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NOT YOUR EXPECTED CONVENTION
Last night I went with friends to an old-fashioned tent revival/folk festival/sacred Eucharist held in a Hilton Hotel ballroom at the Anaheim Convention Center. It was one of the most moving and inspiring ceremonies I’ve ever attended. It didn’t hurt that Bishop Gene Robinson presided, or that Retired Bishop Suffragan Barbara Harris preached the sermon, or that the ceremony included Afro-American spirituals, breathtaking singing from the choirs of All Saints Church, Pasadena, traditional South-African and Kenyan chants, Teresa of Avila’s words set to music composed by the Taize Community of France, and Spanish and Latin responses.
All that and incense too!
By now (especially if you’re Episcopalian) you’ve figured out that I went to an event at the General Convention, hosted and presented by Integrity USA to be an inclusive celebration of the LGBT community in the Episcopal church. My friend estimated there were at least a thousand people attending, and when they all got carried away by Bishop Barbara’s firebrand words and yelled “Amen!” (Or, “You tell it, Sister!”) the rafters shook. What a fantastic speaker she is! I wish I had a transcript of her words. And such a tiny woman too. Hearing her, joining the singing of beautiful music, and being in the presence of Bishop Gene (one of my heroes), was almost overwhelming for me.
Episcopalians (at least most of them) have come a long way from the stuffy Country Club image I remember from when I first encountered the church over here (I was “C of E” at home, naturally). And it didn’t hurt that the ceremony was preceded by a no-host cocktail party. One glass of wine does wonders loosening up the stiffest Episcopal joints and voices! But sadly, the church does have dissension in its ranks over issues such as the ordination of an openly gay bishop (Bishop Gene), the ordination of women, and – of course – the biggie: Gay marriage.
I think last night’s joyous celebration was a portent of the future where all nationalities, all creeds, all genders and sexual orientations, must come together if the Human family is to survive.
All that and incense too!
By now (especially if you’re Episcopalian) you’ve figured out that I went to an event at the General Convention, hosted and presented by Integrity USA to be an inclusive celebration of the LGBT community in the Episcopal church. My friend estimated there were at least a thousand people attending, and when they all got carried away by Bishop Barbara’s firebrand words and yelled “Amen!” (Or, “You tell it, Sister!”) the rafters shook. What a fantastic speaker she is! I wish I had a transcript of her words. And such a tiny woman too. Hearing her, joining the singing of beautiful music, and being in the presence of Bishop Gene (one of my heroes), was almost overwhelming for me.
Episcopalians (at least most of them) have come a long way from the stuffy Country Club image I remember from when I first encountered the church over here (I was “C of E” at home, naturally). And it didn’t hurt that the ceremony was preceded by a no-host cocktail party. One glass of wine does wonders loosening up the stiffest Episcopal joints and voices! But sadly, the church does have dissension in its ranks over issues such as the ordination of an openly gay bishop (Bishop Gene), the ordination of women, and – of course – the biggie: Gay marriage.
I think last night’s joyous celebration was a portent of the future where all nationalities, all creeds, all genders and sexual orientations, must come together if the Human family is to survive.