GC80 — Online Hearings Soon!
The Episcopal Church plans to hold its General Convention this summer (delayed from last year!). There’s a big innovation this time around: Committees that deal with the resolutions that will come before Convention are starting their work remotely, this winter and spring. That should make it possible for Convention itself to be a little shorter and more efficient… AND it offers more opportunity for interested folks in the Church at large to observe and participate. Committees will be holding hearings, in the second half of February and then again in the spring. (Here’s a post that I think lays out the whole process very helpfully.)
Here is the list of legislative committee meetings. If you would like to testify, you want to look for the ones that say “Open Hearing” under “Type”. Click on “More info” on the far right and it will tell you how to register to speak at the hearing. Any Episcopalian can come speak — you don’t have to be anyone official. These hearings are your chance to express your support or opposition to resolutions, or to suggest changes that would strengthen them. The committees will draw on your input as they continue to prepare the resolutions for Convention.
In order to have an impact and use everyone’s time well, you should show up familiar with the resolution you want to speak about, and clear on what you want to say about it! I believe there will be a time limit on each person’s testimony — I don’t know offhand what it is, but I thinks something on the order of 2 or 3 minutes. So, prepare!
Why would you want to testify? How can you find out what resolutions are in the works, that might touch on things you care about? The main place to look is the Convention’s Virtual Binder — funny name; it started out as a virtual replacement for a reputedly MASSIVE binders of resolution texts and other materials that deputies used to have to wrangle. You will find it here.
Click on Resolutions. That gets you to the master list. You can search by keyword if there’s an issue you’re curious about; or you can use the blue button that says “Committees” to get a list of the committees. Then you might, for example, click on “Social Justice and international Policy” to see what proposed resolutions are coming before that committee — and thus are reasonable for you to come to the hearing to speak about.
Next I’ll post about what I know is coming before the committee I’m serving on — Prayer Book, Liturgy, and Music.
