As a first-time deputy to the General Convention, the months leading up to the event felt so overwhelming. There was too much to learn, too much to read – so I was grateful to have joined the LGBTQIA+ Caucus. It gave me the chance to dive deep into one specific issue facing convention, and allowed me to learn from folks who had been deputies before about organizing for change at the church-wide level.

This caucus organized officially at the last General Convention in 2022 in Baltimore, and so some of our work was to continue to discern what exactly was needed in this moment for LGBTQIA+ Episcopalians. I was able to learn from many long-time deputies who have been working for decades on LGBT+ inclusion in the church – those who stood up to testify and pass resolutions advocating for the full inclusion of all the baptized over many, many years. Many faced opposition and challenges over the years. Their work laid the foundation for the work the caucus did at this convention.

This convention, our work was still rooted in the same call to “work within the legislative structures of the church for the full inclusion of all the baptized in all the sacraments…and to dismantle oppression in all its forms.” And yet the work has changed – we are currently in a moment in the Episcopal Church where the majority of bishops and deputies support the full inclusion of LGBT+ folks in the life of the church. There is not a lot of outward opposition, although we still have a long way to go to be a church that affirms people of all orientations and identities.

For example, one function of the LGBTQIA+ caucus was to endorse candidates and resolutions. We had an interesting discussion when trying to decide which candidate to endorse for the President of the House of Deputies. The endorsement process was pretty straightforward: a committee sent out a list of questions to candidates for various elections, asking for their positions on certain issues related to LGBT+ inclusion and other social justice issues. However, all three of the candidates for President of the House of Deputies fully support the inclusion of LGBT+ persons in all aspects of church life and leadership and have worked to support our cause for many years. After a long debate, we voted not to endorse any one candidate. Gone are the years when one candidate for such a position of leadership was pro-LGBT+, and another was anti-LGBT+ inclusion. 

Instead, the work of the caucus was more nuanced. The group made sure to publicize when legislative committees were having hearings on various relevant resolutions and encouraged folks to sign up to give testimonies. I was able to attend one of these legislative sessions in Louisville before General Convention officially began: Legislative Committee #17 on Accessibility & Inclusion. Several members of the caucus had signed up to testify to resolution D066: Creating a Task Force for Truth-Telling, Reckoning and Reconciliation for LGBTQIA+. I was honored to hear the stories of both lay and clergy from around the church who have experienced discrimination based on their sexuality: priests who were removed from job searches because they were gay, lay members of churches who were made to feel less-than when they moved to a new church that wasn’t fully affirming. It was a powerful and emotional experience. It showed me the importance of the legislative process – it gave people an opportunity to be heard, for their stories to be respected and prayerfully considered. 

This continued each day of official legislation at General Convention. I was so proud to see countless LGBTQIA+ folks step up to speak about every issue, especially the folks who identified themselves with non-binary pronouns. I know that not very long ago, these faithful Christian leaders would not have been safe identifying themselves in front of the largest gathering of the Episcopal Church. We have come a long way, and yet we still have a long way to go to fully embrace the wisdom our queer and gender non-conforming siblings have to offer our church.

One of the most exciting resolutions was the decision to change our catechism: now when folks wonder how we define Holy Matrimony, they will read: “Holy Matrimony is Christian marriage, in which two people the woman and the man enter into a life-long union, make their vows before God and the Church, and receive the grace and blessing of God to help them fulfill their vows.”

Thanks be to God for the good work of the LGBTQIA+ caucus and the labor of so many queer elders who have gone before us. I was honored to be a small part of this holy work.

General Convention 2024 didn’t bring a revolution like some of our conventions have done in the past. For instance, nearly 50 years ago, the General Convention approved the ordination of women; more recently, in 2015, our church added canonical provisions to allow marriage equality.

This convention’s biggest news had to do with the election of leaders – primarily the new Presiding Bishop-Elect, Sean Rowe, who will officially take office on November 1. Our current, beloved Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, will retire on October 31, after an eventful nine-year term. Bishop Curry has been instrumental in emphasizing the love of Jesus and making evangelism a household word in the Episcopal Church again. He raised the profile of the Episcopal Church significantly when he preached at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Megan Markle. His term has seen increasing emphasis on racial reconciliation and creation care as part of the mission of the church.

Bishop Sean Rowe brings a different emphasis. He has a deep faith in Jesus and is well known for his signature phrase, “It’s a great day in the Kingdom!” He strongly supports the priorities of evangelism, racial reconciliation, and creation care, and preached a powerful sermon on the last day of Convention about the work ahead of us as a church. But Bishop Rowe is also a strategic thinker who has a strong belief in the kind of organizational work our church needs to do to give us new strength in the 21st century. Bishop Rowe is a bridge-builder between groups that have often been at odds in our church (like the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies). He believes we need to refocus our budgets, missions, and staff to support dioceses, where the on-the-ground work of the church happens. I believe he has the leadership qualities that we need to transform the churchwide structure from a top-heavy administrative bureaucracy to an efficient, focused center dedicated to support of the dioceses, where ministry occurs on the ground. As we do this work, I believe we will discover new avenues of growth and vitality for our church.

As one example of his leadership, two days after his election, Bishop Rowe announced that he would forego the traditional installation service at Washington National Cathedral, a grand extravaganza that has celebrated new Presiding Bishops since the 1930s. I attended Presiding Bishop Curry’s installation in 2015 as a member of The Episcopal Church’s Executive Council, and it was a delightful day. I was looking forward to attending the next one, as all bishops are invited to attend. But a service at the National Cathedral could easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, in addition to the travel costs of all of us attending from all over the world. That is money better spent on the mission of the church. It would also take us away from our dioceses into the heart of Washington DC right before Election Day, a fraught time for our country. I have great respect for our new PB’s decision, which rightly focuses us on church mission rather than a grand spectacle.

It was new for me to experience the Presiding Bishop election process from the House of Bishops side. In our church, the House of Bishops elects the PB, and the House of Deputies confirms the election. In 2015, I was a deputy from Arizona and got to vote to confirm the election of Presiding Bishop Curry. This time, I got to see the whole process from the other side.

The day started with a Eucharist in the convention worship space, alongside all the other other convention attendees. After communion, the whole assembly sang “Veni Sancte Spiritus” (Come, Holy Spirit) while the bishops gathered and were dismissed. We processed out of the convention center and walked several blocks (guided by volunteers with purple flags!) to Christ Church Cathedral in Louisville, where we gathered in the nave. After prayers and hymns, the voting process began.

The process began with a roll call, as it was vital to know how many bishops were voting. All living bishops are eligible to vote, whether active or retired, so it was interesting to listen to the roll call and greet the many retired bishops who were present. Names are called in order of the bishops’ ordination, beginning with the senior bishop present (Leo Frade, resigned of Southeast Florida). Then ballots were handed out one by one. I was surprised that we were voting on paper in the year 2024, but it seems that the paper ballots are kept for posterity in the Episcopal archives. When I received my ballot, I sat in prayer for several minutes before marking it. Then, all of us were asked to fold our ballot once and hold it aloft to be collected. The House of Bishops Dispatch Committee took the ballots to a private place to count them while the rest of the house took a break for conversation and coffee.

We had been asked to turn our phones off and not to communicate with the outside world during the election time. I was annoyed with this restriction, as we are all so dependent on our phones these days. Also, the House of Deputies was holding an election that morning for the Trustees of the Church Pension Fund, and I wanted to know whether I was elected! (Later, I found out that, yes, I was elected on the first ballot.) Despite my annoyance, I found the waiting time to be a joyful and blessed time of conversation with good friends and new acquaintances in the House of Bishops.

After about 45 minutes, we were called back into the nave for an announcement of results. I was expecting the election to go several ballots, so my notebook and pen were poised to note totals to inform my next vote. Like a diocesan bishop election, the PB needs to be elected by a greater-than-50% vote, so ballots are cast until that total is reached.

As we gathered in the nave, Presiding Bishop Curry announced that there were 158 votes cast, 82 needed to elect. He started to read the results in alphabetical order but skipped Sean Rowe, the 4th in line. He read out the vote totals:

Bishop Scott Barker            24

Bishop DeDe Duncan-Probe     9

Bishop Daniel Gutierrez     17

Bishop Rob Wright             19 

Then, while I was wondering why he had skipped Bishop Rowe, he read out the total for him: “Bishop Sean Rowe, 89 votes. We have an election.” A gasp went up around the room as everyone realized that we had finished our work with a decisive first-ballot vote. All the gathered bishops stood and gave an extended standing ovation for Bishop Rowe, then for each of the other candidates, thanking them for being willing to take on such a challenging role. Then Bishops Rowe, Curry, and Katharine Jefferts Schori stood at the front of the church for a photo of three Presiding Bishops, while all the bishops jostled for position to take photos, like any paparazzi.

Our work for the day was not yet done. We were still sequestered in the church while we waited for the House of Deputies to confirm the election. A delegation from our house went over to inform the other house and ask for confirmation. By this time, it was lunchtime, and while we waited for confirmation, we had box lunches and more conversation.

At about 2:30, we reconvened to receive the delegation from the House of Deputies, informing us that the election had been confirmed. We stood and cheered Bishop Rowe as we recognized that we had an official Presiding Bishop-elect. Then, we all were conducted back over to sit in the gallery in the House of Deputies while Bishop Rowe was conducted to the front by his family and the deputations from his two dioceses (Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York). He greeted the two houses, and we greeted him back with a standing ovation.

Bishop Rowe will be a very different kind of Presiding Bishop than his predecessor. That goes without saying, as no one is like Michael Curry, and it takes a brave person to be willing to follow him! But Bishop Rowe preaches with truth, insight, and deep faith. I believe his election reflects a strong recognition in the House of Bishops that it’s time to strategically refocus our church on ways we can grow and support God’s mission. Bishop Curry was great at inspiring us to do God’s mission – now it’s time for us to take the next step and take concrete, strategic steps to accomplish it.

As a side note, Bishop Rowe is well-known and liked in the House of Bishops. He is our youngest Presiding Bishop ever, at age 49, and was also the youngest bishop in the church when he was elected at age 32 and the youngest priest in the church when he was ordained at age 25. He has served Bishop Curry as parliamentarian for the House of Bishops and is widely respected in that role. But I don’t believe his election was a popularity contest – the other bishop candidates are also popular. It was a true recognition of a need for a new kind of strategic direction for the church. I am looking forward to seeing how Bishop Rowe leads us for the next nine years.

Get to know the new Presiding Bishop, Sean Rowe, by listening to this short sermon.

The Episcopal Church’s giant family reunion has started! General Convention usually happens every three years, but because 2021 was a pandemic year, the last convention was in summer of 2022. We are now back on track for the full extravaganza – and what an extravaganza it is! Over 1,000 bishops and deputies will gather in Louisville, Kentucky, from June 22 through June 29 to do the work of the church.

There are many things I love about General Convention. This is my sixth Convention – I was an elected deputy from Arizona in 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2018, and attended as a bishop in 2022 and now 2024. Every convention is different, but there are some constant elements that I love.

The Work of the Church

Since The Episcopal Church’s formation after the American Revolution, General Convention has been the way we decided the most important questions before us. Convention authorizes the Book of Common Prayer and other liturgies that express the Christian theology of our church. It makes major decisions that expand the ministries of our church, like the ordination of women in 1976 and the extension of marriage to same-sex couples in 2015. It approves the budget for the church, and therefore determines how we will follow Jesus in the church’s mission for the next three years – because as Jesus said, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” It considers many resolutions for the life and ministry of the church, from clergy disciplinary canons to peace and justice resolutions.

The Presiding Bishop Election

In 2015, I was a deputy to Convention when Presiding Bishop Michael Curry was elected. It was a joyful time! The Presiding Bishop is elected by the House of Bishops and then confirmed by the House of Deputies (four lay and four clergy deputies from each diocese). The House of Deputies has never failed to confirm an election, so I certainly hope that doesn’t happen this time! This will be my first time to vote for a new Presiding Bishop as a member of the House of Bishops. All the bishops will be sequestered in Christ Church Cathedral, just down the street from the convention center, all day. We will cast as many ballots as needed to elect one of the five candidates by a majority vote. Once a candidate has been elected, a delegation will be sent to the House of Deputies to report and ask for their confirmation. The bishop will remain sequestered in the church until we’ve received notice that the PB-elect has been confirmed. The whole day will be held in the context of worship, beginning with a morning Eucharist, with hymns and reflections from the chaplains during the day.

All Orders of Ministry

At General Convention, lay people, deacons, priests, and bishops come together to make the most important decisions before the church. Our church is ruled, not by bishops or archbishops (or a pope), but by all of God’s people working together. It is a joy to see the teamwork and respect accorded one another’s gifts and perspectives at General Convention. Lawyers, nurses, teachers, priests, social workers, bishops, and all manner of people contribute to the wisdom that is shared and produces resolutions. I don’t agree with all the resolutions we produce, but I respect the process that produces them.

Worship Together

Worship at General Convention is a grand spectacle. Nearly 2,000 people, between deputies, bishops, exhibitors, guests, and delegates to the Episcopal Church Women triennial gathering that happens at the same time, gather and join in song, prayer, and sacrament. We hear terrific preaching and lift our voices together to God. The worship services are diverse, drawing from a variety of ethnic identities, languages, and musical styles. And we are one in our love of Christ. It is a magnificent experience of the Body of Christ.

An International Church

The Episcopal Church is not only located in the United States, but in seventeen countries throughout the world, from Taiwan to Honduras to Haiti to Germany. Interpretation is available in all those languages, and attendees have the opportunity to meet and form relationships with our siblings in Christ in all those countries and to learn from them about their unique contexts of ministry.

Exhibits

The exhibit hall at convention is vast and fascinating. Everyone from ministries serving the Episcopal Church, like Forward Movement and the Church Pension Group, to vestment designers and sellers, holds court in the exhibit hall – a great place to discover new things about the church and new opportunities to minister in our congregations!

Episcopalooza!

It’s a grand family reunion. I love seeing my friends from all over the church and the world – people I ministered with or went to seminary with decades ago, and people who are new and dear friends, like my women bishop colleagues from the western US states. Most days I have lunch or dinner with dear old and new friends, and it’s a grand time to catch up.

Okay, I will admit there are things I DON’T love about General Convention. It’s a very tiring event, with meetings from early morning till late at night. The legislative process, from committee work to Robert’s Rules of Order on the floor of the respective House of Bishops and House of Deputies, can be a real slog. Some of the resolutions seem, as my friend Scott Gunn put it on his blog, like “they could have been an email.” And I disagree strongly with some of the decisions Convention makes. But overall, I am grateful for Convention, for the chance to collaborate with so many people on the governance of our church, and for the church and the Savior that brings us together. Alleluia!

If you are interested in learning more about General Convention, visit edsd.org/gc2024, where you’ll find a number of ways to follow the action at General Convention.

In 1994, a pillar of our diocese, Barbara Bright, asked me if I would consider running for Deputy to General Convention. After she finished trying to scare me out of it, I agreed to run, and this diocese elected me as one of four lay Deputies representing the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego. A Deputation consists of four lay Deputies and four clergy, plus four Alternates in each order (and, oh yeah, our bishop(s)!).

So my first General Convention was in 1997 and was held in Philadelphia. That summer, the Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold was elected the 24^th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Bishop Griswold was preceded by Bishop Edmond Lee Browning who was a long-time family friend of ours, so it was very wonderful to get to chat with him in the hallway. We used to call him “Red” Browning because when we first knew him his hair was very red!

Over the years, I have had a number of amazing opportunities to be a part of the history of the Episcopal Church. In 2006, we elected the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, who was our first female Presiding Bishop. You must remember that she later became our Assisting Bishop (San Diego) to serve between Bishop James Mathes and Bishop Susan Brown Snook. At the time of that election, I was on the platform, serving as Parliamentarian. In 2015, I was present for another historic moment when we elected the Most Rev. Michael Curry, the first Black Presiding Bishop of the Church (aka the “wedding preacher”). This year, on June 26, 2004, we will elect the 27^th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, and I will participate in that process as well. Wow!

I was present when we consented to the election of the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, the first partnered gay bishop of the church. I was there when we approved the blessing of same-sex unions.  During those years, we rewrote the disciplinary Canons (Title IV) twice. We approved additional liturgies. We added all kinds of fascinating people to the official church calendar. We brought the Iglesia Episcopal de Cuba back into the fold. We approved the triennial budget of the Episcopal Church. We took a stand on many social issues, including gun control, care of creation, health care equity, immigration justice, and school vouchers, too many to remember off the top of my head.

Because of my participation and presence (thanks to you), I have had the chance to serve 7 ½ years on the Executive Council of the whole Church, serve on a wide variety of Commissions and Committees of the Church, serve as Parliamentarian of the Church twice, learned a lot about dismantling racism in our Church and in the world, and made countless new friends many of whom will be lifetime friends.

The main General Convention Eucharist is one of my favorite moments. Worshipping with 10,000 Episcopalians is unbelievable! The music alone sets my heart on fire. I sat at the table with the son of a South American bishop. His perspective was both heartening and heartbreaking. He was in absolute awe at the number of Episcopalians gathered there.

This summer is my 10^th General Convention as one of your Deputies to General Convention. I cannot thank you enough for giving me that opportunity. You have given me a front-row seat to some of the most important moments in the life of this church I love so much. My Dad, a priest for 62 years, I know is smiling, and so is my brother, who, while retired, has been a priest for more than 40 years. What can I say? It’s in my DNA!

To learn more about General Convention or to follow along with our deputation, visit www.edsd.org/gc2024

Is “Invite a Friend to Church” an actual season on the Church calendar? No, but Bishop Susan is inviting all our congregations to participate in a month-long season of inviting our friends, neighbors, and loved ones to join us for worship on a Sunday of every congregation’s choice from October 13 to November 17.

Why?

In the spring of 2023, Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, said loneliness is a public health epidemic. People all around us are looking for human connection, and our congregations are wonderful communities for building relationships. Moreover, the good news of Christ is announced every week in our churches—something every invitee will get the chance to hear and respond to.

Inviting others to church can be intimidating! Ensuring that others across the diocese do the same thing during the same month can give us courage. In the Mainline Church Evangelism Project led by Martha Grace Reese—a national Lilly Endowment-funded research project—denominations such as the Episcopal Church were found to be averse to inviting others to church. Inviting others to church is an exercise that we only get better at the more we practice it.

The Invite a Friend to Church season offers us the opportunity to extend the love and life of Jesus Christ to our friends and families. Our goal is to create an inviting atmosphere where everyone feels welcome and inspired by the joy of Christ. We have developed a comprehensive list of suggestions to ensure your church is fully prepared for the Invite a Friend to Church Sunday of your choosing.

Update Your Website and Social Media

Make sure your website reflects the upcoming season with relevant messaging, updated service times, and information about children and family opportunities. This helps potential visitors know what to expect and feel more comfortable attending. Schedule regular social media posts inviting people to your services. Use engaging content, including videos, testimonies, and event reminders, to capture the interest of your online audience.

Prepare Welcome Materials

Create or update welcome materials with essential information about the church, its ministries, service times, and contact details. These packets help newcomers feel informed and valued. Ensure that clear signs direct newcomers around the church, including the locations of bathrooms and welcome stations. Place welcome stations in high-traffic areas, staffed by friendly volunteers. Ensure there is clear signage directing newcomers to these stations. This reduces confusion and helps visitors feel more at ease.

Train A Hospitality Team

Train or retrain your volunteers and ushers to greet people warmly, answer questions, and provide directions. Emphasize the importance of inclusivity and making newcomers feel genuinely welcome. Encourage core families in the congregation to join the welcome team. Having families engage with visiting families creates a more personal and relatable connection.

Plan a Special Welcome

Draft a special segment during the service specifically to acknowledge and welcome newcomers. Similarly, prepare a welcome message for online worshipers to ensure they feel included and appreciated.

Physical Plant Review

Ensure that church grounds are clean and accessible. Regularly check and restock bathrooms and refresh signage, directing people to key areas like the nursery and hospitality rooms.

Pre-Emptive Thank You’s

Take a moment to thank your volunteers and staff for their upcoming support. Showing appreciation can boost morale and make people feel proud of their work at the church.

During Invite a Friend Sunday Services

Ensure that all guests are greeted warmly upon arrival. Volunteers should be easily identifiable by wearing special name tags or badges. Politely ask newcomers to fill out a contact card for follow-up. Ensure the process respects their privacy and includes an opt-in for further communications. Have a special welcome prepared for young attendees, including information about the church’s children and youth programs. This can make families feel more comfortable and valued.

After Invite a Friend Sunday Services

Within 48 hours, send a personalized thank you message or email to newcomers, thanking them for attending and inviting them to future events. Include information about upcoming church activities and ways to get involved. Encourage newcomers to follow the church on social media for updates and community building. This helps maintain their connection with the church. Host a special event for newcomers, such as a luncheon or meet-and-greet with church leadership. This provides an opportunity for deeper connections and relationship building. Provide a way for newcomers to give feedback on their visit. Use this feedback to improve future hospitality efforts and make the church even more welcoming. Consider a personal outreach effort, such as a phone call or a home visit, for those who expressed a deeper interest in getting involved with the church. This shows a level of care and commitment to fostering community.

Following this checklist ensures that Invite a Friend Sunday is a warm, welcoming, and joyous occasion for all. Let us open our hearts and doors wide, sharing the love and life of Jesus Christ with everyone who walks through our doors.

You can find more ideas and resources for Invite a Church Sunday here: www.edsd.org/invite

Every year, we begin the Education for Ministry year with our mentor asking us why we enrolled in EfM, and there are many different answers.  Some people have said they want to be part of EfM because they’ve always intended to read the Bible but have never stuck with it; they would appreciate fellow students in a non-competitive, non-graded setting.  This class is adult education at its best, with reading, studying, and discussing without the pressure of a grade point average.  Anything we learn is something we don’t know already, and the process of learning is fun and worthwhile.

Some people report they want to deepen their understanding of their own faith.  Like me, they explored and shared their beliefs with classmates and bounced sometimes wacky ideas off others, and by doing that,  focused their beliefs.  I must say, the members of the EfM group are a great audience to try out new material!

Other people have said they are looking for a faith community where they can discuss theological thoughts and questions.  It’s fairly easy to find people to discuss politics or movies or ball games, but it’s harder to find people to discuss questions of ultimate significance.

I’ve heard some people say they want to come to terms with Paul or with John. Or they find many passages in the Old Testament pretty challenging because of the attitudes towards women or slaves or Samaritans.  Haven’t we all heard Bible verses that make us squirm or gulp because of what they say about women or slaves or Samaritans? Even if we don’t agree with the writer, we can put their comments into context in a way that helps our understanding.

Some people said they are looking for their own ministry, what they believe they are called to do and be in the world.  It is true that the voice of Ms. Holy Spirit is often soft and subtle, so it’s helpful to share our search with other seekers.

One person just said she knew that many serious Episcopalians took the class, and she considers herself a serious Episcopalian, so she signed up.

As a four-year participant in the class, I’ve identified with all these motivations.  I had the enormous privilege of reading and discussing the Bible with other students.  I confess I didn’t read it word for word, and I’m surely not a Bible scholar at this point.  I don’t even get all the Bible questions right on Jeopardy!  But this is adult education without quizzes or prizes, so it’s okay.

I’ve examined and articulated my own faith, and I’ve come to peace with my own personal theology.  I’ve wrestled with Paul and John, and I’ve balked at some Old Testament passages.  Over time, I’ve come to accept the fact that I will probably never agree with their points of view, but I’m glad to know what they wrote.

I’ve learned some of the good, the bad, and the ugly about the history of Christianity, and some of it is truly appalling and embarrassing.  I’ve pondered if God is real and what we mean when we use the word “salvation.”

As some of you know about me, my own beliefs are not always in close correlation with the standard beliefs we express in our Sunday services, like in the Creed or parts of the Book of Common Prayer, or even in some of the words to familiar hymns.  I was frankly worried that either I’d be shunned is this “nice church group” or I’d be encouraged to stop being such a free thinker and get back in line with standard Episcopal theology.  Much to my relief and joy, I found my classmates were curious about my rather unorthodox beliefs and utterly accepting of me, regardless of whether they agreed or not. The emphasis is on the journey together and what we see and taste and feel along the way, not the destination.

For all these reasons and many more, I encourage anyone who loves learning and craves deep conversation about theological concepts, and finds comfort in community to look seriously at enrolling in EfM.  As you know, it’s a big commitment.  It’s a four-year course of study, but as Mark Patzman (EDSD EfM Coordinator, efm.edsd@outlook.com) says, “It’s a one-year commitment we can make four times.”

I have been both uprooted and re-rooted as a Christian, thanks to these four years. The class has been an anchor during storms and a lovely sail during breezy times.  Thank you my mentors and my loving companions and classmates for including and embracing me in this amazing experience.

Bread and Roses

As we go marching, marching
We bring the greater days
For the rising of the women
Means the rising of the race

No more the drudge and idler
Tender toil where one reposes
But the sharing of lives glories
Bread and roses, bread and roses

-James Oppenheim

On June 18, 2006, I was serving as Curate at All Souls’, Point Loma. My rector, the Rev. Mike Russell, was a Deputy to Convention. On that fateful day, he sent me an email with a quote from “Bread and Roses” (posted above). I knew it well. As a teenager, I was a big fan of Judy Collins, and she had included Bread and Roses on her 1975 album of the same name. I knew that it spoke of love, beauty, and the equality of women, but I did not know that a year after James Oppenheim wrote “Bread and Roses” it inspired the Bread and Roses Strike led by women workers in textile mills of Lawrence, Massachusetts.

On June 18, 2006, The Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori was elected as the first female Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Mike Russell sent his email in response to that joyful, momentous occasion! Women were now represented at every level of my beloved church!

As it turns out, June 18, 2006 was also my daughter’s 12^th birthday, and as sometimes happens when you reflect on your children, I recalled my own 12^th birthday in 1973. I was a faithful member of St. Charles’ Episcopal Church in Northridge, California, where twelve-year-olds were allowed to be acolytes . . . Ah, but not so fast, only twelve-year-old boys were allowed to be acolytes. Girls were not permitted to serve.

Even at twelve years old, I knew that God was calling me to something in the church – but it certainly wasn’t clear what it would be. My options were very limited. My Junior High School career aptitude test told me I could be a funeral director – I guess that was the best the algorithm could come up with since, after all, girls couldn’t be priests.

The 1970s were filled with watershed moments for the Episcopal church–the Philadelphia Eleven being ordained in 1974, General Convention approving women’s ordinations in 1976, and the adoption of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. When I again became involved with church in the late ‘80’s, I assumed that the ordination of women was old news, that everyone was on board. That was far from the truth.

Today, I serve as Canon to the Ordinary to Bishop Susan Brown Snook, the first female Diocesan Bishop in San Diego. I have served as priest-in-charge at several congregations. I have led the Standing Committee of the Diocese during a transition period, and, just as my Jr. High aptitude test suggested, I have walked with countless families as they celebrated the lives of their loved ones who had passed away.  …And I have even served as an acolyte!

The Episcopal Church continues to work together to include all, to welcome all, and to recognize God’s gifts to all of us created in the divine image. There’s still much work to do. And so this June 18, not only will I celebrate my daughter’s birthday (her 30^th!), I will remember all those faithful women who have gone before me, and I will give thanks for their courage, their struggles, and their love for God and God’s church.

Before we get into this piece on Juneteenth, it feels important to name that, though this feels appropriate for me to write in my role as Missioner for Community Vitality and Diversity,  I am writing this reflection from the lens of my social location, which is, among other things, a non-Black woman of color. For reflections on Juneteenth featuring Black voices, please see last year’s Juneteenth article written by Tomas Gayton of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, or any of the articles sourced in this piece.

A couple of weeks ago, I found out from Alyson Terry, EDSD’s Registrar and keeper of the calendar, that I have an unexpected day off this month. At the May meeting of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, they voted on the new EDSD Employment Handbook, which added Juneteenth to the list of diocesan-observed holidays. As a diocese, I’ve seen us increasingly and actively observe Juneteenth as a part of our collective history, particularly since it became a federal holiday in 2021. And I was delighted that our leadership had this detail in our policy to make the observance of Juneteenth an official part of our corporate culture.

Although it does ultimately take the approval of someone from a central seat of authority to officially turn a movement into legislation–making it an “official” piece of our culture–it is important to remember that so many liberating and life-giving changes to our status quo come to us from the wisdom, creativity, and resilience of communities existing on the margins of our sociocultural spectrum. In other words, many of us have June 19th off because of the efforts of generations and generations of Black-led movements, advocacy and resistance. 

What is Juneteenth?

On January 1, 1863, two years into the American Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. The proclamation declared that should the Union win the war,  “all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free.” While the proclamation spread widely enough for 200,000 Black soldiers to join the Union army, the news spread more slowly through the Confederate states. One of these states was the state of Texas. 

Even after the last battle of the Civil War took place on May 13, 1865 (also in Texas), hundreds of thousands of enslaved people didn’t know they were free. It wasn’t until a Union force arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, that news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached them. The celebration of Juneteenth, the portmanteau evolved from the date of “June 19th,” originated as a celebration of the end of slavery in Texas. The celebration grew out of the state as many of the 250,000 newly freed Texans moved to neighboring states and beyond. 

As we know now, the legislative end of slavery in our country wasn’t a direct road to racial equity or just treatment for Black communities. Even the act of celebrating Juneteenth became dangerous, thanks to ongoing racism and Jim Crow laws. Some Black communities would organize to purchase plots of land in the city, commonly named Emancipation Parks, in order to create safe spaces to celebrate. Celebrating Juneteenth then, was a practice of creativity and resilience and, as a woman named Opal Lee describes in one of my favorite articles about Juneteenth, a cultivation of “Hope” in the Black community.

Consider this context in contrast to where we stand today in 2024, after almost 160 years of waves of Black-led racial justice movements, and after only three years since one such movement finally pushed Juneteenth into the center of our “official” national culture. We have witnessed a number of bigger corporations fail to resist the temptation of commodifying the holiday (Juneteenth ice cream, anyone?). A number of folks newer to celebrating the holiday probably wrestle with the question, how can we celebrate Juneteenth appropriately without falling into appropriation? 

As a non-Black woman of color who is actively clearing my work calendar to observe June 19th with the space and consideration it deserves, I do so with some tension and sobriety. In having Juneteenth off, I feel like I am the beneficiary of a treasure that others paid for. I feel like this is a holiday that, for a person of my social location, is unearned and undeserved. 

For many of us in the Episcopal Church, the phrase “unearned and undeserved” probably feels familiar, as it is part of our definition of grace. On p. 858 of The Book of Common Prayer, our Catechism describes “grace” as “God’s favor towards us, unearned and undeserved.” As people of God, we are all recipients of treasures unearned and undeserved. That knowledge of receiving something we haven’t earned can make us feel uncomfortable – particularly in our society that so often tricks us into conflating what we’ve earned with what we’re worth.  

The call for us as followers of Jesus, then, is to consider how we might live as recipients of that grace, who have not earned it, but are still part of this world that God deemed worthy of it. For many of us, following that call means living into our Baptismal covenant, including: 

• persevering in resisting evil, and practicing repentance and return
• seeking and serving Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves, and 
• striving for justice and peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being. 

Similarly, for me, observing Juneteenth will mean considering and recommitting to my Baptismal vows particularly as they relate to investment and support of thriving Black communities. I will not do this because I feel I need to earn the holiday, but because I believe that God calls us to live into a world that is worthy of the life-giving, liberating and loving hope  embedded in Juneteenth.

If you’re feeling similarly called, here are some ways you might consider observing and celebrating this year’s Juneteenth in your own sphere of influence:

Center and celebrate Black voices, wisdom, and leadership. 

Just as slavery would not have ended without Black resistance and organization, our world benefits from the wisdom and leadership of those whose bodies and lives have been dedicated to resisting and transforming long-standing systems of oppression. Yet, so often, the stories of heroism that make it to our history books tend to name and center a white hero as the main character in the story of liberation (think Abraham Lincoln as the authoritative figure behind the Emancipation Proclamation or Joe Biden, the authority to declare Juneteenth a federal holiday). Consider doing a history project in your own local neighborhood, community, or congregation. Who are the Black thought leaders and wisdom keepers you can learn from, not just on Juneteenth, but year-round? 

Learn and share the histories of the Black community in your Church and neighborhood.

Cole Arthur Riley wrote, “Our hope can only be as deep as our lament.” And we can only lament those things of which we know. So, for many in our Church, learning to lament involves learning and telling the truth about the racial history of our churches and neighborhoods.  You may know all the words to “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at this point, but do you know the history of the neighborhoods in which your church was built? 

On the other side of the coin, learning the history of our communities includes learning who to celebrate! Who are the Black leaders and trailblazers in your context? Who are “The Firsts” in your congregation, such as your first Black Senior Warden or your first Black organist or Rector? Who was the first Black business owner or community leader in your neighborhood? How can you celebrate them?

Invest in Black businesses, organizations, and leadership.

The hard truth is that even with the celebration of Juneteenth, Black communities are still affected by the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow laws, including some Black communities in our region. We can work toward a more equitable reality by supporting Black-owned businesses, investing in community organizations serving local Black communities, and supporting funding for the development of leaders from these communities. 

Take responsibility for your own role in transformative justice.

I had someone recently remind me that there is a fine line between centering marginalized voices and abdicating responsibility altogether. Abdicating responsibility might look like remaining in our comfort zone of solely consuming information about racial justice without ever risking something of ourselves to embody what we’ve learned through our deeds, words, or labor. It could look like underutilizing our own agency, resources, and gifts, under the assumption that someone else can, or even should, do “the work” for us. As members of the same Body of Christ, we have to remember that we belong to one another.  And, as such, we are all responsible for using our gifts of time, talent, and treasure to heal, restore and build up the Body. This could look like using your gift of courage to ask for Bible studies that center on Black theologians. It could look like using your gifts to be The First. (Similarly, it could also look like using your gift of discernment to not be The First.) 

What else might observing Juneteenth look like for you and your community? 

In all of the many ways that we as a Body end up celebrating Juneteenth, let us also remember that the work of racial equity and restorative justice is an ongoing journey, and these practices aren’t beholden to one specific day. 

Have a blessed, sacred, and hope-filled Juneteenth.

Sources & Further Reading:

“How to properly celebrate Juneteenth in the age of commercialization” by Destinee Adams

Slavery Didn’t End on Juneteenth. What You Should Know About This Important Day” by Sharon Pruitt-Young

“Why Juneteenth is a celebration of hope” by Rachel Jones

“Juneteenth is America’s second Independence Day – here’s why” by Sydney Combs

When I started EfM seven years ago, I wanted to know more about the Bible—specifically, the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. I had been involved in many Bible studies over the years, but they all focused on the New Testament and usually only the gospels. I was hungry to know more, to understand more, to go deeper. What I have gotten is so much more.

Circumstances caused a gap between my first year and my second. However, I did learn a lot about the Old Testament, and read the real stories of Moses, David, Noah, Jonah and the ”whale”. And I finally read Isaiah and his prophecies that are quoted by Jesus in the New Testament. Boy, all those movies I watched over the years sure got a lot of it wrong! I also got a new appreciation for metaphors, because the Bible is full of them.

The very best thing I got out of that year was the friends I made. Even though COVID and distance have changed so much of our lives, I still am close with about half of that group. Those friendships have enriched my life and would never have happened without EfM.

Because EfM is designed for all four years to be working independently and as a group, there is an opportunity to discuss not only your own reading but the other years as well. No one is ignored, and everyone is treated with respect and love. We share news about our lives over a meal provided by someone different each week, and everyone gets a chance to share. But you can pass if you choose – I don’t think anyone ever did. Many times, just talking about something made it easier to deal with. We open and close our time together with prayer.

Last September, after 7 years, I started my second year. In those years in between, my life has taken some very unexpected turns. Being a full-time caregiver to my ALS husband leaves me very little time to myself, but I know I have to do things just for me in order to be able to do the best for him. We talked it over and decided that I needed to get back into EfM and continue my spiritual journey before his health got worse and he needed me more. I registered and started right after Labor Day along with six others – three of whom were also in Year Two.

We start each year by presenting our own personal spiritual journey to date. It was hard talking about the changes in all aspects of my life since my husband’s ALS diagnosis, but a big part of what gets me through each day is my faith, and my faith got me through that. Listening to the others gave me some insight into them and their journeys. I was a long way from comfortable or at ease, but I was getting there.

Year Two is the New Testament – for me – in one word, challenging. Especially Paul and his letters. Anyone who’s been in a Bible Study with me knows how low my opinion of Paul is. I tried to keep an open mind but reading the letters – REALLY reading them – l found my opinion didn’t change much, but I do feel I understand him more. And I have learned that reading the Bible in context is the best way to read it. The biggest challenge for me this year has been the Theological Reflections – especially leading them. Theological Reflections, or TRs, are designed to guide the group through a spiritual reflection about a “subject” using specific questions and guidelines. Each person contributes to the discussion and through those guidelines, finds themselves a little deeper into their spiritual journey. That’s a very basic explanation of a TR. Hard as they are for me, I find myself listening and reflecting more before I speak during discussions. The growth I experienced this year, both through the TRs and the Year Two reading, is beyond my ability to put into words.

The theme for this year was “Living As Spiritually Mature Christians.” I feel certain that I have matured as a Christian and as a person this year. Our readings, reflections, and community have made me go deeper within myself than ever before. This year’s Interlude books challenged my personal beliefs more than I was honestly comfortable with at times, but I listened to the others, asked questions, and tried to express myself with some small bit of intelligence. More than once, I was asking myself what I’d gotten into. But as the year comes to a close, I know that I am not the person I was back in September. I have been challenged, heard, comforted, appreciated, and allowed to be myself without judgement. I am friends with those people I barely knew, and I care very much for each one of them. I also have a stack of books for summer reading whose titles came from conversations and/or references to them in our reading. I still want to know more.

Education for Ministry is not a Bible Study, nor is it a preparation for ordained ministry. It is an intense, guided program to knowing yourself better, going further on your personal spiritual journey, and developing your own theological perspective. It can help you be better equipped to take on a leadership role, to lead better in a current role, or just better lead through your actions, words, and how you treat others. It is worth every penny you spend. EfM will change your life.

To find out more about EfM in your area visit: www.edsd.org/discipleship/efm

A pulpit swap is an arrangement where clergy members exchange pulpits, meaning they temporarily switch roles and preach at each other’s congregations. This practice fosters unity and understanding between different faith communities, provides fresh perspectives on familiar teachings, and allows congregants to experience diverse styles of preaching and worship. Pulpit swaps promote understanding and collaboration while enriching the spiritual experiences of preachers and congregants.

During an activity at our clergy conference last October, I (Rev. Hannah) was paired with my friend, the Rev. Dan Kline. The conference leaders asked us to do a pulpit swap as a way to strengthen connections across our diocese. October quickly gave way to winter, Advent and Christmas. Those days hastened into the new year, the baptism of our Lord, and Epiphany. I texted Rev. Dan and asked if we could find a date to swap. We settled on March 3rd and began planning. 

Planning involves several steps. How would we work out the travel logistics? There is a 2 ½ hour drive between our parishes (assuming perfect traffic). What helped was the fact that St. Mary’s has one service at 9:30 AM, and St. Paul’s has two services at 8 AM and 10:30 AM. St. Paul’s was able to arrange for Rev. Hannah to stay for the night in Palm Springs, and she covered both services at St. Paul’s. I (Rev. Dan) woke early and drove to St. Mary’s. Apparently, not early enough as I was a few minutes late due to some rain and traffic, but St. Mary’s was gracious and everything happened without a hitch. After figuring out travel logistics, we then wanted to talk through what each priest could expect at each other’s parish. We were able to put together the liturgies for each service and swap them ahead of time. We talked through each other’s bulletins, noting the nuances of each service and church’s traditions within the wider tradition of the Book of Common Prayer. Thinking through the choices each church makes, as well as what we have in common, was a powerful meditation on appreciating the unity and diversity of Christ’s church.

St. Mary’s in-the-Valley, Ramona is worlds away from St. Paul in the Desert, Palm Springs. The climate is green and lush, while St. Paul’s is hot and arid. St. Mary’s has about 35 people on a Sunday, whereas St. Paul has 260! St. Mary’s is a country church, while St. Paul is in downtown Palm Springs. The community of Ramona is rural, while Palm Springs has a cosmopolitan allure. Snowbirds and travelers attend St. Paul’s weekly, while St. Mary’s is a true local church in the best sense of the word. A few people at St. Paul asked me, “Where’s Ramona?” They had never heard of it, even though we were only a few hours apart!

I (Rev. Dan) immediately noticed another big difference between our parishes. St. Mary’s is mostly women, and St. Paul’s is mostly men! While our church sizes and demographics may be different, there is value in having churches of all shapes and sizes. I particularly appreciated the intimacy of St. Mary’s. During the announcements there was a lot of sharing about what is happening in people’s lives – almost like having dinner around the family table. I miss that sometimes, being in a larger church. At St. Paul’s, we don’t get to experience that same type of atmosphere because if we did, we’d be there until next Sunday! We miss out on some of that familial feel. At the same time, St. Mary’s is a very active church. I was blown away by the fact that they drive over an hour every week to deliver meals to asylum seekers at the airport. Their community garden was huge! It made me wonder, if St. Mary’s can do this kind of extensive outreach, why can’t we? We pride ourselves on our outreach, but we could be doing more and going more beyond our neighborhood, especially with the resources God has blessed us with. Maybe the secret is the often unrecognized superpower of the smaller church – the ability to maneuver and mobilize quickly. In our parish, it takes more time to get different initiatives going because there are so many moving parts. If we focus more on relationship building, perhaps that will help foster a culture where there is more willingness to expand outreach! The other factor is women-led congregations. When we look at the outreach initiatives that St. Paul’s is doing well, we find that they are led by strong lay women. Women know how to get things done. We were challenged by St. Mary’s on how to level the resources of our larger church size for more mission impact and how to become a more inclusive and welcoming place for women in a church dominated by men if we want to continue living into our mission. I was challenged by seeing St. Mary’s space and St. Paul’s was challenged by hearing Rev. Hannah’s powerful social justice sermon on Jesus flipping over the tables.

Despite these differences, our liturgies are almost identical. Both congregations explored Lenten themes. Both read the same scripture. Both accented the service with the color of the church season – purple. It’s amazing how you can walk into any Episcopal church and experience those similarities. I feel comforted knowing mainline Christians all over the world hear the same lectionary readings and meditate about the same themes. Our shared Episcopal identity and our shared diocesan identity bind us together as we seek to contextualize Christ’s work in the diversities of our own communities.

I (Rev. Hannah) loved the swap! It was invigorating to prepare a sermon for a new congregation and to step into the clergy role in a new space. I leaned into this worship experience with different ways of doing things. The way we organize ourselves to give communion is different, but the main thing is the main thing–everyone receives the spiritual nourishment of the bread and wine made holy. I picked up good ideas from Rev. Dan and Rev. Jessie, his co-rector, and wife. And I loved being part of a new congregation. 

I returned to St. Mary’s with renewed energy, an expanded vision, and a hopeful heart for the future. As I reflected on church leadership, I realized that collaboration is not just a buzzword; it’s the bedrock of effective governance and organizational success. In 2024, we live in a complex and interconnected world. No leader has all the knowledge, skills, and expertise to navigate every challenge. Collaboration, such as this pulpit swap, brings together diverse talents and viewpoints, which enriches both congregations and fosters innovation. When clergy participate in a pulpit swap, they tap into the wisdom of a different faith community and are held in the collective embrace of the arms of our diocese. We can get so busy in our individual parishes that we can lose sight of the fact that we are part of a much larger diocese, and the pulpit swap was one way to experience that firsthand. 

By: The Rev. Dan Kline, Co-rector of The Church of St. Paul in the Desert in Palm Springs and The Rev. Hannah Wilder, Vicar of St. Mary’s-in-the-Valley in Ramona)