On Tuesday 4/20 and 4/27 we are delighted to host Bishop Doug Sparks, who graciously offered to facilitate a conversation about developing an inclusive marriage policy. He has facilitated these conversations in the majority of the Episcopal churches in our diocese and we are happy to participate at this time.

As I explained in our February 26th News from the Red Doors, having a written and agreed-upon marriage policy is important for both the congregation and the priest. With the help of Bishop Doug, we will explore the Resolutions approved by our governing entity, the General Convention of The Episcopal Church. We will spend time prayerfully in study of both the Bible and other resources generated within our faith tradition. And we will respectfully learn together, grow together, and establish a policy that reflects who we are as St. Paul's.

Prior to Tuesday night, Bishop Doug has asked each attendee to review the following materials:

Same Gender Marriage General Convention Resolutions (8 pages, focus on the highlighted areas)
A History of Marriage from DEARLY BELOVED (16 pages, please read the entire document).
Note: DEARLY BELOVED: A Tool-Kit for the Study of Marriage was generated by the Task Force on the Study of Marriage for presentation to General Convention 2015. We will study other portions of it in the second session. The entire document is available here if you are interested in reviewing it earlier

Here are some other things you might like to know:

The sessions will be conducted in the church nave/sanctuary in order to accommodate the most people, socially-distanced. We will be seated according to our Sunday morning seating chart and will remain masked the entire time.
Bishop Doug will have a microphone for himself. Mother Michelle will have the mobile handheld microphone in order to circulate among people wishing to speak.
The sessions will also be available via our standard Zoom link, but will NOT be on Facebook Live.
If you'd like to call in to listen/participate BY PHONE, you may do so.
Handouts of the materials will be available for pick-up on Sunday 4/18 and for the meeting itself on Tuesday 4/20.
The meeting is scheduled for 1.5 hours, from 6-7:30 pm.

This is an important conversation for us. I hope and pray you will all make it a priority to participate. It is best to attend BOTH sessions as they do build upon each other. Any questions, concerns, or suggestions can be directed to myself, either of your wardens, or anyone on vestry.

Until Tuesday,
- Mother Michelle