Since their election at the Annual Diocesan Convention in January 2014, members of the Diocese of Newark's deputation have been preparing for the 78th General Convention, taking place June 23-July 3 in Salt Lake City. Highlights will be the election of the next Presiding Bishop, and the reports of the task forces established by the 2012 General Convention for Reimagining the Episcopal Church and on the Study of Marriage. Here, the deputies and first alternates share in their own words their responsibilities and expectations for this General Convention.
But first, some background on the role of a General Convention deputy.
Just as the governing body of the United States is comprised of the House of Representatives and the Senate, General Convention, the governing body of the Episcopal Church which meets every three years, is comprised of two houses: the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies. They meet and act separately, and both houses must concur to adopt legislation.
The House of Bishops includes nearly 300 active and retired bishops, with the Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori, serving as the presiding officer.
Each diocese elects up to four clergy and four lay leaders, plus alternates, to serve in the House of Deputies, which has over 900 members. At each General Convention, the House of Deputies elects a president to serve a three-year term; the current President of the House of Deputies is the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings from the Diocese of Ohio.
The Rev. Dr. Canon Sandye Wilson, St. Andrew & Holy Communion, South Orange - Clergy Deputy & Chair of the Deputation
I am thrilled to be a member of the Deputation from the Diocese of Newark. This will be my fourth time representing our diocese as a deputy and my 11th General Convention (from four other dioceses). I pray that at the end of this convention we will experience the unleashing of the creativity of the community around a common vision of the Spirit. The election of a new Presiding Bishop will be a highlight of the convention, but only to the extent that a new vision holder who listens to the hopes and dreams of the church will energize us for the work ahead of getting back to the movement that Jesus brought into being, supported by new institutional structures that make sense for life in the 21st Century.
I have been appointed to the General Convention Committee called Governance, Administration and Structure, which will deal with the TREC Report and the other reports that have been written in response to TREC. Ours will be the job of listening, praying and bringing to the floor of convention something that captures the imagination of the church for the future. During the past three years, I have had the privilege of serving on the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop and on The Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music. We have been hard at work in a number of places working on liturgical reform and bringing to the Church a balanced slate of candidates for Presiding Bishop.
There will be much excitement about economic justice and closing the gap between the rich and the poor, our quest for peace, environmental justice and climate change, immigration and anti-racism initiatives, continued looks at issues regarding sex and gender, a look at our theology of marriage and marriage equality, and anything that impacts our life as Episcopal Christians around the globe.
Thank you for the privilege of going to convention as a Senior Deputy (those who have attended seven or more conventions and who are designated to answer any questions that may arise from other deputies) and as the Chair of the Deputation. Thanks goes to the Leadership Team of the Deputation, Laura Russell, Vice Chair and Bert Jones, Secretary. I think we are in for an exciting time. I look forward to sharing it with you!
Laura Russell, Esq., All Saints', Hoboken - Lay Deputy & Vice Chair of the Deputation
I am very excited to be attending General Convention. In addition to serving as a lay deputy, I have also been appointed to the Legislative Committee on Social Justice and United States Policy. During my time at Convention I will be working with many important pieces of legislation, such as legislation to combat human trafficking, raise the minimum wage and work towards relationship based ministries. As the author of most of this legislation, I will be speaking at hearings on these items and working to craft any changes.
I will also be speaking on issues of immigration reform, trafficking and economic justice at speakers platforms set up in the exhibit hall.
Though I will be busy, and by the end, sleep deprived, I cannot wait for this time to come together and do the work of the Church, in this forum. I am very grateful for the opportunity to serve this diocese.
Bert Jones, St. Luke's, Montclair - Lay Deputy & Secretary of the Deputation
For me, this is the second time I will have the privilege of representing the Episcopal Diocese of Newark at General Convention. If you have never attended a General Convention, it should be a must on your list of “to do” things as this is really the only way of seeing firsthand the breadth and scope of the Episcopal Church.
I was amazed to know that the wider church is involved in everything around the world from: human trafficking to eliminating plastic bottles. I was fortunate to be appointed to the Standing Commission on World Mission as well as the Secretary for the Covenant agreement with Mexico.
For 2015 I have been appointed to a new committee, Alcohol and other Drug Abuse, which will introduce a resolution on ways to treat addiction. This comes in the wake of the tragedy in the Diocese of Maryland.
Much of our time in Salt Lake City will be centered on two major issues: (1) the election of the new Primate and (2) understanding TREC (Task Force for Reimaging the Episcopal Church). As a Lay person I will be paying much attention to this because some of the proposed changes could have significant effects on the laity – such as: (a) doing away with most CCAB’s (Commissions, Committees, Agencies and Boards) (b) cutting down on the numbers of Deputies from each diocese. These two issues could have significant impact on women and people of color as far as representation goes.
I look forward with much enthusiasm to working with my colleagues in our deputation and those around the country to expand God’s love in this part of His vineyard.
The Rev. Joseph Harmon, Christ Church, East Orange - Clergy Deputy
The 2015 78th General Convention will be the third General Convention I have attended, having been a visitor at the 69th Convention in 1988 and serving as the first clergy Alternate Deputy at the 77th Convention in 2012. As a clergy Deputy from our Diocese, I am excited to be a part of a Convention that is endeavoring to reimagine our Church and the Christian faith in new and dynamic ways as we seek to engage God's work in the world. At the last Convention I especially followed the work of the Standing Commission on the Structure of the Church, the body that proposed formation of the group now known as the Task Force to Reimagine the Episcopal Church ("TREC"). TREC has spawned numerous proposals to reimagine not only the structure of the church but its procedures and ministries to create an Episcopal Church that is more nimble and ready to engage the people and issues of the twenty-first century: from resolutions that urge a shorter and smaller General Convention to ones that would enable more ready sharing of resources among similarly aligned dioceses to resolutions that encourage and empower congregations to engage their local communities. I will have an opportunity to further shape and refine these and other resolutions coming before the Convention in my role as a member of the Convention's Legislative Committee on Constitution and Canons. It is indeed an honor to have been elected one of the clergy Deputies from our diocese and I look forward to serving our diocese and our Church.
Dunstanette Macauley-Dukuly, House of Prayer, Newark - Lay Deputy
I am a first-time lay deputy to this General Convention, although it is not my first – I attended the 2012 General Convention in Indianapolis with our youth delegation. I serve as the Youth Minister at St. George's, Maplewood, summer Day Camp Director at Cross Roads Camp and Retreat Center and on Diocesan Council. I will be an Assistant Secretary on the Social Justice and International Policy legislative committee and will be blogging and tweeting about my General Convention experience.
The Rev. John Mennell, St. Luke's, Montclair - Clergy Deputy
I continue to be excited about The Episcopal Church and how it can transform individuals and communities through the love of Jesus. I am honored to be part of the group that will support the election of our next Presiding Bishop and set the tone for how our church engages with the world. My passion for evangelism and stewardship are why I wanted to be part of this convention. How we invite people into the story of Christ and help them grow in their commitment motivates most of my work as a priest. I have ongoing concerns about how the church uses the abundant resources at its disposal in prioritizing the work God is calling us to. I have been assigned to the legislative committee for the Church Pension Fund, so these questions will come to bear. Please keep the delegation from Newark in your prayers.
The Rev. Diana Wilcox, Christ Church, Bloomfield & Glen Ridge - Clergy Deputy
I was humbled to be elected to serve as a first-time clergy deputy to this convention, though it is not my first General Convention. In 2012, I served as the Chaplain to the young adult contingent from our diocese, and was one of the bloggers for the diocese. When I came home I knew I wanted to be a deputy in 2015. It was exciting to be able to witness the work of the larger church, and I look forward to the opportunity now as a deputy to engaging directly in that work on behalf of our diocese. The Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, President of the House of Deputies, asked some of us what we hope for in this convention, and my response was "To come there with hope, and leave there with hope. Hope for the church - yes, but for the work of Christ in the world as a result." As a deputy, I look forward to doing my part, working with everyone else there to listen to where the Holy Spirit is leading... and then go!
I serve as the Rector of Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge, as well as on Diocesan Council, the Cathedral Chapter, the Ecumenical & Interfaith Commission and the Good Shepherd Home Board. I also work with the diocesan youth, am an Associate of the Community of St. John Baptist, and a chaplain at Montclair State University.
I also produce videos for Diocesan Convention, and will assist the diocese with communications from this General Convention, as may be needed.
Pat Yankus, St. Paul's, Paterson - Lay Deputy
This is my FIRST General Convention and I am thrilled to be a part of the deputation from the Diocese of Newark!!! I am serving on two committees: the Legislative Committee on Stewardship and Development which receives all resolutions that pertain to Stewardship and Development and a new committee, the Resolution Review Committee. This committee reviews all resolutions that come before the Convention to determine their impact on: the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church; our polity (governance) and potential implications on the proposed budget. After they are reviewed, they are referred to the various Legislative Committees for action. Key issues we will be addressing are the governance of the Episcopal Church, the Task Force on Marriage report and the most exciting thing - the confirmation of the new Presiding Bishop. I am really looking forward to it and hope to see you on July 9th for the report out!
Janelle Grant, St. Paul's, Paterson - Alternate Lay Deputy
I am a life-long member of St. Paul’s Paterson, where I serve as a youth group leader for middle and high school students. I also serve on Diocesan Council. By trade I am a social worker and as a social worker I inspire, empower and advocate for change and growth in the community. This is exactly what I intend to do while at General Convention. I attended General Convention in 2006, 2009 and 2012, but only as an observer. I will be serving as the first alternate deputy in the lay order at General Convention. It is an honor to serve this diocese. While at convention I will be serving as a legislative aide to the Committee on World Mission. I am enthusiastic for this new experience and ready to get to work.
The Venerable Peter Jackson, Archdeacon for Discernment/Deployment - Alternate Clergy Deputy
This is the first time that I will be attending General Convention. I am not a deputy but an alternate; in other words, I will be a player from off the bench and not a starter. But bench players have an important role in supporting the starters and contributing overall to the outcome of the game. My role will be to provide that support and backup as the agenda of General Convention is extensive and it takes a full team to cover all the various aspects, especially as the Conference will be looking at ways to reimagine the Episcopal Church and how it functions. As Archdeacon of the Diocese of Newark, I will also be looking at the proceedings through the lens of a deacon and hope to bring you a deacon’s perspective of the decision making processes and the final resolutions taken.
