EAST CAROLINA: Convention contemplates its life together and mission to the world
Episcopal News Service. February 23, 2007 [022307-06]
Mary Frances Schjonberg
The Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina, meeting February 8-10 in its 124th annual convention, heard Bishop Clifton Daniel III say that "the intersection where Christian hope meets the heartache of the world is the very place from which our mission arises as followers of Jesus."
"All other questions about our life as a church pale when set against Jesus' call to minister to the world's hurt by building bridges of compassion and mercy," the bishop said in his annual address.
But Daniel said he did not want the address to be entirely "the bishop speaking to the convention."
Introducing a time of table discussion, he said, "It will be, rather, the convention speaking to our diocese as we tell of what we have experienced as one Diocesan family, claim what we treasure, and look with hope toward God's future for us."
A link on the diocesan website contains a 15-page summary of the convention, including Daniel's address and sermon, a response to his address, the table-discussion questions, and the texts of approved resolutions.
Among the resolutions that the Convention approved were ones to:
- call upon the bishop to create a Communications Task Force which will develop and implement, as soon as reasonably possible, a cost-effective semimonthly electronic newsletter;
- require that when changes are made to the diocesan budget between conventions, a notice will be sent to all parishes "in order that an individual parish or group of parishes may be empowered to react to fill that particular financial need;"
- commit to "engage the churches of our diocese in a Christ-like formation process through dialogue and training offered by the newly forming Anti-Racism Commission," and require that the lay and ordained leadership of the diocese of East Carolina, including professional staff and those elected or appointed to positions of leadership, be required to take anti-racism training;
- affirm "its commitment to the teachings of Holy Scripture, applied with reason and founded on our Anglican tradition; with Holy Scripture as the primary source of divine authority in our lives and acknowledge that God's Word is the authoritative light for our lives;"
- adopt as the "proper standard of Christian stewardship in this Diocese the biblical standard of the tithe (10%) as the minimum level of giving to the budget for mission and ministry of the Church of the Diocese of East Carolina" and appoint a task force to study the issues of giving to the diocese survey the vestries of the diocese to discern the issues surrounding financial giving to the diocese.
The Diocese of East Carolina comprises approximately 19,300 Episcopalians worshipping in 73 congregations.