Put Mission First: reflections on the final day

Butch Glosson

The first General Convention I attended was in 1985 in Anaheim. I was so impressed by the Eucharist because I came from a small church in Compton, Los Angeles, and I had a Baptist background and the music there just never felt right. But the General Convention Eucharist -- well, the music made a big impression.

 I think this General Convention is too short. We're not getting the resolutions to where they need to be in time to do much with them. The worship services have been fabulous because of the diversity. You never know what's going to happen when you walk into the worship service. All the Church's diversity is covered in the Eucharists.

 The bishops are accessible here. You meet old and new bishops, and old and new deputies.

 The Daughters of the King and the Episcopal Church Women are doing tremendous work here; they're the backbone of our church. Minority groups, too, have a voice here and are doing good work and bring something to the table.

 We have to pray about our processes dealing with structure and budget and thank both the dioceses that are giving the asking, and those who are giving the widow's mite. The funds go back to the provinces and dioceses in the expertise and resources that the Episcopal Church can supply.

 The key is to put our mission, our service to our communities first, and then not worry about the rest. 

Butch Glosson