But the central theme of this year’s convention is a little different.
“Our theme is ‘All Are Welcome’ and we’re passionately committed to being a church where all are welcome,” [Bishop Michael] Curry said.
A portion of the weekend’s convention focuses on proposed resolutions. And this year delegates are tackling a rather controversial subject.
“We’re vested with power by the state of North Carolina to act in the contract of marriage. On the other side as a church and the Episcopal Church, the other thing we do is to bless that union of people,” said Randall Keeney, priest at St. Barnabas church in Greensboro.
But Keeney is proposing a resolution that would encourage clergy to decline to act as agents of the state in the actual legal contracting of civil marriage.