And then there was none.
The last day of General Convention was a blur--as it always is.  Perhaps the resolution with the biggest impact is to reduce the giving from dioceses to the Episcopal Church gradually to 15% by 2019.  There is consequence to the dioceses who do not give at that level that year.

Michael Curry preached a stirring sermon on the last day. He will be a dynamic Presiding Bishop. The installation for him is November 1 at the National Cathedral.

I got home from Salt Lake very tired but glad to have been part of history in electing Michael Curry and also renewed from seeing the wideness of the Church.

The legislation from General Convention doesn't take effect until Advent I of this year so there is some time to sort out what happened.

I am grateful to our deputation who took their job seriously and engaged the issues fully.

I am also looking forward to being home for awhile and not being in meetings that last from dawn to night.

I am glad to have gone but more glad to be home.  This was a good convention. Be proud of your Church.

+Porter

Friday

And then there was one. There is a kind of frenetic energy that happens as General Convention winds down. We look at the clock and look at the legislation and it's like those nights in college when your paper was due the next day and you are hoping you can drink enough coffee to get inspired.

Perhaps the most consequential legislation yesterday was to change the diocesan apportionment. Currently it is 19% but in 2016 it will be 18%; 2017= 16.5% and 2018= 15%.  Not paying the 15% in 2019 means that dioceses cannot get any grants from the Episcopal Church (like our Mission Enterprise Zone which funds Kairos West).

We also passed  a budget which has many exciting block grants---to work on racism and to start new churches and to promote evangelism.

Today will be a flurry. We start with Presiding Bishop Elect Michael Curry preaching at the Eucharist and then hunker down at our tables until 6:00 when we are all done.

It has been an exhausting Convention but a productive and even inspiring one. As always I will be more than glad to come home.

+Porter

Wednesday

Today was such a intense rich day.
We had a common budget meeting and the recommendations showed how much change the Convention is considering. We have allocated $2 million dollars for grants to address racial injustice and reconciliation.  The budget calls to lower all diocesan assessments to 15%--but find a way to enforce this.

Before this there have been about 15 Standing Commissions during the triennium. This is lowered to two. Everything else will be task forces that can address particular issues but do not have to exist when the need disappears.

The movement at the Convention is to find a way to streamline the Church structure to allow us to respond to the times in which we live.

I am disappointed that we are not shortening Convention nor are we making it smaller, but I am only one vote.

The Rev. Becca Stevens gave a sermon that rocked the house. Clearly the Holy Spirit was upon her. Go to Episcopal News Service and look for it.

Last night the Diocese of Utah presented a display of the culture here--song and dance. It was wonderful and made me want to bring a drum home (but then there is the airplane baggage thing).

Two days left but whose counting?
+Porter