Day 7 Encourage

What a day. The first thing to happen this morning was the voting on the consent calendar. When they vote on consent calendar, the first thing that happens is that certain pieces are announced that were pulled the previous day. Two pieces of legislation that were supposed to be pulled could not be pulled because of an invalid signature on each. The delegates voted to pass the consent calendars. At that moment I realized something that made me very unhappy. Guaranteed appointments had been voted away with no discussion or acknowledgment. The business of the day continued like any other day. Meanwhile, social media exploded with discussion of this new development in clergy jobs. After a couple of hours, a man rose to ask a question. "Did we pass the end of guaranteed appointments in the consent calendar? I know it was my own fault for not realizing this sooner." The presiding bishop answered in the affirmative, and suddenly people all over the room started to mutter to one another. The delegate then moved that they reconsider this petition, because he believed it deserved discussion. Several people then rose to speak to this motion. The first to speak for it explained that, even though she would NEVER be on twitter or facebook during legislative sessions, she was aware that people are appalled it was passed with no discussion. All those who spoke against the motion, actually spoke against guaranteed appointments. In the end, the motion to reconsider was voted down by 30 some percent yes to 60 some percent no.

I was not happy with this development, both because it meant no discussion and because it ended guaranteed appointments. Based on my posts on twitter and the conversations I had around me, here were a few of the things said, on both sides, after the results. "Nobody else has guaranteed jobs." "Other jobs do require you to be able to move at a moments notice." "It is way too hard to deal with clergy ineffectiveness because there is often not hard and fast evidence." "The amendments made in committee put more checks on the system, so it is not too easy to just not appoint somebody." "It should not stifle our prophetic voice, because Jesus never promised us security in exchange for preaching prophetically." "It is an issue of trust." "Do we trust in the people or in the calling God has given us?" "We are worried about losing our jobs, but it is not like we are being jailed or killed for what we say."

Many of those were said to me in conversation, because I was obviously very unhappy. It was interesting though, because I had strangers ask me what I thought about this as soon as they found out I was in seminary. I also had strangers (who turned out to be District Superintendents), tell me that anybody with such a passion will have no problem. Another told me that this will help young clergy, because they can exit older ineffective pastors to give young new clergy a chance. One person walked up to me after the vote and said (half joking and half serious), "Are you still going to submit your commissioning paperwork?" I nodded. "Good, because I am also going to stick with it." After these many conversations, I am much calmer about the whole situation. Above all, I do trust the calling God has placed on my life. I also do trust our current leadership. For the most part, I trust our system. I guess we just have to see how it plays out.

In the midst of all this drama, a more lighthearted story took place. In the afternoon, I arrived at the legislative session to see one of our reserve delegates sitting with a huge cardboard box. It was almost cube shaped and was perhaps 18-20 inches in each direction. The reserve delegate says to me, "it is one of our delegate's birthday and this is a cake for him. Would you watch it because I have to go sit in for somebody to vote?" So here I am, sitting with a big cardboard box wondering why on earth there was a cake this big for just our delegation. As a few of us from Indiana who are not able to vote often sat and looked at this box, eventually our curiosity got the best of us. We opened the box to find...a small chocolate cake. It was the size of a normal round cake tin, not double layered, and it was sitting on a porcelin plate uncovered! The cake was beautiful with its decorations, but the size in that big box was a little anticlimactic. The porcelin plate was sitting slanted on a stack of plastic forks. As one of our reserve delegates said, only a man would put a cake like this in a cardboard box uncovered. It was sweating!

Eventually, the time came for the afternoon break. We carried it to a table just outside the bar of the conference brought over the delegation, and sang to him at the top of our lungs. Strangers started to join in and people from other parts of the room even clapped for him when we were done! Well, I assume they clapped for his birthday, since our singing was not particularly phenomenal. I was asked to cut and serve the cake. As I am getting to the end of our delegation, I notice that people from the Texas conference were hovering like flies over the cake. They were hoping for a piece :) Once every Indiana person had a piece, I was given permission to get rid of it in any way possible, so our scavenger friends from Texas were rewarded for hovering. The last piece was given to a random woman walking by. It is nice to make her smile, even though I was not the one to buy the cake. It is amazing how popular you become when you cut cake...

This afternoon, we were treated by a visit from an amazing lady. They explain that she was born in 1906, was married to a bishop, and has been at every single General Conference since a year in the 1930s. She was sitting in a wheelchair in front of the stage. As they focus the cameras on her, the General Conference gives her a standing ovation. Now, the General COnference seems to give a standing ovation for everything, but usually it takes a bit of time for everybody to stand. For her, everybody stood instantly. And then, this 106 year old woman stood to wave and greet us! She is 106 years old but does not look a day over 80! When she spoke to us and thanked us, she explained she was only having trouble because she had shingles. She didn't even sound a day over 80! As I posted about this on facebook, my Grandma asked if she might be Miss Louise. I had not idea since she was announced by her full name. Then Grandma mentioned her first and last name. This woman is a member of the church where my Grandparents are members and where my mother grew up! Isn't it amazing the connections that are made and the joy in the long life of a woman who still loves the Lord!

Several more petitions that passed today were significant. 1) The Congo received one more bishop. 2) Funds were given for Central Conference scholarships. 3) The preamble of the Social Principles were changed with some added language that acknowledges differences in opinion but and affirmation of Christ;'s love. And perhaps my favorite, 4) we are now in full communion with the pan-Methodist denominations. We are bridging some of the gaps created by racism in our church.

This evening, I am sorry to say, I cannot report on the final worship service or the presentation of visiting ecumenical leaders. Since I am missing two weeks of classes to be here, I had to take some time to actually do some homework reading! Oh the joys of being a student. Coming up this week though, restructuring, divestment, and homosexuality.

Good night!!