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: Arrival Day - IT'S ALL GOOD!

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Now I'm REAEEEEEEEEEEELLY excited!!!! Upon arrival and our hotel rooms not being available, I was able to grab a mocha frapp and a tasty sausage/egg/cheese sandwich at the Sheraton Starbuck's and head off to the Salt Palace which is Salt Lake City's Convention Center. WOOT!

Panorama of The Salt Palace

I checked in at registration as an alternate. What super-helpful and nice, friendly registration volunteers! There must be thousand (or at least many hundreds) of volunteers for a convention this size and I can only imagine what it must take to get all the details done to get to this final stage in such a large place! THANK YOU to all the many volunteers - those seen and unseen and for all of the preparations underway for the past few years, months, and now days! (I did ask before I took this photo and they said yes :-))

Tons of volunteers. Today, some were training to help legislative committees and groups in various rooms

Next, and got my Virtual Binder iPad. This is what all active floor deputies, chairs, and first alternates have and hold and it contains an amazing intranet with a few apps to examine the Convention Blue Book and amendments and documents. I can't even begin to imagine the undertaking to get such a large convention to the "almost entirely paperless" stage!

Hmmm, it's upside down. Let's just let it stay that way...

Then, I picked up my Media credentials and headed out into the lobby where I immediately met several FABULOUS PEOPLE including the marvelous Secretariat Kory Pacinyak who I follow on Twitter and does a ton of communications.Then, I attended the first #GC78 media briefing. 

Featured speakers were: Neva Rae Fox (Public Affairs Officer), Canon Michael Barlowe (Executive Officer of the General Convention of TEC), Gay Clark Jennings (President of the House of Deputies), and our Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori.

ENS will put out information in tonight's Media Hub, but here are some very general highlights that I can mention:
- We are an international church and will hear many different languages here during GC
- We are a long way from our vision of wholeness
- Almost 900 in the House of Deputies in attendance (I hope I got that right)
- 200 plus in the House of Bishops
- Leaders from several other traditions will be here to share in the good work for the good of the whole that we are doing.
- We are coming together at a particularly tense moment in our nation's history. Deaths, Charleston (and let me insert that I cannot believe this is already a wikipedia link), and Bishops Against Gun Violence were all mentioned. The BAGV will be in a procession for peace this coming Sunday and I do intend to walk with them!
- God is calling us to work to dismantle issues of race and violence
- The PB answered someone's question about how she feels since we are about to elect her successor. She mentioned that it is an enormous undertaking and a privilege to see the church in action and a gift to see what the body decides and that it cannot be predicted in advance. Every time the church gathers, it is a new body and it's engaging new challenges while there will always be some changes that continue to get us - racial reconciliation, violence etc.
- Someone asked about alcohol at General Convention and what might be different or what might people want or expect to see in light of the recent Baltimore incident. Lots of good responses here. It was mentioned that there are always a wide range of responses regarding alcohol usage and there has been appointed a committee to examine policies about alcohol and drug abuse and how we as TEC handle it. There have been many studies, changes, and experiences in the field of addictions in the last 30 years. We want to examine what we do with regards to offering programs and help and how we might approach selection and recruitment and incidents etc.
Afterwards, I entered the exhibits and I'm saving the true run-through for tomorrow and some next week, BUT it looks ASTOUNDINGLY HUGE and I ran into six people I know so now I feel at ease. I also met several new people - I LOVE IT!!!!
Check it out: #EpiscoSwag collection has begun!

                   

Came back to the hotel, got bags, and did a couple of hours of work. This evening, there is an Episcopal Communicators reception, our deputation has dinner together at 8:00 PM and then I get to help pick up a Korean Anglican / Episcopal dignitary from the airport with a friend! :-)
I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
~ Caroline
PS. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. THANK YOU!! for reading :-)

Some Earth Day 2015 Thoughts, Prayers, and Links

Earth Day, 2015

This gorgeous photo is entitled Earthrise. Taken by astronaut William Anders in 1968, on the Apollo 8 mission, the first manned mission to orbit the Moon. It is considered "the most influential environmental photograph ever taken" (according to Garen Rowell, photographer). I dearly love this image and for me, it serves as a frequent reminder to check my perspective and to look up at the sky, remembering we are all on a little roundish rock whirling in orbit around an average white star in a vast universe. 

Today is Earth Day. 

First is the appreciation and then there's the "what are you going to do about it?" question.

At the recent Episcomm (Episcopal Communicators) conference held at The Bishop Claggett Center in Adamstown, Maryland, we were extremely fortunate to be blessed with both the Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts-Schori and her husband, Richard Schori. In the presiding bishop's keynote address to us, she mentioned how important it is that we care for our Earth in addition to caring for humanity on it. 

She said: "Being able to discern the hand of God in ALL creation is important, essential work!" 

"We must be stewards of creation. If not, we won't have a place to continue other good work"

The message: We are stewards of God's creation.

Ok, so what am I personally doing to help care for our Earth? I decided a couple of weeks ago to try and cut my electricity useage. This stemmed from the "Dark Hour" or Earth Hour experiment and I realized when I did it, that I leave lights on all over the apartment. I also went out that weekend and replaced all my old bulbs with the "correct" longer-lasting (really?) ones. I also decided that when my office lights go off during the day, I'll leave them off and use my windows. Less headaches too!

The resources: I began looking at what our church has out there in the way of resources for Earth Day prayers and liturgies as well as resources and while I'm a bit late, here is a little bit of what I found.

- Resources for Environmental Liturgy: found in the Book of Common Prayer, Enriching Our Worship, and The Hymnal 1982, compiled by the Episcopal Diocese of New York
- Episcopal Relief and Development

- The Climate Change Crisis Forum now available for viewing. Presiding Bishop’s keynote address; 30 Days of Action leads up to Earth Day  * Here (via ENS)

- The Episcopal Ecological Network

- I love this: The PB's message on Climate Change. It's in the form of a bulletin insert

- Episcopal Liturgies for Earth Day

Some prayers that can be used for Earth Day 

Almighty God, in giving us dominion over things on earth, you made us fellow workers in your creation: Give us wisdom and reverence so to use the resources of nature, that no one may suffer from our abuse of them, and that generations yet to come may continue to praise you for your bounty; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
- Book of Common Prayer

God is the foundation for everything
This God undertakes, God gives.
Such that nothing that is necessary for life is lacking.
Now humankind needs a body that at all times honors and praises God.
This body is supported in every way through the earth.
Thus the earth glorifies the power of God.
-Hildegard of Bingen

Lord, help us to maintain a reverent attitude towards nature, threatened from all sides today, in such a way that we may restore it completely to the condition of brother/sister and to its role of usefulness to all humankind for the glory of God the Creator.
- Franciscan prayer

Kingfisher bird. Photo taken by Caroline Carson in Chitwan National Park, Nepal, 2014

Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana Racial Reconciliation Service - Jan 18, 2014

On Saturday January 18, our Diocese (EDOLA) held an historic service at Christ Church Cathedral, New Orleans. The Presiding Bishop, The Most Rev'd Katharine Jefferts Schori preached and witnessed the gathering. The purpose of the service was to mark several years of conversation surrounding the issue of racism and explore how The Episcopal Church (TEC) can more fully live into the calling of Christ. From what I understand, this was a national initiative. I remember at Gen Con 77, the theme was reconciliation and involvement was with the Native American community. Those services were AMAZING. This special service, entitled Seeking Christ in All People: A Service of Commitment to Racial Healing, Justice and Reconciliation  was both a culmination of the Year of Reconciliation and a celebration of the life and ministry of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
All were welcomed and we had a jazz reception following the service.

Rehearsal Fri night, me w/ Jarrett Follett (Dir of Music of Christ Church Cathedral), Jazz reception (Victor Atkins behind piano), and Tyrone Chambers (Excellent tenor and friend living in NYC)

I was VERY fortunate to be a team with that makes up the EDOLA Music & Liturgy Commission. It literally makes my heart sing to be able to share ideas at the diocesan level! My dear friend Jarrett, who is music director at the cathedral, invited me to conduct the service on Saturday. YAY! SO EXCITED! Over a period of a few months, we gathered a few folks from around the choirs of the diocese for a large group of singers. Our choirs: St. Paul’s Episcopal in Lakeview and the Christ Church Cathedral, were the two main choirs and the hosts. Friday’s rehearsal was terrific and I was truly able to bring out some very nice things in the music. Everyone was super excited to be there and I was able to make some music and bring alive the spiritual connections from the texts and our purpose that weekend!

Victor Atkins took this picture, from the piano, of me conducting :-)

This kind of work is THE BEST and again, it literally makes my heart sing! Our anthems were:

1.    Amazing Grace – Stephen Hatfield

2.    My God is So High – Moses Hogan (Tyrone Chambers, tenor soloist)

3.    Draw Us in the Spirit’s Tether – Harold Friedell

"Amazing Grace" by Stephen Hatfield. Maria Elliott, Oboe

I felt that Amazing Grace needed to be included in the service, BUT I wanted a combination of the non-traditional and the hymn we all know. So, how about something where the choir NEVER actually sings the melody in its entirety?! The Hatfield arrangement allows for an instrument to perform the melody and I chose the Oboe, loosely reminiscent of the strength and edginess of bagpipe, but way more manageable J

Here is the program booklet for the service: http://cccnola.org/BULLETINS/011814.pdf

Here is a link to the audio from the entire service: http://cccnola.org/RECORDINGS/RR.mp3

Here is Presiding Bishop Jefferts-Schori’s sermon: http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/01/21/presiding-bishop-preaches-on-racial-reconciliation-in-new-orleans/#.Ut5nmEEX6Z4.twitter

Here is the link to the EDOLA Facebook page album of pictures from the event: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151842759416227.1073741832.110612321226&type=1

She did a really fantastic job with this. It wasn’t a “comfortable” service for many people, but she stressed that we were leading The Episcopal Church in speaking on this issue and in reconciliation. She named the provinces around the globe and I think that some who never realized the breadth of places in the Anglican Communion, well…their eyes were opened.

Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori. Photo by Debbie Edens

One of the difficulties in the service was when the litany spoke of guilt associated with current people for past slavery. This made a LOT of people uncomfortable and one of my students said he was looking around and actually saw a lot of red faces. We personally may not have been responsible for the acts of our grandparents and / or other relatives or even – OUR OWN ORGANIZATIONS such as the Episcopal Church itself in Louisiana (and New Orleans proper), BUT it is amazing to see what a bit of give in that area makes. It makes a difference to those whose lives HAVE been affected in the past, present, and I daresay – the future. It also seems to me that one of the first steps in healing is to recognize the NEED for healing, regardless of situation. For this, I am so proud to be a part of The Episcopal Church. We are willing to come to the table, to discuss, to question, and to challenge ourselves and others. This kind of tolerance and openness is certainly not unique to TEC, but it is a most definitely a strength of it.

This strength and spiritual confidence is something from which I can learn. I sometimes forget that I can proactively apply this example to my own habits and my spiritual life. It’s a good reminder. Being open and willing to present an idea and perhaps to argue a point - with the understanding that there are varying facets of any argument - is a huge risk. I will never EVER forget when one of my friends working in TEC described death threats that he had received. They were from people whose opinions were different.

Katharine Jefferts Schori with Bishop Morris Thompson

I admire our PB. She’s a scientist, a warm and kind person, an introvert, thoughtful, BRILLIANT, a great writer, she’s a pilot (so cool and I’m slightly jealous), a runner, and a woman. Her office ends in 2015 and the new PB will be installed that Fall. I was not able to snag a picture with her this visit, but I did the last time she was in New Orleans and I’m happy to have had the opportunity to meet her during the House of Bishops in 2007 and at Bishop Thompson’s consecration three years ago. I also greatly admire our Bishop Morris Thompson and what he and the diocesan clergy and staff are doing here in Louisiana!

I’m going to sign off with a prayer that has been in my life for the past twenty years and that speaks to me deeply. After Bp. Thompson’s first annual visit to St. Paul’s, I Iearned that he also uses it and that makes me very happy!

My friends,
Life is short, and we do not have
much time to gladden the hearts of
those who travel with us, so be quick to
love and make haste to be kind.
And may the blessing of the One who
... made us, and the One who loves us, and
the One who travels with us, be with
you and those you love this day and always.
AMEN.

Adapted from Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821–1881)