It took 30-some buses making two trips to transport 2,000 people to last night’s revival, according to Episcopal News Service, at which Presiding Bishop Michael Curry preached for 45 minutes, to numerous standing ovations, about living lives of love: “The key to following Jesus, the key to being his disciple, the key to life is love, is love, is love, it’s love.
“The older I get, the more I am convinced that we waste a lot of time in life on stuff that doesn’t give life. And, some of that’s human; we’re human … but at the end of the day, we’ve got to live, we’ve got to live in world where little children are not separated from their parents at our borders,” he said to rousing, sustained applause. “And the work of love is to work to make a world with the possibility of life for all. That is the work of love.”
Massachusetts deputy Bill Parnell said of the revival: “Great music. Great preaching. At the end everyone extended their hands in blessing our amazing Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. Then we all adjourned outside for ‘Texas Night’ and food trucks with BBQ and Tex-Mex.” Here are a couple of photos, one from Bill of the congregation extending hands in blessing, and one of Massachusetts deputy Byron Rushing receiving a blessing from Bishop Curry (thanks to Phil Dinwiddie for that pic). You can watch the full revival here (sorry, no BBQ).
During a session earlier in the day, the convention heard from April and Phil
Schentrup, pictured at right with their children Robert and Evelyn. Their daughter Carmen was among the 17 killed on Ash Wednesday at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Read more here. The Schentrups are members of St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church in Coral Springs. Their presentation helped set the tone for today’s public witness outside the convention center, organized by Bishops United Against Gun Violence, pictured below (with thanks to Bill Parnell for these photos).
New prayer book possible, but not soon: The House of Deputies approved yesterday a resolution that would set the stage for the revision of The Book of Common Prayer. If the House of Bishops concurs, a revised prayer book would be created by 2024, with three years of trial use after that. Final adoption of that revision by two successive General Conventions would result in a new prayer book in…2030. Read more here.
The houses go back into legislative sessions later this afternoon following a trip to Taylor, Tex., to make a witness outside the Hutto Immigration Detainment Facility. Immigration policy was an important topic at a joint hearing yesterday–read more here.
Hallelujah, Anyhow!: We close this post with this nice photo, from Massachusetts deputy Karen Montagno, of Bishop Barbara Harris, honored yesterday at an Episcopal Divinity School at Union luncheon. Speaking of well-deserved awards: Did we mention that this is Bishop Barbara’s 19th consecutive General Convention? Her memoir, Hallelujah, Anyhow!, will be out this fall.
Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts at General Convention 