In less than two weeks, the Diocese of Massachusetts’ deputation will be off to Salt Lake City for the 78th General Convention of the Episcopal Church.
The Rev. Thomas Brown, co-chair of the deputation, writes: “Let’s pray that the Episcopal Church will leave Salt Lake City with a compelling engagement of God’s mission for our church!”
Read on to meet our deputation to General Convention.
Our Bishops
From left: Bishop Alan M. Gates, Bishop Gayle Harris, Bishop Barbara Harris
The Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates, Bishop
• Serves on the Social Justice and United States Policy Committee
The Rt. Rev. Gayle E. Harris, Bishop Suffragan
• Serves on the Constitution and Canons Committee
The Rt. Rev. Barbara C. Harris, Bishop Suffragan (retired)
Deputies to Convention
Top (from left): Byron Rushing, Fredrica Harris Thompsett, Samuel Gould, Sarah Neumann; Bottom (from left): The Rev. Canon Mally Lloyd, The Rev. Thomas Brown, The Rev. Jane Gould, The Rev. Edwin Johnson
Byron Rushing, St. John St. James Church, Roxbury
• First lay deputy
• Has been a deputy to General Convention since 1973. Serves as the vice president of the House of Deputies, chairs the Rules of Order Committee and is a member of the Governance and Structure Committee
Fredrica Harris Thompsett, St. Barnabas’s Church, Falmouth
• Second lay deputy and co-chair of the Massachusetts deputation
• Serves on the Governance and Structure Committee
Samuel J. Gould, St. Stephen’s Church, Lynn
• Third lay deputy
• Serves on the Program, Budget and Finance Committee
Sarah Neumann, Church of the Redeemer, Lexington
• Fourth lay deputy
• Serves as the assistant secretary of the Social Justice and United States Policy Committee
The Rev. Canon Mally Ewing Lloyd, Canon to the Ordinary, Diocese of Massachusetts
• First clerical deputy
• Chairs the Program, Budget and Finance Committee, is a member of the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop and is a consultant to the House of Deputies Resolution Review Committee
The Rev. Thomas J. Brown, Parish of the Epiphany, Winchester
• Second clerical deputy and co-chair of the Massachusetts deputation
• Serves on the Dispatch of Business Committee
The Rev. Jane S. Gould, St. Stephen’s Church, Lynn
• Third clerical deputy
• Serves as the vice chair of the Social Justice and United States Policy Committee
The Rev. Edwin D. Johnson, St. Mary’s Church, Dorchester
• Fourth clerical deputy
• Serves as the assistant secretary of the World Mission Committee
Alternate Deputies
Top (from left): Billy Boyce, Julie Shea, Betsy Ridge Madsen, Michele Griffin-MacGregor; Bottom (from left): The Rev. Holly Antolini, The Rev. Karen Montagno, The Rev. Julie Carson, The Rev. Connie Ng Lam
William Boyce, Grace Church, New Bedford
• First lay alternate
Julie Shea, St. John’s Church, Winthrop
• Second lay alternate
Betsy Ridge Madsen, Church of the Advent, Boston
• Third lay alternate
• Serves as a legislative aide to the Social Justice and International Policy Committee
Michele Griffin-MacGregor, St. Andrew’s Church, Framingham
• Fourth lay alternate
The Rev. Holly Antolini, St. James’s Church, Cambridge
• First clerical alternate
The Rev. Karen B. Montagno, Director of Congregational Resources and Training, Diocese of Massachusetts
• Second clerical alternate
The Rev. Julie Carson, St. Andrew’s Church, Framingham
• Third clerical alternate
The Rev. Canon Connie Ng Lam, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston
• Fourth clerical alternate
Official Youth Presence
Two young people represent each of the Episcopal Church’s provinces on the Official Youth Presence, established in 1982. Members of the Official Youth Presence have seat and voice in the House of Deputies and participate in committee hearings and floor debates.
Allegra Robinson, St. John’s Church, Franklin
• Representing Province I (the seven New England dioceses) with Anna Foster, Diocese of Maine
The General Convention begins on June 25 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and concludes on July 3.
The Rev. Jane Gould, our third clerical deputy, said of preparing for the convention: “As I anticipate the gathering of the church in Salt Lake, the 12th chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans speaks to me: ‘…we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.’ Please pray for the deputies and bishops, that we might use our various gifts for the good of God’s kingdom.”
Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts at General Convention 