General Convention:
What Happened, Who Was There, What It Means For Us
Evolution
Affirmed that God is Creator; stated “an acceptance of evolution
is entirely compatible with an authentic and living Christian faith;” and
called for church members to strongly encourage legislatures and school
boards to “establish standards for science
education based on the best available scientific knowledge as accepted
by a consensus of the scientific community”
(A129).
General Convention
Agreed to consider Charlotte, North Carolina, New Orleans, Louisiana,
Indianapolis, Indiana and Kansas City, Missouri for the 77th General
Convention (A001).
HIV/AIDS
Authorized the continuation of the Executive Council Standing Committee
on HIV/AIDS for the next triennium (A131).
Urged church members to work to eliminate the stigma of HIV/AIDS (A132).
Requested that the Office of Peace and Justice Ministries, working
in collaboration with the National Episcopal AIDS Coalition (NEAC)
and the Executive Council Committee on HIV/AIDS, develop a HIV training
curriculum by the 76th General Convention, to be updated each triennium
(A134).
Justice/Peace Issues
Supported the Episcopal Network for Economic Justice in its facilitation
of the training of congregations in economic justice and requested
a budget allocation of $7,000 annually for training in economic justice
(C012).
Urged all levels of the church to adopt and support for the next triennium
the nonviolence training for personal and social change, to advance
the mission priorities of congregational transformation and justice
and peace (D018).
Labor
Reaffirmed the right of workers in the United States to organize and
form unions, especially seasonal and migrant workers, and commended
the work of Interfaith Worker Justice (C008).
Supported the right of workers to form a union, supported passage of
living wage legislation, committed the church at all levels to contract
solely with union hotels or to obtain confirmation that local prevailing “living
wages” are paid by all hotels the church uses (D047).
“
Lesser Feast & Fasts”/Church Calendar
Entered Florence Li Tim-Oi, Janani Luwum, Philander Chase, William
Temple and Clive Staples Lewis in the Calendar of the Church Year (BCP,
p. 15-30) and in future revisions of “Lesser Feasts and Fasts” (A059).
Authorized, for inclusion in “Lesser Feasts and Fasts,” a
Common for Space Exploration, as the Commission’s response to
Resolution 2003-D049 adopted by the 74th General Convention
(A062).
Liturgy/Music
Provided for continuation of resolution 2003-A092 and for it to be
expanded to include both theological rationale for multi-sensory worship
and training opportunities for those in the church who wish to introduce
elements of multi-sensory worship in their liturgy (A066).
Directed the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to create additional
resources in the areas of Burial of the Dead and Reconciliation of a
Penitent for inclusion in the “Enriching our Worship” series
(A071).
Directed the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to gather a collection
of music to broaden the cultural breadth of the music of the church;
to make native-language materials available to non-English speaking worshiping
communities; and directed the Standing Commission to appoint a committee
to oversee the collection of this music (A072).
Directed that the Revised Common Lectionary shall be the Lectionary of
this Church, effective the First Sunday of Advent, 2007; with the provision
for continued use of the previous Lectionary for purposes of orderly
transition, with the permission of the ecclesiastical authority, until
the First Sunday of Advent 2010 (A077).
Encouraged use of liturgical resources in the “Enriching
Our Worship” series as appropriate for Sunday worship (A136).
Directed the SCLM to collect and develop materials to assist members
of the Church to address anti-Jewish prejudice expressed in and stirred
by portions of Christian scriptures and liturgical texts, with suggestions
for preaching, congregational education, and lectionary use; and to report
to the 76th General
Convention (C001).
Recognized the provision of the Constitution and Canons (I.17.7), that
only those who have been baptized in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit are eligible to receive Holy Communion; asked
that the Theology Committee of the House of Bishops work with others
to provide to the 76th General Convention a pastoral and theological
understanding
of the relationship
between Holy Baptism and Eucharistic practice (D084).
Millennium Development Goals
Received and affirmed “Call to Partnership,” the communiqué presented
to the United Nations Summit by participants in the Consultation of Religious
Leaders on Global Poverty, the work of achieving the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) and the work of the church’s officers, dioceses, congregations,
baptized members, and Episcopal Relief and Development in undertaking
and supporting partnerships for global development
in impoverished countries and called for the expansion of this work (A010).
Established working toward the achievement of the MDGs as a mission priority
for the coming triennium, and urged each diocese, congregation and parishioner
to commit to 0.7 percent giving toward the goals by July 7, 2007 (07/07/07);
endorsed The ONE Campaign, the U.S. movement for the MDGs, through the
Episcopal Church’s ONE Episcopalian campaign; called on all to
join the ONE Episcopalian campaign and endorse The ONE Campaign’s
call for the United States government to annually spend an additional
one percent of its budget to combat global poverty (D022).
Ministry Development
Called upon the Executive Council and dioceses to affirm the vital
importance of college and university ministries; encouraged recognition
of campus ministries with canonical status as mission congregations,
when appropriate (A041).
Offered thanksgiving for the gift of all women in ministry; encouraged
dioceses to celebrate these ministries in ways appropriate to their locale,
including that the “pioneers in the ordination
of women in all orders be part of this celebration and that their witness
and courage be recognized”; continued to encourage dioceses that
as yet have not ordained women to the priesthood to provide for the ordination
and exercise of priestly ministry by women in their dioceses (A139).
Mission
Directed the offices of the Director of Mission to develop new leadership
programs and/or to endorse existing leadership training programs for
use at the diocesan level which help bishops and diocesan leadership
in developing strategies, quantifiable action plans and timelines for
accelerating their mission performance; to develop quantitative measures
of accountability
for diocesan mission performance and requested programs include a mechanism
for dioceses to share their “best practices” and “lessons
learned” in the process of accelerating their mission performance
(A038).
Reconciliation
Direct the Office of Ministry Development to identify and evaluate materials
for formal faith-based reconciliation training appropriate for all ages,
and to promote their use; urged the House of Bishops to participate in
formal reconciliation training during the next
triennium in order to prepare to carry the skills and tools of faith-based
reconciliation home to their dioceses (A039).
Reparations/Slavery
Declared the institution of slavery was and is a sin that continues to
plague the common life in the church and the culture; expressed profound
regret “that (a) The Episcopal Church lent the institution of slavery
its support and justification based on Scripture, and (b) after slavery
was formally abolished, the Episcopal Church continued for at least a
century to support de jure and de facto segregation and discrimination”;
apologized
for the church’s “complicity in and the injury done by the
institution of slavery and its aftermath; we repent of this sin and ask
God’s grace and forgiveness”; asked for a report to the next
Convention “on how the Church can be ‘the repairer of the
breach, (Isaiah 58:12), both materially and relationally;” requested
the Presiding Bishop to name a Day of Repentance and on that day to hold
a Service of Repentance at the National Cathedral, and each Diocese is
requested to hold a similar service (A123).
Endorsed the principles of restorative justice; called upon the Anti-Racism
Committee of Executive Council to design a study and dialogue process
and materials in order to engage people of the church in storytelling
about historical and present-day privilege and under-privilege, as well
as discernment towards restorative justice and the call to fully live
into our baptismal covenant; asked
that “the Church hold before itself the vision of a Church without
racism; a Church for all races” (A127).
Affirmed commitments to become a transformed, anti-racist church and
to work toward healing, reconciliation and a restoration of wholeness
to the family of God, urged the church to call upon Congress and the
American people to support legislation initiating study of and dialogue
about the history and legacy of slavery in the United States, and of
proposals for monetary and non-monetary reparations to the descendants
of the victims of slavery (C011).
Recognized that the Bible has sometimes been used to justify oppressive
institutions and practices; supported efforts to foster methods of biblical
interpretation which do not lend support to oppressive systems; recognized
with gratitude the celebration of the United Kingdom’s Abolition
of Slavery Bicentenary (1807-2007) and the celebration of the State of
Vermont’s 230th anniversary of the abolition
of slavery (1777-2007), giving thanks for these witnesses of liberating
faith. (C040).