Pre-Convention Letter
June 7, 2006
As I prepare to leave for the seventy-fifth General Convention of the Episcopal Church, I ask for your prayers for all who will be making decisions on behalf of our Church, especially our eight deputies and me.
For General Convention, we have created a special section for regular updates from Episcopal News Service, a daily diary of my experiences and what has been accomplished, and posts from our deputies. As with all General Conventions, our gathering will be an enormous assembly from around the world of those who follow Jesus as Lord within the Episcopal Church. We will do Bible Study, celebrate the Eucharist, elect a new Presiding Bishop, work at renewing the Church, and consider a host of resolutions.
Attention will be paid to how our General Convention addresses the work of the Special Commission on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, which has offered eleven resolutions as a response to the Windsor Report. I believe that this commission’s work will allow us to move the Windsor Process forward as an Episcopal Church and as a part of the Anglican Communion.
At times debate will be impassioned. Some will be pleased with the results of our work on this and other issues; others will be disappointed in equal measure. As usually happens, the outside media and those with particular perspectives will accentuate differences.
The winds of the Holy Spirit will be upon us in our work, that is part of God’s promise to us. We will speak in many tongues; we must pray for ears to understand through abiding patience and faithfulness. Upon my return, I have scheduled three meetings throughout the Diocese to debrief on the convention. The Deputies will join me for these occasions as their schedules permit.
Thursday, July 6 7:00 p.m. St. Margaret’s, Palm Dessert Saturday, July 8 9:30 a.m. St. Paul’s Cathedral, San Diego Thursday, July 13 7:00 p.m. Trinity, Escondido
I look forward to our next meeting,
Faithfully,
The Right Reverend James R. Mathes Episcopal Bishop of San Diego