Highlights from GC81: Day 4, June 26
Day four of the 81st General Convention was arguably the most momentous day of this eight-day convention with the election of the 28th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. As we reported earlier, the Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe was elected and confirmed as the presiding bishop elect. You'll see Presiding Bishop elect Sean Rowe pictured to the right (Photo Credit: Randall Gornowich). Below are the other highlights from the day, in order of occurrence and categorized.
Holy Eucharist
A service of Holy Eucharist opened the day, as bishops and deputies alike prayed for the Church and for the discernment of whom to elect as the 28th Presiding Bishop and joined as a diverse body for a holy time of communion together. The service was conducted fully in Spanish, with the Rev. Yejide Peters Pietersen preaching and the Rev. Connie Sanchez presiding.
Watch the Service of Holy Eucharist Here
Legislative Sessions
Legislative sessions took place throughout the day, with a good portion of the morning in the House of Bishops and the early afternoon session in the House of Deputies centered around the presiding bishop election. There were also a number of elections conducted throughout the day for positions and church bodies that are elected by General Convention.
Elections were held in the House of Deputies for members of Executive Council, trustees of the Church Pension Fund, members of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops, Court of Review, and the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop, as well as the treasurer of General Convention.View the election results.
For news coverage of today's legislative actions, see these articles from the Episcopal News Service:
- This article about testimony regarding creating a committee on disability and deaf inclusion and expanding childcare at General Convention.
- This article about Executive Council elections.
- This article about pro-Palestinian demonstrations advocating for listening to Palestinian Christian voices amidst the resolutions being voted on about the Holy Land and the crises occurring there.
- This article about the panel of speakers from Indigenous Ministries discussing boarding schools.
- This article about the fourth person to declare their candidacy for Vice President of the House of Deputies.
- This daily digest piece covering highlights from the day.
Our deputies had a late session from 7:00-9:00 p.m. that was termed by PHoD Julia Ayala Harris as the "Episco-Disco" where glow sticks and more added to the festive spirit. Check out this video from our deputies that shows their fun amidst the session's start.
Election of the 28th Presiding Bishop
To see East Carolina's participation in this election, click here to view the gallery of our bishop and deputies during the process of the election and confirmation. For general coverage of the election, see this article from the Episcopal News Service and this press release from Public Affairs (the press release is provided in English, Spanish, and French).
Presiding Bishop-Elect Sean Rowe addressed deputies and bishops in the House of Deputies following his election and confirmation:
Watch PB Elect Rowe Address the House of Deputies
The Office of Public Affairs hosted an afternoon press conference with Presiding Bishop-Elect Sean Rowe and Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.
