Day 1, General Convention 2009, Anaheim, July 7, 2009

Dear Ones,

Things are gearing up today, registrations, nametags, finding our rooms, etc.  First full day is tomorrow! Weather is beautiful today.  Interestingly, just across town the Michael Jackson Memorial Service occurred today.  Here, the spirit is good, the family reunion aspect of this gathering is alive and well. My day started with a meeting at 8 a.m. and has just ended, 9:30 p.m.

All participants, House of Deputies and House of Bishops met together today to start our work on the Public Narrative process led by Dr. Marshall Ganns for Harvard Business School.  Before that training both the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies spoke.  You can find both speeches on the Episcopal Church website.  In the Presiding Bishop's remarks she used the term "crisis" as her theme.  She said,  "we will be presented with cross-shaped decisions"  and these will make us see there will be no more "business as usual.'  I must say I see those as good things right now.

Before we get too far into this event I wanted to talk about a very important issue that might not get a lot of attention but should: Young people and this convention, or better yet, young people and this Church!  There are just over 30 young people serving as deputies from around our church who are under the age of 30.  One, Katrina Hamilton, ably serves from the Diocese of Olympia.  Some have suggested that, with interest, the fact that not one resolution appeared in the "blue book" regarding young adults.  My first reaction was; YES, because they get it!  We will not solve our problems or change hearts through resolutions.  They seem to get this.  However, it is interesting that youth and young adults was listed as one of five priorities for the 2006-2009 Trieniumm and yet the new budget proposed by Executive Council makes no mention of this.  I am truly worried that when financial crunches come, the youth and young adults are the first to pay.  We seem to want to prop up what still is, to protect those who are "in".  I am worried about that.   But I am not worried about our youth and young adults, however.   The Episcopal Church may lose them when all is said and done, I surely hope not, but I continue to be inspired by their faith even in the face of all of that. 

First, a link to the Young Adult Festival at General Convention. 

Tracking the Young Adult Festival: http://episcopalcommons.org/yaf/    At this site you can track young adults experiences of and responses to General Convention.

Second, I serve on the Stewardship and Development Legislative Committee.  Tonight, at our first hearing, a young deputy from Massachusetts, Sam Gould stood before us in his bermuda shorts and his coat and tie and spoke so eloquently about the MDGs and his trip to El Salvador and his realization of all he takes for granted and the belief he has that this Church can change the world, and we should be about it. 

And finally, for our very own diocese, a direct example, I print below the sermon given by Evan Walker, soon to be college freshman and member of Church of the Good Shepherd, Vancouver, Washington.  To give a bit of context, this was 6 Day, a yearly gathering of our youth 9-12 grades, and the theme was the Gospel According to Dr. Seuss.  The day Evan preached was the last night, Christmas Eve! as we were studying that day, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." 

Preached by Evan Walker

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to

Bethlehem

and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.  When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.”

            These shepherds were pretty much amped, stoaked, and so very excited about what miraculous thing they had just witnessed.  We too, are witnesses here at 6-day to Jesus and God, not only in infant form, but in the Eucharists, healing services, small groups, and He certainly comes to us through fellow attendees and staff. 

            This spirit that comes to us these six days is what makes this place so unique and so heartwarming.  In fact, I almost wasn’t going to come due to financial issues and work; but, the spirit of 6-day is what made me beg my parents incessantly and has guided me here.  And I hope that this spirit of love and friendship and experience is not only in me and wanted by me, but I hope this spirit of Jesus is in all of you and that it guides you all to love 6-day and hold it in a special place in your hearts.  I come to 6-day for this spirit because I feel like it’s the only place for this kind of experience.  It’s like going to Starbucks for a white chocolate mocha with a shot of caramel or Coldstone creamery to get cake batter ice cream with cookie dough on a hot summer night.  Six day is a place, one of the most perfect of places for me to experience the spirit of God.  And it’s from this camp that I get a sort of pit stop with God from the interesting and testing times of high school and life. 

            Six day is a place for me to regroup, take a look at my life, and focus again on God and his place in my life. I’ll be going to college next year and I’m hoping that this oasis from home will help keep me on the right path as I start to live my life on my own.  I hope that you all have been able to find or managed to see your own way back onto the beaten path through 6-day.  I hope you all are able to take away something from this week, anything, whether it be an idea, stronger faith, a new friend, anything. 

            The shepherds on that lonely night in

Bethlehem

took wonders with them.  They took faith in a baby, a Savior, and proclaimed the good news of great joy.  This new led sight and faith of the Child was a magnificent gift for the shepherds.  We too are given a gift here at 6-day.  We are given the gifts of community, fellowship, love, and so much more.  This gift is not only ours to cherish here, but also to cherish outside the borders of

Camp

Huston

and in our lives.  So take what is given to you here and share it with others; your family, your friends, your co-workers, whomever.  I believe that the real meaning of 6-day is within each of us, it is what we make of it.  Six day is the experience of taking your problems, your fears, your doubts, your happiness, your faith, who you are, and sharing it here with everyone else who is bringing the same sorts of things with them.  Six day is the chance to come out of your “cool shell” and to become more a part of the Body of Christ.  I think that we are all able to trust each other and talk about our lives here because Christ is definitely residing with us.  This community has indeed helped me to get through my own personal problems and that’s part of the reason why I love this community.  The activities that we’re able to experience here help to construct and create an environment for hopefully most everyone who walks past the entrance gate and that they can fit in here and hear the good news of great joy.  I know that there are many different types of people here who are living very different lives and backgrounds, but God brought his own Son to earth that night in the lonely town of Bethlehem, and he came to grow up and make friends with and healed the crippled, the poor, the weak, the tax collectors, the prostitutes.  He called them as He calls us now.  Six day I hope is a special thing to each and every one of your lives, whether it be great or small, I hope you can truly be yourself here and find yourself, as there are many great kids and staff.  Now, since it is Christmas today, we are to act as the shepherds did, and spread the news.  This doesn’t mean convert everyone you happen to meet, but if you can be the light to others, as Jesus is to us, then I think you’re on it.  Or if you’re busy with your recently bought 8 gig iPod touch, or Xbox 360, or girls, or boys, or job, just don’t forget to leave out that great gift that was given in that little town of Bethlehem.  Don’t shut out that light nor become blinded to it.  I think that that’s the light that keeps this community a flame.  So don’t be afraid to go brag to your friends or family when you get home, be like the shepherds and help spread this great awesome new of great joy of your experiences here at 6-day and with Christ."

As I said, I am worried that our Church not show this the importance it should and that because of that we may lose a generation, or more, but I am not worried about our young people.

Blessings,

+Greg

Comments

[Bill Fulton]

Your confidence in the faith of young adults in the Episcopal Church is refreshing! Thanks for the blog post.

[Andrea McMillin]

It would be interesting to see how the church changed if we had all delegates under the age of 45, and a small group of 'elders' who represented the 'over age 50' membership of our church - and they attended a separate celebration for their demographic - much like our 'youth and young adult' delegation. I"m grateful for everything that the church is doing ... but still wonder how things could change with a larger elected delegation from the generations under 40.

[Tim Mathis]

Thanks for posting this Greg - Evan's a great young man.

Make sure you tell the story of what you/we've started to do in Olympia with blessing and releasing youth and young adults, because I think it's exemplary. Tell Jon Myers, Jason and Katrina to do the same. The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Tradition have what many of us are looking for. Welcome, Baptism, Confirmation, and (genuine) empowerment are all the Church has to offer to shift momentum in significant ways.

And if I can presume to speak for my generation, you're right, I don't care about resolutions unless they carry some pragmatic and financial and programmatic weight.

Would love to be down there.

Peace and Regards