From Lee Shaw

This General Convention has a very different feel for me. On the one hand there is a different sense of "spirit" about the place, more confident and anticipatory. It is on the other hand a lot busier for me. I have been appointed to the Prayer Book, Liturgy and Music Committee. Given all of the liturgical changes this year this has been a very active committee and I have greatly enjoyed the discussions and hearings. Hopefully General Convention will approve for "trial use" a substitute for Lesser Feasts and Fasts called Holy Women, Holy Men: a Celebration of Saints. It will have considerable changes in it for our weekly remembrance of the saints. But it will also include specific ways for the church as a whole to give input to the names, collects, lessons, etc of folks listed. This is one thing I have strongly urged and supported in the committee, that the broader church also have input into this publication, not just General Convention.

Upcoming on Saturday will be the hearing with the committee on the Utah and Montana resolutions on prayers of Companion Animals. I have been walking all around convention looking for folks with service animals and have found several. I am hopeful that our committee hearing will have a lot of furry, four-legged witnesses to ministry to show the committee the need for and importance of this resolution. Brad Wirth, formally of Utah and now in Montana, has been very helpful in working on this resolution.

Upcoming will be Rachel's Tears, Hannah's Hopes, a compilation of prayers, litanies and liturgies for a variety of family issues, joys, losses and griefs. We have just begun our conversations and hearings on this.

Also will be the various resolutions on same sex blessing of unions and marriage. That will be a very interesting and vocal piece of our work together.

I have also been working with the Chicago Consultation who has partnered with Integrity on issues around glbt concerns and issues. I have been very encouraged and impressed with the energy, organization, hope and work that these groups bring to our life at General Convention.

I have great hopes for our 76th General Convention.

Lee Shaw