(All Synod NEWSlink messages are designed to be displayed with a non-proportional typeface, such as Courier or Terminal. To subscribe to or un-subscribe from this list, see the bottom of this message.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- An electronic daily update of events from the Anglican Church of Canada's General Synod 1995 in Ottawa Ontario ___________________________________ S y n o d N E W S l i n k by tod maffin thursday, june 8, 1995 "From silly devotions and from sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us." -- Teresa of Avila ___________________________________ t h e f i r s t w o r d Today, this section should really be called the Last Word, because this is the last Synod NEWSlink which will be broadcast from Ottawa. General Synod ends Friday at noon, and so there won't be much on which to report. I do plan to do one final wrap-up broadcast in the middle of next week, summarizing some of the ideas you've contributed on how the church can use electronic networking as part of its communications strategy. However, as I'm not on Ecunet, that mailing will only be available on the Anglinet network and through the Internet mail list. (Ecunet members can still receive it, but through either of those sources.) I want to acknowledge the contribution of a number of people who have been the driving force behind this experiment: -- John Chapman of Infomatch Internet in Burnaby B.C. who donated the use of his network's systems to establish this temporary mail-list server; -- Ron Barnes, besides being Canada's most enthusiastic ordained online nut, has been placing the daily messages into the Anglinet network of diocesan bulletin board systems (a network he founded); -- David Bewley, who has come to the Carleton campus each morning to pick up the disk I leave each night for him, puts the daily messages into Ecunet; -- Paul Gibson, who wrote the daily report for members and kindly allowed me to share his reports with you; -- and you, for sending notes, offering support, and upholding Synod members in prayer. We felt your presence, even if it was "virtual." So, what happens next? Around the middle of next week, I'll send out one more message as a wrap-up, and will prepare a summary of the comments received from my "networking" question of how the church could be using electronic networking more effectively. ___________________________________ q u i c k t a k e s THE DANA SIBLEY COUNT CONTINUES For those of you keeping score at home, Dana Sibley has now been seen on the television show seven times. WINNER OF THE "HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD" AWARD From a member of the Diocese of New Westminster caucus: "Everything has been said, but not everyone has said it." (Runner up is a member of the Diocese of Rupert's Land who, when summarizing his point at the microphone, asked members: "I invite, urgently and humbly, that you might consider giving your support to pass this motion.") LECTRONIC NETWORKING APPROVED BY SYNOD The Synod this evening approved a motion to direct the Information Resources committee to study electronic networking and make recommendations for its use in the implementation of the national restructuring and the wider communications needs of the church as a whole. The motion carried unanimously, without debate. ANGLICANS ONLINE! One last plug for those of you with access to the Internet's World Wide Web, you can reach Anglicans Online! at this address (with your WWW browser): http://infomatch.com/~haibeck/anglican.html THE LAST CHAPTER, BUT NOT THE FINAL BOOK Although this chapter is closing on the church's potential for electronic networking, a new one is beginning. This morning, the Synod approved its slate of national committees and I have been elected to the Information Resources committee, serving as interim co-chair for the time being. We are a small committee, mostly new, with a huge mandate and a solid pool of experience. (Complete election results in tonight's Synod NEWSextra.) OUT OF RESOLUTIONS, BUT NOT OUT OF TOUCH Though this mailing list is almost all wrapped up, except for the official close next week, you can still get ahold of me through my personal e-mail account: tod@direct.ca. You can also reach me at work using: todm@haibeck.bc.ca. I can't afford Ecunet (though I would be happy to accept a complimentary subscription!) HEY, THANKS FOR THE CHIPS. UH, IS THE NIAGARA PARTY NEARBY? You've got to hand it to the Diocese of Toronto for their tenacity. They tried. They really did try. But the worst case scenario kept happening for them under the "If you threw a party and nobody showed up" hypothesis. First, they were competing with a party three floors below hosted by the Diocese of New Westminster (clearly, a mistake of grave proportions). Next night they tried too, but ended up throwing in the chips -- literally -- and joining someone else. WHO NEEDS LAWYER JOKES WHEN YOU'VE GOT ROBERTS RULES? Ah... there's nothing more relaxing than to watch two lawyers scrap it out on the floor of Plenary. When a motion on the floor was amended, and the amendment had financial implications, the Synod assessors were in a quandry about whether the AMENDMENT had to go in front of the Expenditures Committee for review, or the full motion, if the amendment passed and was incorporated. Still with me? Great. First, the assessors said it must. Then the Chancellor confirmed it must. As did the Chair. Then, incoming Prolocutor Rendina Hamilton said it didn't... [At the time of this writing, the debate was still going on outside with a small group of 267 lawyers shouting "Does so," and "Does not" to each other.] TODAY'S MENU -- THE BATTLE CONTINUES So far, we've been given Frizzled Ham for breakfasts on heavy-business days. Purely coincidental, the catering staff claim. But the featured desert tonight convinced me there is a plot afoot. The desert? Fruitcakes and nuts. What exactly are the Carleton Food Services people trying to tell us anyway? I don't think I'm being *that* paranoid... Hey -- is that the face of John Lennon in my mashed potatoes? CEREMONIAL GUARD KEEING US WELL PROTECTED... FROM THEM All through Synod, we have been felt quite safe on campus, as the Parliament's Ceremonial Guard is staying in the residences (having had their base closed). For the first half of Synod, we mingled and shared dining space. Yesterday, large barricades were erected in the dining area with signs reading "All Anglicans keep out." (Actually, I think they said "Ceremonial Guard only.") Food Service staff were even posted to make sure we didn't infect their area. Was it coincidental that Synod debated a motion about closing military bases on the same day this happened? Hmmm.... ___________________________________ d i d y o u k n o w ? Did you know that the members of General Synod don't actually elect people to the national committees? Members (and some non-members of Synod) are nominated to specific committees, then a sessional Nominations Committee locks themselves in a room for two days and selects the makeup of the committee. They ensure the committee makeup is even by gender, ordained/laity, geography, expertise, etc. All together, the committee has a list of 18 criteria which it uses to gauge the committees' makeup. Then, the Nominating Committee presents their slate of committee membership to the General Synod. Members are asked for input as to balance and other issues and the committee returns to make adjustments. Finally, the Synod gets to vote on adopting the entire slate of committees or not. This year, the Synod adopted the committee's second report, adopting the comments received. This Synod, more than 300 people were nominated for 63 positions. Overall, the new structure provides for fewer committees (seven) with fewer members. (Tonight's Synod NEWSextra lists all the committees and their membership.) ___________________________________ s n i c k e r i n g s A newly consecrated bishop, and an old bishop were going into a church, and the old bishop told him "Now remember, bishops don't reverence the cross". (This is where you bow your head when the acolyte carring the cross walks by.) Well, the new bishop was aghast. "I may be a bishop now, but I still know where I stand in the pecking order! The cross is a symbol of Our Lord, and I bow to show respect for him. I'm not so big-headed that I'm not going to show proper reverence for Jesus!" The old bishop said "Well, okay, but if you do, your hat will fall off." -- Submitted by Michael Leach Toronto ON, Canada ___________________________________ g l a n c e a h e a d FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 1995 (all times Eastern) 7:00 a.m. Breakfast 8:30 a.m. Worship 9:00 a.m. Plenary: No-debate list and final resolutions 11:00 a.m. Closing Eucharist 12 noon Lunch Afternoon Members leave for home ___________________________________ y o u r t u r n "I echo the Rev. Ron Barnes' gratitude to you for the incredible service you have given the Canadian church in providing us with Synod NEWSlink and Anglicans Online! on World Wide Web. Your ministry can leave no doubt in the minds of any about the leadership of anglican youth. May God continue to bless you and us through your ministry." -- Bob Chandler St. Matthew's, Windsor Diocese of Huron [Ed: And now, it's my turn. Twice per day throughout this Synod, I have ported my laptop to the Commons Lounge and plugged in to my Internet e-mail box. Each time, I have been overwhelmed by not only the volume of your comments, but the support I've received from you -- some with notes of prayers, some with simple words to "keep going." Your comments have energized me through this experiment. They have told me that people *are* out there, they really *do* want this kind of resource available, and I was honoured to have been able to bring it to you.] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTACT INFO: Synod95 is a read-only mailing list; any messages you send to the list will be politely returned. If you'd like to contact the editor, e-mail tod@direct.ca. THE LEGAL STUFF: You are encouraged to distribute this text to people known to you, provided no automated mailing list software is used to perform this forwarding function. No fee may be charged for distribution of this text, nor can this text be bundled with other information or programs if a fee is charged for such package. The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Anglican Church of Canada or any sane person for that matter. * END OF TEXT *