Marriage and Blessing Commission
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Co-chairs:
Lyn Morlan |
 marriageandblessing.org |
Report on Work Accomplished in 2005, 2006, and through August 2007
We’d like to take this opportunity to introduce the new diocesan Commission on Marriage and Blessing (CMB).
2005
Diocesan Convention passed three resolutions in October 2005 relating to the new CMB, the successor to the Bishop’s Task Force on Marriage and Blessing. The three resolutions and report of the task force are posted on the Oasis/California website, and will soon be posted on a new CMB website, now in the works. The three resolutions may be summarized as follows:
- Resolution establishing the CMB through the 161st Diocesan Convention
- Resolution charging CMB with developing resources for catechesis with couples and communities of faith.” These resources would be for clergy’s use in pre-marital/pre-union counseling, as well as help congregations better understand their role in fostering/supporting good relationships.
- Resolution charging the CMB and the Commission on Liturgy and Music together to develop a rite or rites for the liturgical covenanting, blessing, and sending forth of couples in committed same-gender relationships.
2006
In February 2006, Bishop Swing appointed the Rev. Joseph Lane as CMB co-chair, and instructed Joseph to appoint his co-chair. Joseph felt it would be best to wait to appoint a co-chair until he and the new CMB had a sense of who would be serving on the Commission, and until he could nominate someone to the new bishop.
CMB met once (April 18) prior to the May’s episcopal election, then again immediately following the election, on May 9. Joseph and the Rev. John Kirkley, president of Oasis/California (O/C), met with Bishop-elect Marc Andrus on May 10. At that time Bishop Marc enthusiastically encouraged CMB to “do the work.” CMB met again on May 31 to discuss how to best proceed with our new bishop. Joseph was present at an O/C board meeting with the Bishop Marc on October 3, which resulted in Bishop Marc’s letter to the clergy, dated October 4, setting forth his expectations regarding the blessing of same-gender unions in the Diocese of California, as well as his expectation that CMB would develop “liturgical resources for our pastoral use” in the diocese (Appendix D.)
CMB met again on October 10 (with the Rev. Rick Fabian, co-chair of the Commission of Liturgy and Music) and November 16, and developed this timeline for its work leading up to Diocesan Convention in October 2007:
- October — November ’06 – Commissioners choose one or more subgroups: Rites, Resources, Church and State
- December ’06 — February ’07 – Subgroups define and begin their work.
- March ’07 – Saturday retreat for subgroups to present drafts to CMB:
- Rite/s (extant and/or new)
- Resources (draft documents and/or create a bibliography of extant resources)
- Church and State (compose a position paper and, perhaps, craft a resolution similar to the one being considered in the Diocese of Massachusetts)
- April/May/June – Complete work required for Diocesan Convention in October ’07, including resolutions.
- Early September ’07 – Complete any last minute edits before materials go to press and to deanery convocations.
- Early October ’07 – If needed, incorporate feedback from deaneries.
Writing to Bishop Marc on October 15, Joseph nominated the Rev. Lyn Morlan to be co-chair of CMB, and Bishop Marc affirmed the appointment on October 24. Shortly thereafter, Joseph also formally submitted names of people to serve on CMB. That list — including individuals who had expressed interest in serving to Bishop Swing during or following Diocesan Convention in 2005, as well as a few additional recruits — is attached (Appendix E).
2007
The various CMB subgroups began meeting in early 2007, including a working CMB retreat on March 31. Our website — with sections on rites, resources, and matters of church and state — is up and running: http://marriageandblessing.org
We have also completed CMB’s report to the 158th Diocesan Convention, meeting in October, commending rites for consideration by Convention, the Diocese, and Bishop Marc, and reporting on our work in developing ‘premarital/preunion’ resources for use by couples, clergy, and congregations.
2008
Having completed the initial phase of our work on rites, our primary tasks in 2008 will include continued development of resources for couples, clergy, and congregations and work on matters of Church and State. Highest on our list is the issue of whether or not clergy should act as functionaries of the State in marriage/civil union, which was a concern raised by the marriage and blessing task force as needing attention. ‘Marriage equality’ is another issue many CMB’ers feel strongly about — one way or the other — but as a matter of lgbt justice, CMB will need to consider whether to be involved as a commission with this matter or to follow O/C’s lead.