Wednesday, July 11 -- the longest day yet!

Friends,

Today began with a Committee 13 (see above) hearing on A068 on Prayer Book revision. We considered and praised the substitute sent back from the House of Bishops. Many bishops collaborated on improving what the House of Deputies had sent them, retaining most of what our version asked for while providing a deeper and broader foundation for the work to come. We then took care of a few other matters before taking a group picture. Tomorrow should be our final meeting. It has been a profound pleasure and deep privilege to serve alongside these wonderful deputies and articulate bishops as we shared in holy work.

We had three -- yes, THREE -- legislative sessions, starting at 10:30 am, 3:45 pm, and 7:30 pm. Oh, and we spent an hour receiving and discussing a report on the proposed budget for the coming three years.

The highlight of the day was the resolution welcoming the Episcopal Diocese of Cuba back into The Episcopal Church after an absence of over 50 years. Our approval was instant, loud, and unanimous. Bishop Griselda of Cuba then addressed and thanked the House of Deputies. I did not expect to be so moved by this act of reconciliation, restoration, and healing.

Oh, and with minimal debate, the Bishop's version of A068 passed in the House of Deputies on a voice vote with an obvious and substantial margin between the "ayes" and the "nays".

Our evening session, known on Twitter as "GCAfterDark" seemed at first to be a colossal and slow parliamentary waste of time. Glad I had my iPad with me though, to be honest, I could have played the same games in the comfort of my hotel room!

And then we suddenly started passing substantial legislation on care for the deaf and disabled in the church, on Sudan church and civil, and on carbon offsets to protect the environment. A good day to a long day, ending at 9:30.

Ten hours from now? Back to work! Only two more legislative days to go...