Note 43 (of 92) by MICHAEL INGHAM on June 5, 1995 at 00:16 Eastern (4121
characters).

On Saturday evening Synod delegates were treated to a bit of social time
and fun provided by the Diocese of Ottawa. In the "pit" where the opening
eucharist was celebrated, the tables were rolled away and the "Greely
Grasshoppers" performed a wonderful routine for our entertainment. They are
a high school rope-skipping team, dressed in green uniforms, who danced and
skipped in an incredible number of different formations to foot-tapping
music.

They were followed by a phenomenal performance by a local Ottawa champion
fiddler who played jigs and reels with incredible skill, and had the crowd
on its feet dancing and clapping. It was our first relief from heavy
discussion and decision making.

On Saturday night, all delegates were housed with local Ottawa families,
who then took us with them to their parish churches on Sunday morning. It
was a great way to spend Pentecost, drawn by the Spirit of God into
community with strangers who are our brothers, sisters and friends.

All of us were given lunch after church and then, with our hosts, attended
a very formal and very Anglican service of Evensong at Ottawa Cathedral. An
all-male choir and all-male clergy led the packed church in an English
choral tradition of worship that represented superbly one point in the
Anglican spectrum (and a memorial of our past). The Bishop of Lebombo in
Mozambique, Dinis Sengulane, preached a challenging and occasionally
humorous sermon about Pentecost, which likened the Anglican Church to an
orange which is being squeezed from all sides. Just as an orange produces a
sweet and nourishing juice when it is pressed, he said, so the Church will
show in these challenging times what lies within it, what fills it. Let us
show the world we are filled with the Spirit of God, he said.

General Synod held one session Sunday evening. We heard from the Review
Group, the group which had been listening to the feedback from the
discussions about the restructuring plan "Preparing The Way". After working
till 4:00 am last night, they came with some suggestions for slight
modifications to the Plan. These include adding "doctrine" to the mandate
of the new proposed "Faith, Worship and Ministry" Committee, so it would
become the "Faith, Doctrine, Worship and Ministry" Committee (and, some of
us added, dentistry and parking!). Also, the Plan will now make clear that
the move toward self-sufficiency by the Council of the North is *their*
wish and not an ultimatum from the national church.

The major discussion tonight, however, was about the size and composition
of the newly proposed Council of General Synod. The new Structure calls for
a Council of 30 members, down from the present 45, which would have fewer
bishops and more representation from youth and native people. But it would
also remove every-diocese representation. Advocates of the proposal
mentioned its improved cost benefit, its broader inclusion of minority
groups, and its signal to the wider church of the reduced size of national
structures.

Opponents, however, objected to the loss of representation from each of the
Canadian dioceses, and feared a loss of communication between the national
and local church. Concern was voiced that some diocese would never have a
member on the new Council. After a straw vote (non-binding), it was clear a
majority favoured a larger Council of General Synod with all dioceses
represented. Since this change has implications for the rest of the
proposed structure, which assumes a smaller governing body and fewer links
between this and the other Committees, another group is now working through
the night to adjust and fine-tune the Standing Committee memberships in
light of this direction from the Synod.

Tomorrow we will begin to make final decisions about the shape of the
national church.

And we will also get our first taste of the theological and ethical
leanings of the Synod with the hearing on homosexuality Monday evening.

+ Michael Ingham, Bishop of New Westminster
  Vancouver, BC
  Written on Sun, Jun  4, 1995 at  9:08 pm PDT at General Synod, Ottawa,
  Internet: MICHAEL_INGHAM.parti@ecunet.org