The Episcopal Church has announced the presiders and preachers for General Convention 2015. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will preside and preach on the opening day of General Convention, June 25, and on Sunday, June 28; for closing Eucharist on July 3 she will preside while the Presiding Bishop-Elect will preach.
This year’s General Convention is adding a new dimension to the Prayers of the People, inviting people everywhere, not just on site at General Convention, to submit prayers through social media using the hashtag #prayersof and additional hashtags for each day’s theme. The project is a collaboration guided by the Society of St. John the Evangelist (SSJE), which created 2014’s #adventword project:
The Society of St. John the Evangelist (SSJE) has developed a social media campaign for General Convention to connect people near and far in prayer during General Convention. The General Convention’s home base for interactive prayer is prayersofthepeople.org.
Each day’s prayers will follow one of nine themes, seven of which are the forms of prayer identified in the Book of Common Prayer: life, thanksgiving, praise, intercession, adoration, oblation, penitence, petition, and celebration. Prayers can take the form of words or images, and will be received through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Hashtag is #prayersof with individual hashtags to be established for each day’s theme. A selection of the prayers received through social media will be prayed at the Salt Palace, and privately by prayer networks across The Episcopal Church.
SSJE will provide another way to connect to the themes of daily worship through morning and evening meditations. Each eight- to ten-minute podcast will include a prayer, a brief reflection, and a chant.
The Salt Palace Convention Center will be the hosting venue for General Convention, June 25-July 3.
The Rev. Sandy Webb, diocese of West Tennessee and a member of the General Convention Worship team, spoke about worship at the General Convention: “The worship space is designed to celebrate the beauty of God’s creation as reflected in Utah’s grand and mountainous landscape. The lectionary celebrates the saints in ages past who inspire us to live more fully the life of faith. The liturgies, and the people who will lead those liturgies, reflect The Episcopal Church’s diversity, reminding us that we are one Church, gathered in Christ’s name. The Prayers of the People will be the prayers of God’s people, rising up from around the world over the Internet.”