It’s time for General Convention!
General Convention is the main governing body of the Episcopal Church, which meets every three years. The General Convention is made up of two houses: the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies, which present, consider, modify, and ratify resolutions that direct the work of the church for the next three years. The House of Bishop is comprised of all bishops, active and retired, and Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry serves as the presiding officer. The House of Deputies is comprised of four lay and four clergy deputies from each diocese in the Episcopal Church, and the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings serves as president.
In 2018, General Convention will be held July 3-July 13 at the Austin Convention Center in downtown Austin, Texas.
For more about how General Convention works, check out this short booklet produced for the 2015 General Convention:
Deputation from the Diocese of Olympia
Deputies to General Convention are not expected to represent the will of their dioceses, but are elected to “vote their conscience on the legislation before them for the good of the church.” The priority for our deputation from the Diocese of Olympia is being present, listening, being prayerful and open to the spirit, and listening to the wisdom of one another’s experience – especially those who have been serving on committees this past triennium.
Bishop Diocesan
- The Rt. Rev. Gregory H. Rickel
Clergy Deputation
- The Rev. Kate Wesch – St. John the Baptist, West Seattle (Chair)
- The Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton – Trinity, Everett
- The Very Rev. Steven Thomason – Saint Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle
- The Rev. Jedediah Fox – Redeemer, Kenmore
Lay Deputation
- Judith Andrews – Saint Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle
- Rachel Duquette – St. Anne, Washougal
- Douglas Oles – Epiphany, Seattle
- Charlotte Brown – St. Joseph-St. John, Lakewood
Clergy Alternates
- The Rev. R.C. Laird – St. John, Olympia
- The Rev. Martin Yabroff – St. Andrew, Tacoma
- The Rev. Gail Wheatley – St. Andrew, Port Angeles
Lay Alternates
- Sandi Carter – Christ Church, Puyallup
- Michael Seewer – Saint Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle
- Betty Anne McCoy – Christ Church, Anacortes
Province VIII Official Youth Presence
- Maria Gonzalez – St. Mary, Lakewood
Deputies from the Diocese of Olympia on Legislative Committees
The following members of our deputation serve on committees for General Convention:
- The Rt. Rev. Gregory H. Rickel – Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget, and Finance
- The Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton – Church Pension Fund
- The Very Rev. Steve Thomason – Church-wide Leadership
- Judith Andrews – Safeguarding and Title IV
- Douglas Oles – Constitution and Canons
Resolutions from the Diocese of Olympia
The following resolutions have been proposed by members of our deputation:
- D010 – Create Position of Indigenous Theological Education Coordinator (Proposed by the Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton)
- D011 – Doctrine of Discovery Training (Proposed by the Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton)
Resolutions to Watch
The following are a few of the topics to watch coming out of the 2018 General Convention:
- A005 – Continue a Church-wide Network for Planting Churches
- A041 – Episcopal Church-United Methodist Dialogue
- A068 – Plan for the Revision of the Book of Common Prayer
- A085 – Trial Use of Marriage Liturgies
- A109 – Create Task Force on Sexual Harassment
- A178 – Halt the Intensification and Implementation of Immigration Policies and Practices that are Harmful to Migrant Women, Parents, and Children
- B005 – Gun Violence as a Public Health Issue
- C006 – Guidelines for Inclusion of Transgender Youth in our Churches, Schools, and Camps
- C009 – Becoming a Sanctuary Church
- D004 – Addressing Mass Incarceration
Follow Along with General Convention 2018
The Episcopal Church has set up a media hub for General Convention with livestreaming and on-demand viewing of General Convention worship, as well as live coverage of the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops.
Beginning July 4, you can watch a recap of each day with Inside General Convention – 2:30pm Pacific Time in English and 4:30pm Pacific Time in Spanish.
You can also see real-time updates on the legislation as it moves through committees and both houses by following along with the General Convention 2018 Virtual Binder.
A group of four youth, two young adults, and two chaperones from the Diocese of Olympia will be attending General Convention in Austin, Texas where they’ll be learning about the polity of the wider Episcopal Church. You can follow along with their journey at their General Convention blog below.
We’ll also be sharing updates and reflections from the Diocese of Olympia’s deputation across our social media channels.
