[Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs] The 77^th Episcopal Church General Convention will be held July 5 through July 12 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Episcopal Church’s General Convention is held every three years, and is the bicameral governing body of the Church. It is composed of the House of Bishops, with upwards of 200 active and retired bishops and the House of Deputies, with clergy and lay representatives elected from the 110 dioceses of the Church, at more than 800 members.

Of note:

• For complete and extensive information on the General Convention 2012, check the website:  http://generalconvention.org/gc

• The Bishop and Deputy Handbook, an important reference for understanding and navigating General Convention, has been revised for 2012 and is now available to download at no cost at http://generalconvention.org/gc/prepare. Available in English and Spanish, the Bishop and Deputy Handbook is 22 pages and includes an outline of the legislative process, a listing of the chairs of the Legislative Committees, and a draft schedule for General Convention 2012.

• Applications for credentials for media representatives requesting to cover the General Convention 2012 will be available on April 9. Additional information will be forthcoming.

• The Report to the 77th General Convention, commonly referred to as the Blue Book, will be available in mid-April. The Blue Book will be available to all as a free PDF download on the General Convention website, and will also be available for purchase in printed and e-book formats through Church Publishing. Additional information will be forthcoming.

• The Abundant Life Garden Project, General Convention children’s program for ages birth through Grade 5, will be offered through the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Indianapolis, in partnership with Waycross Center, Episcopal Relief & Development, and the National Episcopal Health Ministries. For more information contact Ruth-Ann Collins, Episcopal Church Adult Formation and Lifelong Learning Officer, rcollins@episcopalchurch.org. To register: https://www.formstack.com/forms/DFMS-gc_children

• The host diocese is the Diocese of Indianapolis, Bishop Catharine Waynick.

• Spaces are still available for vendors in the popular Exhibit Hall. More information here http://generalconvention.org/gc

• Twitter Hashtag for General Convention will be #GC12

Additional information on the 77^th General Convention will continue to be issued.

The Episcopal Church: http://www.episcopalchurch.org
General Convention: http://generalconvention.org/gc
Diocese of Indianapolis http://indydio.org/diocese2010
Bishop & Deputy Handbook: http://generalconvention.org/gc/prepare