Shannon
The 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church officially got underway Thursday, July 5, with legislative meetings and members of the Diocese of Central Florida contingent already are busy.
Sonya Shannon, who is serving on the Christian Formation and Discipleship Committee, said deputies are getting after things in Austin, Texas, the site of this year’s convention. “Only third meeting in and we haven’t passed any resolutions,” she said.
A member of The Cathedral Church of Saint Luke in downtown Orlando, Shannon is serving as a lay deputy at the convention. This is her fourth convention and she is enjoying things so far, despite the summer’s first heat wave that has impacted most of the country.
“The JW and the Convention Center are nice,” Shannon said. “They do have scooters you can rent on the street, along with bikes. The exhibits are great.”
Conventioneers were able to visit the many exhibits on Tuesday, July 3. Some meetings were held on the Fourth of July, but the convention officially began on Thursday, July 5, with early-morning meetings and the Celebration of the Opening Eucharist.
Meanwhile, convention veteran the Rev. Phyllis Bartle said things are moving along in the Stewardship and Responsible Investing Committee. She is vice-chair of the committee, serving as a clerical deputy in the House of Deputies.
“Things are well on their way,” said Bartle, rector of St. Jude’s Episcopal Church in Orange City. “We met for legislative orientation yesterday (on the Fourth of July) and this morning resolutions are coming to the floor for discussion and debate. We have met several times to review resolutions referred to our committee.”
Bartle also said the weather has tempered somewhat since most of the Diocesan contingent arrived earlier in the week. Eleven people in all, including Bishop Greg Brewer, are representing the Diocese of Central Florida.
“Weather has been hot, although thanks to some rain yesterday, it’s not too warm today,” Bartle said.
Inside, the Convention is busy as can be. “We’ve got a full contingent on the convention floor – over 800 deputies,” said the Rev. Canon Tim Nunez. “Austin seems like a great place to visit, but we aren’t seeing much of it. It’s very hot – 105 the first couple of days. We are about three blocks from the Convention Center, but it’s nice in the morning.”