Integrity Eucharist.

A DVD of the whole service is "in the works" ... stay tuned on that ... but in the meantime thanks to Joseph Lane for making this transcription happen!

If you build it, they will come

Letter to the Editor in the Salt Lake City Tribune worth marking as we call TEC to shift its focus from who might leave if we truly welcome all to who will COME in response to the Gospel of God's inclusive love.

No home on plaza
Public Forum Letter -- 07/20/2009

I was late for church on Sunday because I first I went to the Main Street Plaza to join a "kiss-in" in support of the gay couple who were told to leave the LDS property because of a kiss on the cheek ("Protesters smooch near LDS Temple," Tribune , July 13).

As I walked into St. Paul's Episcopal Church, where I'm a parishioner, they were singing "Amazing Grace": "'tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home." It brought tears to my eyes. You see, I'm gay and served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Later in the service, we sang "Praise the mount! Oh, fix me on it, mount of God's unchanging love ... and I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home."

I could hardly get the words out. It was as if those hymns had been chosen specifically for me on that particular day. After essentially being told that I was not welcome on Temple Square, I thank God for the Episcopal Church and loving straight people, religious or not, who help marginalized gays find "home."
Jeff Laver
Salt Lake City

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill ...

Check out this "hot off the presses" video featuring clergy voices on Capitol Hill! (How proud am I to be part of so great a could of witnesses!) -- Susan Russell

Changing the Conversation on LGBT People and Faith

Team Integrity: Ubuntu Exemplified!

As the dust continues to settle from General Convention 2009, it's time to start thanking all those who made our extraordinary work and witness possible. Or at least beginning to find words that are going to fall WAY short of adequately expressing gratitude appropriate for the sacrificial giving of time, talent and SLEEP toward the goal of (stop me if you've heard this one before!) "the full inclusion of all the baptized in all the sacraments."
.
If I start trying to call out everybody by name we’ll be here until it’s time to pack for Indianapolis, but let me “call out by title” the following – at least for a start:

Our fabulous staff – Executive Director, Project Manager and Field Organizer – who worked so long and hard on details ahead of Anaheim that it seemed there would be nothing left to worry about when we got there … and then miraculously managed to come up around all the things that it turned out were there to worry about when we got there!

The “always there for us” Nerve Center team – ready with whatever we needed as soon as we needed it … whether it was copies of resolutions or links to news reports or updates on the whereabouts of MIA team members. We couldn’t possibly have done what we did “out front” without your diligence in “Integrity Central.”

Our amazingly diverse and welcoming Booth Team … ready to greet visitors with a smile and a brochure; to pin on a button and to offer a shoulder; with an ear to listen and a heart to empathize. Your “front line” connections have sown seeds that will bear much fruit in the weeks and months ahead. You were for MANY “the face of Integrity” and you did us all VERY proud!

Then there was our crack Legislative Team … managing the details of committee meetings, open hearings, legislative tracking and the concur/amend/adopt/refer processes like veteran political wonks. In collaboration with our amazingly affable floor manager and working in miraculous collegiality with justice allies throughout the church, your work will have impact on how TEC puts its faith into action for years to come.

And then there’s our cutting edge Communication Team. Under the direction of our Media Maven Communication Director, we were on message, on deadline and on more communication mediums than you can shake a stick at. Whether Tweeting, YouTubing, IntegriTVing, Facebooking, Blogging, Press Releasing or just plain schmoozing, Integrity’s message has never been more persuasive OR pervasive.

And then there were our Chaplains. Some were there for the duration and some were doing "per diem" duty -- but all were there with a powerful, prayerful supportive witness that helped us navigate the sometimes choppy waters of ANY General Convention.

Finally, a special "shout out" to ALL who helped make this year's Integrity Eucharist such a memorable celebration of the ministry of ALL the baptized! From the liturgy planning team to the musicians, acolytes, ushers, eucharistic ministers and video production team it was an extraordinary "all hands on deck" event that truly WAS "Ubuntu Exemplified." (As described in the General Convention Daily!)

And what a privilege to be under the same roof with +Gene Robinson, +Barbara Harris AND +Edmond Browning. Grace upon grace only begins to describe it! We may have miles to go before this church we love becomes ALL that it is called to be, but I believe we have turned an important corner at this GC2009 -- and so with grateful hearts let's give thanks to all who gave so sacrificially to move us forward toward the goal of (one more time!) " the full inclusion of all the baptized in all the sacraments!"
.

As Seen Elsewhere: The Monday post-General Convention News Wrap-Up

A Lot of headlines to check out post General Convention.
Here are a few for you to check out, and as always, please let us know of your favorite articles, blogs and news to use in the comments.

C056 Wins
Jim Naughton, Episcopal Cafe (be sure to click into the liveblog for the play by play)

Resolution C056; its our job now
By Rebecca Wilson, Episcopal Cafe

Episcopal Church Drops Ban on LGBT Bishops
http://uprisingradio.org, featuring interview with Integrity USA President, Susan Russell

Episcopal Convention Report
Religion & Ethics Weekly (PBS) July 17, 2009

Face to faith: The suffering on all sides of the homosexuality debate must be borne by the entire church
Jim Naughton, The Gaurdian

What’s going on in America?
Kelvin Holdsworth, St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow, Scotland

What young adults need
By Otis Gaddis III, Episcopal Cafe

Episcopalians in U.S. taking pro-gay stance
By Julia Duin, The Washington Times

Episcopal leaders affirm new policy on same-sex blessings
By Duke Helfand, Los Angeles Times

Episcopal Church moves toward blessing gay unions
Writing and reporting by Ed Stoddard; Editing by Steve Gorman and Peter Cooney, Rueters

Episcopal Bishops Can Bless Gay Unions:Approved Compromise Measure Stops Short of Creating Liturgical Rites

By William Wan, Washington Post

Episcopal Bishop says ordination still uncertain for gay bishops
By Richard C. Dujardin, The Providence Journal
(great quotes in this article from Integrity ally, The Rev. Scott Gunn)

Utah Episcopalians back push for gay clergy
By Peggy Fletcher Stack, The Salt Lake Tribune

Episcopalians: Bishops can bless same-sex unions

By MICHELLE RINDELS, Associated Press

Pueblo pastor: Episcopal vote on gays no surprise

By LORETTA SWORD,THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

Episcopalians Ask Who Should Lead: Church or Culture?
By DANIEL BURKE, 2009 Religion News Service

Chicago group helped pave way for Episcopal Church's landmark decisions: Episcopal Church lifts moratorium on gay bishops, will consider same-sex liturgies
By Manya A. Brachear, Chicago Tribune

A Constant Parish, Now Called to Leave?: Episcopal Church Struggles With New Acceptance of Gays

By William Wan, Washington Post

Bishops post reactions to Anaheim
Nicholas Knisely, Episcopal Cafe

Please share your news items in the comments on the blog.
Happy post-convention Monday everyone!

Integrity Celebrates Virtual Clean Sweep on GC2009 Legislative Agenda

By Susan Russell, President of IntegrityUSA

I’m going to write more about “General Convention in General,” but here’s a legislative wrap up (coming later in the day than I’d meant it to but I’ve decided to give up waiting for the official GC2009 resolution web pages to come back up online – will just add the links to the citations later.)

Heading to Anaheim, Integrity had two primary “agenda items:”

• Move the Episcopal Church beyond B033 and reopen ordination processes to all the baptized;
• Move the Episcopal Church forward on the blessing of same sex marriages and unions.

We saw those goals realized in the adoption of the following resolutions:

• D025 – Supports inclusive ordination processes for ALL orders of ministry
• C056 – Authorizes “generous pastoral support” for blessing marriages, unions & partnerships and collection of liturgical resources for consideration at GC2012

As noteworthy as the content of the resolutions is the context. These resolutions passed not by narrow margins after rancorous debate. They passed by overwhelming consensus after respectful dialogue that left no doubt that those who gathered in Anaheim are committed to an inclusive Anglicanism that keeps at the table all who desire so to do.

D025 -- Ordination

It can – and has – been said that D025 does not “repeal” B033 – and that is, of course, true. There will still be bishops with jurisdiction and standing committees who will choose to “exercise restraint” when consenting the election of a bishop whose “manner of life” would cause concern to the wider Anglican Communion. (And we all know that is code for “partnered gay or lesbian bishop.”) Nevertheless, the inclusive and expansive language of D025 states “this is where we are in 2009” – and frees bishops and standing committees to focus on the theological orientation rather than the sexual orientation of qualified candidates to the episcopate.

Furthermore, by stating unequivocally that “God has called and may call any individual in the church to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church, in accordance with the discernment process set forth in the Constitution and Canons of the church” – D025 actually states for the first time as an official resolution of the Episcopal Church that the extra-canonical requirement of celibacy of gay and lesbian candidates for ordination is not the mind of this church.

From the letter by the Presiding Bishop and President of the House of Deputies to the Archbishop of Canterbury:

Nothing in the Resolution goes beyond what has already been provided under our Constitution and Canons for many years. In reading the resolution, you will note its key
points, that:

• Our Church is deeply and genuinely committed to our relationships in the Anglican Communion;
• We recognize the contributions gay and lesbian Christians, members of our Church both lay and ordained, have made and continue to make to our common life and ministry;
• Our Church can and does bear witness to the fact that many of our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters live in faithful, monogamous, lifelong and life-giving committed relationships;
• While ordination is not a “right” guaranteed to any individual, access to our Church’s discernment and ordination process is open to all baptized members according to our Constitution and Canons; and
• Members of The Episcopal Church do, in fact, disagree faithfully and conscientiously about issues of human sexuality.

C056 -- Blessings

What the Episcopal Church adopted in Resolution C056 is a broad local option for the blessings of the marriages, unions and partnerships of same sex couples and a call to the church to work together toward common liturgical expressions of those blessings.

The Rev. Sam Candler (Atlanta), chair of the committee that presented the resolution, called it "an elegant blend of theological care, ecclesiastical breadth and pastoral generosity."

The Rev. Dan Martins (Northern Indiana) had this to say about C056: “If there was ambiguity surrounding D025--and I have contended that there is -- there is none here. This convention has abrogated every positive gesture it has made toward the Anglican Communion since 2003. Everything we did three years ago in response to the Windsor Report is down the drain.”


In other historic action, the General Convention adopted resolutions supporting the enactment of anti-discrimination and hate crimes legislation protecting transgender people at local, state and federal levels. Both houses also adopted resolutions adding "gender identity and expression" to its nondiscrimination policy for hiring lay employees and calling for the revision of church paper and electronic forms to allow a wider range of gender identifications. In review:

C056 – Authorizes “generous pastoral support” for blessing marriages, unions & partnerships and collection of liturgical resources for consideration at GC2012
C048 – Urges support of fully inclusive ENDA legislation pending in Washington
D012 -- Support for Transgender Civil Rights
D025 – Supports inclusive ordination processes for ALL orders of ministry
D032 -- Non-discrimination clause including gender identity and gender expression for lay employees
D076 -- Support for immigration equality for gay couples
D090 -- Church paper work to be made more accessible to flexibility in gender identity and pronoun preference

C023 – Urging support for repeal of DOMA (“Defense of Marriage Act”) passed in Deputies and was referred by Bishops to Executive Council – where we expect affirmative action will be taken to take the voice of the Episcopal Church to Washington on this important issue.

Finally, Integrity applauds the amazing work of ALL our allies in advancing resolutions on a broad range of critical gospel issues. Unlike our last two General Conventions, where the resolutions regarding human sexuality so consumed our legislative process that there was precious little left for anything else, this 76th General Convention worked long, hard and diligently to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God” – acting on everything from lay equity in pension plans to ending torture; on labor issues and human rights violations; on universal health care and climate change; on human trafficking and ending the blockade in Cuba.

One of the most moving moments for me came on the last day of legislation when Frank Wade reminded us that our actions in the House of Deputies were -- in their own way --offerings being laid at the altar of our God who calls us to this work of justice, compassion and love. The reminder that “liturgical” and “political” are words that share a root – and that both the work of the people – was a holy container for this holy work we have been about for the last ten days in Anaheim.

There are miles to go before we rest – before the kingdom come on earth IS as it is in heaven. But BIG steps forward were taken by The Episcopal Church at this General Convention. And for that, we rejoice and are glad!

IntegriTV GC2009-Day 10: The Wrap Up Edition

In our wrap up episode we poll the multitudes about their favorite convention 'bling', learn about Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation's U2charist, hear from Ed Bacon about how being gay is a gift from God, get a quick review of Integrity's legislative work and give thanks for the hard work of our Integrity volunteers and allies.




Click to watch online, here.

Thank you--everyone--for watching IntegriTV. We are grateful for your prayers, support and witness that carried us on through General Convention 2009. Don't forget to find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and continue to check our blog. As ever, find all this information and more on our website www.integrityusa.org.

That's All Folks!

The final media briefing is over, I’ve taken off my press badge for the last time and we’re getting ready to celebrate.

So what’s been achieved in Anaheim this year?

The Episcopal Church has intentionally, thoughtfully and lovingly put its feet on the last section of path towards the full inclusion of LGBT people. This Convention has overwhelmingly affirmed that partnered gay people are called by God to all orders of ministry in this church and has allowed diocesan bishops to make local provision for blessing same-gender relationships. It has asked the Commission on Liturgy and Music to begin the process that will one day lead to rites for blessings. It has passed several resolutions which support transgender people and oppose discrimination.

The work now is at the diocesan level to continue to witness to God’s extravagant and inclusive love so that these possibilities may be fully realized in all the dioceses of the church. It’s not going to happen overnight and it will take longer in some places than others. “All the sacraments for all the baptized” means all and that includes those who do not agree with us. For the first time LGBT Episcopalians can stand with our heads held high knowing that the Episcopal Church really does welcome us, and it is incumbent upon us to extend that welcome to others who may now feel excluded as well as those who never imagined they might be welcomed.

Thank you, all of you, who contributed to the expenses of the team this year. We really couldn’t have done it without you.

Please pray for our press office and media room evangelist, Pamela Reamer Williams, who left early this morning. Pamela has been in a great deal of pain for the last week, apparently with a pinched nerve in her back but by the time she left there was other stuff going on too. She’s driving home to Wyoming. Please pray for safe travel and healing. Pamela has been a remarkable addition to the team this year.

Don’t forget to register for Beyond Anaheim in September – it’ll put our feet firmly on the next step.

That’s All Folks!
Caroline Hall for IntegrityUSA

Episcopal Church Goes on Record in Support of Transgender Civil Rights

TransEpiscopal  Press Release:   Anaheim, CA (July 17, 2009):  For the first time in its history, the Episcopal Church has taken  official actions in support of transgender civil rights and inclusion at its 76th General Convention.      “It was a true privilege to participate in the legislative process of this Church, to bear witness to  transgender lives and experiences, and to urge the Episcopal Church to fully include and to stand  in solidarity with us,” commented the Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge, a member of TransEpiscopal  and Integrity USA. “I am thrilled to be able to say that the General Convention voted  overwhelmingly to put the Episcopal Church on record in support of such legislation as the  Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Act and the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, and analogous  efforts at municipal and state levels.  But I am even more moved to say how many people  spontaneously shared with us how their eyes have been opened, their hearts turned, by our  presence and stories here.  To have someone stop me in a coffee line to say, ‘I had never thought  about this issue before, and I’m going to take what I have learned here and share it with my little  congregation in the Ozarks’ means more than I can say.”    Today the Convention completed approval of resolutions supporting the enactment of anti-  discrimination and hate crimes legislation protecting transgender people at local, state and  federal levels. The House of Deputies passed these resolutions overwhelmingly on Wednesday,  and the House of Bishops then approved these resolutions today in near-unanimous votes.     These actions took place as the United States Congress debates both the Matthew Shepherd Hate  Crimes Act and the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, which respectively address hate crimes  and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation as well as gender identity and expression.    Testifying in hearings at various levels of the Convention were representatives of the  organizations TransEpiscopal and Integrity USA, including the Episcopal Church’s first openly  transgender Deputy, Dee Tavolaro of Rhode Island.     In addition to today’s actions, earlier this week the Convention approved two other resolutions.   The first adds “gender identity and expression” to its nondiscrimination policy for hiring lay  employees, while the second calls for the revision of church paper and electronic forms to allow  a wider range of gender identifications.     “As we celebrate this moment and give thanks for the amazing allies walking with us,  particularly Integrity USA and the Consultation, we look forward to progressing further toward  full inclusion of transgender people —and, indeed, all people -- in all areas of ministry in The  Episcopal Church.”    Contacts: Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge at cepart@yahoo.com   Rev. Michelle Hansen at hansen_michelle@sbcglobal.net   or see TransEpiscopal's website at blog.transepiscopal.com

 

Chicago Consultation Statement on the76th General Convention

contact: Rebecca S. Wilson, 330-524-2067, rebeccaswilson@sbcglobal.net

Anaheim, Ca., July 17, 2009--The Chicago Consultation released this
statement from its co-convener, Ruth Meyers, at the close of the 76th
General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Anaheim, California. Meyers is
a deputy from the Diocese of Chicago and is the Hodges Haynes Professor of
Liturgics at Church Divinity School of the Pacific:

During the past ten days, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church has
worshiped, prayed, and worked to discern God's will for our common life. Our
time together has been filled with generosity, honesty, and the blessings of
the Holy Spirit.

The Chicago Consultation is particularly grateful to the four Anglican
primates who attended the meeting as our guests: The Most Rev. Philip
Aspinall, Primate of Australia; the Most. Rev. Solomon Jongmo Yoon, Primate
of Korea; the Most Rev. Idris Jones, Primus of Scotland (retired); and the
Most Rev. Nathaniel Makoto Uematsu, Primate of Japan. We are also thankful
for the Convention's many international visitors, guests of House of
Deputies President Bonnie Anderson, who participated in Chicago Consultation
events.

At this General Convention, we have both advanced mission relationships in
the Anglican Communion and opened the way for gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender people in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion to
realize fully the promises of their baptism. We celebrate the progress we
have made toward full inclusion of all baptized people in God's church and
pray that the Spirit will continue to bless the Episcopal Church's mission
and relationships across the Anglican Communion.

Now the work begins. Thanks to two key General Convention resolutions, D025
and C056, the Episcopal Church has a fresh opportunity to strengthen
Anglican Communion relationships, deepen our understanding of the
discernment process by which God calls us all to ministry, and explore
together how we can enrich our common life by blessing same-gender unions.

We pray that all Episcopalians, no matter their opinions on specific
legislation or issues, will go forward from Anaheim in the spirit of our
time together and use the opportunities presented by this General Convention
to unite our church in a renewed commitment to Gospel mission.

The Chicago Consultation, a group of Episcopal and Anglican bishops, clergy
and lay people, supports the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender Christians in the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican
Communion. We believe that our baptismal covenant requires this.

The Chicago Consultation believes that, like the church's historic
discrimination against people of color and women, excluding GLBT people from
the sacramental life of the church is a sin. Through study, prayer and
conversation, we seek to provide clergy and laypeople across The Episcopal
Church and the Anglican Communion with biblical and theological perspectives
that will rid the church of this sin.

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Integrity USA Achieves Its Goals At General Convention 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ANAHEIM, CA (July 17, 2009)--The Episcopal Church turned an important corner at this General Convention and Integrity applauds the hard, faithful work of the bishops and deputies who brought us closer to the full inclusion of all the baptized in all the sacraments. We came to this convention committed to moving the church beyond B033 and forward on equality for the blessing of same-sex unions--and we are beyond gratified that we have realized both of those goals.

Thirty three years after promising a "full and equal claim" to the gay and lesbian baptized, the Episcopal Church has affirmed equal access to ordination processes for all orders of ministry for all the baptized, has approved a broad local option for the blessings of our relationships, and has called the church to work together toward common liturgical expressions of those blessings.

It is a great day for the church and a greater day for the witness to God’s inclusive love.

"While Integrity’s advocacy work is not yet done," said Integrity President Susan Russell, "the actions here in Anaheim liberate us to get on with our evangelism work--proclaiming the good news of an Episcopal Church that welcomes not only LGBT people looking for a spiritual home but ALL those seeking a faith community that shares their core values of justice, compassion, inclusion, and love."

"We celebrate this historic movement forward and we commit ourselves to this church we love and serve to continue to witness to the good news of Christ Jesus present in our lives, our vocations, and our relationships. We call others to 'come and see' what we have found and seen and experienced in the Episcopal Church."

"Integrity applauds the hard work of all our allies in this struggle and lifts up particularly the witness of our TransEpiscopal colleagues whose courageous work at this convention has been truly extraordinary. We look forward to working with all our allies as we move forward together into God’s future, giving thanks for the good work here in Anaheim that has brought us closer to that church with 'no outcasts' to which former Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning called us.

Contacts:

Louise Brooks, Director of Communications, tvprod@earthlink.net, (626) 993-4605