An Alternate View: Hang in there #GC78

Ok, So, I think that I hit some sort of slump today. It's been a solid week for me (and several days longer for many others) of constant activity and being "on" from 7:00 AM until late at night. It's a little unbelievable, but the House of Deputies session was supposed to end at 7:30 (we got our early) and some people had 10:00 meetings (and not the relaxed, debriefing kind)! The word going around is "Hang in there #GC78"
I went to the media room this morning after typing up a few things and then decided to go to the morning worship service a bit late. The gospel choir was excellent. I found myself not participating too much, and as I was sitting waaaaaaay in the back, I was rather distracted from the action so far away. Tired. This morning I also simply needed a hug (which my bishop and a deputation member provided), but in the wonderful session honoring our current presiding bishop, I became a bit weepy. I will truly miss Katharine Jefferts Schori. I believe that she came at just the right time for what the church needed and that she has been an astoundingly wonderful example of diplomacy, mission, pastoral care, and environmental stewardship. She is also a personal role model for me and I have enjoyed reading her books and occasionally meeting her and her husband Richard over the past nine years. 

Frank T. Griswold, previous presiding bishop, came onto the platform with newly-elected presiding bishop Michael Curry to form what he coined "A Jubilation of Primates" :-) That made me smile!

I found myself trying hard to concentrate and tweet the afternoon legislative session, but I was getting confused and the marriage debate was schedule for tomorrow. Then, things seemed to be stuck with constant amendments so I took a break and went into the exhibit area for an hour. The exhibits close tomorrow so today was pretty much my only time to go.

                   

I did take my selfie with St. Francis who won Lent Madness. Also, I bought myself a mouse pad and coaster and shirt from the Episcopal Marketplace! There, I talked with my friend Peter Wallace from Day1 who has been very influential in my discernment over the years and always wrote back to my questions and emails on Facebook. What an amazing, brilliant, and sweet person!

I had some great discussion with the folks at Episcopal Relief & Development, which I support, and then as I was about to leave, someone called my name and came running....
It was Rev'd Daniel Webster @revweb from twitter and instagram!!!!!! and then @velopriest as well!!!!! More twitter goodness!!!!!!! I LOVE meeting my twitter friends in person!!!!

After picking up a suitcase worth of brochures, speaking with Seminary folks, and taking pictures, I came back to the House of Deputies where they were having trouble. There were tons of amendments to Governance and Structure resolutions, but they had to postpone one and then stop altogether and adjourn for the day because Spanish translations were not yet available for several things. The House was apparently ahead of where they were at this time last General Convention! 
Instead of exploring various Seminary receptions which may or may not have been RSVP or open...I decided to walk back to my hotel, have an introvert night, dinner, and watch some TV to catch up with the outside world. It turned out well because I ended up having a phone conversation with Bishop Samuel Azariah, the primate of Pakistan (!!!!) Diocese of Raiwind in Pakistan First of all, WOW, I cannot actually believe that we talked and secondly, I did look into obtaining a VISA last year to travel there. I have always wanted to see several historic sites and I was going to be close enough since I was in India. Too many security reasons not to go, but looking ahead to the future and having some possible official security with me as well as a place to stay and a job to do - I WOULD LIKE TO GO! So, we will chat again relatively soon about it! #fingerscrossed 
That's it for me today! Check my #GC78 photos HERE and have a good night, folks :-)
Thank you for reading!
Caroline

An Alternate View: Salmon, Deputizing, and Baseball at #GC78

Monday, Day #5 of #GC78

"Who eats salmon for breakfast?!" my bishop asks as he swiftly walks by on the way to his legislative committee. I'm not really a morning person. If it were 9:00 instead of 7:00 and I had a coffee, I might have been able to think of a comeback. I have a vague notion that lots of people eat salmon for breakfast. I love my bishop, so I'll let him have this one....this time :-)

The General Convention has a tough schedule. One has to be fully coherent and functional by 7:00 AM and ready for a looooong day of work. Today was my first day as a Deputy on the floor of the House of Deputies so I had to be here to register and change credentials at 7:00 AM. I'm used to complaining about ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) reading sessions at 8:00 AM! Let me tell you, those sessions now seem like cake. 
CAKE I tell you.

(Solely for the purposes of this blog, I got a cake-like item in the afternoon and enjoyed eating it ....)
- No legislative committee session for me this morning so I took some time and chatted with friends.
- Community Eucharist at 9:30 I'm glad to see that most people attend these services. The Media Hub is fantastic so I hope you're occasionally watching from home.

The Lux Singers from Salt Lake City sand beautifully this morning. The Pilgrim's Hymn (Paulus), O Magnum Mysterium (Victoria), and Bogoroditse Devo from Rachmaninov's All Night Vigil were a few of their selections. It was nice!

                                  

The Archbishop Vicken Aykazian of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church in America preached and afterwards congratulated Presiding Bishop-elect Michael Curry. 

Also recognized was the 100th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide and The Episcopal Church's hospitality to Armenian refugees who came to the US. The Archbishop was wearing an amazing pectoral cross.

                 

- 11:00 my first legislative session as a Deputy! :-)
View from the table with MARTY the crawfish and Jacques the Duck

Today was my first time going to bunch w/ the deputation. We went to Café Molise 

                 

- 2:15 session until 6:00

It was exciting to follow the legislative procedure from the floor and to track the many amendments. I got to vote several times today! I reached a point where the language and rhythm felt a easier to gauge and predict and I could usually tell who was coming up for what. There were a lot of people who just came up to speak and hear themselves. There were also times of robust testimony from both sides of an argument. 
- Here's my Twitter stream again in case you want to see my play-by-play of the proceedings. I ran over to the House of Bishops as soon as we had recess and came in to hear someone testifying against a canonical resolution. He was reading the Bible and calling for members of the LGBT community to know and to prayerfully abstain from mutual sexual gratification. As soon as he finished, I had to leave, but at the end of the day, we got news that the House of Bishops DID pass key resolutions!!!! Check out my friend Melodies Woerman's Deputy News post!

Now, for a bit of fun, members of the Diocesan deputations from Louisiana, Western Louisiana, Tennessee, and Western North Carolina all went to the Salt Lake City Bees vs. Albuquerque Isotopes baseball game! I'm sure there are tons more #GC78 folks here too!

It was SO HOT! but is now starting to cool off. FINALLY, a breeze! I sat next to Bill Bryant from the Diocese of Western Louisiana. He is a priest who was formerly a chemist so of course we exchanged jokes about isotopes and chemistry! :-) FUN!

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned,
Caroline :-)

An Alternate View: Peaceful Procession, Procedure, and Partaking at #GC78

This morning, at 7:15 AM, our diocesan bishop, Morris K. Thompson, my bishop-in-residence at St. Paul's Episcopal - Duncan Gray, myself, several members of the Louisiana Deputation, and hundreds of others participated (I heard a rumor of 1500) in "Claiming Common Ground", a peaceful procession of the group Bishops Against Gun Violence. 

It was early, it was hot, and it was amazing to see so many people joining the procession with a worshipful spirit and an energy to stand up and say "NOW is the time for the work of speaking out against gun violence!" A very moving speech by Carolyn Tuft brought the listeners to tears and she described how she was shot and her daughter shot and killed. She pointed out that if she had had a gun, there would still not have been enough to time react and that events would have unfolded in the same manner. HERE is coverage of her speech by the Episcopal News Service. If you have the time, it is well worth a listen. All of the testimonies from those who spoke were intensely powerful. Bishop Hayashi of Utah also spoke about his experience of being shot and the long healing process for him and for his family.

Many thanks to the organizers who obtained all the permits and to the police force that rode ahead of and alongside the bishops as we all walked!                   

Bishop Thompson has been a member since the group's inception and he and many other bishops joined the group to take a stand by advocating for changes in gun legislation, exploring new technologies, and keeping guns out of the hand of dangerous criminals, the mentally ill, and the underaged.

I interviewed him regarding his participation in the group and the article will come out in the next EDOLA issue of ChurchWork. (Of course the notes I typed up are nowhere to be found on my iPad and the physical notes from which I typed are at home, BOOO.)
  More photos here in my #GC78 Facebook album (will be on Flickr soon!) Following the walk, a shower and rehydration were in order! It actually isn't THAT hot here, but there is very little shade and dehydration can happen rapidly. The weather forecast for tomorrow predicts 103 degrees, but as they say......"it's a dry heat" and it really is.

Morning worship was inspiring and the music was good. I enjoyed sitting in the rear of the room today and seeing the whole room before me. I also loved Katharine Jefferts Schori's sermon this morning. HERE is the link.
This afternoon held a legislative session from 2:15 to 6:15. During this session, there were supposed to be elections to the Executive Council, Church Pension Fund, Treasurer of the General Convention, Disciplinary Board for Bishops, Trustees of the Church Pension Fund, and Trustees of the General Theological Seminary. There was an opening point of privilege by one of the clergy deputies which included a SONG about the new card swiping and voting procedure! He sang it to us all!
I'm sure it's on the media hub or some may have it from the streaming video, but here it is from my phone anyway :-)
VIDEO 

They did not finish all intended business that I know of, but I may have missed a few things since I decided to take a first glance inside the House of Bishops. Because of timing and catching them at their break and then not staying very long afterwards, I will plan to revisit if there is an open session.

Today, I actually ATE LUNCH. It's the fourth day of convention and the sixth day here and today I ate lunch. I'll have you know that it was a very tasty turkey, basil pesto, provolone panini!

I'm not really sure what I've been doing all week with regards to lunches. I want to say I've eaten during lunchtime, but mostly it's been more toward dinner. I know it's vital that you see a photo of my lunch so....

Tonight, our Louisiana Deputation had dinner together! Everyone has been working very hard and I think it's the perfect night for a fun and social time together! We are partaking of free time, great food, and great new friendships!

Thank you for reading! Stay Tuned,

Caroline :-)

An Alternate View: Fantastic History Made in The Episcopal Church Today at #GC78

WOW!

That word describes today the best! Hope, happiness, excitement, friendship, history, persistence, LOVE, and WOW!

Bishop Michael Curry has been elected as our 27th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church! Excellent ENS (Episcopal News Service) articles HERE

Today was INCREDIBLY exciting! I found myself giving a play-by-play of the activity in the House of Deputies as we went back and forth from resolutions, consent calendar, and presiding bishop election procedures. 

To see the tweets I sent out today, click HERE. It gets pretty exciting in the middle! :-)

Here is some video from when Bishop Curry and his family arrived at the House of Deputies after the election. Full video can be found on the General Convention website.

A little more video from the singing that spontaneously broke out when he was announced at the podium by Katharine Jefferts Schori.

My day:
- Legislative hearing on Prayer Book, Liturgy, and Music Commission resolutions A169, C010, and C023. Some very heated debate on both sides of the "Open Table" resolution and its amendments.

- Here's my view as the lovely Native American (Ute Indian I think) music is being played as a meditation. It is so lovely, I hope you've gotten a chance to hear the service.

- The bishops were assembled into St. Mark's Cathedral after worship and began the election process with prayer around 11:30

- I moved to the House of Deputies into the Alternate section and began in legislative session

- I answered questions from blog, Facebook, and Twitter followers about the election process. It's been super nice to know that I can actually provide useful information and that the world of Episcopal social media was also paying attention! I have been a veritable "tweetstorm" here and it has been appreciated by several dioceses, priests, inquirers, Episcopal staff, and organizations, and many more. I can say that it feels really great to be able to speak in this language! :-) I'm blessed and quite grateful for the opportunity!

- Play-by-play coverage of the election of the 27th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. It was beyond words. What an historic session and whole day! The collective tension was incredible and the HOD reached a point of defiance. NO ONE wanted to leave the room to wait on the delegation from the House of Bishops to arrive. A while later, when Committee 19 was still deliberating, we were told to break for lunch, and then to break, and then recess, and then to stand at ease. The voice of the people spoke over and the chair of the House wasn't too excited about it, but it was handled well, everyone stayed, and we were in it all together. 

- I attended the first Press conference with PB-elect, Michael Curry in the Canyon Room at the Hilton. It lasted about 35 minutes and can be found at the Media Hub

- Had coffee with Barry, the runner of @iamepiscopalian and many other elements of TEC social media. SUCH a nice person!

                     

- FABULOUS reception for Episcopal Relief and Development for their 75th anniversary! They gave us a gigantic party with wine, delicious foods, a stellar band, happiness, free pins and ---> CHOCOLATE <---

                                           

I'm exhausted after all of this, but as I was walking home.....wait I mean THE SHERATON. As I was walking back to the Sheraton, I thought about all that transpired today, Day # 3 of the General Convention. The first African-American presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church was elected in vast majority on first ballot by both the HOB and the HOD following the first woman presiding bishop. It's the first time two consecutive bishops were elected from the same bishop's class. 

That's simply pure awesomeness. 

I'm so honored to be a part of this historic day in our church!!!

I was so moved by the applause when presiding bishop-elect Curry and his family walked into the House with his family. I was tearing up when the room broke out singing and again when the bishops cheered to show their supportive presence in the back of the House. As I wrote yesterday, there is such love here among this gathering. As Bishop Curry said in his press conference "The truth is: we all come from the same source. We are all brothers and sisters". He spoke a great deal about relationships and emerging connections. He said that when Katharine Jefferts Schori was elected, he said that he (and many) had felt "a movement of the Holy Spirit". He said the he felt that today. I also felt that and I think that most people here today did as well. 

Plenty has been said in the past several days at #GC78 about being a people of love and being connected and supportive, both of humanity and being stewards of God's creation. Today, Bishop Curry said "we are in the business of true love". I believe this and that a part of our job is to reach our neighbor, to be a proactive presence in forming relationships of peace. 

I looked up from my walk and saw this gorgeous view. I had almost forgotten we are surrounded by beautiful mountains, the Wasatch Range. When we're mostly inside buildings and solving the world's issues while walking between said buildings, we sometimes lose site of the actual world around our world. People here are right, we need a shot in the arm of evangelism, of proactiveness (I'm making that a new word), and of ZEST. I have great hope for the coming years in TEC. I hope the Anglican Communion itself will also see this as a movement of hope! I hope we stop to look up and decide to join the beauty of risk, of relationship, and of the movement of the Holy Spirit!

So I made it to my home-away-from-home and am about to happily take a cold shower and eat chocolate! The bar I got is organic, fairly-traded milk chocolate with a hint of hazelnut. I tweeted so much today that I daresay I deserve it :-)

Rest well ye people!

Thank you for reading! Stay tuned,

Caroline

PS - This evening's moon over Salt Lake City!

An Alternate View: A Day of Hospitality, Love, and Legislature #GC78

Today began with passion fruit tea as it was early and HOT. I don't know what I was expecting today, but I headed out to try and catch the shuttle from our hotel to the Salt Palace and....success!

LOVE WINS!

The biggest news of the day for many was the Supreme Court Ruling that Same-Sex Marriage is now legal in all 50 states! I'm so glad for sooooooooo many people!! It has affected things here today as there are many people on either side of the ruling. We must be sensitive to that fact as we move forward in conversation here, especially because of legislative motions on marriage within the church and also rites within Liturgy & Music. Still, here is my favorite picture of the day, from Hilary Clinton's FB page:



The first item on my agenda was the daily Media briefing. Neva Rae Fox is amazing! I'm super grateful to have media credentials and to have a place to go to either catch up on various social media fronts (like the Instagram and Pinterest accounts been ignoring fo a few days!), type up my reports and blog, and it's also a room where I can chill between things if I need to or if I don't see anyone I know between sessions. Here is friendliness!

Having the morning briefings also helps greatly to plan the day. The overall GC schedule is clear, but as a first time alternate, I'm not exactly always connected to the main deputation and their schedule. This is also true because as Media, I have a separate bunch of things to be doing and that I can attend.

I had the great fortune to sit with my bishop this morning during the worship service. The music was a jazz combo and soprano and they were FABULOUS. I must say that I enjoyed ot very much. Not too far away from the written melodies and they even alternated the Widor toccata postlude with jazzy Widor interpretations! The sermon was by The Rev'd Gay Clark Jennings, the president of the House of Deputies and it was terrific! She has a great sense of humor too!

Here's my Bishop Morris K. Thompson singing the first hymn :-) I love my bishop! LOVE!
                                    
After the service, the Young Adult Service Corps missionaries and their Bishop Pierre Whalon. These folks have spent lengthy amounts of time aboard in extremely tough situations. They truly help make the world a better place and have been in front lines providing on-the-ground help and relief to refugees, the homeless, and the marginalized. I was only able to spend 25 minutes there, but it was packed with hope and refreshing willingness to make a difference.

                                 

Now to the joint legislative session! Today, it was about Governance and Structure (GAS, rather than SAG)...there was MUCH discussion regarding what shoud be kept and what should be changed. Alternates were watching people discuss and some of us were indeed discussing the same items amongst ourselves, but....there was verily a great need for snacking.
                                   
There was a nice and thorough introduction to the historical structure and current structure of the Episcopal Church. I was impressed and actually, as an aspirant for the priesthood, and smack dab in the middle of discernment, it was awesome for me to hear it all. I tweeted this out and this was the result!
                                        

Indeed, EVERY coin has two sides :-)
Deputies to tweet lists of what they thought were essential programs, structures, etc, in GC to keep and what to change. Not seeing any tweets from EDOLA, of course I tweeted my opinions.

I left the session a wee bit eatly to return to the cathedral with the media for a special tour and to take photos with my "good camera". I again ran into one of mah best frrrrrrrriends, Chuck Robertson, who asked me if I wanted to do lunch. He was thinking of dropping by the CEEP (Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes) lunch and I had the media session. We realized both events were at St. Mark's Cathedral and we decided to drive over there. This was a most excellent free ride as it was officially --- one million degrees ---

Once at the cathedral, the hospitality was again amazing. Yesterday, I blogged a bit about the exhibits and the church, but here are some more cathedral facts and pictures:

- It's the oldest continuously worshipping house of worship in Utah
- gathered 1860, cornerstone laid 1870
- St. Mark's was the first church in Utah with a bell.
- There are at several Tiffany windows in the sanctuary and they are each worth $1.2 million!

- History of the cathedral
- This is probably THE most hospitable church I've visited. Seriously, they've got it right! :-)
- There's a retreat center at the cathedral and if you're ever in Salt Lake City, go visit!

Afternoon held a legislative session and re-electing Gay Clark Jennings as president of the House of Deputies.There is such appreciation and love in that room and Gay Jennings' re-election without opposition is an example of the bond that has formed over the years with her and the HOD. It was great to see. There were several resolutions and amendments discussed including those from Stewardship & Development. One, A089 (Approve Donor Bill of Rights) is very interesting. Lots of good testimony for and against amending the resolution regarding the rules and situations when donors giving funds for specific gifts and the particular body (church, diocese etc.) cannot fulfill the desired use. "To be assured that their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given" was left without the amendment "to the extent possible". It's really quite eye-opening for me, rarely having witnessed debate and testimony on amendments to resolutions, to see the depths to which each side can interpret the *possible* future repercussions of each line of text!

  
Today, with the Supreme Court ruling, singing alongside my fantastic bishop in morning worship, seeing dearest friends, laughing at #GC78 tweets, sharing food at St. Mark's with new Media friends, and stopping by the calm & quiet prayer chapel in the Salt Palace has shown me greatness, reminded me of the strength of lifelong friendships, and the power of hospitality  :-)
Thank you for reading!
Stay tuned,
Caroline
Previous posts:
1. #GC78 - An Alternate View: 'Twas the Night Before Synod
2. An Alternate View: Heading to #GC78
3. An Alternate View: Arrival Day - IT'S ALL GOOD
4. An Alternate View: Orientation and Presentations, June 24 at #GC78

5. An Alternate View: #GC78 The First Official Day of Convention

An Alternate View: #GC78 Marriage Equality News from the Supreme Court

THIS
"Supreme Court Declares Same-Sex Marriage Legal in All 50 States"
and this (from Hilary Clinton's Facebook page and now all over the internet)                                                   
I am SO HAPPY FOR SO MANY PEOPLE!!!
This morning, the Committee on Marriage was meeting while the Supreme Court decision came out. There were folks raising hands to speak and inform everyone. When the information was read, there was some applause and then a moment of prayer. Someone suggested that the hearing adjourn because it was an intensely emotional moment and many needed to make calls to family and friends as well as write press releases etc. So many people here are extremely elated by the decision, but there are many who are not. All seem to be handling it very well and respectfully, but this will surely spark and change some conversations in the Marriage Committee. I can't wait to see what will happen with Liturgy & Music and Marriage Committees. Here is the link to A037, the resolution to Continue Work of the Task Force on the Study of Marriage.
http://www.generalconvention.org/gc/2015-resolutions/A037/current_english_text

An Alternate View: #GC78 The First Official Day of Convention!

Today marked the opening day of #GC78, the 78th Convention of The Episcopal Church!

I began with a short media briefing and I'm excited to say that Friday, the media group will visit the Cathedral Church of St. Mark where the election for the new presiding bishop will take place on Saturday morning. We will have a chance to take photos and hear about the history of building and the Episcopal presence in Salt Lake City.
Next, I attended the opening worship service where the Presiding Bishop celebrated. The program bulletin for the service is here and you can watch it online here. Each day, these 9:30 AM MDT services will be live-streamed via the Media Hub. Check out THIS link for daily worship bulletins and information!

video of verse of hymn coming soon!

My comments about the music are:

- I liked the selections and the cantor, nice soprano voice, good articulation

- I did not like the chants sung slowly with no word stress!

- I did love hearing so many people singing together in well-done harmonies!

(Lots of folks have been asking me if I am going to be doing anything with the music. I'll just say that I am unknown in the wider church and I'm quite sure there are a ton of connections and procedures through which to go before being selected for any liturgical or musical participation. I did look for volunteer opportunities in advance with this in mind, but I think it's safe to say that it is in great hands and that it takes looooooooong prep time and selection. Maybe next time!! I'd love to! :-)

The liturgy was in both English and Spanish. I liked the way they did communion with tons of stations. My station was made up of all young volunteers. 

After dropping by the media room for a little while, I decided to return to the Standing Committee on Prayer book, Liturgy & Music Legislative Committee session. IT WAS PACKED so I sat on the floor and listened to the testimonies for and against amendments to resolutions. I had my first iced coffee ever.....and enjoyed it!

The hearing ended early so I went downstairs where I met up with my one of my dearest friends, The Rev'd Dr. Canon Chuck Robertson, the Canon to the Ordinary. He introduced me to one of his close friends, The Rev'd Canon Michael Rusk, Team Rector for the Parish of St. Peter & St. Paul, Oadby in the diocese of Leicester. I also met the Episcopal Primate of Pakistan, The Most Revd Samuel Robert Azariah and his wife who is a prist in California. They are all amazing people! I would very much like to explore Pakistan one day and see historic ruins and documents and to meet the Anglicans there! We talked briefly about music and there is a remote possibility that we may chat again tomorrow or Friday.
I chatted with Rev'd Michael for about an hour and we shared our India experiences. It's was fabulous to meet someone else who shares a love for India and also music - here at GC! For the early afternoon, we decided to walk over to the Cathedral Church of St. Mark. It was a very, VERY hot walk. I think it may have only been 90 or 92 degrees, but the sun.....it was insanity.
Once there, we were met by two volunteers who welcomed us and then we had a chance to look around. It is a GORGEOUS cathedral!

                  

                               

This high altar contains two Tiffany windows

                   

                                  

In the chapel to the left of the chancel area, there is an exhibit featuring replicas of beautiful books of the Illuminated Saint John's Bible. The Saint John's Bible is holy scripture with illuminations, special lettering, special materials and it has unique works of art. It is actually the first illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine Abbey in more than 500 years. It took fifteen years to create and used Chinese black ink with feather quills of goose, turkey, and swan. The books also contain writing in gold, silver, and platinum. One book, containing the psalms, has a digital voice print painted in squares. When played (and I'm not sure how), these markings form tunes to which some of the psalms can be sung. Mistakes are few, there are something like nine in the whole set of 15 books. Mistakes are shown by illustrated birds carrying parcels of text and arrows up to where the corrections should be placed. It's an absolutely lovely exhibit and I encourage all to view it if at St. Mark's.

Downstairs is another exhibit featuring selections from a major exhibit by artist Andrew Kosorok. His work is called 99 Most Beautiful Names of God. Here are the 99 names
Because of copyright, I didn't take photos of his pieces, but here is some info for you

                     

There is also a wonderful set of prints from the last International Olympic Committee showing religions of the worlds. The IOC was required to include religions of the world in the commission.
Everyone we met at St. Mark's was so friendly and they have a veritable army of hospitality volunteers!

The afternoon legislative session began with introductions of foreign dignitaries and distinguished guests. Next, the legislative process began with the report and proposed changes to the Rules of Order. Things got pretty "nitpicky" at times, but truly, minor details to some are major events for others. The debates regarding amendments to the usage of applause were very interesting. I was glad to see people discussing whether or not to allow applause from within the House after certain testimonies. It could in some cases be detrimental to following arguments and showing partiality. The Rules of Order have now been updated!

Tonight, I skipped dinner and came back to my hotel. We have a Deputation mtg at 9:00 PM. I will be typing up my interview with Rev'd Rusk Michael Rusk and posting it soon.

Thank you for reading!

Stay tuned :-)

Previous posts: 

1. #GC78 - An Alternate View: 'Twas the Night Before Synod

2. An Alternate View: Heading to #GC78

3. An Alternate View: Arrival Day - IT'S ALL GOOD

4. An Alternate View: Orientation and Presentations, June 24 at #GC78