Bonnie Anderson, president of the House of Deputies, echoed that when she spoke to the ECW delegates earlier this week: "The ECW are unfailingly a group that keeps your eye on the prize - the world as it should be, the way God made it. Thank you for reminding us that we are a part of something that passes all understanding."

We all have a place in this beloved Church of ours, and I do believe that, yes, in ways seen and unseen we, the Episcopal Church Women, are most directly about mission.

Here's just one example. Every Triennial the National ECW Board works to make sure ECW connect with and address the needs of the underserved residents of the area where Triennial/General Convention is being held. This year the "Community Connection" gift recipient is Project Dignity, based in Garden Grove, California. Project Dignity works with perhaps the most misunderstood of all the homeless: people, un- and under employed,  living in low-income residential motels. Currently they're working with 500 families spread among 23 motels best described as fleabags. And given the state of the economy, the numbers are rising.

A table set-up in a corner of our meeting hall in the convention center was the collection point for donations to Project Dignity, which has 1 1/2 staff people and operates on a shoestring budget. In less than a week the large table was overflowing with towels, washcloths, socks, personal hygiene and grooming items, and school supplies. Cash donations for things like bus passes came to $1,201, and there hundreds of dollars more in giftcards for meals and such. On Thursday it was all boxed up and ready for pick-up and distribution.

Many, many thanks to those members of North Carolina's diocesan ECW board who made contributions to this effort. I was proud to add those donations on your behalf.

The theme of this Triennial was grace. One definition we received was, "grace is love at work." Episcopal Church Women wanted to make sure we didn't just take from our hosts but that we gave back, leaving Orange County, California a little better than we found it.

There was grace.

The Rev. Kevin Matthews of Greensboro

The Rev. Lawrence Womack and the Rt. Rev. William Gregg of Charlotte

The Rev. Timothy Kimbrough of Chapel Hill

The Rev. Lisa Fishbeck of Chapel Hill/Carrboro and the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry

The Rev. Lorraine Ljunggren of Raleigh with her son Jake Melynk, who's part of the Youth Presence at GC

... and then when it all gets to be a bit too much there's Barnabas with his human, Mike. Every morning Mike offers people heading into the convention center an opportunity to give the big pooch a pat and scratch behind the ears. As the sign says, "it's therapeutic." No word from Barnabas how he feels about the situation.

By Jim DeLa

Bishop Greg Rickel of the Diocese of Olympia leads Disney hotel workers and supporters on a protest march from the Anaheim Convention Center to Disneyland.Episcopalians attending General Convention linked arms with hotel workers July 14 to march to the gates of Disneyland to demand economic justice for 2,300 Disney employees protesting a planned hike in the cost of their health insurance.

“It seems to me, as our church has moved toward a position of justice for all its members, particularly in the area of health care, this is the perfect opportunity for the church to witness to the world about its convictions regarding economic justice,” said the Rev. Lisa Hackney from the Diocese of Ohio.

Ada Briceno, an official from Local 11 of UNITE HERE, a Los Angeles-based union that includes hotel and restaurant workers, said they had been working without a contract since February 2008. Disney wants to replace the union-funded health plan with a corporate plan, she said, which, in time, will cost a minimum-wage worker about $500 a month for insurance for a family. “These are low-paid workers, making on average about $11 an hour,” she said.

Marchers approach the convention center from the Disney-owned Paradise Pier hotel where they had been picketing earlier in the day.Several hundred people gathered at the Anaheim Convention Center to hear a prayer by Bishop Jon Bruno of Los Angeles before joining more than 1,000 others already on the march to Disneyland.

“I cannot think of any reason more than the gospel proclamation of ‘do justice’ and ‘do God’s work.’ This is where I need to be,” said the Rev. Yamily Bass-Choate, a deputy from the diocese of New York.

Lynn Tyler, a deputy from the Diocese of New Hampshire, was marching to support Disney workers, 75 percent of whom, she said, are women. “And of those women, many are single parents. They’re pretty much living on the edge as it is.”

A letter in support of Disney workers signed by 13 Episcopal bishops said they were taking seriously “our call to stand with the poor and those who are suffering from injustice.” The protest included Episcopal bishops Greg Rickel (Olympia), Gene Robinson (New Hampshire) and Barbara Harris (retired of Massachusetts).

Henry Atkins Jr. of the Episcopal Church Peace and Justice Commission of the Diocese of Los Angeles is asking Episcopalians to boycott Disney hotels if the workers ask.

“We’re now marching with these people who are working for Disney for their rights, their privileges that they deserve as human beings,” said Bruno. “We ask you to let us turn the eyes of Disney toward justice and mercy; toward benefits, and the things necessary for people to live a just and abundant life.”

The Program, Budget and Finance (PB&F) Committee of The Episcopal Church today presented a budget to the General Convention that proposes a $23 million reduction in the 2010-2012 triennial.

“This is a very difficult day,” said Pan Adams-McCaslin, chair of PB&F. “For the committee and for me personally, the decisions are heart-wrenching and emotional. We are being called to be accountable and transparent in our mission and ministry to the Church, knowing that the decisions that have been made will be difficult and painful. As a Church of mission and ministry this is even more difficult because we work for a higher calling.”

Earlier this week, PB&F sent a special letter to both houses of General Convention explaining that there would be reductions. The weak economy caused PB&F to take a very close look at all the Church does, and where and how it does it, as well as how some programs may be consolidated. In finalizing the budget, PB&F followed a well-traveled path consistent with the spirit and practice of the Church – seeking to give to others first and ourselves second, and to help dioceses and parishes continue their focus on ministry.

The reductions, which affect both programs and staff, will occur over the next several months. The Diocesan commitment also is being reduced from 21 percent in 2010, to 20 percent in 2011, and 19 percent in 2012.

The proposed budget addresses every part of the Church: Corporate, Canonical and Program (Mission). While specific program details, in most cases, are still being worked out, approximately 30 positions will be affected, with staff being notified beginning today. The Church will be providing outplacement services and severance packages, as well as pastoral care.

“Our hearts go out to those affected by the changes,” Adams-McCaslin said. “With God’s help, hope and faith, we will seek to renew our efforts to share God’s mission in this difficult time.”

Ecumenical and interfaith relations has taken a big hit, as has racial justice and the women's ministries desk at '815'. The Committee on the Status of Women is down but not out. It's to receive $20,000.

On Sunday the UTO Ingathering was the focus of the Eucharist service.

Alice Freeman, our UTO Coordinator, represented the Diocese of NC during the traditional parade of the dioceses at the Ingathering (each provincial UTO rep calls the diocesan coordinator forward one by one, and they file across the stage/altar area to greet the Presiding Bishop and president of the House of Deputies.) Here's Alice in her UTO blue, waiting with other diocesan coordinators for the procession to begin.

On Tuesday, the national UTO Committee brought their grant recommendations to the floor of the ECW plenary for a vote of adoption. The delegates voted unanimously in favor of the recommendations. Then it was announced the offering collected at Sunday's Ingathering totaled $28,168.92, a 37% increase over the offering three years ago.

In all, 63 grants totaling $2,065,472.43 will be made this year.

And yes, the Diocese of North Carolina is on the list of grant recipients. However, I can't announce that information until formal notification has gone out.

Resolved, that the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, in consultation with the House of Bishops Theology Committee, collect and develop theological resources and liturgies of blessing for same-gender holy unions, to be presented to the 77th General Convention for formal consideration;

and be it further Resolved, that the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, in consultation with the House of Bishops Theology Committee, devise an open process for the conduct of its work in this matter, inviting participation from dioceses, congregations, and individuals who are or have already engaged in the study or design of such rites throughout the Anglican Communion;

and be it further Resolved, that all bishops, noting particularly those in dioceses within civil jurisdictions where same-gender marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships’ are legal, may provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this Church;

and be it further Resolved, that honoring the theological diversity of this Church, no bishop or other member of the clergy shall be compelled to authorize or officiate at such liturgies;

and be it further Resolved, that the Anglican Consultative Council be invited to conversation regarding this resolution and the work that proceeds from it, together with other churches in the Anglican Communion engaged in similar processes.

A similar measure was passed on Sunday by the House of Deputies, which is made up of laypeople and clergy. Today, the bishops’ version will probably go back to the House of Deputies for reconsideration. But given the bishops 2-to-1 approval, and the fact that the deputies' version passed by a similar margin, a quick concurrence is expected. In a classic Anglican touch, though, the resolution acknowledges our Church "is not of one mind" about the matter.

If you read my post from a few days ago about the Archbishop of Canterbury's visit to convention, this is, I believe, exactly what he was thinking about when he said, "I hope and pray that there won’t be decisions in the coming days that will push us further apart."

What's interesting is the atmosphere at this convention versus that of 2003, when the Rev. Gene Robinson, an openly gay man, was elected as bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire. In 2006, the moratorium was passed at convention in an attempt to calm conservatives in the Anglican Communion and in the Episcopal Church.

Here's a picture of the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson that I took on Sunday after Eucharist.

The turmoil of the past six years has been replaced by a kind of calm. That's not to say there aren't strong opinions on both sides of the issue, but you just don't feel schism coming. The moratorium had never really pleased anybody. If what people wear is a gauge of where the thinking and emotions are, then an oft seen button and a big-selling T-shirt say alot: "My Church Has No Outcasts" reads the button, while the brightly colored tees say, "Here I Am, Send Me! I am a witness to God's inclusive love"

Susan Johnson of the Diocese of West Texas (pictured here), is president of EWHP, one of three affiliated Episcopal women's organizations represented at the ECW Triennial. (The other two are the Church Periodical Club and the United Thank Offering.)

The Episcopal Women's History Project was organized in 1980 by a handful of Episcopal Church Women in New York City. Formed to raise the consciousness and conscience of the Episcopal Church to the historic contributions of its women, EWHP has continued to gather the life stories of Episcopal Church Women. It has inventoried written source materials, gathered oral histories, published a newsletter, supported research, given grants, and encouraged interest at all levels through conferences and workshops.

Since going to work for the ECW in 2007, Lynn has, among other things, professionalized our archives at Diocesan House, advised women in parishes throughout the diocese about ways to preserve their history and tell their story, and envisioned and organized the well-received Bishop Tuttle School Day at Saint Augustine's College in Raleigh, one of three historically black Episcopal schools in the country.

Congratulations, Lynn!

Then I heard, "So I don't even get a hello? That's a fine howdy." Things came into focus and I saw who was talking, Lauren Stanley! Lauren is a missionary of the Episcopal Church whose work is supported by the church women of North Carolina -- specifically, the ECW of the Winston-Salem Convocation, and she's a frequent visitor to the diocese. In fact, she'll be preaching and teaching in Winston-Salem next month before heading off to her new assignment in Haiti.

Lauren was with her older brother and the Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnston, the Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Virginia, her sponsoring diocese.

Seeing the name of my diocese on my name badge, the bishop asked in what part of North Carolina I live. I told him and it turns out he knows the area well. Though he's a native of Alabama, his family put the Johnston in Johnston County. They also owned big chunks of Raleigh and Wake County. Well, the story goes on and it's a juicy one, involving shady deals and nefarious characters, and fortunes lost and somewhat regained, and a kind of penance that resulted in the giveaway of land upon which now sits a part of North Carolina State University. Devereux Street in Raleigh and the prime real estate around it? That too was part of the Johnston's portfolio once upon a time; Devereux is a family name. Easy come, easy go, eh?

None of this, of course, has anything to do with setting the course for the Episcopal Church for the next three years, but it sure was a fun conversation with home folk and down home folk and good all around Episcopalians. Lauren, her brother and the bishop left for their lunch and I headed to one of the hotel's ballrooms for mine. It just goes to show you never know who you'll run into at General Convention.

L to R: Alice Freeman, Sharon Curry, Lisa Towle and Vivian Edwards