The 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church will take place July 5-12, 2012 in Indianapolis, IN. The General Convention is the governing body of The Episcopal Church. The Convention is a bicameral legislature that includes the House of Deputies, which has more than 800 members (up to four clergy and four lay people from each diocese), and the House of Bishops, which is comprised of more than 300 active and retired bishops. The Convention meets every three years.

General Convention website - http://generalconvention.org/gc

The Bishop & Deputy Handbook, General Convention Schedule and other resources can be downloaded HERE.

The Report to the 77th General Convention, commonly referred to as the Blue Book, is available for download or purchase HERE.

Twitter Hashtag for General Convention will be #GC12

Keep up with Diocesan Deputation at General Convention

You can follow news and updates from our diocese's General Convention deputation at their blogspot, www.diosovagc.blogspot.com. During General Convention, we'll also be posting updates on the diocesan Facebook page and Twitter feed.

Diocese of Southern Virginia Deputation:

Clergy Deputies:
Rev. John Baldwin
Rev. Chris Cunningham
Rev. Anna Noon
Rev. Samantha Vincent-Alexander (Head of Deputation)

Lay Deputies:
Ms. Cindy Barnes
Mr. Matthew Grizzle
Ms. Athena Hahn
Mr. Tony Robinson

Clergy Alternate Deputies:
Rev. Charles Robinson – 1st alternate
Rev. Dennis Patterson Jr – 2nd alternate
Rev. Dr. John Agbaje – 3rd alternate

Lay Alternate Deputies:
Ms. Samantha Sessions – 1st alternate
Ms. Mary Lou Crifasi – 2nd alternate
Dr. William Todd – 3rd alternate

General Convention webcast

General Convention 2012 of the Episcopal Church was the topic of a live webcast on May 9. The webcast, originating from Indianapolis, the site of this year's General Convention, can be accessed on demand at www.episcopalchurch.org. Participants in the webcast are: Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori; President of the House of Deputies Bonnie Anderson; Executive Officer and Secretary of the General Convention, the Rev. Gregory Straub; and Bishop Catherine Waynick of the Diocese of Indianapolis, the host diocese.
 

SCLM issues report on blessing of same-gender unions

The Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (SCLM) of the Episcopal Church has forwarded to the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies excerpts from its report, "I Will Bless You, and You Will Be a Blessing": Resources for Blessing Same-Gender Relationships.The report, nearly three years in the making, was prepared by the SCLM in compliance 2009-C056, "Liturgies for Blessings,"  a resolution  approved by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in 2009 which directed the SCLM to collect and develop theological and liturgical resources for the blessing of same-gender relationships through an open process. The excerpts released March 8 include a theological reflection on blessing same-gender relationships, a proposed liturgical rite, and the legislative resolutions that the SCLM will recommend to General Convention. Excerpts are being made available here: http://houseofdeputies.org/blessingexcerpts.