Jack Finlaw

Deputy in the Diocese of Colorado: A Story of a Diverse General Convention Deputation

March 04, 2009 Colorado is one of the most diverse dioceses in The Episcopal Church.  Our congregations are spread across mountains and plains.  Colorado Episcopalians live in farming communities, small towns, holiday resorts, sprawling suburbs and urban centers along the front range and western slope of the Rocky Mountains.  We experience God through rich and varied worship styles and our theological perspectives range from very progressive to the most traditional.  Our General Convention deputation reflects this geographical, cultural and theological diversity.  Despite, or maybe because of, our differences, during the past several trienniums our deputations have found fruitful ways to work together to prepare for General Convention and to engage productively and prayerfully with each other during the hectic days of General Convention.  While we do not always agree with each other on the many issues with which our deputation must grapple, we engage with each other respectfully as friends in Christian community.

It has become a practice of our deputations to gather on retreat soon after the election of deputies and alternates.  This is a time for getting acquainted, praying and worshipping together and sharing our hopes and dreams for The Episcopal Church.  The deputation then sets a schedule of regular meetings over the year or so leading up to General Convention.  We usually meet for two days when we gather and we always incorporate into our meeting schedules time for sharing, time for worship and time for play.  Yet these are very much working meetings too.  For example, those of us who serve as members of Committees, Commissions, Agencies and Boards (CCABs) present reports on the work of our respective CCABs.  We engage in thorough, honest and sometimes heartfelt conversations about the developments of the day – whether it be a study issued by the Church Pension Group, a complex Blue Book report or the latest communiqué from a Primates meeting.

All deputies and alternates have a voice at the table and share equally in the study of issues and resolutions as we prepare for General Convention.  Most alternates also accompany the deputation to General Convention and we make a concerted effort to have each alternate fully participate in deputation deliberations and to give each alternate opportunities to be seated on the floor of the House of Deputies.   

A gifted chaplain to the deputation guides us in worship and prayer and facilitates our deliberations.  Our chaplain also will join us in Anaheim.  The chair of our deputation is appointed by our Bishop.  Last triennium our 1st clergy deputy served as chair and this triennium our 1st lay deputy is chair.  A good chair needs strong organizational skills, an ability to ensure that all voices are heard and a good sense of humor.  It is also our custom to work closely with our diocesan communications director in the period leading up to a General Convention to facilitate communication between the deputation and other Colorado Episcopalians.  The diocesan communications director also will accompany the deputation to General Convention.

Once the deputation arrives on site at General Convention, we meet daily for prayer, worship and conversation.  Our Bishop, diocesan staff and others from our diocese who are serving as volunteers at General Convention usually join the deputation for these daily gatherings.  It is a challenge to find an hour each day to meet together in the midst of General Convention’s typically very busy schedule.  We have found that an early morning meeting over breakfast in a private room at our hotel allows for vital information sharing about the progress of legislation through committees, what will be coming to the floor for a vote, that day’s special programs and events and news from home.  It is also a good time for the Bishop to share information about what the House of Bishops has done the day before and to tip us off to upcoming actions in that chamber of our bicameral legislature.  Basic logistics, such as doing the certification paperwork for switching out a deputy and alternate, also can be accomplished efficiently at this daily deputation confab.

After General Convention is over, and after we all have had a chance to catch our breaths, the deputation endeavors to hold public sessions around the diocese to report on the work of General Convention.  In my experience, this is a particularly rewarding opportunity to engage in dialogue with our fellow Episcopalians about how the work we did together during our triennial “town meeting” advanced the mission and ministry of The Episcopal Church.

-- Jack Finlaw is a Deputy to General Convention from the Diocese of Colorado. He served as an Alternate Deputy to General Convention in 2003 and 2006 and he was a volunteer for Integrity at General Convention in 2000. Jack also is a member of the Standing Commission on Ministry Development. A recovering corporate lawyer, Jack has served for the past five years as the Denver city official overseeing the operation and maintenance of the city’s public assembly facilities, including the Colorado Convention Center, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and the Denver Performing Arts Complex. He oversaw the construction and opening of the city’s new opera house and he is currently leading a $100 million renovation and expansion of Denver’s symphony hall. Jack Finlaw and his partner Greg Movesian have been parishioners of St. John’s Cathedral in Denver for 25 years.