Daily Press Briefing

Today's Briefers

Deputy - Dr. Anita George - Diocese of Mississippi
Deputy - The Rev. Jim Simons - Diocese of Pittsburgh (Vice Chair of Dispatch)
Canon Robert Williams
Bishop Chilton Kundsen - Diocesan Bishop of Maine
Bishop George Counsell - Diocesan Bishop of New Jersey

The briefing opens with announcements.

Today there on nominees for the President of the House of Deputies. There is only one candidate, Bonnie Anderson, from the Dicese of Michigan and is currently the Vice President of the House of Deputies. Though she is a lay person, she was the former Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of Michigan.

The deadline is 5:00 p.m. today for Resolutions and so far there is about 300 resolutions submitted so far.

Barbara Brown Taylor did not give up the priesthood, but left parish ministry - despite what USA Today said in yesterday's edition.

What is meant to come forward in the House of BIshops - They are in private session this afternoon (this use to be called "Table Talk") and "talk in together in some great depth," said the Bishop of Maine. They will do this for thirty to forty minutes.

Jim Simons said that unlike the House of Bishops, the Deputies are elected for legislation. The House of Bishops spends more time together and is a smaller house.

George Warner yesterday in the House of Deputies directed the attention of the House to all the flags in the back of the House that represent all the nations that are represented in the Episcopal Church and that it's not just American. Note: Here's another example of how "TEC" (formerly known as ECUSA, formerly known as PECUSA) wants to project an image that it's "Mini Me."

Jim says that the committee chairs are directed to go through "non-controversial" legislation first to submit to the Houses before tackling the controversial legislation.

Yesterday, the Archbishop of York read a statement from the Archbishop of Canterbury in the House of Bishops. He was also greeted in the House of Deputies.

Zzzzzz ....

It is great, though, to see Jim Simons again (aka "Rocky"). He was the second Episcopal Deputy I ever met (the first was John Guernsey) at my first General Convention in 1994.

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