Special Legislative Committee 26 has been charged with all the hot-button issues of this General Convention: responding to Windsor, episcopal pastoral oversight, human sexuality and the blessing of same-sex unions.

The hearing tonight (7:30 p.m., Regency Ballroom, Hyatt) is anticipated to be so well-attended that deputations are receiving entrance tickets to ensure they get a seat.

This could be a cantankerous meeting.

But what we’re seeing at the hearings held thus far makes us optimistic.

Committee 26’s work has been faithful, diligent and care-filled. The committee and those who testified yesterday are striving to respond faithfully to the concerns of the rest of the Anglican Communion, while at the same time affirming our own identity and polity. What they are doing embodies the tension between autonomy and interdependence, two words that carry significant weight in the aftermath of the 2003 General Convention.

The committee’s work is intentional and relational, exemplified by its discussion of forbearance, trust and respect as signs of how we are to live together in community. What seems to be emerging in these hearings is the idea that the Anglican Communion is more a family than a legislative body, and as in many families, there are great tensions. How those tensions are worked out is as important as getting them worked out.

Tonight’s meeting will be fruitful if all involved – committee members, those testifying and those listening – bring that same faithfulness, diligence and care.

If we manage to do that, there’s a possibility that this General Convention could come up with an authentic response to the rest of the Anglican Communion that we can all live with while also reflecting who we are as a church.