The Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies, and the Chair of the Covenant response Task force have co-signed a letter to the Episcopal Church calling on congregations to study the Anglican Covenant in advance of General Convention in 2012. If General Convention is going to reflect the mind of the Church when it decides on the Episcopal Church’s participation in the Covenant, it can only happen if there is the broadest possible participation in the process.
From the letter posted online:
The final draft of the proposed Anglican Covenant was released in mid-December, 2009 for formal consideration for adoption by constituent Provinces of the Anglican Communion through appropriate processes.
The 76th General Convention further committed the Episcopal Church’s engagement with the covenant process (Resolution 2009-D020). As the highest legislative authority of The Episcopal Church, the General Convention is the body that will ultimately decide The Episcopal Church’s position with respect to participation in an Anglican Communion Covenant.
We strongly urge every congregation in this Church to engage in discussion of the proposed Covenant at some time in the coming two years. A discussion group could be organized during Advent (2010 or 2011) or Lent (2011 or 2012), or at another time before General Convention. In order for General Convention to reflect the mind of the whole Church, the bishops and deputies who participate in General Convention need to know the thoughtful and faithful reactions of the many and varied faith communities represented in this Church.