From ENS: Deputies leave historic meeting eager to discuss same-gender blessings with wider church

For the Diocese of Virginia, we were represented at the meeting by the Rev. Lynne Washington and Ms. Cindi Bartol.

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General Convention 2012 will consider Episcopal Church's next steps

By Mary Frances Schjonberg

[Episcopal News Service – Atlanta] Nearly 200 members of the Episcopal
Church House of Deputies left a historic March 18-19 churchwide
consultation on same-gender blessings here promising to tell their
colleagues and their dioceses about the work they did in preparation
for the 2012 General Convention.

The Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music invited one lay and one
clergy deputy from each of the church's 109 dioceses and three
regional areas to hear about and reflect on its work to date on the
mandate given to it in General Convention 2009 Resolution C056.

The resolution, passed in 2009, directed the SCLM to work with the
House of Bishops to collect and develop theological resources and
liturgies for blessing same-gender relationships. The commission is to
report to the 77th General Convention in 2012 in Indianapolis. SCLM
members have already reported to the House of Bishops on the
commission's work and the three bishops who serve on the SCLM (Tom Ely
of the Diocese of Vermont, Pierre Whalon of the Convocation of
Episcopal Churches in Europe and John McKee Sloan of the Diocese of
Alabama) said they will discuss the consultation with their colleagues
during the house's March 25-30 meeting.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_127644_ENG_HTM.htm