Although I’ve been a second alternate lay deputy since the beginning of Convention, I only joined the delegation full time yesterday morning. Since the opening of Convention, I had been one of the adult leaders for the Anaheim Adventure, a visit of Diocesan youth to Anaheim and General Convention. It was interesting to straddle both roles, to see convention through my own eyes and through the eyes of our youth. I think the journey transformed us all.
Karen Van Winkle, our amazing Diocesan youth coordinator organized the trip. Nine adults joined 38 high school students-ranging from entering freshmen to graduated seniors getting ready for college-on a 14 hour bus ride from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles. Once here, we crashed at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Glendale, sleeping on their parish hall floor and generally creating chaos in a lovely church. Their youth director, Rev. Earl Gibson, was an outstanding host, making sure that everyone was having fun and that the slushee machine was always full!
New Insight #1: Every parish should have a slushee machine.
The trip was a combination of service, learning, worship, and fun. We spent time volunteering at two area food banks (LA and Orange County) and put the kids to work! We also helped beautify a youth leader and retreat house for the local Diocese. We spent several half days at General Convention. Our youth were able to watch debate in the House of Deputies on Resolution D025, as well as discussions in the House of Bishops, they volunteered for the United Thank Offering crew, and they had a ball collecting pins and browsing Episcopal material culture in the exhibition hall. A number of them covered their shirts with buttons, making a kind of Episcopal armor. We attended the huge Sunday Eucharist at convention, and many of our youth attended Morning Prayer at St. Mark’s and our own occasional Compline services. We also had time for a beach party with fish (and other) tacos, and, of course, a day at Disneyland!
New Insight #2: Sand is an interesting condiment.
There was lots of time for learning. Many students had never witnessed parliamentary procedure before, which made for a number of interesting conversations with us adults. Myself, I’ve seen parliamentary procedure, but never run as precisely as here. We desperately tried to understand the arcane communication style and explain it to our youth. I think most were stunned (and probably bored) by the slow, painful, but necessary and important way that large communities conduct fair deliberations and make collective decisions. It was good for them to be introduced to this fundamental process of our church. My impression was that they all had strong feelings about the inclusion of LGBT members in our church, and they were very interested and engaged in the debate on Resolution D025. They live in a world where argument is highly valued, and I think it was good for them to see both the argument and the emotions that surround this particular issue. We had good conversations about how assumptions and belief shape ideas. It was also good for them to see and hear that there are others who do not share their views.
New Insight #3: Nothing makes a room full of people groan like “Madame Chair, I rise to offer an amendment to the amendment.”
The overall experience clearly made an impression on them all. We had a group debriefing in the choir of St. Mark’s Glendale on Sunday night. We asked them for their high and low points, and I was touched by how many found the Convention, and particularly the Sunday Eucharist the high point, beating out the beach! I think they all grew and learned from the experience.
I also learned from our youth. I was inspired by their fierce sense of justice and equality. I do think that living in communities and our church requires us all to learn to channel that drive for justice from emotion into productive conversation. We have to learn to listen to those we disagree with, to not lash out with words or fists, and to think about the larger context of our cherished beliefs and issues. I’ve spent a lot of my adult life learning to do this. Our youth, though, helped re-ignite in me that sense of justice to which we are all called, to hold onto that drive even while trying to use it positively for the greater good. I have a new understanding of Jesus’ call to us to “turn and become like children” (Matthew 18:3).
New Insight #4: Seek justice, as our youth yearn for justice.
Karen Van Winkle, our amazing Diocesan youth coordinator organized the trip. Nine adults joined 38 high school students-ranging from entering freshmen to graduated seniors getting ready for college-on a 14 hour bus ride from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles. Once here, we crashed at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Glendale, sleeping on their parish hall floor and generally creating chaos in a lovely church. Their youth director, Rev. Earl Gibson, was an outstanding host, making sure that everyone was having fun and that the slushee machine was always full!
New Insight #1: Every parish should have a slushee machine.
The trip was a combination of service, learning, worship, and fun. We spent time volunteering at two area food banks (LA and Orange County) and put the kids to work! We also helped beautify a youth leader and retreat house for the local Diocese. We spent several half days at General Convention. Our youth were able to watch debate in the House of Deputies on Resolution D025, as well as discussions in the House of Bishops, they volunteered for the United Thank Offering crew, and they had a ball collecting pins and browsing Episcopal material culture in the exhibition hall. A number of them covered their shirts with buttons, making a kind of Episcopal armor. We attended the huge Sunday Eucharist at convention, and many of our youth attended Morning Prayer at St. Mark’s and our own occasional Compline services. We also had time for a beach party with fish (and other) tacos, and, of course, a day at Disneyland!
New Insight #2: Sand is an interesting condiment.
There was lots of time for learning. Many students had never witnessed parliamentary procedure before, which made for a number of interesting conversations with us adults. Myself, I’ve seen parliamentary procedure, but never run as precisely as here. We desperately tried to understand the arcane communication style and explain it to our youth. I think most were stunned (and probably bored) by the slow, painful, but necessary and important way that large communities conduct fair deliberations and make collective decisions. It was good for them to be introduced to this fundamental process of our church. My impression was that they all had strong feelings about the inclusion of LGBT members in our church, and they were very interested and engaged in the debate on Resolution D025. They live in a world where argument is highly valued, and I think it was good for them to see both the argument and the emotions that surround this particular issue. We had good conversations about how assumptions and belief shape ideas. It was also good for them to see and hear that there are others who do not share their views.
New Insight #3: Nothing makes a room full of people groan like “Madame Chair, I rise to offer an amendment to the amendment.”
The overall experience clearly made an impression on them all. We had a group debriefing in the choir of St. Mark’s Glendale on Sunday night. We asked them for their high and low points, and I was touched by how many found the Convention, and particularly the Sunday Eucharist the high point, beating out the beach! I think they all grew and learned from the experience.
I also learned from our youth. I was inspired by their fierce sense of justice and equality. I do think that living in communities and our church requires us all to learn to channel that drive for justice from emotion into productive conversation. We have to learn to listen to those we disagree with, to not lash out with words or fists, and to think about the larger context of our cherished beliefs and issues. I’ve spent a lot of my adult life learning to do this. Our youth, though, helped re-ignite in me that sense of justice to which we are all called, to hold onto that drive even while trying to use it positively for the greater good. I have a new understanding of Jesus’ call to us to “turn and become like children” (Matthew 18:3).
New Insight #4: Seek justice, as our youth yearn for justice.
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