O, for grace to trust God more!
This morning’s opening worship was led by a diverse group of vocalists and musicians, which included young adults. The musical selections, the message delivered by Bishop Sharma D. Lewis, and the liturgical movement directed us to trust in God and not to lean on our own understanding. Bishop Lewis reminded the General Conference that to trust is to believe, hope, and expect that God will guide us through our legislative work and beyond. She proclaimed, “even though we may not trust each other, we can trust in God!”
We all have spaces where we can trust God more, so let us prayerfully live into God’s abundant grace.
Living into our values of equitable inclusion and participation while in legislative committees has been a challenge in some committees. However, we have witnessed signs of hope in the midst of our work! Many of the legislative committee meetings are practicing mutual respect. We have observed this as we witnessed delegates demonstrate proper procedures for speaking in plenary and not talking over one another during discussion. Many are wearing their translation devices to embody our goals to be more inclusive in our deliberations. One chairperson greeted those in attendance in English, French, and Portuguese. The chair was intentional about acknowledging all of the members in attendance: translators, pages, marshals, technical support, monitors, visitors, and delegates. In many committees, the elected officers sat along with the parliamentarian so they could collaborate throughout the meeting. Time and space was given to encourage all voices to share during legislative committees.
Some of our committee officers have modeled the importance of self-identifying when addressing the body at the microphones. We witnessed chairpersons consistently self-correcting during their deliberations. They also made space for the GCSRW and GCORR monitors to give reports throughout the day.
Today’s data shows how we are valuing the voices of everyone. While not every legislative committee demonstrates equity between women's and men's voices, the aggregate data of all legislative committees shows very little disparity. While GCSRW is monitoring our ability to work together, we hope that you will monitor your physical and spiritual wellbeing while we work and live together, trusting that God will continue to guide us.
