Council

Monday, February 5th, 2007

After the housing conference, I headed to Vicksburg for diocesan convention (called Council here).  Rumor had it that this event is a much loved family reunion and that I would have a wonderful time.  Hmmmm… 
 
After registration I went to the hotel.  The convention did not actually begin until 7 PM Friday night.  For this evening the attire was cassock, surplice, tippet, and hood.  Incense wafted to the ceiling and our prayers rose with it.  Our sermon was a 47 minute address by Bishop Gray via recording as he was away due to a death in the family.  By the time it ended my Massachusetts weight cassock was soaked through with perspiration and I was not the only one.  Evening prayer ended and we moved right into the opening business of Council still in our vestments.  Thankfully there was a lot of iced tea once the refreshments came around. 
 
The following day was much the same as MA.  There was some heated debate around a couple of resolutions, but the sense that I got (driven largely by Bishop Gray’s address) was that they want to be a reconciling bridge, not taking sides but welcoming all to the Table.  Each voice had an opportunity to speak and each received a respectful audience.  In the end one contentious resolution asked for restraint from the National Church in speaking on pro-choice and another required all clergy and lay leadership to complete anti-racism training.  The resolution is almost a duplicate of our requirement.  One of the Redeemer parishioners made an articulate statement on why the resolution needed to use the word “required” rather than the proposed “invited”.  In the end a resounding voice vote drove home the commitment of the Episcopal Church in Mississippi to the hard work of telling our stories and changing the institutions and the hearts that foster racism.  Council was adjourned 30 minutes late.  But it did not end.
 
We returned that night for Etouffee, Jambalaya, and Gumbo, lots of music, and much southern merry-making.  On Sunday we gathered again for Eucharist.  This time we were decked out in albs and white stoles.  I could not count the deacons, there were 8 vergers, dozens of acolytes and lay ministers, and more than enough priests.  Our own Shannon Johnston, bishop-elect of Virginia, preached.  Incense once again filled the hall.  It was a great way to end a full but fun weekend.  I ran into many old friends including Andy Andrews who was at EDS with me, some old school buddies, and a couple who had been at EDS and who turned out to be related to a good friend of mine.   I also ran into some who I believe would prefer that I return to Massachusetts and take the other women clergy with me.  They were in the smallest minority though and all in all I felt warmly welcomed and appreciated.   Harold (the rector of Redeemer) made sure that I had everything I needed and met the people I needed to meet and he misbehaved in church almost as much as Jane G.  I keep getting these bosses who get me into trouble!
 
More to follow…