General Synod Tuesday

An early start today as we had to get to Church House early to get ready to go to the Abbey for the Inauguration Eucharist. Since the Queen and prince Philip were there, security was tight and we all needed searching several times – actually this was done much quicker than it was five years ago so well done to the Synod staff  and others who learned from the problems in 2005. The Synod staff are unfailingly helpful and even cheerful in the face of complexity, which is a special gift of grace as far as I am concerned.

Here we are being inaugurated

After the Abbey service, we all trot back to Church House for the inauguration proper. What seemed to be of most perplexing concern to many clergy members was not the Covenant, or women bishops, or even the Big Society but how to put their robes on. For this service we wear a strange mixture of robes that you would not wear at any other time.  putting on the preaching bands is the trickiest bit for many of us. Today I helped dress an archdeacon. Not many people can lay claim to that.

I will report on the actual debtes later, but for many os us the hot news was about the bishop of Willesden being asked to withdraw from public ministry for a while. Much support for +Pete in the tea room – more on this later too.