Last week, I was getting lunch on the way to synod and an older gracious man said hello, and kept me company while I had lunch.

Day 4 at synod will be remembered for the motion passed regarding Lay and Diaconal Administration.

Our mission boils down to Policy 1 – if we do not win the hearts and minds of people, we won’t get anywhere.

This morning over breakfast, my seven year old asked me what my meeting was about yesterday (I have resisted explaining the intricacies of synod to him – maybe next year). It was a difficult question to answer.

If anyone had any doubt that we are privileged and blessed to have Peter Jensen as our Archbishop, they would have evaporated on the first day of synod. The highlight was the Presidential address, which reflected his two priorities in the past year.

‘The Anglican Church seems to be very good at managing slow decline’ were the deliberately cheeky and provocative words of a friend. Several years later, these words continue to haunt me. Especially as we come to consider the Diocesan Mission - Midpoint Report.

The longest committee meeting I know of went for 56 years. Sydney Synod is not quite in the same league but last night we decided to extend for another year discussion of an issue that won’t go away.

Sometimes Synod does things, and sometimes it says things. In the end, it was listening rather than speaking that helped us through.

If Super-Tuesday was a bit of a fizzer, Wild Wednesday did not disappoint! Three debates really stood out, each one illustrating an excellent tip for young Synod players.

Casting a vision is always a challenge. You can’t be too specific, since involving more people in the detailed planning helps them own those decisions. But you have to be specific enough to capture people’s imagination. Synod super-Tuesday was both fascinating and frustrating as it tried to walk this line.

We are at the half way mark in the Diocesan mission, and the sense that now is the time to pick up the pace ran like a thread throughout the synod's proceedings.

Andrew Katay, our guest blogger for Synod 2007 gears up for the committee meeting to end all committee meetings.