Convention Report to the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island

By The Rev. Richard F. Brewer
President of The Standing Committee of the Diocese
and Rector of The Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew, Brooklyn.   

       JULY 16, 2009 - Each of us in the Long Island Deputation to General Convention knew that we would be considering a huge number of resolutions during the ten day meeting of The Episcopal Church. 

       Yet there were two resolutions that were on our minds that were more important than any others:  the two resolutions introduced by me at the diocesan convention in Garden City which requested the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops to consent to ordination and consecration of The Rev. Lawrence Provenzano as our Bishop Coadjutor.  No one expected a problem but the deputies wanted to be sure that we did everything to make things run smoothly. 

       We certainly had enormous support from deputies we knew from all over the church who expressed their happiness and congratulated us on the election.  I learned that Bishop Neil Alexander of Atlanta is the co-chair of the committee that would hear testimony about our election and would also hear Fr. Provenzano speak, and that another member of the committee was Bishop Kenneth Price, Bishop Suffragan of Southern Ohio, who had sponsored me for ordination so many years ago.  There would be friendly faces at the committee hearing.

       The Long Island deputies prepared ourselves for the hearing.  In my introduction of Fr. Provenzano to the committee, I complimented the way in which our diocese had navigated the waters of the discernment process of selecting a new bishop.  As a result, I said, it was my pleasure to introduce Fr. Provenzano to the committee and that I was sure that after hearing him speak, the committee would unanimously recommend that his election be approved.

       After Fr. Provenzano spoke, the Rev. Canon Dr. Lynn Collins told the committee something about our diocese and the great diversity of people who inhabit it, as well as about the excitement generated by the election. 

       However, the really persuasive statement was given by Deputation Chair Ms. Valarie Crosdale who said at the end of her presentation, “if you have any doubt about our desire to have Fr. Provenzano as our Bishop Coadjutor, I invite you to visit the diocesan website and listen to the applause which greeted the announcement of his election."  That seemed to say it all.

       We exited the room so the committee could deliberate and it was then that I discovered that many others from Long Island and from Western Massachusetts had come to lend support. 

       The deliberation was short and we were invited back into the room to hear that the committee was recommending consent. 

       There was much cheering and smiling and our semi-official photographer Mother Collins insisted on a group photograph which was a bit difficult because there were so many people there!

       The resolution came to the House of Deputies first and sailed through without one bit of discussion.  We learned that the House of Bishops would take up the resolution on Friday, July 10, and of course we all wanted to be there to observe the process.  I asked the President of the House of Deputies if our deputation could be excused to go to the House of Bishops.  Unfortunately, but rightly, she said no!  We had work to do and she wanted us in the house to do it!  So Mother Collins and her camera traded places for the day with alternate deputy Father Joseph Jerome.  We at least had an observer to see the Bishops confirm the election. 

Fr. Provenzano and Bishop Walker in the House of Bishops

       Bishop Walker was present to introduce Fr. Provenzano to the House of Bishops and to escort him onto the floor and seat him.

       The evening before, Thursday, the deputation had hosted a dinner in honor of the Provenzanos.  It was a wonderful gathering of people from Long Island and we learned that there are more than 50 people from Long Island here serving the church at the national level or who wanted to volunteer their time to help the convention run smoothly. 

       It is a great testament to our love for our church and its mission that so many want to give of their time. 

       I attended my first  General Convention in 1991 as a volunteer and it changed forever the way I view my fellow Episcopalians, especially the ones with whom I disagree.  Our processes are so deliberate, and  everything that is proposed is reviewed by a committees of deputies and bishops which work hours to perfect the proposals and to hear testimony from those who favor them and those who oppose them. 

       Then the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops debate the proposals and changes can be made again.  Slow and deliberate, and sometimes mind-numbing, but in the end nothing gets done precipitously and without due process. 

       Since 2003, Long Island Episcopalians have allowed me to represent them in an official capacity at General Convention and it has been such an honor to sit with the other deputies you have chosen and to work with them for the spread of the Kingdom of God.

Fr. Brewer on the huge video screen in the House of Deputies auditorium.

       Long Island Episcopalians are ready and willing to do that work because back home, whether it is with a view of the East River or the Montauk Lighthouse, the same spirit of love for God and of hope for the future is present.  I hope that all of us whom you have sent to represent the diocese here in Anaheim return to inspire you for the future work of the church in Long Island.