August 6, 2007

ELCA Churchwide Assembly Day Two
Monday

Grace, Peace, and Blessings on this, the opening day of the assembly...

Today it was very muggy, but that was not particularly noticeable in the air conditioned spaces in the Hyatt and the Navy Pier.

Preparations for making Goodsoil Central ready for the work of the week continued to completion by noon. Plants and partitions were delivered that finished the process of making the large space more hospitable and useful, divided into a meeting space, an administrative/information space, and two closed-in areas for meditation and prayer.

It was a day of press interviews and interaction. Probably by the time you get to read this, NPR's Morning Edition will have aired the interview with Emily Eastwood about the activities of Goodsoil for the week and why we are here. You can likely catch up with it by going to their website for a replay.

Goodsoil Central opened with volunteers sitting behind the tables at the entrance, answering questions and registering other volunteers arriving to help with the effort.

Large tour buses are being used to run a constant shuttle back and forth to the Navy Pier, which is about a mile and half from the hotel. The buses are comfortable and the trip convivial, usually filled with pleasantries, the sound of laughter, and friends greeting friends, just made and re-met. People thank the drivers for the short trip. Lutherans.

The Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson held a press conference, the usual start-of-assembly chance to speak to the media about the issues he believes will form the focus of the assembly. He said that there was a social statement on education that would go before the assembly, asking the voting members of the assembly to vote on the role of education in the life of the church and of individual Lutherans. He said of the other issues that being a unified church did not necessarily mean that we were of one mind on those issues. He said that being of different minds on subjects and yet of one church was a strength, and he did not see a rift leading to breakup.

The voting members were oriented to the assembly site. Very helpful and cheerful volunteers from the Metro Chicago Synod, hosting the assembly, stood at each turn along the way and even on the long stretches of straight corridor to point out the correct way. They are wearing red hats.

The Assembly Opening Worship was truly grand. The Navy Pier is a very long dock sticking out into protected waters, atop of which is a massive warehouse building that seems to go on forever. The building is massive enough to swallow more than 1200 Lutherans, lustily singing in worship, and not be rocked by their praise.

Bp Hanson took Genesis 11:1-9, Romans 8:14-17, and John 14:8-17 as the text for his sermon. He asked whether the ELCA was longing to be a "settled church" or a "sent church." He spent considerable time contrasting the two views.

He said a settled church would have low expectations for what the Holy Spirit could do, to and through us. A settled church would believe that continued differences and the anxiety over them would lead to division. A settled church would view declining membership as the prelude to an almost certain demise. A settled church would seek a equilibrium to calm everyone.

He contrasted that with the "sent church." A church that he viewed as being restless, not anxious. A sent church had high expectations that Holy Spirit was blow change in, change that altered lives, reconciled the alienated, brought unbelievers to the faith.

His sermon is available on the website. It was a good sermon. A curtain lifter…

Following dinner, the first plenary session was held. It was with some trepidation that those who had been present for the first session, the rules session, of the 2005 Churchwide Assembly in Orlando came into the hall. That 2005 session was very contentious, and for some set a tone for the rest of the assembly that had an edge to it. That session went on far beyond the time allotted, in fact not finishing until just past midnight, instead of hours earlier as intended and scheduled.

This time, the bishop explained, the rules proposed were very close to those of Roberts Rules, and the only matters that would require a 2/3 vote were basically those that dealt directly with changes to the constitution or other matters that were stated in the constitution or Roberts as requiring a 2/3 majority to win.

When it was finally time to vote on the rules, Orlando 2005 veterans braced themselves and were relieved when about to vote on all the rules as proposed, without any motions for special rules. EXCEPT at the last minute, someone stepped to a microphone and said he want to pull the subject of speeches out of the en bloc consideration.

So, everything but speeches was passed. Then the speeches guy came back to the microphone and said that at last churchwide we had started with speeches restricted to 3 minutes and later, when deep into discussion, saw that we needed to make it 2 minutes each for speeches in the interest of efficiency and hearing from a bigger portion of those who wanted to speak. He proposed that we start that way this time: speeches could be no longer than 2 minutes. It passed handily. Bp Hanson said he could tell by the smiles, presumably of relief, who had been at the Orlando session. The agenda for the assembly was introduced and passed, lickity-split.

The first ballot for Presiding Bishop was next on the order of business. It is an ecclesiastical ballot – meaning that the first is a nominating ballot. Names, one per voter, were written ballots. Duly acquainted with the procedure, the ballots were completed. They will be counted and the results announced in the morning. To win on this first ballot, a nominee will have to get 75% of the vote. Anyone whose name is placed in nomination by the ballots cast can withdraw their name before the second ballot. After that, the name stays.

After the first session ended, bang on time, we returned to Goodsoil Central for a opening reception at which there were more than 100 present over the evening, much joy at renewing or kindling friendships, devotion, and wonderful singing that filled both the space and down the corridors of the hotel, led by Bread for the Journey.

We heard Sue Anderson, Gloria Dei Lutheran, Duluth, tell us of her take on the David and Goliath story (an interesting Scripture to talk about given that we had had non-violence training earlier in the day). For Sue, it was all about David just being himself and picking smooth stones. She showed us her smooth stones, not for throwing, for holding and keeping, stones worn smooth by fingering them, remembering the names she had given them because of the memories they evoked of people and places around her: the Baptism stone, the Love, Community, Perseverance, and Hope stones.

It is going to be an incredible week…

Phil Soucy
Director Communications LC/NA
communications@lcna.org