This week and into the next, representatives from all over the country will meet in Utah to discuss and vote on a lot of issues facing the church. Below is a message from Bishop Robert S. Skirving. 

Greetings, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

In a very short time, East Carolina's deputation will make its way to Salt Lake City, Utah, to join with other lay and clergy deputies and bishops from across The Episcopal Church in this summer's gathering of General Convention, scheduled from June 25 to July 3. Our time will include worship and prayer, networking, fellowship and legislation, lots and lots of legislation. From early in the morning until late at night, when we are not meeting separately as the House of Deputies (lay and clergy) and the House of Bishops, legislative committees work to shape and reshape resolutions that have been submitted for the attention of General Convention. Each resolution will then be addressed, in turn, by the two houses. For a resolution to be adopted by General Convention, it must be adopted in the same final firm (amendments included) by both the House of Deputies and also the House of Bishops. Whether we love this legislative process or merely tolerate it, all who participate will work long, hard hours, seeking the lead of God's Holy Spirit as we attempt to clarify and give expression to God's mission for The Episcopal Church. It has been my experience that this can be an exhausting and humbling process of "being the Church" together.

In an article written for her own congregation, one of our lay deputies offers a good introduction to some of the work that we will do at General Convention, and includes some prayers for our use during General Convention. Joan Geiszler-Ludlum is a member of Church of the Servant in Wilmington, our diocesan Chancellor, and also the vice-chair of the General Convention's Task Force on the Study of Marriage. You can find a link to her article by visiting a special page that we've set up on our diocesan website: www.ecdio.org/gc15. You might want to bookmark this page on your favorite device and visit frequently, because we'll be using it to share links to other useful General Convention websites and to post the written and recorded reflections of our East Carolina deputation on their General Convention "experiences."

Following General Convention, during the months of September and October, our diocese will host a series of five deanery meetings that will be open to all members of the church. Each of these meetings will include conversations focusing on our response to resolutions adopted at General Convention, particularly those having to do with the marriage of same sex couples, and on the ongoing life of our deaneries. More information about these conversations, including the dates, will be circulated before the summer's end.

Please pray for all who will gather in Salt Lake City for General Convention and especially for those whom you have elected as deputies from East Carolina. Our Lay Deputies include Joan Geiszler-Ludlum, Susan Holmes, Tess Judge, Cheryl Taft and alternates Ann Bustard and Stephen Batten. Our Clergy Deputies include Robert Alves, Mimi Lacy, John Pollock, Michael Singer, and alternate Richard Elliott.

May God's Holy Spirit move powerfully is us, that we might more fully live into our calling to be the Body of Christ in the world! And may God's Holy Spirit keep you safe during these coming summer months, allowing you time for refreshment and recreation in this beautiful part of the world that we call East Carolina! Yours in Christ, Robert S. Skirving.