First Meeting of the Deputation and Alternates

Great to be together.

Reflection about the meeting to be posted later. Names will be provided then.

Questions about General Convention

The General Convention website is very helpful. http://generalconvention.org/gc/index

For example, here you can find information about submitting resolutions.

A Very Sad Announcement from the Diocese of Virginia

April 7, 2011

Mr. Russell V. Palmore Jr., chancellor of the Diocese since 1987, died today following cataract surgery. A long-time member of St. Paul's, Richmond, Mr. Palmore was a towering leader in the Church, both in the Diocese and within the greater Episcopal Church. "Today, the Diocese joins in mourning the loss of one of our greatest leaders," said the Rt. Rev. Shannon S. Johnston, bishop. "Russ was a tremendous example of loyalty and dedication to the Episcopal Church."

Mr. Palmore represented Virginia as a lay deputy to General Convention for eight consecutive triennial Conventions from 1988-2009, and was elected to serve as deputy to the 2012 Convention. A former member of the Standing Committee and the Board of Church Schools in the Diocese of Virginia, he was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters by Virginia Theological Seminary in 2008.

"Russ maintained an unparalleled involvement in Church leadership throughout his life, back to the time that he served as a counselor and assistant director at St. George's Camp at Shrine Mont" said Bishop Johnston. "The Diocese of Virginia has been truly blessed by his continuous and unwavering support and work for the ministry of the Church."

Mr. Palmore was a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College and the University of Virginia School of Law, and was a long-timer partner at the Richmond law firm of Mays & Valentine, later known as Troutman Sanders.

Please keep his wife, Susan, his daughters, grandson and the Palmore family in your thoughts and prayers. The Diocese will make available more information as soon as possible.

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

The Diocese of Virginia Deputation

General Convention Deputies

Clergy Deputies

The Very Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith, St. Paul's on-the-Hill, Winchester, Chair

The Rev. Dr. Bob Prichard, Virginia Theological Seminary

The Rev. Lynne E. Washington, St. Peter's, Richmond

The Rev. Jim Papile, St. Anne's, Reston

Clergy Alternates

The Rev. Lucia Lloyd, St. Stephen's, Heathsville

The Rev. Dr. Christopher Agnew, St. Paul's, Nomini Grove

The Rev. Justin McIntosh, St. Thomas', McLean

The Rev. Marian Windel, Incarnation, Mineral

Lay Deputies

Mr. Russell Palmore, St. Paul's, Richmond

Ms. Cindi Bartol, Christ Church, Alexandria

Mr. Russell Randle, Christ Church, Alexandria

Mr. J.P. Causey, St. John's, West Point

Lay Alternates

Mr. Joseph Royster, Meade Memorial, Alexandria

Ms. Susan van der Veer, Holy Comforter, Vienna

Ms. Margret Hjalmarson, St. Anne's, Reston

Ms. Mildred Wigfall Robinson, St. Paul's Memorial, Charlottesville

Getting Started

As promised, I'm writing a blog about General Convention (GC) 2012. I know what you are thinking, calm down, it's more than a year away. But already I'm leaning some things. I've been told to start practicing to sleep no more than four hours a night and that I'm going to need chocolate covered espresso beans to get through the days at GC. Immediately after being elected at the 216th Annual Council of the Diocese of Virginia on January 21, 2011, some of the people congratulating me also looked at me like, "you really want to do this, good luck." Now it's not that these people are concerned about the issues that I might face at GC but more that I won't be sleeping. I think there may need to be a GC training program of some sort...to deal with sleep deprivation. :)

Where is God in this so far, for me? I have a lot a joy about being part of this journey. I feel honored to be able to represent my diocese.