The well-known W.C. Fields' remark, "On the whole, I'd rather be in Philadelphia," could apply to a substantial number of Episcopalians this month. Thousands of members of the Episcopal Church will converge on the Pennsylvania city July 16-25 for the 72nd General Convention.

Bishops. deputies elected by each of the church's 113 dioceses, alternate deputies, exhibitors. visitors, delegates to Triennial and members of the media will be in Philadelphia for the church's most important gathering, held every three years.

This convention, which has the theme "By Water and the Spirit," will have no shortage of important topics awaiting action. Most notable are the election of a new Presiding Bishop, the Concordat of Agreement with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), whether rites should be developed to bless the relationships of same-sex couples, whether the ministry of women should be mandatory in every diocese, and whether the structure of the church should be changed.

About 900 deputies and more than 200 bishops will be involved in legislative sessions daily from 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and 2-6 p.m. More than 300 resolutions will be acted upon over the 10-day meeting at Pennsylvania Convention Center. Participants will be involved in small group Bible study and the Eucharist most days at 9:15 a.m. Legislative committee meetings will be held daily at 7:30 a.m. and on some evenings.

Barbara Ogilby, chair of the arrangements committee for the Diocese of Pennsylvania, said more than 1,000 persons have volunteered to help during convention.

The Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Edmond L. Browning, will preside at most sessions of the House of Bishops.

The Rt. Rev. Arthur Williams, Suffragan Bishop of Ohio, is the vice president of that house. Pamela Chinnis of Washington is the president of the House of Deputies, and the Very Rev. George Werner of Pittsburgh is the vice president. The Rev. Donald Nickerson returns as secretary of General Convention.

The opening Eucharist of convention will be Wednesday, July 16, with the Most Rev. Robin Eames, primate of the Church of Ireland, as the preacher and Bishop Browning as the celebrant. The principal Eucharist of convention will be Saturday, July 19, at 2 p.m. with the Most Rev. George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, as the preacher and Bishop Browning as celebrant.

The election of the Presiding Bishop will take place about halfway through the convention. On Sunday, July 20, five bishops will be officially nominated for election at a joint session of the two houses of convention. They are: the Rt. Rev. Frank T. Griswold, Bishop of Chicago; the Rt. Rev. Robert Rowley, Jr., Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania; the Rt. Rev. Richard Shimpfky, Bishop of El Camino Real; and the Rt. Rev. Don A. Wimberly, Bishop of Lexington, all of whom were proposed by the Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop, and the Rt. Rev. Herbert Thompson, Jr., Bishop of Southern Ohio, who will be nominated from the floor.

On the following day, members of the House of Bishops will travel to historic Christ Church, site of the General Convention which elected the first Presiding Bishop, William White, in 1789. There they will vote to determine who will succeed Bishop Browning, who will retire at the end of 1997. Unlike Bishop Browning, who is completing a 12-year term, the next Presiding Bishop will be elected for nine years.

Once one of the candidates receives a majority of the votes, the name of that person will be brought to the House of Deputies for confirmation. The bishops will remain in closed session until the deputies ratify the election. If the deputies do not approve, additional balloting will be done by the bishops. If the deputies confirm the election, the Presiding Bishop-elect will be brought to the House of Deputies to greet that house and Triennial delegates.

The Presiding Bishop-elect is scheduled to preach at the closing Eucharist on Thursday, July 24.

The Concordat of Agreement, which would establish full communion with the ELCA, must be adopted by both churches. Under the Concordat, there would be an interchangeability of clergy, but the churches would remain separate bodies. General Convention will be asked to ratify the Concordat or reject it, with no amendments being acceptable. In August, the ELCAs Churchwide Assembly, also meeting in Philadelphia, will have the Concordat on its legislative agenda.

The Episcopal Church is being asked to suspend the preface to the ordination rites, enabling Lutheran clergy who were not ordained through the historic episcopate to have full authenticity in the Episcopal Church, and vice versa. The ELCA will change the role of its bishops, and accept the historic episcopate.

One of the most controversial resolutions will be the one concerning committed relationships between persons of the same sex. The Diocese of Pennsylvania has submitted a resolution which would direct the Standing Liturgical Commission to develop, "after critical study of pertinent rites already in use by faith communities, a rite or rites for the blessing of committed relationships between persons of the same sex, and to present such forms to the 73rd General Convention for inclusion in The Book of Occasional Services." The resolution also is supported by the dioceses of Massachusetts, Newark and Rhode Island, and variations of the legislation have been adopted elsewhere.

The Standing Liturgical Commission (SLC) had been asked at the 71 st General Convention to address the theological foundations and pastoral considerations of such rites, and in its report to convention, mentions the possibility in detail, but the commission did not put forth any resolutions in its 15-page report to convention.

Another potentially divisive issue concerns whether the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate should be made mandatory in every diocese. At present, the bishops of only four dioceses do not ordain women or permit them to be licensed to function.

The 1994 convention in Indianapolis created a committee to address various matters concerning full access for women to the ordination process. That committee, reporting to the national Executive Council, has proposed two resolutions for General Convention which would make mandatory the ordination of women. In 1995, the House of Bishops adopted a "mind of the house" resolution that Canon III.8.1 be mandatory in all dioceses of this church.

The issue of restructure is another of major importance. The Standing Commission on the Structure of the Church has put forward a package of 50 resolutions on restructure. The legislation ranges from calling for the establishment of a chief executive officer to reducing the number of the church's commissions and committees to changing the role of the Presiding Bishop. Many of the resolutions emphasize the role of the diocese, rather than the national church, as the basic unit of the Episcopal Church.

Several elections will take place during convention. The two houses will elect members of Executive Council, trustees of the Church Pension Fund, and trustees of General Theological Seminary. The House of Bishops will elect and the deputies confirm, members of the General Board of Examining Chaplains.

As in the past, forums will be held on some of the evenings during convention. On July 17, a program will be held on spirituality with authors Esther de Waal of Wales, Madeline L'Engle of New York and the Rev. Martin Smith, S.S.J.E., of Massachusetts. Humorist Garrison Keilor will be featured in a forum July 15.

During the evening of July 23, participants can take part in Philadelphia Parkway Night Out, a cultural tour of six local museums.

When adjournment takes place at 6 p.m. Friday, July 25, the church will have a new Presiding Bishop and perhaps a clearer picture of where it's headed as the new millennium draws closer.