 At the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church meeting in Columbus, Ohio, June 13-21, 2006 |
East Tennessee
perspectives: Bishop vonRosenberg, members of the East Tennessee deputation and East Tennessee visitors to the General Convention shared with the "folks back home" their impressions, activities and insights through these pages: Settling in •
Day One • Day Two • Day
Three • Day Four • "Suzanne discovers Columbus" - a blog by the Rev. Suzanne Smitherman, an East Tennessee deputy |
 Other pages related to the convention:
• Episcopal News Service convention coverage |
On
the floor of each House: |
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Next to the pole topped by a cross and a coonskin cap that marks the tables of the East Tennessee deputation, the Rev. Peter Keese checks the order of business prior to a session in the House of Deputies, as the Rev. Maggie Zeller watches over his shoulder and the Rev. Matthew Dutton-Gillett prepares his notebook. Gregg Duncan works at left. Zeller, Dutton-Gillett and Duncan were elected as alternates, and all took shifts on the floor to give deputies a break. The alternates, when not on the floor, as often as not were listening in from a designated gallery area. |
"What Do You Think Jesus Might Have Done In a Given Situation, Recognizing Our Limited Knowledge as Finite Human Beings And Our Distance From The Historical Context?" |
 The Rev. Suzanne Smitherman waits on a microphone platform to express her view on a resolution under consideration in the House of Deputies. Anyone standing on one of the eight weight-sensitive platforms would cause a bulb to light above it, alerting the president of the House to the presence of a speaker. |
A
sign later attached to the East Tennessee deputation pole takes its
text from an Anglican version of "What Would Jesus Do?" expressed as
an acronym on a bracelet worth by the Rev. Suzanne Smitherman:
 |
Deputies vote electronically with radio-frequency devices, quickly dubbed "doohickeys." Particularly in the early days of the convention, the randomly operational "doohickeys" were a source of much frustration and many delays. Deputies occasionally were seen to discern other uses - such as the Rev. Suzanne Smitherman and the Rev. John Talbird's attempts to remote-control one another, at right. | 
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The Rt. Rev. Charles vonRosenberg, at rear center, listens along with his colleagues in the House of Bishops to a presentation of legislation by a committee chair. |
Worshiping
together: |
 The vast worship space is set up with chairs in expectation of 8,000 to 10,000 people for Saturday's festival eucharist. On the screens to each side of the platform at front, projected artwork by Episcopalians across the church set the tone for worship. Two pieces by Oak Ridge artist Nancy Carow were part of the exhibition that was shown during Holy Communion at the Saturday service. |
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James Johnson of Christ, Chattanooga, serves as a eucharistic minister during a morning worship service. He said later he had held the cup for Bishop vonRosenberg and was especially moved by the unanticipated role reversal. |
Episcopal Church Women hold concurrent Triennial Meeting: |
 In the Triennial Meeting of the Episcopal Church Women, East Tennessee delegates Betty Quave, Arline Caliger and Ellen Hartsfield follow along the schedule of business in their notebooks, though Caliger's knitting is close at hand. One item on the schedule was the Honored Womem recognition. Caliger accepted the honor on behalf of East Tennessee Honored Woman Katie Piper. |
Arline Caliger, president of the diocesan ECW, displays a paper chain of links on which are written the names of ordained woman serving in East Tennessee. When linked to the segments from dioceses across the church, the chain snaked around the entire mammoth meeting room. |
Moments: |
 Above, the Rev. Maggie Zeller and the Rev. Janice Robbins locate a destination on a map of downtown Columbus. At right, Donna Lodge assembles orders for Gregg Duncan, Ellen Hartsfield, and 15 more East Tennessee diners in the Pope Room of a local eatery. |
 Many East Tennesseans enjoy the variety of a North Market lunch with representatives at the E3 youth event. Visible from left, deputies Henry Lodge, the Rev. John Talbird, Lynn Schmissrauter and the Rev. Peter Keese are in conversation across the table with Bishop Charles vonRosenberg and ECW delegate Betty Quave. Midway down the table, the Rev. Maggie Zeller talks with the Rev. Matthew Dutton-Gillett, and in the background are youth and their advisers. |
The
Rev. Buckley Robbins and his wife, the Rev. Janice Robbins, find a quiet
corner in the convention hallway for a few moments' rest.
 The Rev. Canon Stephen Askew and his wife, Patricia Tanzer Askew, consider lunch options at the North Market. |
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The Rev. Ann Markle takes a break from her work as a volunteer for a quick look around the exhibit hall. She served as a deputy in her former diocese and says she enjoys attending General Convention. |
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Photos by Lynn Schmissrauter, the Rev. Suzanne Smitherman
and Sharon Rasmussen
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