General Convention

Dear Friends,

Every three years General Convention, which is the governing body of the Episcopal Church, meets to consider new business and to review the status of items decided upon at previous meetings. Our 81st General Convention will take place June 23rd through 28th, in Louisville, Kentucky.

If you think back three years to the summer of 2021, you may recall we were right in the middle of COVID. In response to circumstances, GC80 met a year late and was shortened from ten to four legislative days. This year’s gathering will be particularly joyful, in that the community can once more come together without the constraints of pandemic. Visitors are welcome. There will be opportunities for public worship, and caucus meetings, festivals, and dinners are on the calendar.

There are other reasons for excitement about this upcoming GC and one of them is that a new Presiding Bishop will be elected. Michael Curry’s nine-year term is coming to a close. The Joint Nominating committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop surveyed the church asking what skills, qualities, and gifts were thought to be most import in the next Presiding Bishop. The results were published in a profile

document and a year ago members of the church were invited to suggest Bishops for consideration. From those submissions four Bishops were selected and will be nominated by the committee in Louisville. A fifth Bishop was added to the slate via the petition process, after having been vetted in the same way as the original four.

More information, along with short videos and biographical statements from each of the candidates, is available here-- https://generalconvention.org/nominees-for-the-28th-presiding-bishop/

If you would like to know more, check out the General Convention web site or consider joining the General Convention: Ask Me Anything Zoom with Bishop Susan Brown Snook, the Rev. Hannah Wilder, and Rachel Ambasing on May 29th at 5:30 pm.

Peace and Joy,

Mtr Katherine