General Convention - Day 2

Today was a day with a slow start, which tomorrow definitely will not be. It’s also been a day of networking. I got up and got ready and came over to the convention center. I talked with some different people and then went over to Committee 9 because someone wanted to interview us. I got there and three other YAPpers were there. Allison gave AMAZING testimony. She’ll be working with the committee some, I think, to work on perfecting the language of the resolutions to which she spoke. After the committee adjourned, though the four of us were interviewed. When that makes its way online I’ll post links or try to embed some video.

After the committee adjourned I hung out in the convention center hall way and then went to the EPF booth during the mission conversation/public narrative time. From there I went to Eucharist. The music was better today than yesterday, I think. Most of the liturgy was in Spanish, which was different for me, but a good thing for me to be around. +Jon Bruno of Los Angeles presided, and ++Rowan gave us a meditation on the Gospel text. Before that service, though I put my Integrity shirt on.

Integrity passed out shirts starting at noon yesterday and continuing until when I left the exhibit hall right at 4:30. They said, “Here I am, send me! I am a witness to God’s inclusive love!” Under it I had on my EPF shirt and took the Integrity shirt off after the service, too. Multiple shirts were too hot. There were 500 people in bright red, blue, and green shirts in the Eucharist at which the ABC was speaking. It was realllly neat. I was a eucharistic minister again, but was doing bread this time - gluten free...and I ran out, even breaking some of the hosts into pieces. As we were wrapping up, The Rev. Ed Bacon walked by and I spoke to him. He said that I done a good job last night.

After I was part of the photo-op of people wearing the shirt we came back in and I listened to the Consultation’s 1:00 speaker and got lunch. I need to do a better job eating regularly and eating healthily. After eating I swung by the campus ministries booth, where I wasn’t very long, but I met one of the campus ministers from the Edge at San Francisco State. I met ANOTHER one of them at Forum. Small, small world! I wasn’t at the booth for long as I was invited to second lunch (do hobbits eat that?) by two General alum, one of whom was from Louisiana before moving to DioCal. After that I went to the EPF booth briefly and then the House of Deputies, HOPING to hear B033 discussion, but I sat through 20 minutes of Consent Calendar....I was saved from it by the YAP daily debrief.

However, on my way to the House of Deputies I did more networking. I saw Katrina Browne whose family is in Traces of the Trade. She and I talked for a few minutes and I got her card. I was given the task of recruiting (trying to find) help to deal with the table at the screenings of the film. And since I'm a young adult someone from DioMass asked me to give stuff to the rest of the EPF YAPpers, which I did.

Daily debrief was great. It was one of the highlights of my day. We started by centering and being still and quiet. Then we did the Daily Devotion for Individuals and Families (BCP 139), which I love. Then we all talked about our time since that last time we'd met together (yesterday at 5:00). There were great stories about testifying and hearing testimony. Then there was talk about having conversations with committee members after the fact. Everyone is busy working away and doing stuff for their resolutions. One of the highlights of that meeting was finding out about a reception, which we definitely attended. Yay free food! We stayed there then came back to the room.

I'm about to go to bed. I have to testify tomorrow about some legislation, so that requires ironing a shirt. I don't have any updates on my resolutions because nothing has moved yet. Actually, my Doctrine of Discovery resolution (about which I testified last night) is a D resolution instead of a C resolution. It's D035. Actually, the webpage has been updated, so let me check...Yes! A144 is in the House of Deputies, and A149 is pending in the House of Bishops. 'sall I got. I'm going to hear testimony on C050 and A142 tomorrow.

Before I go to bed I'm going to look at the theme for tomorrow's Eucharist. I may or may not be starting to think about those in my daily collects. The last two days tweets have actually affected them the most. I'm trying to write prayers that are influenced by and apply to General Convention 2009 but aren't specifically bound to General Convention 2009. I'm also trying to not push an agenda about specific issues, but peace, reconciliation, and hope in them. I think prayer should be about those things, at least prayers offered in the way this blog presents them, which ISN'T just prayers that I'm praying - but I'm really hoping they can be used by people reading all around, too.

Lord it is night after a long convention day. What has been done; what has not been done has not been done. Let it be.