SMALL TASKS, BIG SATISFACTION

When the bishops and deputies of the Episcopal Church gathered in Columbus OH to conduct the business of the 75th General Convention in June 2006 a "supporting cast" of more than 1,000 volunteers from across the nation was on hand. These volunteers--always visible in their red working aprons--provided a variety of services ranging from handing out worship pamphlets to setting up rooms for meetings to doing office chores.

I was one of those volunteers. In September 2005 I noticed an appeal for volunteers in the newspaper of the Diocese of Indianapolis and responded. I thought that volunteering at General Convention, even for a few days, would allow me to observe the broad scope of the life and witness of the Episcopal Church. And I wasn't disappointed.

My first assignment was as page in the House of Deputies during a joint session with the House of Bishops. The purpose of the session, held on Saturday, June 17th, was to place before the convention the names of candidates for Presiding Bishop as well as receive nominations from the floor. If you are not a member of the Episcopal Church you should know that the Presiding Bishop is the primate or the head of the denomination in the USA. My job was to handle microphone 7 in the middle of the convention floor. As people came forward to address the delegates, I typed their personal identification codes and other data onto a key pad connected to the main podium. I was thrilled to be present at this historic moment and to have a small role in it.

Another assignment was to assist in the Sunday morning Eucharist. I handed out large print worship pamphlets and was impressed at how many people said that they needed this visual support. I also helped manage the flow of communicants to one of the eucharistic stations. It was at this worship that I heard for the first time, in an Episcopal setting, the entire congregation sing: "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

There was a certain gravity in working as page and assisting in worship. There was a festive spirit as I handed out glow sticks to the delegates gathered on Saturday evening to celebrate the ministry of the Rt. Rev. Frank Griswold, retiring Presiding Bishop. The under-thirties crowd already knew what glow sticks were. But they were mysterious objects to almost everyone else (I heard one volunteer explain to a perplexed bishop that, no, you don't eat these things!).

In between sessions, I enjoyed browsing the many interesting booths and displays in the exhibition hall. These displays reflected the diverse faces of the Episcopal Church. I visited the booths of "old friends" such as Forward Movement and Episcopal Relief and Development. And I met new friends such as the Sisters of St. Helena and the National Episcopal Aids Commission.

It was impossible to move through the convention hall and not be aware that the Episcopal Church in the USA was grappling with momentous issues. Election of a new Presiding Bishop and response to the Windsor Report were just two of the many matters requiring the convention's attention. The high visibility of international visitors made it clear that these matters were being examined in a global context.

Just as I was checking out of the Holiday Inn to return to Indianapolis, I talked at length to the Rt. Rev. Musonda T. S. Mwamba, Bishop of Botswana, Anglican Province of Central Africa. We spoke of the divisiveness of some of the issues of the convention. I asked him if he thought that the church would survive the stormy concerns. His response was simple and theologically profound: "God always takes care of His church."

It was with this trustful and hopeful view ringing in my ears that I folded up my red volunteer apron and returned to Indianapolis, grateful to have been a volunteer at GC 06.