Tuesday

At the triennial Synod of the Province of the Midwest, in Chicago. Breakfast with my friend, Bishop Ed Little of Northern Indiana. Met up with our Springfield delegation: Charles Palm (St Matthew's, Bloomington), Jan Goosens (St Thomas', Glen Carbon), and Father Kip Ashmore (Trinity, Jacksonville), but the "powers the be" had everyone scattered to assigned seats that didn't permit people from the same diocese to sit together. The day was spent with ministry "vignettes" (youth, campus, ECW, Church Periodical Club, and more), alternated with business (elections, budget) and table discussions on various topics. This allowed me to be an evangelist for our mission strategy vision, which piqued the interest of several at my table. Late in the afternoon, we heard from the Presiding Bishop. Despite my deep theological differences with her, I was encouraged by much of what she said regarding the need to let go of business-as-usual if the Episcopal Church is to again thrive and grow. After dinner, there were panel presentations and plenary discussion about proposal for restructuring the church, the Church Medical Trust (health insurance), and Title IV (clergy discipline). It was close to 9pm when we adjourned.

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