General Convention 2018

What is General Convention? If you have a chance, please download and browse the 78th General Convention Booklet. It’s informative and illustrates the workings of our polity and legislative process.

For the 79th General Convention (GC), we met at the Austin Convention Center in Downtown Austin, Texas from July 3 to July 13, 2018. The Episcopal Church Women (ECW) Triennial convened July 5 to July 11. Our host was the Diocese of Texas which had worked tirelessly to coordinate the logistics with the General Convention Office. Here are the calendars for General Convention, ECW, and draft General Convention Schedule.
 

Diocese of California – 2018 General Convention Deputation

At our diocesan convention in 2016, we elected all 16 members to the deputation which are comprised of 8 deputies (4 clergy/4 lay) and 8 alternates (4 clergy/4 lay). Click on their name for their diocesan convention photo and biography.
 

Deputies

Alternates

What Happened at Convention (click below point titles for links):

• General Convention wrap-up: Following the Way of Jesus

• Challenging Ourselves to Change: Executive Council Opening Remarks

• Special Committee on Sexual Harassment and Exploitation Legislation — A summary of the work done, and resolutions passed, by the House of Deputies Special Committee on Sexual harassment and Exploitation — 50 women, 5 months, 25+ resolutions. The Committee was co-chaired by our Rev. Dr. Ruth Meyers (alternate deputy); Ms. Sarah Lawton (deputy) and Ms. AnnaMarie Hoos (alternate deputy) from California also served on the committee.

• Climate/Environment resolutions summaries

  • Environmental Checklist for Congregations

  • Environmental Final Resolutions

  • Environmental Resolution Title List

• Blog posts written by one of our deputies, the Rev. Hailey McKeefry Delmas

  • They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love

  • Episcopal BCP Debate Alive & Well

  • Racial Reconciliation Set as a Priority for Episcopalians

  • The Episcopal Church Welcomes Cuba Home

  • Episcopal General Convention 79: How a Resolution Gets Passed

• A testimony the Rev. David Ota (alternate deputy) gave on the floor of the House of Deputies during the hour-long debate on Palestine and divestment from companies whose products support the occupation there: 

"Aloha! Good morning. O hayo gozaimasu, Madam President. I am deputy David Ota, Diocese of California, formerly of the Diocese of Hawaii. I greeted you in this way to reflect the cultures and languages which have affected my perspective. Having served in Hawaii, I believe in the inclusive aloha spirit. I am a Japanese American. I am here today as an Episcopal priest because my family, my two uncles who were priests and their congregations were forcibly interned. So, when I see the walls and security gates in the West Bank, I not only see our brother and sister Palestinians, I also see my family and our congregations. I also see Jesus. Yesterday when we went to the Detention Center, I saw my family and our congregations. I saw the walls and gates of Palestine. I saw Jesus. When my family was interned, I wanted others to stand up for them in their moment of need. Some did, but not enough at the time. I want our church to stand up and be counted and join with our sister churches and people of good will who are calling for humane treatment and corporate responsibility now. I want us all to live. I stand before you to ask you to support D019 because you see the devastating harm being done to the Palestinian people and you want it to stop.”

Six resolutions were shepherded through our diocesan convention targeted for this General Convention.

They were assigned resolution numbers “C” representing they come from diocesan conventions. Other dioceses have submitted similar resolutions shown in parenthesis:

1. #C017 - A Just Peace in the Holy Land
2. #C018 - Becoming a Sanctuary Church (#C009 - New Jersey)
3. #C019 - Church-Wide Paid Family Leave (#C004 - Virginia)
4. #C020 - Climate Change, Carbon Tax (#A014 - Stewardship of Creation)
5. #C021 - Climate Change, Corporate Governance (tbd - Southern Ohio)
6. #C022 - Supporting Transgender Access (#C006 - Virginia)

Our deputation also wrote this memorial, with the unanimous support of the entire deputation and Bishop Marc, on the eve of convention, in response to proposals regarding marriage equality in the church. 

Seven members plus Bishop Marc Andrus were appointed to these legislative committees:

#3 Safeguarding and Title IV – Deputy Christopher Hayes, vice chair;

#4 Governance and Structure – Deputy Carolyn Gaines;

#7 Social Justice and International Policy – Deputy Sarah Lawton, chair;

#9 Racial Justice and Reconciliation – Deputies Eric Metoyer and Vanessa Glass;

#18 Stewardship & Social Responsible Investing – Deputy Warren Wong;

#20 Environmental Stewardship and Care of Creation – Bishop Marc;

#26 House of Deputies Resolution Review – Alternate Richard Edward Helmer, secretary