Churchwide Assembly Day One

FYI: I’ve discovered that wi-fi access for my laptop is extremely spotty in the convention center. So much so that my hopes of posting these blog posts in a timely manner have been dashed nicely. So I’ll put these up as quickly as I can each night. However, I’m in central time now, so I’m an hour behind my readers in York County and elsewhere on the East coast. If I post by 10:00pm (hypothetically) locally, it’ll go live in York at 11:00pm, likely after most folks are off to bed.

My day began with word that Delta Airlines had some manner of catastrophic failure of their computer systems. So I began with a prayer of thanks that it did not interfere with my plans. My flight into New Orleans last night was on Delta, so I dodged a bullet.

The view from my room on arrival.

I went from there to a brief visit to the famous (or infamous) French Quarter. As a first time visitor to The Big Easy, this was a treat. I wandered about for a couple of hours in 90+ degree heat, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of this place. I was astounded by the variety that saw around me. Every building was of a different design, some French, others Spanish, some old, others modern. Every block it seemed had a park with a fountain or a statue of some historical figure.

Some of the sights of the French Quarter

I found a reasonably inexpensive Cajun bistro to eat lunch and had a wondrous meal of red beans and rice. I’d read in several places that, according to tradition, red beans were cooked and eaten on Monday because it was an easy meal to prepare while other tasks, laundry in particular, were done. I decided to not buck this long standing tradition in my efforts to embrace this place. As they say, “when in Rome…” or in my case, “when in New Orleans…”

 I returned to my room, showered to wash off the sweat of my morning adventure, redressed, and headed out to the 14^th Triannual Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA. I arrived at the convention center via shuttle bus, got registered, and headed off into the assembly area for Orientation. While here, I touched base with my fellow LSS voting members including Bishop Dunlop.

Between Orientation and our opening worship, I went looking for people I knew: folks from my old synod of WV-WMD, people from seminary, and anyone else I might run into. I managed to see several old friends and two of my most beloved seminary professors (now enjoying well deserved retirement), Dr. Gordon Lathrop and Dr. Timothy Wengert. (I’ve since learned a third prof from LTSP will be here: Dr.  Paul Rajashakar, who taught me Systematics.)

Worship began next in the Great Hall, which was aptly named. The space was huge and it was filled with the over 1,000 attendees of this assembly. Streamers of red heralded the entrance of the gathered episcopacy of the ELCA; all the Bishops and Synod Vice Presidents processed into the worship space together. 

The Bishops gather around the font

The “chancel area” was marked by a screen that shifted images periodically throughout the worship service. One of the images stood out to me: what seemed to me to be a nebula star field. That image stuck with me. God is god of the universe, even across the vast stars and galaxies.

The starfield is somewhat visible in this shot.

Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton ran with that theme in her sermon. Preaching on Luke 4, Jesus’ first sermon in Nazareth, she pointed out how we so often forget that God is not our exclusive property, but is God of all things and all people. It was a powerful message for a church denomination that is the least ethnically diverse of any denomination in America.

Dinner followed thereafter and I joined with my friends from WV-WMD, including a lengthy conversation with Bishop Matthew Riegel regarding some of the upcoming memorials and resolutions. Of particular interest were the memorials on gun violence and on divestment of our moneys from fossil fuel stocks. Bp. Riegel made a persuasive argument (he’s good at that) for modifications to these memorials and I am eager to support any effort he might make later in the assembly in that regard.

The first plenary session followed after that. Most of this was, to be blunt, boring preliminary business. Approval of the rules, approval of the agenda, instruction on how to use the voting machines, quick primer on Robert’s Rules, and an introduction to two of the biggest items before the assembly. The first is the proposed change to the cumbersome lay roster of diaconal ministers, deaconesses, and associated of ministry into one unified roster of ministers of word and service called simply “deacons.” The other was a preliminary report on the Always Being Made New capital campaign, which appears to be doing swimmingly at its halfway point.

The first ballot for the ELCA Vice President followed. Like bishop’s elections, this election will take place via the complicated process known as the “ecclesiastical ballot,” taking several runoff votes until the field of nominees is narrowed down to one person. The VP is a lay person serving for a term of six years. The first ballot, which served as a nominating ballot, was conducted.

Our evening then concluded with brief worship and dismissal. We headed to the shuttle buses. I had been invited to an after-party of sorts in Bishop Dunlop’s room, but after discovering two nasty blisters on my feet from my day, I decided to retire. Walking on those the rest of the week will not be fun.

I’ll post day two tomorrow evening. God bless.