Note 57 (of 92) by MICHAEL INGHAM on June 7, 1995 at 09:47 Eastern (3426
characters).

Today, Tuesday, debate turned to the composition of the new National
Executive Council - or, as it will be called, the Council of General Synod.
COGS for short.

Earlier, a proposal to limit the Council to a lean 30 members had been
defeated because dioceses wanted to continue to have individual
representation. So delegates considered a new proposal for a 36 member body
consisting of one member from each diocese (30) plus the four Officers of
Synod plus two youth members. The Armed Forces successfully moved an
amendment to add one member from their ranks, making 37. There are to
be no members-at-large. This was finally approved, and elections for the
new body took place immediately.

Then detailed proposals for the new standing committees of General Synod
were debated. The proposed new structure reduces the number of national
standing committees, eliminates some work from the national level, merges
the portfolios of earlier committees, and reduces the membership of all
committees, so approximately half the number of people will now be members
of national committees than before.

Some skirmishes here. Peter Hamel from Caledonia, and formerly of the
national office, sneaked through a change of name to one of the new
committees. The Social Justice Committee was renamed the Ecojustice
Committee. (Peter's last hurrah.) There was an attempt to keep the national
newspaper out of the new structure by making it a standing committee on its
own instead of coming under the new Communications Strategy. This was
soundly defeated. Then an effort to keep the Primate's World Relief and
Development Fund as a larger committee than the others - on the grounds
that it has enough money of its own - was also soundly defeated. The new
structure was then quickly approved. Delegates had had enough of turf wars
being fought on behalf of various interest groups and wanted to maintain
the integrity of the system as designed.

The new Plan and Structure for the national church is now a fact - after
five days of full Synod sessions. It has gone much slower than anyone
expected - though perhaps it will be "owned" by the dioceses now - and as a
result the Synod is seriously behind in its order of business. We are not
going to have time to consider the many resolutions which keep arriving on
our tables each morning.

This afternoon, attention turned to the new hymn book. In an open hearing,
members exchanged views on some contentious issues - inclusive language,
the ethics of rewording familiar old hymns, the smuggling in of suspicious
theological ideas, the question of doctrinal consistency, the lack of
childrens music, the absence of Gordon Light's music (mentioned several
times!) and of First Nations music.  There were many appreciative comments
too. No resolution was considered today, this was just a foretaste of
things to come.

In the evening we had a magnificent dinner provided by the Diocese of
Ottawa in the breathtaking Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec. The
banquet hall is one of the most magnificent rooms I have ever seen. A
wonderful program of entertainment - largely story telling by some
spellbinding local speakers - lasted a bit too long, and we were returned
to our beds after midnight.

So good night.

+ Michael Ingham, Bishop of New Westminster
  Vancouver, BC
  Written on Tue, Jun  6, 1995 at 10:03 pm PDT at General Synod, Ottawa,
  Internet: MICHAEL_INGHAM.parti@ecunet.org