The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church, the governing body mandated to administer the programs and policies adopted by the General Convention, convened October 20 after a stirring weekend for the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.
On October 17, the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (GAFCON) announced the launch of the Global Anglican Communion, signaling a split from the Instruments of Communion.
The following day, many Episcopal leaders and parishioners joined “No Kings” protests, already being hailed by some as one of the largest demonstrations in U.S. history, against the policies of the Trump administration. On the same day, the people of the Diocese of San Joaquin elected their sixth bishop, the Rev. Dr. Greg Kimura.
The Rev. Nancy Frausto, one of Executive Council’s chaplains, asked those gathered for the opening service of Morning Prayer to acknowledge “all those things that are plaguing our hearts, our minds, our body.”
“For certain groups in this room, in our churches, and in our communities, simply existing in their own authentic selves puts their lives in danger,” Frausto said. “No child of God should be afraid to leave their home, to embrace their identity, to speak their native tongue.”
In her sermon, Frausto described the GAFCON statement as one that draws “new lines of separation” and encouraged the body: “You are charged to lead the way. We can’t confuse … reaction with revival.”
Morning Prayer was celebrated in both English and Spanish. Frausto is the director of Latinx Studies at Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas.
Presiding Officers’ Remarks
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe and House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris addressed the current political environment in the United States and abroad, as well as the GAFCON statement. They also acknowledged the significance of the council’s meeting at Kanuga, a conference center affiliated with the Episcopal Church.
The 1,400-acre property, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, suffered extensive damage when Hurricane Helene devastated much of western North Carolina in late 2024.
“I’m grateful to return [to Kanuga] now with all of you so the resources we spend on this meeting can help support this historic institution as it continues to recover from the storm,” Rowe said.
The Presiding Bishop emphasized the strategic approach the church’s senior leaders are taking when crafting public statements on sensitive issues, particularly immigration enforcement.
“We are taking our cues from bishops and other leaders in our dioceses on the southern border and in other communities with large immigrant populations,” Rowe said. “One thing they often ask us is not to issue statements full of outrage and rhetoric that draw attention to their programs.”
Rowe added: “We know that it is devastating to our congregations and to the entire body of Christ, but all too often shining a bright light on injustice also shines a bright light on people suffering from injustice.”
He said the same approach applies to the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, and spoke about his meeting with the Most Rev. Hosam Naoum, Archbishop of Jerusalem and Primate of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, who offered counsel about “what we can do and what we need to refrain from doing.”
“Strengthening the relationship between the Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East is our first priority when it comes to work in this region,” Rowe said. “And that means we’ll prioritize the needs of the church there and seek to be strategic in our support.”
He said it is a mistake to assume that, because the church does not issue statements, it is not concerned about the “moral travesty unfolding before us.”
Rowe also reiterated what he wrote in an opinion piece for Religion News Service—that the church may be the final body capable of resisting the Trump administration’s overreach and recklessness. He likened the current situation the Episcopal Church’s decision last spring to decline a federal request to resettle Afrikaner refugees. In that situation, he said, the church had to choose “between the demands of the federal government and the teachings of Jesus, and that is no choice at all.”
Ayala Harris acknowledged that trust in institutions has been shaken, including within the religious sector. “For example, through the recent declaration by GAFCON … claiming to constitute a separate Global Anglican Communion,” Ayala Harris said. “Our call remains the same. We are to stay anchored to the gospel, not to chase each organizational shift in fear, but to lead with clarity, accountability, and faithfulness at home. Public trust frays as conspiracy and cynicism rise, reminding us how fragile democracy becomes when truth and trust are neglected.”
She also alluded to the membership challenges of the church, mentioning that the number of people in the room—about 40—is more than the median membership of Episcopal parishes.
“That reality should not discourage us. Even as attendance declines, faithfulness continues in small congregations across the church,” she said. “Prayers are still offered, meals are still shared, baptisms still celebrated, and the gospel is still boldly proclaimed. The body of Christ is alive, even if it is smaller.”
Ayala Harris recognized Timothy McGee, attending the council via Zoom. The lay leader from the Diocese of El Camino Real recently had a successful heart surgery.
During his remarks, Rowe acknowledged Canon Crystal Plummer, who was elected by Province V to fill an unexpired term created when Executive Council member Louisa McKellaston joined the Church Center staff as leadership development officer on August 1.
Bishop Helen Kennedy of the Anglican Church of Canada is attending the meeting for the first time as a liaison for the province. Kennedy is the first woman to serve as Bishop of Qu’Appelle in Saskatchewan.
The remarks were followed by a vote to fill an Executive Council seat left vacant after the death of the Ven. J. Stannard Baker of Vermont.
Dr. Beth Sarah-Wright of the consulting firm Thrive with Dignity led a three-hour leadership development seminar.
Notable items on the agenda include updates from the Realignment Committee, which overseeing the restructuring of the Episcopal Church Center’s staff, and from the team tasked with relocating the Archives of the Episcopal Church. Reports are also expected on developments in the violence-torn Diocese of Haiti and plans for restructuring the next General Convention, which will meet in 2027 in Phoenix.
Caleb Maglaya Galaraga is The Living Church’s Episcopal Church reporter. His work has also appeared in Christianity Today, Broadview Magazine, and Presbyterian Outlook, among other publications.
