(All Perspectives messages are designed to be viewed with a non-proportional typeface, such as Courier or Terminal. To subscribe to, or unsubscribe from, this list, see the bottom of this message.) ___________________________________ p e r s p e c t i v e s by tod maffin may 21 1998 ____________________________________ t h e f i r s t w o r d We're underway! The 1998 General Synod will officially begin this evening, Thursday May 21, at Christ Church Cathedral in Montreal Quebec. It marks the first time the General Synod has gathered in the Montreal Cathedral since 1959 when the then-new Hymn Book was introduced. Montreal, if you've never visited, is a breathtaking city of exquisite architecture and style. Oh, and it's sticky. A quick study of Synod attendees getting off their planes found many trying to adjust to the humidity. Members of the host diocese had a booth set up to collect ("Anglican rustling," as one put it) Synod members and efficiently pop them into waiting shuttle vans for the brief ride. With more than 400 people coming from across the country, and Dorval airport refusing to let shuttle drivers park at the airport (!), this wasn't an easy task to coordinate! The General Synod is happening at McGill University, in the heart of downtown Montreal. Most members are staying in the student residences (I'm in the "Molson" building, though product samples appear to not have been part of the naming deal. One notable point of life in residence is a sign in the shared washrooms asking people to knock before entering the co-ed shower area! The rooms are dorm-sized small and, unlike some in the Ottawa 1995 General Synod, windows appear to open. The business of Synod, Plenary, is to be held in Tomlinson Hall, about a five minute walk from the residences. The trek back and forth is down, and then up, Mount Royal, very steep. When it's not playing host to hundreds of Anglicans, the building houses the physical education department, complete with racquetball courts, a pool, and a running track/stadium outside. But Synod members likely won't need to exercise to break into a sweat -- the Plenary hall, a large converted gymnasium, is bound to be a sauna. (When I walked through at 10pm with all the lights out and the doors wide open, it was still uncomfortably warm. I can't imagine what it'll be like with the TV lights on in the middle of the day!) At the back of the hall, as with many other General Synod plenary assemblies, are a number of displays on ministries and related groups, anxious to catch the attention of Synod members. Inside, Tomlinson Hall is a catacomb of narrow hallways and stairwells. Synod organizers are still putting up colour-coded markers and signposts throughout the building, but my guess is members might do well for a map of that building more than a map of the campus. ____________________________________ q u i c k t a k e s SYNOD MEMBERS! There are a number of members of General Synod who are also subscribed to coverage. I'd very much like to share your impressions of the Synod with people "on the outer world" -- please do introduce yourself and email me your thoughts. DON'T FORGET THE WEB SITE If you're only reading this newsletter, you're missing most of our coverage! Drop what you're doing right now and head to http://www.anglican.ca/synod98/ We'll be updating it several times throughout the day with the very latest photographs and sound clips -- often within minutes of the event occuring! LIGHTS...CAMERA... STADIUM?! A surrealistic moment last evening. Wanting to explore the campus and wander through the Plenary hall, I crossed through the stadium which separates the residences from the Plenary building. Though the outdoor stadium was completely empty and it was night-time, the lights were blasting onto the field. A strange way to walk to Synod... looking up at thousands of bleachers (actually, decaying cement blocks) on a brand new grass field with tens of thousands of watts of light beaming down. WELCOME, LUTHERANS! Wayne Holst from Calgary tells me that the elc-canada list (ELCIC Lutherans) has started receiving daily cross-postings of Perspectives thanks to Fr. Alan Perry of Montreal. Welcome! SUUUURE HE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT! One can't help but wonder about the coincidence that the name of the building housing Plenary, Tomlinson Hall, shares the last name of Jamie Tomlinson who is the General Synod coordinator. Hmmmmmmmm. ____________________________________ s n i c k e r i n g Two Anglican priests were sharing a coffee one Sunday afternoon after services. "We've got a bat in the belltower," complained one. "We've tried everything to get rid of it, but nothing seems to work." The other priest paused, thought for a moment, then said "Yes, we had one too I remember. We just baptized and confirmed it and then it never came back!" -- Staff contribution (Tell us YOUR favourite Anglican joke! Email owner-acc-synodnews@anglican.ca and put the word "snickering" in the subject line.) ____________________________________ t o m o r r o w FRIDAY MAY 22 8:45 am Worship in Plenary 9:00 am Plenary begins (housekeeping motions) 11:15 am Video 11:45 am Introduction to afternoon agenda 12:10 pm Eucharist in Memorial Hall 12:30 pm Lunch Tour of displays 2:00 pm Forum: Partnerships Forum: Northern Lights 4:15 pm Diocesan Caucusing 5:00 pm Dinner 5:30 pm Primate's Dinner with first-time members 7:30 pm Introduction of the partners 8:15 pm Plenary business 9:00 pm Night prayers ____________________________________ y o u r t u r n "Thanks for putting General Synod on-line - it's great!" -- Jean Koning "I prayerfully urge all Synod delegates to consider carefully and vote for Resolution A-130, "A Covenant of Protection". As an Anglican Priest and Hospital Chaplain who is privileged to minister with persons of every age, sex, sexual orientation, family or marital status, race, colour, ethnic (or place of) origin, ancestry, disability, creed or socio-economic status, I believe with all my heart that our Church must support and protect all of God's people." -- Gordon Jackson Here's YOUR space to tell us and your fellow readers anything you want! Each night, we'll publish a cross-section of opinions. (Text may, and likely will, be edited for space considerations only.) ____________________________________ e r r a t u m If it's true that a lousy dress rehearsal will make for a superb performance, then we should be off to a good start! :-) Gremlins invaded yesterday's Issue 0, our first pre-coverage issue, and claimed that the Anglican Journal had a half million subscribers when the number is closer to a quarter of a million. We have had the gremlins removed from the building. - 30 - Perspectives is written by Tod Maffin, electronic news coordinator for General Synod 1998. It is distributed each evening on the ACC-SynodNews mailing list on Internet email, in the "ACC GenSynod98 News" meeting in Quest/Ecunet, in America Online's faith centre, and on a variety of diocesan bulletin board systems. This is a read-only mailing list. Any messages sent to the list will disappear into a black hole. To contact the editor, email owner-acc-synodnews@anglican.ca. To leave this list, send an email to majordomo@ns1.anglican.ca and put the words "unsubscribe acc-synodnews" (without the quotes) in the body of the message. LEGAL STUFF: You are encouraged to distribute this text to people known to you, provided no automated mailing list software is used to perform this forwarding function. No fee may be charged for distribution of this text, nor can this text be bundled with other information or programs without the written permission of the Anglican Church of Canada.