On Day 1 of legislative sessions in the House of Deputies, A063 was pulled from the consent calendar and will be brought to the floor on today’s legislative calendar. It recommends a substitute resolution whose title was Creation of a Director of Women’s Ministries, and expands the role to include LGBTQI ministries.
General Convention has received a resolution request like this one each gathering since The Women’s Desk shut down, asking the church to reinstall it in some fashion. This request reflects this ongoing yearning. The resolution calls for a Director of LBGTQI and Women’s Ministries whose primary role would be to “implement and expand upon the work identified by the Task Force to Study Sexism in the Episcopal Church and Develop Anti-Sexism Training.”
This is courageous work that builds accountability to our best intentions. It includes data collection and distribution, training module development and disbursement, and resource creation that would benefit the whole church all the way down the individual level. It also calls for developing a network of women and people who identify as LGBTQI who can become leaders and trainers in their local contexts to work toward more gender equity in the church and create communities and spaces of welcome and embrace.
Even better, the proposed budget actually includes funding for this position beginning in 2024! It’s clear that the church stands ready to answer the long and enduring call to better care for and support women and people of diverse sexualities, gender identities and expressions in the church, both lay and ordained.
This could prove a lively debate, but the role being created is a significant statement by the church to its commitment to welcome and embrace every person regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.
The Episcopal Herald 