DioCal’s Juneteenth Feast Day Celebration

Jun 18, 2024 | #Stories

Article by Canon for Communications Stephanie Martin Taylor
Photos by the Rev. Debbie Low-Skinner and Canon Stephanie Martin Taylor

Thank you to all who participated in the third annual Diocesan Juneteenth Feast Day Celebration at St. Paul’s, Oakland. This joyous and meaningful service was organized by the Northern California/Vivian Traylor chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) and the Diocesan Afro Anglican Commission. The St. Paul’s congregation, under the direction of its rector, the Rev. Dr. Mauricio Wilson, were gracious hosts, and we are grateful for their efforts in hosting the large numbers who gathered to worship and celebrate.

In his sermon, Bishop Austin paid homage to those who suffered under the dehumanizing tyranny of slavery, lamented the continued discrimination and dehumanization their ancestors suffered following emancipation, and acknowledged how, in these polarizing times, “it feels like our common humanity is still up for debate.”

Bishop Austin said that, though the news is disheartening and our world can feel increasingly isolated, we can be part of the movement to repair the breach. He encouraged those listening to “begin with yourself and begin with community”  by “being open to God and deepening your discipleship with Jesus.”

Through our church communities, he added, we can create centers of community gathering and transformation. “We can share communion together, we can march together, we can serve our neighborhoods together, we can partner with other churches and other organizations to improve life in our part of the Bay and beyond,” he said.

*Note: We apologize to those who tried to join the service via the DioCal YouTube livestream. Our multicam streaming system unexpectedly shut down when we started the live broadcast on YouTube. We will share the transcription of the iPhone recording of Bishop Austin’s sermon once it’s completed. Thank you!

 

Sermon by Bishop Austin at DioCal’s 3rd annual Juneteenth feast day celebration on June 15, 2024.

 

Sermon Transcript:

Read the sermon!

Real help for real people in Gaza

Real help for real people in Gaza

Jun 18, 2024 | #Stories

A message from the Rev Mark E. Stanger

Not long ago, Bishop Marc and the Diocesan Convention named me Canon Missioner to the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, and I served there for two and half years. I also have been a trustee of the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (AFED) and have visited Gaza three times in my adult life.

Many have expressed a desire to do something––anything––in response to the months of widespread displacement, death, life-altering injuries, destruction, human suffering, and growing despair in Gaza. The Grace Cathedral community and Bishop Marc have already generously responded to an appeal from one young couple who met and married during their university years in Gaza. They built a home, each entrepreneurially started small businesses, and are raising two young daughters.

If you would like to be part of what we pray will be their lifeline to rebuild their life outside of Gaza, you may give directly to their GoFundMe appeal: Marwan, Razan and their daughters. A report from NPR tells about the expensive process to get to safety in Egypt (it’s legit; I personally know three people who have done it). I think DioCal can bring them to their goal!

Other ways to help include supporting the Episcopal Church’s Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, the first Gaza medical center hit (twice) by bombing last fall and whose staff courageously set up a mobile clinic down in Rafah two months ago. Tax-deductible donation through the U.S. 501-3c “American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem” in the link.

Keep praying for peace with justice in every corner of our world.

The Rev. Mark E. Stanger

GoFundMe donation link
Episcopal Church’s Ahli Hospital in Gaza City donation link

General Convention and its role in the life of The Episcopal Church

Jun 18, 2024 | #GeneralConvention, #Stories

The Episcopal Church’s General Convention will meet for the 81st time June 23- 28 in Louisville, Kentucky at the Kentucky International Convention Center. If you’re asking, “So, what is this exactly, and what does it have to do with me?”, you’re not alone. General Convention can feel as far removed from people in local churches as Congress does from everyday life. But the role it plays impacts a lot of what Episcopalians see and do in their local churches.

Let’s look at three questions:
1. What is General Convention? 2. What does it do?
3. Why does it matter?

What is General Convention?

General Convention is the highest decision-making body in The Episcopal Church. Normally it meets every three years, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting that was to have taken place in 2021 was moved to 2022 and was shortened to four legislative days. In 2024, it will meet for six legislative days, although other activities take place before the convention officially gets underway.

It’s been around long time, dating to the period when The Episcopal Church was getting formed just two years after the end of the American War of Independence. In 1785, laymen and clergy from six states (Delaware, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia) gathered as the first General Convention to start forming an Anglican church for the new United States, naming it the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The new U.S. church had only one bishop then, Samuel Seabury, so they couldn’t form a House of Bishops until two other bishops were consecrated in 1787. In that year, General Convention adopted the structure of the church we have today and approved the church’s first Book of Common Prayer.

It has two houses, like Congress – the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops – and members of both houses have been elected by their diocesan conventions. Not every denomination elects the people who serve at the highest legislative level, but The Episcopal Church does. Each house meets separately and has its own officers, and legislation must pass both houses with the same language for it to take effect.

It’s big. The House of Deputies includes four lay people and four clergy from each diocese – and there are 110 dioceses. So, its membership is close to 900 people – and yes, it takes a really big room to accommodate everyone! It also will include 18 young people – two from each of the nine provinces of The Episcopal Church – who make up the Official Youth Presence. They will have seat and voice but cannot vote but nevertheless, they play an important role in sharing ideas with deputies.

The House of Bishops is made up of all active and retired bishops, although many retired bishops don’t attend – those who regularly participate currently are about 300 bishops.

But General Convention is more than just legislation. It also includes official worship services, a large exhibit hall where groups around the church can show people who they are and offer items for sale, and a special day camp for children. Other groups around the church – like organizations and seminaries – have their own events, and it often feels like a big reunion.

A revival is scheduled to take place the night before the convention officially begins at the KFC YUM! Center, usually the site of concerts, ice shows and athletic events, including games of the men’s and women’s basketball teams of the University of Louisville.

In addition, the Episcopal Church Women hold their Triennial meeting concurrently with General Convention, and this year will mark the organization’s 150th anniversary as a ministry within The Episcopal Church.

What does General Convention do?

Its purpose is to pass legislation that affects the church – everything from stating the church’s position on things like immigration and the death penalty, to changing canons on clergy conduct and what Bible translations are authorized for use in public worship. Proposed legislation, called resolutions, can come from bishops, deputies, diocesan conventions or from the task forces and commissions that meet between conventions.

All resolutions are referred to one of the convention legislative committees. Deputies and bishops have their own committees on various topics but meet together. Committees are required to conduct an open hearing on every resolution assigned to them. People can sign up to speak on those topics, and the public is welcome to be present.

This year’s convention is following a format that was adopted for the shortened convention in 2022 of having legislative committees meet online before the start of General Convention to hear testimony on proposed resolutions. Anyone can sign up to testify or just observe legislative committee meetings.

After being considered by a committee, every resolution then starts in one of the two houses where it is voted on, either individually or, in the case of resolutions that appear to be non- controversial, grouped into a consent calendar. If a resolution passes both houses with the same language, it then takes effect.

Why does it matter?

Some crucial elements of the life of The Episcopal Church and Episcopalians come from actions of General Convention. This year there is a major one – the election of a new presiding bishop. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry concludes his nine-year term this year, and his successor will be chosen from among the list of nominees. The House of Bishops will meet at Christ Church

Cathedral on June 26 at 11 a.m. to elect the next presiding bishop, and then it is up to the House of Deputies to ratify (or decline) that election.

But General Convention is responsible for many other actions that affect all Episcopalians. Here are some major ones:

  • Deciding the text of the Book of Common Prayer, as well as supplemental liturgical materials, like the Book of Occasional Services. It also decides what goes into The Hymnal, as well as what other musical resources are authorized.
  • Setting the calendar of saints, currently called Lesser Feasts and Fasts. This year, bishops and deputies will vote on adding feast days for Harriet Tubman and the Consecration of Barbara Harris, among others.
  • Creating the process for being ordained a deacon, priest or bishop. In 1976 General Convention recognized that women could be ordained, and the first out gay bishop was welcomed in 2003.
  • Providing parameters for marriage in the church, which now require all dioceses to make provision for marriage of same-sex couples.
  • Deciding the process for identifying and dealing with clergy misconduct and protecting all church members through required Safe Church training.
  • Defining the physical boundaries of every diocese and setting up mechanisms for a diocese to split or merge with another. It also decides what dioceses are part of The Episcopal Church. This year it will vote on the juncture of the Dioceses of Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan into the Diocese of the Great Lakes, as well as the reunion of the three dioceses in Wisconsin (Milwaukee, Fond du Lac and Eau Claire) into one Diocese of Wisconsin.
  • Declaring when The Episcopal Church is in full communion with another Christian body. The Episcopal Church currently is in full communion with six other churches, and this year, a resolution proposes establishing full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria.

Want to be part of this year’s General Convention?

If you want to follow along closely, sessions of General Convention will be livestreamed, with links available closer to its start in late June.

In addition, anyone can serve as one of the many volunteers that help General Convention run smoothly. Volunteers may serve for as little as a half a day or for multiple shifts over many days.

– Information provided by freelance reporter Melodie Woerman and Cynde Bimbi, director of communications and public relations for the Episcopal Church in Delaware.

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SFIC Thanks Winter Shelter Hosts and Retiring Officers 

SFIC Thanks Winter Shelter Hosts and Retiring Officers 

Jun 18, 2024 | #Stories

Story by Michael Pappas, SFIC Executive Director, and The Rev. Low-Skinner
Photos by Michael Pappas and Rev. Debbie Low-Skinner 

[June 13, 2024 ] As the Psalmist proclaimed, “How good and pleasant it is for sisters and brothers to dwell together in unity!” After four years in Zoom exile, the San Francisco Interfaith Council (SFIC) returned to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church’s Heritage Hall to express gratitude and honor the 35th Anniversary S.F. Interfaith Winter Shelter host sites and meal provider partners. The hosts/sites/partners included: Episcopal Community Services, Canon Kip Center, St. Mary’s Cathedral, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, St. John’s Armenian Orthodox Church, First Unitarian Universalist Church, Knights of St. Francis, Presbyterian Church of Chinatown, Temple United Methodist Church, Congregation Sherif Israel, and the San Francisco Islamic School. 

Special thanks to Ground Floor Public Affairs for hosting the breakfast and to its founder and principal Alex Tourk for the inspiring presentation on his visionary passion project 2000opendoors.org to find innovative ways to house the homeless. 

Following the Recognition Reception, the SFIC Board met for its Annual Meeting, passed its 2024-2025 Budget, elected new Board Members and Officers, and expressed appreciation to those who completed their terms! 

Ground Floor Public Affairs founder Alex Tourk

SFIC Executive Director Michael Pappas

SFIC Board of Directors (front row/left holding certificates of appreciation are the Rev. Vanessa Southern, The Rev. Cn. Debra Low-Skinner, and Wilma Batiste; front row/far right are Michael Pappas and new SFIC Board Chair Fr. Mesrop Ash)

Retiring Chair: The Rev. Vanessa Southern of the First Unitarian Universalist Church 

Vice Chair: The Rev. Cn. Debra Low-Skinner, Episcopal Diocese of California 

Secretary: Wilma Batiste, Neighborhood Baptist Church 

Incoming Chair: Fr. Mesrop Ash, St. John’s Armenian Orthodox Church 

Vice Chair: Derick Brown, University of San Francisco 

Secretary: Col. Deborah Dacumos, St. Dominic’s Catholic Church 

The symbolism of Kente cloth

The symbolism of Kente cloth

Jun 11, 2024 | #Stories

At our Juneteenth Diocesan Feast this Saturday, we will be using Kente cloth as part of the service vestments.  Kente cloth has been in use for close to 1000 years. Originating in Ghana in the 12th century, the name Kente is derived from the Ewe and Akan people’s word “Kenten” which translates to basket and refers to the intricate patterns and designs of the cloth. Kente cloth was reserved for use by royalty until Ghana’s independence in 1958, when it gained popularity as a symbol of political strength and power and was worn by the general public.

“Kente is a meaningful sartorial device, as every aspect of its aesthetic design is intended as communication. The colors of the cloth each hold symbolism:

  • gold – status/serenity, royalty
  • yellow – fertility,
  • green – renewal, growth
  • blue – pure spirit/harmony, peace
  • red – passion, blood
  • black – union with ancestors/spiritual awareness.”[1]
  • white – purity, festive occasions
  • purple or maroon: Mother Earth, healing
  • pink – femininity

Kente cloth grew in popularity around the world around the 1960s as African countries gained their independence and in the United States during the civil rights movement. In 1958 President Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president after independence, wore a Kente cloth stole to his meeting with President Eisenhower. Wearing Kente stole became more popular after President Nkrumah gave Muhammed Ail a stole during his visit to Ghana in 1964.

Episcopal Bishop Barbara Harris [3]

During the civil rights movement, Kente cloth became a symbol of solidarity in the fight for freedom, justice, and equality for Black people and people of color in the United States and as a way of showing solidarity with the struggles of allied brothers and sisters across the globe. It became a symbol that connected people of African descent with the continent, the motherland. Today, Kente cloth is worn by people of the African Diaspora as a symbol of connection and, as a way to celebrate heritage, whether at graduations, weddings, or holiday events such as Juneteenth.

Kente cloth was first introduced to The Episcopal Church as part of the bishop’s vestments for the ordination of Bishop Barbara Harris in 1988. Her vestments were full-cut, off-white silk made with special rose-colored women weave Kente cloth from Ghana. Bishop’s Harris ordination was so significant that many women preparing for ordination requested small remnants of the fabric to incorporate into their vestments.[2]

Recently, at our Diocesan Bishop’s Ordination service on May 3, the Afro-Anglican Commission and the Northern California Vivian Traylor Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians presented the Rt. Rev. Austin Keith Rios, Bishop Co-adjutor, with a bishop’s Kente cloth stole.

In February 2024, during the Absalom Jones service at St. Adian’s, San Francisco, Bishop Marc Handley Andrus was presented with a bishop’s shirt with a Kente cloth collar.

For the 2024 Juneteenth Service, and for future services that honor the contributions of African Americans in The Episcopal Church, the altar will be dressed with Kente cloth, and many clergy members will wear either red or Kente cloth stoles. The Northern California/Vivian Traylor chapter of UBE received a very generous gift from St. Gregory of Nyssa and the Rev. Paul Fromberg of an Ethiopian Processional cross draped with Kente cloth. This cross will be used during the Juneteenth service. It is another way to commemorate and honor the saints of Ebony hue, who have led us thus far by faith.

We hope to see you at this year’s Juneteenth Service at St. Paul’s Oakland at 11:00 am this Saturday. All clergy are welcome to vest and process. (see Eventbrite info here).

   

[1] https://www.aaihs.org/the-history-and-significance-of-kente-cloth-in-the-black-diaspora/

[2]https://nationalaltarguildassociation.org/?p=389#:~:text=Bishop%20Harris’%20vestments%20were%20made,tell%20the%20old%2C%20old%20story.

[3] Episcopal Bishop Barbara Harris (Steve Liss/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images)

General Convention Basics: A Conversation between an experienced General Convention Deputy and a first-timer

General Convention Basics: A Conversation between an experienced General Convention Deputy and a first-timer

Jun 7, 2024 | #GeneralConvention, #Stories

Pictured: First Row (left to right): Christopher Hayes, Debbie Low-Skinner, Warren Wong, Deb White, Laura Curlin, Karma Quick-Panwala Second Row: Cameron Partridge, Sarah Lawton, Emily Hopkins, Ron Hermanson, Ruth Myers, Mauricio Wilson, Eric Metoyer Third Row: Jennifer Nelson, Bishop Marc, Richard Edward Helmer, Joseph Dashiell, Bishop Austin. 

Quick topics:

If you’re interesetd in a specific topic discussed click on the question to jump to that section in the article

Introduction

The General Convention is the highest governing body of The Episcopal Church (TEC). It meets every three years and is made up of the Church’s bishops and elected lay and ordained deputies from each diocese. The 81st General Convention (GC) of The Episcopal Church will take place from June 20-28 in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Very Rev. Dr. Deb White is a first-time deputy to the General Convention this year. Sarah Lawton, Co-Chair of the DioCal Deputation, is a veteran of nine General Conventions. Being a General Convention Deputy is in her blood, as her mom, Nancy Luther Lawton, also attended five conventions!

When they talked recently, Sarah and Deb went over the overall structure and work of the General Convention, after which Deb had a lot of follow-up questions for Sarah, including trying to figure out exactly what a GC deputy does.

Deputies – representatives from all over the church – perform the work of church governance as part of the General Convention. There are two houses of representatives: The House of Bishops and The House of Deputies. In 2022 our Diocesan Convention elected sixteen people to serve as our deputation to the 81st General Convention. Eight deputies (four clergy/four lay) and eight alternates (four clergy/four lay), along with Bishop Marc and Bishop Austin, have been attending online committee meetings and hearings for several months in preparation for GC and will soon travel to Louisville to participate in the in-person event.

Since we are a people who believe in spiritual growth and learning, our system allows us to adapt to new information and changing times while protecting the foundations of our belief system. We do all this in community. It’s not always easy, and it can be complicated. The simplest way to explain our governance system is like this: A local congregation is like a city and the Rector/Vicar is the Mayor and the Vestry/Bishop’s Committee (BC) is the City Council. The Deanery is like a County and the Diocese resembles state governance. Management at each of these levels of “church,” is different; the larger the number of parishes and people involved, the more complex the system becomes.

Q&A with Deb & Sarah

Deb: I am a life-long Episcopalian and have served in several capacities in Diocesan leadership, but being a member of a General Convention Deputation has the toughest learning curve I have encountered. Can you explain what deputation members do?

Sarah: Deputies attend the General Convention in person, which is a commitment of about a week of vacation time for many of us. Our big responsibility is to sit on the floor of the House of Deputies and vote on resolutions, canon (rule) changes, and public policy statements, all of which clarify our beliefs and dictate how we do things.

In recent conventions, we have had over 400 resolutions! Many of these are voted on via a daily consent calendar; others are debated on the floor of the House. Ultimately, resolutions must pass in identical form in both the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. Deputies also vote in elections, such as selecting a President and Vice-President of the House of Deputies (kind of like the Senior and Junior Wardens of TEC). It’s quite a responsibility. And although the House of Bishops is responsible for electing the Presiding Bishop every nine years, the House of Deputies must confirm that election.

To prepare for all this work, deputies read the so-called Blue Book of reports that provide information on the work that has happened since the last Convention. The Blue Book has hundreds of pages of reports. We also have to be familiar with the Rules of Order for the House of Deputies and the Constitution and Canons of the Church.

Deputies also serve on legislative committees that hold hearings on proposed resolutions and perfect and recommend action on them. For this convention, most public hearings have been held on Zoom for the last several months. Hearings are open to all, not just deputies.

To your point about the learning curve, then, the simple answer is that deputies are stepping up to governance for the whole Episcopal Church. The House of Deputies has over 800 members representing over 100 dioceses – one of the largest continuing legislative bodies in the world. There is a curve in learning how it all works, and there is also a curve in getting to know deputies from other dioceses.

Deb: Okay, speaking of deputies, here is a simple question. Why are we “deputies” and not “delegates”?

Sarah: The House of Deputies is the first and senior house as it was first formed, with the House of Bishops added four years later. The term originates from the Latin deputare, meaning “to ponder.” This reminds us to prayerfully listen to others and be led by the Holy Spirit.

Deb: What kinds of committees do deputies serve on?

 Sarah: There are 25 legislative committees which are responsible for covering specific areas. Legislative committee members and officers are appointed by the President of the House of Deputies. About half of the House of Deputies are asked to serve on a committee. Currently, nine of our sixteen deputies serve on committees, with three acting as Vice-Chairs and one as the Chair.

We also assign deputies to attend committee meetings that are working on issues that the deputation has agreed are important to the Diocese of California, leading to more meeting hours!

Deb: If the General Convention is every three years, doesn’t that mean the deputies only work for a couple of months? Why don’t we just elect them for the year of the GC?

Sarah: General Convention deputies serve continuously until a new deputation is elected. In DioCal, we elect two years before the General Convention and we use that long runway to bring new deputies and alternates up to speed, discuss priorities for our deputation, and sometimes propose diocesan convention resolutions to bring to the General Convention. Just before we go to the Convention, we try to meet with our bishop(s) to discuss our work and hear from them. During the Convention itself, we caucus just about every day to discuss what is happening in committee and on the floor.

Deb: What do you think people should think about when they vote for deputies? How can they know what work that person may need to be able to do?

Sarah: That’s a great question! We’re very glad that our deputation as a whole is fairly diverse across a variety of metrics (gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, age), so that’s one factor, to elect deputies who can bring different experience and voices to the table. Overall, I would say we want to elect deputies who are enthusiastic about church governance and can be faithful to the work of the church in its various dimensions.

Deb: Is there ranking among the deputies? What is the difference between a “deputy” and an “alternate”?

Sarah: Deputies get the badge to sit on the floor of the House (in chairs!) and vote. Alternates are elected to fill in for the deputies when needed.  In DioCal, we work as a team, meaning that all our deputies and alternates help with our work.

Deb: If people don’t want to follow all the General Convention news but are very interested in certain topics – like the election of the Presiding Bishop, changes in liturgy and issues in the news – how can they do that?

Sarah: The General Convention website is a great first stop for information. Our wonderful DioCal Canon for Communications, Stephanie Martin-Taylor, will be in Louisville with us and she’ll be reporting about what’s happening in the DioCal newsletter and on our social media. Episcopal News Service, which is a daily online newsletter that you can subscribe to, will be reporting every day as well.

Deb: Can people contact the deputies? How can they know which deputy is working on what issues?

Sarah: You can contact us through the two co-chairs, The Very Rev. Eric Metoyer (Metoyer.ericm82@gmail.com) or me, Sarah Lawton (SarahELawton@gmail.com). If you are interested in a particular issue, we can direct you to the person working on it. We are happy to work with you.

The DioCal Deputation is:

Laura Curlin (Lay Deputy), Member, Evangelism and Future Church Legislative Committee
Joseph Dashiell (Lay Alternate), covering Governance and Structure
Christopher Hayes (Lay Deputy), Chair, Title IV Disciplinary Canons Legislative Committee
The Rev. Richard Helmer (Clergy Deputy), Vice-Chair, Resolution Review Legislative Committee
Ron Hermanson (Lay Alternate), Covering Congregational Vitality
Emily Hopkins (Lay Alternate), Covering Environmental Stewardship and Care of Creation
Sarah Lawton (Lay Deputy), Lay Co-Chair of the DioCal Deputation and member of the Stewardship and Socially Responsible Investing Legislative Committee
The Rev. Debbie Low-Skinner (Clergy Alternate), Covering Racial Truth-telling, Reckoning, and Hearing
The Very Rev. Eric Metoyer, (Clergy Deputy), Clergy Co-Chair of the DioCal Deputation and Vice-Chair of the Evangelism and Future Church Legislative Committee
The Rev. Dr. Ruth Meyers (Clergy Deputy), Vice-Chair of the Prayer Book, Liturgy and Music Legislative Committee and Candidate for the Vice-President of the House of Deputies
Jennifer Nelson (Lay Alternate), Covering Social Justice and US policy
The Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge (Clergy Alternate) Member, Resolution Review Legislative Committee
Karma Quick-Panwala (Lay Alternate), Member, Resolution Review Legislative Committee
The Very Rev. Dr. Deb White, (Clergy Deputy), Member, Safety, Wellness, and Mental Health Legislative Committee
The Rev. Dr. Mauricio Wilson (Clergy Alternate), Covering Agencies and Boards
Warren Wong (Lay Deputy, Coordinating resolution tracking and testimony

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Marc H. Andrus, Bishop Diocesan
The Rt. Rev. Austin K. Rios, Bishop Coadjutor