Tuesday, June 23, 2015

The Most Important Action at GC78?

What do you think the most important or ground-breaking action will be when all is said and done at the 78th General Convention? It is early...Convention doesn't even start until tomorrow, but I have a nomination for most important action. Going green--no paper being distributed...at all!

Looking for a paper bulletin for one of the worship services? Well, unless someone prints one for you or you print your own from the already-posted PDFs, you won't find one. Every deputy and bishop has been given an iPad for the duration of General Convention. These "binders" have been specially prepared so the only materials issued by GC, such as resolutions and worship bulletins, can live on them. Updates will be wirelessly transferred to our binders as needed. 

In a conversation that I had with a bishop today, I learned that the cost of the iPads, and that's hundreds of iPads, and the cost of the wifi and electrical outlets at all of our tables in the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops, all of that cost is still less than what it would cost to print all of these documents on paper. And that's just a bonus of course; the reason we do this is to be good stewards of the earth's resources. But still, money matters, and what incentive to many to consider this for their next conference. And what about going green at church? At my church, we send out our Sunday bulletin as a PDF a few days before the service. We have invited people to download it and use it during the service, but we still make paper bulletins, and we have not provided iPads. But maybe we will one day.