The Road to Columbus

June, 2005

THE ROAD TO COLUMBUS

No one was more surprised than I when, at our Diocesan Convention this May, I was elected to serve as clerical deputy to the 2006 General Convention. When I allowed my name to be placed in nomination, I thought that maybe I could be an alternate and, since the Convention is to be in Columbus this time, at least I could go and take some small part. It was a real shocker, then, to be designated head of the deputation from West Virginia.

Just my luck that instead of some distant and exotic city, the Convention rotates to nearby Ohio this time!

The pattern for General Conventions during my lifetime in the Church has been that every decade or so there will be one at which some “progressive” but highly controversial decision is made, amid much rancor and bad press, and then there will be several less eventful ones. My expectation is that this coming General Convention will be one of that second sort. Please note, I do not say “peaceful” or “amicable.” The people who have gotten angry over General Convention are still angry, and I don’t expect them to get over it any more than their predecessors did over the Black Panthers, women’s ordination, or prayer book revision. It is just that I don’t think there will be any more fuel thrown on the fire of conflict, since pretty much all the fuel in the bin got tossed on at once last time.

I suppose there will be some attempts to turn back the clock to pre-2003, but I don’t know anyone who seriously expects anything like that to happen. In fact, I have heard of several conservative dioceses which, like West Virginia, have declined to elect to their deputations the people who were most outspokenly angry over 2003. It seems to me that the Church is in the mood to move forward--try to focus on our mission in the world rather than being totally distracted by one divisive and unresolved issue. The recent decision (by a close vote) of the Anglican Consultative Council not to recommend any serious sanctions against the American and Canadian Churches supports this hope. I have seen copies of a supposed Constitution for a new break-away denomination which would be gathered under the leadership of Archbishops Akinola and Gomez in place of Canterbury. But that is a cloud on the horizon of the Church, not merely relevant to the General Convention.

The challenge for us here at St. John’s will be not so different from most other parishes—to be informed regarding General Convention, but not to become fixated upon it. I want the congregation to know that this is my goal, not only for our congregational life, but for me personally as well. There is plenty of ministry for us all to do together that has nothing to do with meetings or conventions!