Diocese of Western Louisiana Resolutions for the 29th Convention

Diocese of Western Louisiana First Convention Session Liveblog

Worship is over; +Bruce preached rather than a guest preacher.  The First Session will be largely procedural.  Rumor has it that five resolutions have been filed; this indicates to me that a resolution regarding the accession clause has probably been filed.  There will also be a resolution regarding Communion Partners and a resolution to affirm the GAFCON principles.  I will have them up on the internet as I have them.

I am not going to blog the non-interesting stuff such as approval of the minutes and what not.

The Bishop’s address will be tomorrow morning.  Canon Cameron will also speak tomorrow afternoon.

Due to childcare issues, I won’t be hear for the entire convention; I will cover the convention address then head home for a few hours and come back for Canon Cameron and votes on resolutions, amendments to the Consitution and Canons.

Canon Cameron introduced and brought up from the back.  Looks like he is going to speak.

It is his first Diocesan convention, because in Wales they are conferences.  He’s privileged to be here.

We will be having elections this afternoon; of course, the key election is Standing Committee from the Shreveport convocation, as it appears Monroe has only one candidate who is Paula Claire Hall, a priest who will be a good addition to the Standing Committee, as she is conservative and a former lawyer.

The three candidates running for Standing Committee from Shreveport are lay people by requirements of our Diocesan Constitution.  Dr. Richard Campbell is from St. Jonn’s Minden; life long Episcopalian and dentist.  Darrel D. Colson is from St. Matthias (S’port) and is dean and Provost of Centenary, which is a local Methodist college.  Active Cursillista.  I suspect that he is a moderate, but I have no idea.  Ron Smith is a lawyer from St. Paul’s, Shreveport and an active Kairos volunteers and a good friend.  Obviously, I hope he gets it.

Morgan Allen has questions about switching out alternates for delegates tomorrow.  Make of that what you will.

Oh, yeah, the Convention theme is “Holy Partners In A Heavenly Calling”.  Guess what the convention is about.

In connection with all of this, I’ll be writing a story at the conclusion of convention for the Living Church.

Bishop has said we will have a first ballot this afternoon; may not have the elections completed if no one gets a majority in the Shreveport standing committee slot.

All other election slots have been filled by acclamation for the sole candidates running.  Congrats to my friend Judge Sharon Morrow for being appointed to the Ecclesiastical Court.  She was a candidate when I was lay rector of Cursillo #126.  Neat lady, and I’m glad she’ll be serving Christ in this way, since things are about to get interesting.

First ballot for Shreveport standing committee being taken presently.

Resolutions Chair, Canon Gregg Riley to speak.

Preliminary report – 4 resolutions received prior to the 1 p.m. deadline, to be distributed at the end of the session today.  7:30 a.m. meeting of resolutions committee; I’ll be there.

Report on international missions.  All about serving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  Previously, had to groups – Honduras and Dominican Republic.  Honduras  -feeding and medical.  Dominican group has now taken in part of Haitian frontier with medical/dental missions.  Youth going on trips too.  Work for ten years.  Ugandan teams started two years ago – general work on Orphanage (Mustand Seed home?).  Adding medical mission and men ministry program – adding a Brotherhood of St. Andrew at a local church.  Effectively doubled the 2008 mission work.  2009 – further expansion of the work.  However, set of problems.  New work needs more funding and additional workers.  Need prayer support as well.  Place your faith in action.

If you can’t be a missionary, send one.

Results of the first ballot on their way to the podium.  Results being taken to the chancellor for verification.

Don’t know whether they will be announced today or tomorrow.  Who knows.  This session is set to end in approximately 1 hour, so we’ll see.  Hmm, not sure what is up with that.

Bishop is calling for the results of the election.  Here comes Joe McKee to announce these results.

BTW, Bishop George Packard for the Armed Forces is at Ft. Polk in Leesville and will be visiting Polk Memorial on Sunday morning.

Runoff for Standing Committee – small vote difference – between Campbell and Smith, but Colson had a lot of votes; need 78 to win.  Passing out the ballots.  Campbell was probably the favorite of the delegates from smaller rural parishes, and he’s been around the Diocese for a long time.   Ballot being taken.

After break:  election-Richard Campbell.

Guest – Fr. Thomas Zaruga, from Uganda but currently in Oakland, CA.  Has accepted call to St. Luke’s Grambling.

One Other Note For Those Who Didn’t Hear The News From Province VII Synod

+Bruce declined to run again to be Vice President of Province VII and therefor on the PB’s council of advice. He has resigned as President of that body. The reason, he told me, was that six years was long enough.

Apparatchiks & the Diocese Convention of Western Louisiana

From Sarah Hey.  Read it all!!!!!!

A snippit:

One cannot conceive of what he could hope from so liberal and institutional an Anglican partisan. Efforts for relief or reform or discipline in the Communion are resisted and sabotaged by Cameron — see New Orleans HOB response as Exhibit A. He is the classic bureaucrat from Yes, Prime Minister.

My suspicion is that having a high-level Lambeth Palace bureaucrat in to the convention is supposed to somehow comfort those conservatives in the diocese who have determined that there will be no Anglican Communion discipline, order, or identity established. And they are certainly correct about that latter as long as the likes of Cameron are on the prowl. But I have no doubt that he will do his job at the convention — which is to deliver some sort of address that purports to hope for order and Communion integrity, with vague hints of Something Big To Come just as long as the laypeople sit tight and don’t make waves, as well as generous heaping helpings of Wait-Until-The-Covenant-Gets-Here.

But Lambeth apparatchiks have tipped their hand time and time again.