Greetings, Friends!
April Fool’s Day – and I don’t have a good trick for you. How sad! But what I do have is no joke. Our congregations have 1 month to figure out which resolution from General Convention 2012 they want to work with to support Covenant 5’s resolution passed at last year’s Diocesan Convention. Have your clergy and vestry made a decision yet? And, have you started any new ministries or projects as a result? We could all benefit from your experience.
I know. We’re all busy. We’re doing so much already in our own communities. But the work of the Church should extend far beyond our walls and our own neighborhoods! When I think of these resolutions, I can also get really hung up in the language. It’s so easy to forget that behind all these words, there are people with real needs. This is the reason I am willing to put so much time and effort into our blog and Facebook page. If it were merely about some legal-sounding business, I would be long gone.
Many of you know that I live in Hillsdale. I moved here in 2002 and one of the first things I noticed 
was the sign I passed on my way into town: “Hillsdale: It’s the People.” Oh, there are many jokes made about this sign in the community especially when someone in local government behaves in some way we don’t like – then we can roll our eyes and say with just the right inflection “It’s the people.” But, the truth is, it is the people! It is because of the people that these resolutions matter, too.
So, as you read through this list again – or speak to your clergy about this resolution – or remind your vestry – think about the lives of those for whom these resolutions were written. Remember all the work that went into bringing these issues before General Convention. Consider all the good that can be done as we work to live out our commitment to:
- proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ
- seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself
- strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being
I have a new motto for us – Resolutions: It’s the People!
Here’s the link for Covenant 5’s list of possibilities: http://www.covenant5.org/Cov_5_Dioc_Church.php#GC_Resolution_Texts
Judith Schellhammer, chair, Resolution Review Committee, Diocesan Council
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