Initial reactions from General Synod members to the first report synthesizing their small group discussions of the issue of sexuality indicate the process is working. Those who spoke to the Anglican Journal said the report was a fairly accurate reflection of what was said in their \u201cdiscernment circles.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
The discernment circles varied in size from 15 to 24 people, and each group had a designated reporter who recorded their points of view and filed those reports to the members of the Faith, Worship, and Ministry Committee. This committee summarized all of the comments in those reports and produced a single document that was presented to members of General Synod for more discussion and feedback.<\/p>\n
Bishop Linda Nicholls and Janet Marshall, chair of the faith, worship and ministry committee, worked into the night to weave together all of the information, working to synthesize the reports from the discernment circles. \u201cThe reporters were very clear about what they heard,\u201d\u009d said Bishop Nicholls. \u201cThere was a lot of similarity among the groups which made it much easier to pull together.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n