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Media Advisory: Episcopal Church House of Bishops to meet virtually July 28-29, 2020

July 20, 2020

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The House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church will convene a virtual meeting July 28-29, 2020, from noon to 3:00pm EST, with a third day of meeting planned for September 16. The theme for the gathering is “Communion, Divine and Human: Holy Eucharist and Racial Reconciliation”, and the bishops will spend time in plenary sessions and table groups discussing issues related to this topic. The meeting will be held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the health and safety of all involved.

The first day’s plenary will feature a discussion related to racial reconciliation with Hilton Als, Pulitzer Prize winning Associate Professor at Columbia University and staff writer for The New Yorker.

On the 29th, The Right Rev. Mary Gray-Reeves will lead a plenary on communion and community under special circumstances.

Following each plenary session, bishops will break into table groups to consider and discuss issues related to the day’s topic. Further conversation, discernment and reflection will continue on these topics in plenary, and again in September.

Media representatives wishing to attend the virtual plenary sessions via a listen-only livestream must secure credentials. Pre-registration for all media is required; contact Lisa Webb, associate officer for Public Affairs, at by Friday, July 24.

House of Bishops

All bishops of The Episcopal Church, active or retired, make up the House of Bishops. The House of Bishops has nearly 300 members and comprises half of the governing body of The Episcopal Church. Like the governing body of the United States, the governing body of The Episcopal Church (called “the General Convention”) is comprised of two Houses: the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies. They meet and act separately, and both Houses must concur to adopt legislation. General Convention meets every three years, and the House of Bishops generally meets twice a year between conventions in a non-legislative capacity. The Presiding Bishop is the president of the House of Bishops.