Two major pieces of liturgical legislation were passed at General Convention. The first was a response to the 1997 General Convention’s request that the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (SCLM) develop a plan for the enrichment, renewal, and revision of the common worship of the Church. In an extensive report, the SCLM outlined four major areas of concern: 1) data collection to determine the liturgical needs of the church; 2) drafting and revising rites; 3) developing educational and catechetical materials to support the enrichment of our common worship; 4) the empowerment and development of worship at the congregational level that supports the multicultural nature of our church. While the convention affirmed the work of the commission and a plan for the renewal of the liturgy, the Program, Budget and Finance Committee reduced the funding from the requested $750,000 to $75,000. The SCLM will now have to determine what aspects can be carried out with the resources available. Liturgical renewal is happening at an amazing pace. The real question is when will we commit the energy and resources of the whole church on the one aspect of our life that forms and sustains in who we are as the people of God.
The second major legislation was the approval of new supplemental materials for Ministry with the Sick or Dying and the Burial of a Child. These were approved with minor changes and will be published by the Church Publishing Corporation as Enriching our Worship II. Of particular importance is a revised service of public healing including a new litany of healing, expanded suggestions for scripture readings, and suggestions for hymns. There is an extensive section of prayers for situations not covered in the BCP, such as prayers for use by a sick child, for an extended course of treatment, for survivors of abuse and violence as well as prayers for one who fears losing hope, for one suffering from mental distress, for those who are developmentally disabled and after the loss of a pregnancy. The prayers at the time of death include several new litanies and “A Form of Prayer when Life-Sustaining Treatment is Withheld or Discontinued.” A new service for the burial of a child provides prayers, readings and suggested hymns. Additional prayers are included for a stillbirth or child who dies soon after birth, for children who die by violence or by suicide, for a miscarriage etc.
These texts are a new generation of prayers reflecting the desire to build and expand the images and metaphors for God as well as to respond to new situations in the context of our daily lives. One phrase, “God of infinite mercy, we thank you for Jesus our true Mother” generated some debate but was retained. On the whole, the texts were improved in committee and passed the convention on the consent calendar, which meant that they would not be debated on the floor of the House of Bishops or Deputies.
The convention Committee on Liturgy and Music postponed final approval of the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) by revising the resolution proposed by the SCLM to adopt the lectionary. There was concern that the RCL is not widely known or used in the church. The lectionary continues to be approved for trial use, and a resolution making some minor changes to the RCL was adopted. Adaptations include the addition of several canticles as alternatives to psalms, keeping the Transfiguration gospel on the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, and the prologue of John as the gospel for the First Sunday after Christmas. Bishops are encouraged to designate several congregations in their dioceses to use the lectionary beginning in Advent 2000, in order to enhance the effectiveness of trial use. The SCLM is to develop a means to assess the trial use. It is hoped that congregations using the RCL will communicate their experience to the SCLM.
Three new names were added to the calendar: Enmegahbowh, priest and missionary who was the first Native American presbyter, on June 12th; Florence Nightingale, nurse and social reformer, to be kept on August 12th; and Philip the Deacon, deacon and evangelist, on October 11th. Several other names were submitted to the convention, including Philander Chase, Festo Kivengere, C. S. Lewis, Janani Luwum and William Temple. These have been referred back to the SCLM. Those submitting names were not aware of the guidelines included in Lesser Feasts and Fasts for submitting names for addition to the calendar. It is also very apparent that there is a great deal of confusion on what it means for a community to celebrate those who continue to bear witness to the gospel throughout the generations. One of the principal understandings of the guidelines is that a community can celebrate without the authorization of the national church and that congregations, dioceses, and provinces are encouraged to develop local calendars.
Article X of the constitution was amended to include the following sentence at the end of the second paragraph: “Provide for use of other forms for the renewal and enrichment of the common worship of this church for such periods of time and upon such terms and conditions as the General Convention may provide.” For the past fifteen years, the General Convention has authorized liturgical texts for use as part of a process for drafting new materials for future “trial use.” This amendment provides a constitutional basis for this process. As an amendment to the Constitution it will have a second reading in 2003.
There was an attempt to provide a more equitable and accessible process for the authorization of scripture translations to be used in public worship. Currently Canon II.2 provides for the authorization of versions of scripture to be read in church. The 1997 General Convention asked that a new canon be written with the intent that it would take into consideration needs of local communities especially for non-English versions of scriptures and, where needed, scriptures in an accessible level of English. Unfortunately, this resolution got entangled in committees.
The end result is that the list of approved translations remains in the canons with the addition of Dios Habla Hoy. Unfortunately, versions in English will continue to be authorized by the General Convention and others by diocesan bishops. The canons were also amended to provide for a term of office for nine years for the Custodian of the Book of Common Prayer. The Rev. Gregory Howe, retired rector of Christ Church in Dover, Delaware, now residing in Massachusetts, has been appointed as the new Custodian. He has extensive experience as a member of the House of Deputies Committee on Liturgy and Music as well as serving on the subcommittee on expansive language of the SCLM.
A paper produced by the Standing Commission on Ministry Development entitled “Toward a Theology of Baptized and Ordained Ministry” was proposed to provide the basis of continuing revisions to Title III of the canons. Richard F. Grein, Bishop of New York, circulated among bishops and deputies a second paper dealing with ministry entitled “House of Bishops Pastoral Study on Priesthood.” Although no definitive action was taken on these papers it is clear that there will be a great deal of discussion around issues of ministry in the coming triennium. Another resolution called for “a study on the theology of confirmation and the relationship of confirmation to evangelism, baptism, adult membership, church leadership and eligibility for election to church office” by the Standing Commission on Ministry Development (SCMD) and the House of Bishops Committee on Theology. A resolution to amend Canon I.17.1c to make explicit that persons who have made a mature public commitment in another church may be received, not confirmed, was referred to the SCMD. Other resolutions concerning the licensing of lay ministers and accountability of such ministers has also been referred to that commission. Hopefully Archdeacon Ormonde Plater, a member of the SCMD, will keep us informed concerning developments over the next three years.
Several matters were referred to the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music. New additions were requested to the Book of Occasional Services for commissioning a core group of church planters and for inaugurating a newly planted congregation. There was also a resolution to publish alternate prayers of the people as well as material from A New Zealand Prayer Book. The Committee on Liturgy and Music noted that the prayers did not fulfill the 1979 BCP rubrics for prayers of the people or for a eucharistic prayer, and the resolution was referred to the SCLM in hopes that there would be communication with the Episcopal Network for Evangelism who proposed the resolution.
Two resolutions that have their roots in the liturgical revision of the 1960s and 1970s were adopted. One resolution was an apology to any persons who were “offended or alienated by inappropriate or uncharitable behavior during the time of transition to the 1979 BCP.” The second affirmed a resolution of the 66th General Convention that “for pastoral reasons, the texts of the Daily Offices and Holy Communion contained in the 1928 edition of the BCP remain available for occasional use under the ecclesiastical authority subject to the guidelines for supplemental liturgical materials.” Published reports of this resolution do not seem to understand that it is not the 1928 rite but the texts that are for use. The structure of the rite is to be that of 1979 BCP.
I have attempted to report on the actions of the General Convention concerning the liturgy. But this reflection would not be complete unless I mentioned something about the experience of convention. I was gratified by the number of members of Associated Parishes who were members of the Committee on Liturgy and Music. I am also grateful for the ministry of our Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, Clay Morris, and all who shaped the liturgies at General Convention. I am convinced that the clarity and authenticity of our worship together has changed the tenor of conventions over the years. We are indeed learning to be a community of reconciliation, nourished in Christ and sent out to be the witnesses of justice and peace.
The convention affirmed the “Leadership Program for Musicians serving in Small Congregations” and provided support for this program for the next triennium. This project trains diocesan leaders to develop a diocesan program for musicians serving in the church who have had no formal education as church musicians.
[The Blue Book, including the report on the enrichment, renewal and revision of the common worship of the church and the texts of Ministry with the Sick or Dying and Burial of a Child, can be found at www.churchpublishing.org. Resolutions are also available at this site, but one note of caution: this site gives the resolutions but does not state what specific action the convention took on each. The full summary of actions of the convention should be available from the convention office in the near future.]