Hello, my name is Lucas Sanders

I am a Christian, baptised and confirmed in the local faith community of my immediate forefathers. Anglican liturgy shapes my understanding of life.

In 2008, I hoodwinked Swarthmore College into believing I understood religions and computers. Now I am a CRC AmeriCorps member serving Maine Rural Partners as their Communications Coordinator. I also build websites for businesses, organizations, and people like you.

My first programming language was HyperTalk; I still hope to raise kids in Iowa; all I wanted one Christmas was my two front teeth; I think Comic Sans is typographically misused, yet its use indicates unfiltered sincerity; I wish I still played the piano and regret ditching it for my now-lonely trombone; I learned CSS from the W3C specification; I say my favorite color is gray; my favorite people are those who don’t ask the frivolously perplexing “favorite color” question.

I desire the freedom to fail, the independence to seek help when I stumble, and the gifts necessary to find my own success.

picture of me

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Time Capsule

My Testimony Before the World Mission Committee Regarding D025 and the B033 Update Resolutions

Printed as closely to my actual spoken words as possible… this text is identical in most places and very close in the remaining few. Written hastily before the hearing and then gently modified during delivery. I would have liked to add additional perspective regarding how I reached my conclusions over the course of the day, but the strict two-minute limit would not permit it.

I am Lucas Sanders, visitor and volunteer to this Convention; here from Maine although my native home is in the Diocese of Iowa. I speak in favor of D025, “Commitment and Witness to Anglican Communion.”

I have been wrestling with this evening’s issues throughout the day as I discerned my position, and my preliminary conclusion — having arrived at this position about an hour ago — is that D025 is a beautifully written draft.

It reaffirms our strong commitment to our Communion relationships through demonstrative actions, in a time where there is significant mistrust among Communion members.

It affirms the discernment palpable at this Convention that the time has come for what the Lambeth-mandated listening process has demonstrated to us — and it is clear that for a sizable and increasing portion of this Church, access to all the sacraments will not hinge on a person’s sexual identity or orientation. D025 also recognizes that we, as a Church and a Communion, are not of one mind on this issue. The Communion deserves more than a postcard response to explain the consensus position of this Church.

All that said, this resolution could and should be amended to clarify further that we welcome continued differences of opinion, not only in the broader Communion but also in this belovedly diverse Church of our own — as I think that some others in the Communion do not currently believe this — even as we move forward into the Spirit’s new experiment for our ministry context.

Further still, I would encourage this Convention in the spirit of ubuntu to deeply consider how we might pursue common ministry even with those who have felt a need to leave this Church in an organized manner over these issues, recognizing our common Christianity and Anglican heritage.

July 9, 2009 permanent link