from the Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs

We emerge with abundant hope, better discipline for working together and with partners beyond this Church, for our fundamental reason for being – engagement with God’s mission,” Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori states in her Aug. 3 message to the church about the 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, held in July in Indianapolis, Indianapolis.

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The House of Deputies did some silly things:

The amount of time devoted to debating whether science is compatible with religion before adopting A136 affirming compatibility;

The defeat of D063 requesting congregations to declare churches to be a Gun Free Zone, thus affirming the right of all to bring guns into church;

The time spent defining the house rules regarding the nature of the youth presence, D045;

It took a reconsideration of A061 already adopted for the House of Deputies to decline authorization of versions of the Bible with erroneous translations from the original Greek. The resolution was ultimately referred to the Standing Commission on Liturgy and music for further review. Nevertheless, D021 authorized liturgical use of the Contemporary English Version (2005) the Contemporary English Version Global (2005), and the Common English Bible (2011). The Message was rejected as a paraphrase rather than an exact translation, appropriate for teaching, but not for liturgical use.

On the other hand the Convention did some very serious things with remarkable unity.A number are related to structure:

In the area of Church Structure the Convention was confronted with the options of no action, a Constitutional Convention, or a special task force to report to report to the next General Convention. The Convention chose the latter, the House of Deputies acting unanimously to adopt C095. In the hearing on restructuring, Malcolm Mackenzie and I both spoke to the Northern California resolution favoring the adopted task force approach.
In B013 Convention also eliminated the canon prohibiting the Presiding Bishop from continuing to serve as a Diocesan Bishop;

A related action calls for moving the Church Center away from downtown New York City, D016. The House of Deputies authorized the sale of building; however, the House of Bishops eliminated the provision. A sale would relieve the budgetary drag of vacant rental space on servicing the $34 million debt, but it is at the price of selling real estate at the bottom of the market;

As well as acting unanimously on restructuring, the Convention acted unanimously (A005) to adopt budget for the next triennium based on the Five Marks of Mission and also on the same 19% asking as the budget for the current triennium. The five marks are:

-To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
-To teach, baptize and nurture new believers
-To respond to human need by loving service
-To seek to transform unjust structures of society
-To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth

The most significant actions concern gender related matters:

In A049 the Convention authorized provisional use of a rite for blessing same gender relationships, called for continued review and report by the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, but also protected any clergy who declined to preside in the liturgy from any coercion or any manner of penalty;

A newly amended canon forbids excluding any person from membership by reason of gender expression or gender identification, D019.  A companion resolution, D002 which provides a similar guarantee to the discernment process was also adopted;

Convention created a task force to study marriage, A050. In the House of Deputies there was spirited debate over a direction to consult with married couples, single adults, and those in other lifelong committed relationships, as well as with other churches in the Anglican Communion and TEC’s ecumenical partners, and a proposal to limit the task force’s focus to traditional marriage.

Also referred for interim study was a proposal to amend the canons to define marriage as being between two people rather than between a man and a woman, D091;

In the area of liturgy, the Convention took a number of actions in addition to its action on Blessings:

It authorized continued trial use of Holy Women, Holy Men while calling upon the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to continue revisions during the 2013-2015 triennium, A051;

The Convention approved rites and prayers for the care of beloved animals, A054, including a rite for the death of a beloved animal and prayers when animals are adopted, itt, or lost or missing, B009;

Open Communion was soundly rejected, C029.

In some areas the conventions was careful to express a moderate view, rejecting polarizing proposals from both right and left.

A particular example is the resolution regarding peace in the Holy Land drafted and proposed by Bishop Beisner, B019.

Other examples are the resolutions neither rejecting nor adopting the Anglican Covenant. The Convention adopted D005, which declined to take a position on the Covenant as a pastoral response because we are not all of one mind. It also adopted D008, which calls or a deepening involvement with communion ministries and networks, using where applicable the Continuing Indaba process for conversations across differences;

The Convention authorized changes in the Book of Common Prayer to conform to the Revised Common Lectionary, A059, but also authorized continued use of the 1979 lectionary with the local bishop’s permission.

General Convention took serious action in the area of clergy discipline:

With only a whisper of opposition it adopted a technical cleanup of Title IV, the 2009 revision of clergy discipline based on safety, truth telling, healing, and reconciliation in place of an adversary system based upon the criminal provisions of the Military Code of Justice, A033. This resolution uses local option to satisfy push-back objections that do not go to the heart of the system.

Although the new Title IV balances accountability, the victim’s interest, and the Respondent’s interest so as to protect clergy from the crazies, protect vulnerable victims, and cut through patterns of denial on the part of all, it was subject to substantial policy push-back. These issues were referred to the Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons for hearing from the parties and a report to the next General Convention, C049. Included are issues concerning:

-Timing and content of Notice to Respondents
-Confidentiality and the duty to report
-The role of bishops in the courts
-The use of skilled mediators
-Statute of limitations for the failure to report
-The waiting period for remission after abandonment or renunciation.

The referral also included some constitutional objections that have been raised indirectly. These objections lack merit but need to be dealt with seriously and directly. Directly means a determination by General Convention (which is the ultimate court of TEC for such matters) after thorough vetting during the next triennium.
The first objection is that TEC is a mere confederation of independent dioceses and has no power to impose a disciplinary system upon dioceses. General Convention has rejected that view of its polity since at least 1901.

The second objection is that the Constitution prevents General Convention from adopting canons giving any role to the presiding bishop in disciplinary matters. This objection is negated by an express constitutional provision delegating the General convention the authority to set the role of the presiding bishop.

The Convention considered but declined to downgrade confirmation as being inconsistent with the baptismal theology of the Book of Common Prayer. Deputies rejected A041 on the last day. It would have substituted for confirmation completion of a course of instruction mandated upon every congregation as a qualification for leadership in TEC. On the last day the Deputies failed to adopt Resolution A043, which would have removed the requirement that deputies to General Convention be confirmed. They referred the resolution to the Standing Commission on Ministry Development.

Although there was intense debate on many matters, the great bulk passed by a wide majority. Opposition to almost all of the proposals came from the Dioceses of South Carolina, Albany, Quincy, and Springfield, with strident support from Dallas to oppose matters of economic or environmental justice.

For me the most poignant points of the Convention were the testimonies to Convention of two fellow members of the Committee on Canons. One is a Spanish surnamed 28 year old female priest whose physical appearance gives no hint of being Hispanic. She was part of my subcommittee and serves as a campus minister in Arizona. She carries her passport with her at all times because she had been stopped four times within the month preceding Convention in Maricopa County for a mechanical violation, forced to prove her citizenship, and then released with no citation because the inspection failed to find any mechanical violation.

The second testimony was that of the Secretary of the Committee who managed the flow of paper and was one of the most articulate speakers on Title IV and economic justice issues on the Convention floor. She is an attorney and volunteer Municipal Judge but has been unemployed for the last three years.

Charles Mack

Seeing the church through the eyes of nine provinces with our different contexts and diversities gives me a better appreciation of what it means to be an international church and how important sacrifice and compromise are for the life of the body.  What is working in my parish, diocese or province might not in another.  I lost track of the number of resolutions that we reviewed, adopted, discharged or sent back to committee. There were lots; some with more secular news worthiness than others. (don't just rely on the NY Times or WSJ for a recap) I look for God in the lesser known legislation.  All will be sorted out in the coming weeks and then put under its proper category and discussed in adult forums on the local level. 

In the meantime, I am back to the reality of my local church and viewing ministry through a wider lens.

Joyce Paterson
Lay Alternate Delegate

This was my first time to be closely connected with General Convention and I felt excited, humbled and grateful to be able to take part, thanks to the Diocese which made this possible. I went as an alternate but found that due to the generosity of our delegation I was allowed on the floor of the house several times. (This was not true for some other delegations!)

Everything about convention is big. It's supposedly the largest convention with a bicameral legislative body in the world. In addition to nearly 900 deputies there are all the volunteers, the House of Bishops, all the visitors and an exhibit hall full of pertinent exhibits, information and things to buy and/or take home. My suitcase was about 20 pounds heavier on the way home!

A major challenge for the deputies was finding our way through the pages of material distributed each day, from the daily calendar to the supplemental calendars to the consent calendars to all the resolutions, colored coded by place of origin, all of which had special places in one notebook.

As one of our deputies put it - this is like the Book of Common Prayer for newcomers only it's an advanced version!

In addition to work there was humor and grace to be found in the midst of all the work. The secretary of convention wears a different rather colorful sports jacket and bow tie everyday, as you will see if you look at the slide presentation, so one day was designated as the Secretary Straub look alike contest day, which resulted in some very humorous looking people on the floor.

This convention provides an opportunity for the church to get together and so it also becomes a grand reunion of old friends, seminary classmates and fellow travelers met along the way.

As I reflect on the week I am left with some words from our fabulous preachers:

- Hospitality and welcome mean greeting each person as you would Christ.
- Mission: go boldly where Jesus has gone before and take others with you.
- We are spiritual and religious.
- Are you going to sit there or are you going to fish?
- Do not be afraid to proclaim Jesus' message of unconditional love.
- In Mark 3 it says Jesus was "out of his mind". That is our calling - to be crazy for Jesus!
- And finally - the only rule to follow is Jesus' : Love one another.

The Rev. Lucretia Jevne, Alternate

The Rev. Stephanie Spellers

(Sung) Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me. Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.

If you want to know what Anglicans believe, hear how we pray. Well, we just prayed, “Give us grace, following the teaching and example of thy servant Benedict, to walk with loving and willing hearts in the school of the Lord’s service.” It’s a beautiful prayer. I sure hope we meant it.

Benedict of Nursia came on the scene in 6th century Italy, when corruption had saturated the church. Even monastics were kind of doing their own thing, indistinguishable from the culture at large.

Faith didn’t change anyone, and it didn’t cost you anything. It was like the man in this morning’s gospel, the one who decided one fine day, “I’m building a tower” – even though he had no idea what it cost, what sacrifice he would bear. In Benedict’s day, people took on the name Christian, but had zero interest in bearing the cross and being transformed into Jesus’ people. Imagine that.

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It is budget discussion day. Ugh! Some of the comments:

This budget is not nimble; where is the money for communication?; $2million for litigation over property a reduction of $1.1 million?; support New Visions and historically Black colleges; concern that there was an overestimate of investment earnings; etc.

In looking at a way to alleviate poverty we passed a resolution encouraging our congregations to use faith-based community organizing methods of IAF, PICO, ABCD, as well as DART and Gamaliel with a focus on stopping the school to prison pipeline. Wow! I never heard of that pipeline but it sure is something we need to halt. Continue to work and pray to alleviate poverty. The deacons will continue to urge that we begin meetings with a discussion of what are we doing here that will effect those in poverty?

How many Parliamentarians does it take decide whether to adopt or concur? Last count was two or was it three?

Cookie Clark

What's it like to be at General Convention for the first time? My strongest impression is from our Convention worship. We have Eucharist every morning with several thousand people. Each day has a theme about a saint from Holy Men, Holy Women and special music and a sermon by a church leader. On Sunday we had about 6,000 people at worship with our Presiding Bishop preaching and presiding. It was a fantastic service! Monday night, we had a fun and powerful worship service led by Integrity.

The legislative sessions have been exciting, sometimes tedious, and exhausting. We've done some very important work. On Tuesday afternoon, we unanimously approved forming a task force to change the structure of the Episcopal Church. This high moment was immediately followed by difficult debate about same gender blessings. I'm glad that this passed, but the debate was intense with a lot of procedural wrangling. That's the way things often go at Convention --highs, struggle, routine.

I'm very thankful for the opportunity to be here and for our deputation; we get along really well and have fun together. Tomorrow we finish up with about eight hours of legislative session.

The Very Rev. Ray Hess

We must all remember what we are about in our church, to love one another, welcome the stranger and share the Good News of Jesus Christ (his redemption and salvation.) And again I remind us all that as Jesus showed us, that all are welcome, He meant ALL, even those who are different than we are but also those who believe differently than we do.

Faithfully,

The Rev. Canon Stephen Carpenter

Today, after a great deal of debate, the House of Deputies concurred with the House of Bishops on Resolution A049 - Authorize Liturgical Resources for Blessing Same Gender Relationships.

"The new Episcopal same-sex liturgy is called 'The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant.' In the proposed rite, each person would make a vow to the other, exchange rings and be declared "bound to one another in a holy covenant, as long as they both shall live." The liturgy is expected to go into effect for provisional use starting the first week of Advent -- beginning on Dec. 2, 2012 -- and will undergo a review process before the next General Convention in 2015. Congregations and clergy wishing to use the liturgy would need the permission of their bishops."
(Bratu, MSNBC)

The House carefully held time for prayers both during the deliberation process and just before they took their vote. They enacted a special order of business, and were very careful to listen to both sides of the issue. The actual resolution as presented to the House included a minority report. Dean Brian Baker, a member of the committee, could speak more on the committee's dedication to ensuring that all views were presented. The resolution also makes it clear that the blessings are for provisional use for those who wish to use them -- no one will be forced to use them, and a report on them will be brought back to General Convention in 2015.

Thea Mangels

What day is this? Taking a ten day packed convention and squeezing it into eight days makes for a crazy pace. Early morning committee meetings, worship, legislative sessions, quick bite, and then evening hearings and committee meetings, bed by 11:00. Phew!

I am vice chair for the Ministry Committee. My responsibilities increased when I went from committee member to committee leadership. Our committee dealt with issues of anti -racism, theological education, ordination process, clergy wellness and discipline, and rights of laity. Our committee acted on 42 resolutions. As a past Standing Committee member and chair, this was right up my alley. We recommended canon and policy changes for the church.

As Senior deputy I have seen so many changes in our church, some good and some seismic. But the one thing I am most proud of is that when we say "The Episcopal Church welcomes you" we really mean it.

Stephen Carpenter+

The House of Deputies has set a special order of business at 5:00 pm Eastern today (July 10)/ 2:00 pm Pacific on same-gender blessings. You can watch a live stream on the Episcopal Churches' media hub:
http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/gc2012/

In looking at Climate change, we agreed that we, the Church, are standing in solidarity with all those who are experiencing the effects during this transition period. This includes people in Pittsburgh who suffer from loss of coal mining, as well as Kivalina community in Alaska which is seriously impacted by increased coastal erosion due to loss of sea ice.

We decided to use RCL for Holy Week and the Great Vigil of Easter. It changes most readings slightly.

Voting by orders on two resolutions: one on creating a task force to explore theological, historical, and liturgical, and canonical aspects of marriage; and another on whether to add transgender to those who cannot be excluded from ordination. The task force was approved; including transgenders was also approved.

Finally, at the end of the day, we approved Bishop Beisner's resolution B019 and sent it to the House of Bishops for approval.

A busy day! With many more to come...

I walked over 4 miles yesterday. My dinner was chocolate candy again. My committee did not end until almost 11 pm. I got locked in the skybridge to the Westin and had to cross a six lane street at that hour!

In the legislative session we had a LONG discussion over whether a bishop must resign his/her Seat upon election to Presiding Bishop. We finally agreed to no longer require resignation.

Then, we voted on what will be the official, canonical, Bible translations. First we tried to two versions of the Contemporary English Version. The resolution took out the Good News and excluded the Message. Having approved the resolution, at the end of the session, we voted to reconsider. Sunday, we sent the resolution back to committee. Such macho actions!

My committee amended Bishop Beisner's resolution on Palestine/ Israeli Peace and approved sending it to the Deputies for a vote. That is part of what kept us up so late. I worked on perfecting (officially known as amending) a resolution on Civil Liberties. It is around using the Patriot Act against protestors. It also mentions the Anti-Terrorism and Death Penalty Act. It sounds ominous! I also need to research that Act as well as a Supreme Court decision against Humanitarian Law Project.

Sunday we decided not to designate a month as Lay Ministry Month. The consensus was that every day is a day to celebrate lay ministry!

Cookie Clark

from the Indistar.com

They might not be wearing distinctive jackets of the FFA convention-goers, but the 10,000 Episcopalians who are congregating in Downtown Indianapolis are bound to leave their own kind of mark.

Click here to continue.

108 degrees! Though it is rarely necessary to go outdoors. There are skywalks to everywhere we need to go.

We voted to sell 815 Second Ave, NYC. It took a lot of debate. We also voted to read the Bible.

My committee has about 10 different resolutions on Palestine/Israeli Peace. One of them was written by Bishop Beisner (shown at right, testifying). He spoke eloquently on the importance of seeking common ground and 'softer edges'. He called for interfaith dialogue, support for the Diocese of Jerusalem, and reiterated his plea for prayer for the Christians in the Holy Land. He ended by reminding people that TEC did nothing in Anaheim and this time we must act.

The Presiding Bishop commended his resolution and another similar one and said she was against the barriers and the settlements. She asked for education, economic investment in Palestinian Territories, and interfaith dialogue.

We listened to testimony for two hours. Speaker after speaker spoke of education and interfaith dialogue. We need to do that in our diocese!

In the morning we heard testimony on the tax law, usury and predatory lending. All in all an exciting day.

Cookie Clark

G

Thea Mangels

Cookie Clark

During her opening address to deputies and bishops, President of the House of Deputies Bonnie Anderson mentioned that the Church got a discounted rate due to scheduling the Convention over 4th of July. That made sense to me, as I can't imagine this holiday is in high demand for convention centers! I felt good that the Church was making every effort to cut back and contain costs. 

So, last night, I celebrated 4th of July with my fellow Northern California Deputies and Bishop, and watched fireworks on a warm, balmy night in front of our hotel in Indiana (see photo captured from my phone at right). In retrospect, an appropriate beginning for our Convention.

Lisa Sargent

Resolution A049 at General Convention - Authorize Liturgical Resources for Blessing Same-Gender Relationships - is one that the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music has been working on for the entire triennium between General Conventions. 

(From Dean Baker's Blog entry on June 3rd) At the last General Convention, the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music was asked to gather resources for considering blessing same-sex relationships. They have done a remarkable job which includes drafting rites. We will consider approving these rites for use in the church. I expect there may be resolutions that encourage the church to study same-sex marriage (as opposed to "blessings").

Like Dean Baker, I think that it is very likely that the resolution on new rites will pass without too much controversy on the floor of General Convention. In part, I think that is because the resolution does not say that any congregation or diocese must use these rites, only that they may use them with the permission of the bishop.

Bishop Mary Douglas Glasspool of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles says in her article "Marriage Equality Through A Sacramental Lens" in the Huffington Post, "In the Episcopal Church, marriage has traditionally been treated as a sacrament. The outward and visible signs of the sacrament are the rings and vows that two people make to each other. The inward and spiritual grace is the reality of the relationship the two people already have given by God. The Church doesn't make marriages or give God's grace to the marriage. God's grace is God's to give! What the Church does is recognize the love and relationship two people already have and desire to grow in, and pledge the community's support to the couple, helping to uphold their vows of to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death.

Now for the big question. Are there lesbian and gay couples who love and cherish each other, and stick together through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, who appear to manifest the grace of God, already given in their lives together? Do we have currently existing in our communities gifts from God that have not yet been recognized by the community as a whole? What would be the benefits (if any) of recognizing, blessing, or solemnizing those relationships?"

I believe in the sacrament of marriage.  I also agree with Bishop Glasspool that the sacrament of marriage should be available to committed gay and lesbian couples.  For me, marriage equality is a social justice issue.  How can you or I decide for someone else who they can or cannot marry?  What gives us the right? 

I wonder how we can be a church that welcomes all our members. How can we truly include our LGBT brothers and sisters, offering them the same right to participate in the sacrament of marriage that I have as a straight woman without alienating our more conservative members? 

Yes, I want to move forward, I want full inclusion and I want it now.  But full inclusion does not only apply to those of us who believe in marriage equality, full inclusion also means that we welcome those at the opposite end of the spectrum.  How do we reconcile the pain felt at both extreme ends of this conflict? 

I don't know the answer to this.  I don't even know if it is possible, what I do know is that if we can do it, it will require a lot of prayer.  I will need to be listening for God's voice in the words of other deputies on the floor, in the prayers and Bible passages we share, and in the resolutions and presentations that we hear. 

Click here to read more from the General Convention Deputies' Blog.

A commentary on the draft budget including a Foreword by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, commentary on the budget process, and a detailed triennial budget with line-by-line explanations have been posted. It’s now on the General Convention Budget and Diocesan Commitments page. Click here to download the commentary.

Promised for June 1 by Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori, Chief Operating Officer Bishop Stacy Sauls and Treasurer to General Convention Kurt Barnes, the highly detailed items present a complete overview of the budget process, what happened, the current status of the proposed 2013-2015 budget, and addresses prevalent misunderstandings and misconceptions.

In addition to these three items, the posting includes a series of accompanying explanatory documents, including: the Churchwide Ministries Survey, the January 19 Alternative Budget Proposals, the January 29 Budget Revision, and the Executive Council’s April memo to the Joint Committee on Program, Budget & Finance, commonly known at PB&F.

Foreword
“The proposed budget has been the source of much confusion, as Executive Council itself noted at its April meeting,” Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori states in the two-page Foreword. “Some do not believe the draft budget accurately reflects what Executive Council adopted on January 29, 2012. Some believe the process itself was not well-conceived and did not allow enough time for deliberation and care in what was presented. The document is, however, what we have to work with, and it is what Program, Budget & Finance has to consider.”

Noting that she has heard “first hand of the confusion and indeed frustration” about the recent budget process, the Presiding Bishop also points out, “Neither I nor anyone else has the authority to change the document itself, but I hope it may be helpful to have a detailed commentary that might, at least, make some explanations available and allow some things to be better understood.”

Commentary
The 17-page Introduction to the Budget Process provides a comprehensive explanation of the process that was followed throughout the creation of the 2013-2015 draft triennial budget.

It is divided into nine areas: Executive Summary; Introduction to the Budget Process 2013-2015; The Draft Budget was Formulated by Executive Committee rather than Staff; Survey of Leadership on “Subsidiarity”; Core Principles and Strategies for the Budget; ECEC’s Work on Budget: Between the October and January Meetings of Executive Council; An Alternative: The 19% Asking as a Transition; Executive Council Considers the Alternative Proposals; Where We Go from Here.

On page 16, the Commentary lists the upcoming process:

• “PB&F will convene at General Convention. It will hold three public hearings:

1. July 4 at 12:30 on the framework of the budget and the budget process,
2. July 6 at 7:30 p.m. on funding, and
3. July 7 at 7:30 p.m. on spending.

• PB&F will present a proposed budget to a joint session of the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops on July 10 at 2:15 p.m. A final vote on the budget is expected on July 12.”

Budget
The 19-page 2013-2015 Draft Budget offers a line-by-line explanation of the 816 individual line items.

Note: Spanish translations of these documents will be available next week

The Episcopal Church: www.episcopalchurch.org
General Convention: www.generalconvention.org

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Welcome to the Diocese of Northern California's General Convention blog. We are hoping this will be a way to have some two-way conversation prior to convention as well as offer news and reflections from deputies as convention takes place. Officially, General Convention runs from July 5-12, there will be committee meetings and deputy orientation on July 4. The Convention takes place in Indianapolis.

We have a great group of Deputies. Click here to meet the deputation. They will be working very hard these next two months. Please keep them in your prayers.

This is shaping up to be a very eventful convention. Some issues we will be considering are:

The Anglican Covenant: Even though the Church of England will not be adopting the Covenant anytime soon, we still need to consider our response. There are a range of options we will be considering, from outright rejection to affirming the first three sections with further study of the fourth.

Same-Sex blessings/marriages: At the last General Convention, the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music was asked to gather resources for considering blessing same-sex relationships. They have done a remarkable job which includes drafting rites. We will consider approving these rites for use in the church. I expect there may be resolutions that encourage the church to study same-sex marriage (as opposed to "blessings.")

The structure/budget of the Episcopal Church: This may be the hottest topic. Everybody knows we need to change. It will be a challenge to find consensus around a way forward. 

Elect a new president of the House of Deputies: We recently learned that Bonnie Anderson, the current president of the House of Deputies, will not seek to renew her term. This is an important position that we will need to fill.

What other topics or issues are important to you?

Blessings,

Brian

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