A195 Establishing a Staff Person for Liturgy and Music on the Staff of the Presiding Bishop
Resolved, the House of ________________ concurring,
That the 79th General Convention establish a position for Liturgy and Music who will serve on the staff of the Presiding Bishop, to make accessible digital resources for all worshiping communities in The Episcopal Church; and be it further
Resolved, That the staff person support the work assigned to the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music in the creation, translation, and dissemination of digital versions of liturgies approved or made available by the General Convention. These resources would include, but not be limited to The Book of Common Prayer, The Book of Occasional Services, Lesser Feasts and Fasts, the Enriching our Worship, and musical resources. This staff person will be a resource to the whole Church for its liturgical life, including diocesan liturgy & music commissions and other groups engaged in enriching the Church’s worship; and be it further
Resolved, That the General Convention request that the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance consider a budget allocation of $325,000 for the implementation of this resolution.
Explanation
Worship is the heart of the Church’s life, but for a number of years, The Episcopal Church has had not had a staff position dedicated to this essential work. Such a position is needed now more than ever, for we worship in an “in-between” age, with authorized material created for printed publication when much of the church and the world desire digital forms for use in worship, as the local worshipping community finds appropriate. Well-curated worship resources are available on-line in many other branches of the Christian Church, the Church of England’s Common Worship (https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship) being just one well known example. The Episcopal Church has many rich resources for worship, but few are available in an easily usable form. Having a staff person dedicated to the provision of liturgical resources in such forms will strengthen our common life of prayer and praise.