My Reflection on General Synod 2010

I came to General Synod with a great deal of trepidation and fear. I had heard of what had transpired in 2007; had even watched some of it happen via the internet. I felt that it was ugly, painful, hateful, and filled with fear. So I came into this gathering carrying some of that baggage with me – some of those preconceptions. That being said I also wanted to approach this gathering with an open spirit and an open mind and an open heart. I was eager to meet new people and hear their stories – the extrovert in me was overjoyed!

So I made my way into the event with mixed emotions – joy and fear; eagerness and trepidation; curiosity and doubt. I knew that there were going to be some very important issues discussed and debated.

The opening worship, for me, set the tone for the rest of the event. The bishop from Cuba was the centre piece to that tone. He helped me to see a portion of Scripture unlike I had ever seen it before. “Jesus said, ‘I am the vine, you are the branches.’” We have all heard these words so many times that they have lost their meaning and have become stale in our mouths. And as usual we do not read all the words that go with that particular piece of Scripture. Jesus reminds us that there will be pruning done to the branches so that they can bear more fruit. What the bishop from Cuba pointed out is WHO does that pruning. WE do not prune the branches – GOD does. What I heard this bishop say was no human authority has the right or ability to prune the branches of the church. No human agency can or should remove one branch from the vine. No human power can or should remove themselves from the vine. Only God can and should do that. Only God has the authority to prune the branches and God only does that when it is absolutely necessary so that the very branches God prunes will bear more fruit; so that the very branches God prunes will become stronger and able to produce more.

These were very necessary, and I believe God inspired, words for the members of General Synod to hear. I know I sure needed to hear them! They helped me see exactly what we were there to do – not to prune the branches of our church but to let God shape our branches so that we will be stronger and more able ministers of God’s grace and mercy in this world.

The next day our Primate spoke to us in his Presidential Address. His words were challenging, forceful, loving and moving. He is very concerned about the collegiality of Bishops and Primates who interfere in places where they have no authority. He challenged us to be open to the moving of God’s Holy Spirit throughout the time of Synod. His words complemented the bishop from Cuba very well; in that it is the wind of the Holy Spirit that should be shaping who we are as a church; it is the fire of the Holy Spirit leading us into the future; it is the dove of the Holy Spirit that shows us the way to peace and joy. He urged us to lean into the wind of God so that the Holy Spirit may fill our sails and chart our course.

Over the course of the next few days I was humbled to be part of some very profound decisions that I feel were historic in their scope. I can say I was part of the Synod that gave full membership within the General Synod to the National Indigenous Anglican Bishop. I can say I was part of the Synod that gave our indigenous brothers and sisters full control of their own church within the structure of the Anglican Church of Canada. I can say I was part of the Synod that repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery. I can say I was part of the Synod that openly, honestly, faithfully, and lovingly discussed where our church is in relation to the blessing of same-sex unions and out of those discussions we created a document that points us in the direction of God’s truth, of God’s grace, of God’s mercy, of God’s love.

I can honestly say I am proud to have been part of this. I am proud of my church and how we behaved. I actually believed we were listening to each other and to the voice of the Holy Spirit. I actually believe that we were acting and living as Christians. We were letting God move us, we were letting God prune us, and we were letting God speak.

I met so many wonderful people from all across this great country of ours – from coast, to coast, to coast. I was able to put a human face to places that I had only read about, or heard of. I had some very profound conversations that brought me close to people I would never have met otherwise (yes, Melanie I’m thinking of you in particular). I rejoice that God saw fit to put me in this place at this time to take part in and to experience this event.

In the end all of my fear and trepidation that I entered into the event with disappeared almost as soon as I met the first person. It certainly was gone by the time the bishop from Cuba finished speaking. I left the meeting of General Synod with a feeling of hope for our church unlike any I have had before.