Resolves of the Executive Council

Resolved, That the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church, meeting in Des Moines, Iowa, 9-12 January 2005, welcomes the call for mutual listening on matters of human sexuality by provinces of the Anglican Communion that was issued by resolution of the 13th meeting of Anglican Consultative Council on 22 June 2005, in accord with similar calls by the 1978, 1988 and 1998 Lambeth Conferences, the Windsor Report, and the February 2005 Primates Meeting; and be it further

Resolved, That the Executive Council welcomes the Presiding Officers' appointment of the Special Commission on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion in order to help prepare the way for the 2006 General Convention to receive and respond to the Windsor Report, to the February 2005 communiqué of the Primates Meeting, and to the actions of the June 2005 meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council as they pertain to the life of the Episcopal Church and our relationships with the other provinces of the Anglican Communion; and be it further

Resolved, That the Executive Council affirms and encourages the mutual listening that occurs through conversation in the shared life of Companion Diocese Relationships and other linkages, the work of Episcopal missionaries, and the visits of Episcopal Church Center staff in many provinces of the Anglican Communion; and be it further

Resolved, That the Executive Council encourages dioceses of the Episcopal Church to plan visits to and from dioceses with which they have or are developing links in other Anglican provinces in order to converse about mutual mission, listen to the concerns of their companions, experience the life and context of their church, and share the life and context of the Episcopal Church; and be it further

Resolved, That the Executive Council urges that Episcopalians visiting and hosting visits include the lay, clerical and Episcopal orders of ministry and represent the diversity of views in the Episcopal Church; that gay and lesbian Anglicans both here and abroad be included, whenever possible, in conversations; and that Episcopal Church visitors and hosts make use of existing relationships and networks as they prepare for and learn from inter-diocesan encounters in the Anglican Communion; and be it further

Resolved, That the Executive Council directs the Treasurer to identify discretionary and other appropriate funds to support this endeavor, especially with regard to dioceses that have fewer financial resources.