General Synod Report

I'm not sure how much of Synod I'll get to. I'm neither a delegate nor a volunteer, and parish life does go on. But I will get to some of it. I'll report a little of what I see when I see it.

Tonight I heard Andrew Goddard, of Wycliffe Hall, present a lecture called "Walking Together." It was a helpful overview of the documents speaking to our two presenting issues: Communion and Same-Sex relationships. To put a good word in for Mr. Goddard, my wife (who is very tired of communion politics), became suddenly excited about thinking theologically about our common life after hearing him at St. Margaret's last night. I think that he was aiming at delegates tonight, giving good background information in order to help people see where the Instruments of Unity are directing us as a communion, as well as the consequences of our possible decisions here at Synod. It was great to shake the hands of two other Anglican bloggers tonight too - Joe Walker of felix hominum (who apointed me Public Parson of Pubs), and Steve London of Our Hearts Are Restless. It looks like both of them will blog a bit from Synod, and they're delegates, so you'll get some of the inside track from them. Check them out, they are both worth the read.

After the lecture, I headed over to a reception for Bishop Mark MacDonald, our new Indigenous Bishop. Kind of wild, really, to go from seeing him regularly on the St. Margaret's Courtyard, then at Bishop's Ranch - to seeing him on the 13th floor of the Radisson Hotel in Winnipeg. Welcome to the Anglican Church of Canada, bishop Mark!

The gem of the evening came during the car ride home, though. My Dad is a delegate to General Synod, and is feeling the pressure of the moment. He's so stressed he dreamt last night that the King and Queen were here in Winnipeg, and it was his job to get them to sleep together in the same bed. I'll let you judge what that might mean about the subconscious of our delegates.