Diocesan Digest
Episcopal News Service. November 10, 2005 [111005-1-A]
* IOWA: Convention celebrates mission
* MASSACHUSETTS: Study our Communion, delegates say
* MICHIGAN: Rosa Parks to be remembered
* MICHIGAN: Social-ministries funding saved in diocesan budget
* NEWARK: Reparations study group offers conversation
* OHIO: Members work with bishop on disaffiliation
* OHIO: Heating costs worry convention
* PITTSBURGH: Diocese pledges to stand with Communion 'whatever the cost'
* VERMONT: Global mission is convention's focus
* VIRGINIA: Parishes get committee to sound out conflicts
IOWA: Convention celebrates mission
[SOURCE: Diocese of Iowa] "Encircled by God's Love," delegates gathered November 4-5 in Des Moines for the 153rd Convention of the Diocese of Iowa.
In a narration of the 2006 budget Bishop Alan Scarfe described "an Episcopate-centered expression of how Christ makes disciples, focused on the call to share His love for neighbor and enemy alike, with a special eye and heart on those who may never pay us back but who always remind us of the greatness of the creation of God in which we so undeservedly find ourselves." Convention adopted a 2006 budget of $1,388,679.
In other action delegates referred to the Board of Directors of the Episcopal Corporation of the Diocese of Iowa a resolution about the diocesan formula for "askings" for congregational funding of the budget. The bishop also requested the board, the body that conducts diocesan business between conventions, "to assess how much we need to release for local ministry and what we can best do together under a common funding process."
A disaster response team was introduced to coordinate diocesan efforts not only for the long-term hurricane assistance but also floods, earthquakes and other devastations as they occur. Past and future mission trips to Swaziland and El Salvador were described. Prison ministry and Jubilee projects received special attention.
Young people were much in evidence at the convention. Recent changes in diocesan canon gave eight youth delegates seat, voice and vote. Concurrent with convention, a conference for grades 6 - 12 met at St. Paul's Cathedral, joined in worship and came to hear the bishop's address.
Scarfe reviewed the Windsor Report before delegates passed a resolution commending clergy and lay delegates to the 2006 General Convention to intentional and prayerful consideration of the report in advance of convention and affirming the spirit of the report. The resolution also committed the diocese to dialogue and reconciliation with those holding differing convictions.
MASSACHUSETTS: Study our Communion, delegates say
[SOURCE: Diocese of Massachusetts] Delegates to the 220th Annual Convention of the Diocese of Massachusetts November 4-5 urged members of the diocese "to become more fully knowledgeable about our mutual life in the Anglican Communion."
They passed a resolution saying that one way to gain that knowledge was to study and talk about the Windsor Report and related documents. The resolution calls for a task force "representing the diverse voices of this diocese" to facilitate that study during the next year.
It is hoped that the conversations will result in recommendations to the next diocesan convention of specific actions that can be taken "in order to move us toward deeper communion and fellowship in the wider Anglican Communion."
The resolution also calls on the 2006 General Convention to commend "to all members of the church the 'Covenant for Communion in Mission' of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Mission and Evangelism as an expression of our mutuality and interdependence in the Anglican Communion and our common commitment to God's mission of reconciliation in a world of poverty, disease, and religious conflict."
(The text of the covenant can be seen at http://www.nspeidiocese.ca/windsor/COVENANT%20FOR%20COMMUNION%20IN%20MISSION.pdf)
Also at the convention, delegates passed a resolution repudiating anti-Semitism and urging congregations to talk with neighboring Jewish congregations with the goal of understanding our common heritage.
The resolution also calls on the next General Convention to ask the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music to prepare a report on the "problem of liturgical texts of the Episcopal Church which can function to promote or maintain anti-Jewish prejudice, with proposed alternate texts for trial use."
Delegates also set the minimum total clergy compensation (cash stipend, utilities allowance, housing, Self Employment Contribution Act allowance, if any) at $55,261 for full-time clergy leading a congregation.
MICHIGAN: Rosa Parks to be remembered
[SOURCE: Diocese of Michigan] On December 1, the Diocese of Michigan will celebrate the anniversary of the civil rights movement by remembering the legacy of Rosa Parks, who died on October 24.
The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn and the diocese plan to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Parks' simple act of defiance that changed the country. The history of the Montgomery bus boycott, sparked by her refusal to give up her seat on a city bus on December 1, 1955, will be recognized in a day-long celebration.
The celebration will feature presentations by area students and dramatic and musical performances honoring the civil rights struggle. Testimonies from local leaders and community members will highlight the day's events. The Montgomery city bus on which Parks took her courageous ride is on display at the Henry Ford museum.
MICHIGAN: Social-ministries funding saved in diocesan budget
[SOURCE: Diocese of Michigan] When the Diocese of Michigan met in Lansing at its annual convention on October 28-29, the delegates approved a 2006 mission budget of just more than $3 million.
A self-imposed spending reduction of more than $700,000 forced the diocese to do significant belt-tightening that threatened the elimination of $115,000 in social ministries, education and advocacy.
However, the convention restored the $115,000 that includes direct grants to several inner-city ministries in Detroit and Pontiac as well as advocacy and education funding for the Church and Society Committee, the Economic Justice Commission, and the National and World Missions Committee, among others.
The convention also approved resolutions to support workers' right to organize and state legislation that would legalize second parent adoption. The convention condemned the use of torture by representatives of the United States government, the government of Michigan, and/or independent contractors working for the government.
The convention also opposed Michigan state legislation that would ban same-sex domestic partner benefits and supported state legislation that would ban bullying in public schools.
NEWARK: Reparations study group offers conversation
[SOURCE: Diocese of Newark] The Diocese of Newark's Reparations Task Force plans to present an initial conversation about "Reparations and the Legacy of Slavery" on November 12.
All Saints' in Leonia, New Jersey, will host the gathering from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Speakers will include Barbara Wheeler, chair of African Studies at Kean University and professor of anthropology and Donna Lamb, journalist and director for Caucasians United for Reparations and Emancipation (CURE).
OHIO: Members work with bishop on disaffiliation
[SOURCE: Diocese of Ohio] Members of four congregations in northeast Ohio have voted to disaffiliate with the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Ohio, according to a statement released November 9 by the Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth Jr. and the four rectors.
The congregations, St. Luke's, Akron; Church of the Holy Spirit, Akron; St. Anne's in the Fields, Madison; and St. Barnabas', Bay Village, held meetings November 6 to ratify the unanimous decisions of their vestries to affiliate with the Diocese of Bolivia in the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone.
"Their decision results from a theological dispute with the Episcopal Church over divergent understandings of the authority of Scripture and traditional Christian teaching," the statement said.
The clergy leaders of the four parishes told Hollingsworth of their decisions during a meeting November 7.
"Together they discussed seeking a constructive way forward that will be supportive of all involved. The bishop and the four parish rectors are committed to negotiating a mutually beneficial resolution and have agreed to continue working together toward that end," the statement said.
The rectors are the Rev. Roger Ames of St. Luke's, the Rev. Kelly Irish of St. Anne's in the Fields, the Rev. Scott Souders of Church of the Holy Spirit, and the Rev. Dr. James Tasker of St. Barnabas'.
"I want to assure you that I am committed to working collaboratively with these congregations toward a faithful and just resolution," the bishop said in to a letter containing the statement that was sent to the clergy and lay leaders of the diocese. "The clergy of these congregations have agreed with me to say nothing more publicly about this situation, and I ask that you support our efforts by doing the same. We are given in this an opportunity to move forward in a way that is worthy of our common vocation as Christians."
OHIO: Heating costs worry convention
[SOURCE: Diocese of Ohio] Delegates to the Diocese of Ohio's 189th annual convention grappled with the anticipated increases in heating costs parishes face this winter.
The delegates, meeting November 4-5, approved a resolution giving an assessment credit to parishes that incur increases in natural gas or heating oil costs for heating their sanctuaries and parish halls between November 1, 2005, and April 30, 2006, of more than 10 percent over the costs for the same period last year. The amount of such credit will not exceed the incremental increase in the parish assessment that results from the actual increase in natural gas and heating oil costs.
The convention also encouraged legislative reform to increase and equalize state and local funding for public education, including that of decreasing reliance on local property taxes, "thus ending the present unjust educational disparities between rich and poor." The resolution encourages local churches to learn about public school issues and to educate their members about the historical role of churches in creating and supporting public schools.
Congregations are encouraged to work with other community institutions to strengthen and encourage creative initiatives in the public school system and to lead a strong effort to urge the General Assembly of the State of Ohio to comply with the funding reforms required by the Supreme Court of Ohio.
The convention also established the 2006 standard of full-time compensation for clergy serving in the diocese of Ohio. The formula results in a range from $44,345 to $116,575, depending on the congregation's net operating income and the priest's years of service and skills.
In other resolutions, the convention remembered with gratitude the late Right Reverend James Russell Moodey, Ninth Bishop of Ohio, and the late Wilma Ruth Combs, former President of the Northern Ohio Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians.
The convention also concluded its partnership with the United Dioceses of Kilmore, Elphin, and Ardagh. The resolution noted "the nine years spent in relationship have yielded many friendships, ministries and adventures between our dioceses, parishes and individuals" and said that the goals of the partnership had been met.
PITTSBURGH: Diocese pledges to stand with Communion 'whatever the cost'
[SOURCE: ENS] The annual convention of the Diocese of Pittsburgh overwhelmingly passed a resolution November 4 stating that if the 2006 General Convention fails "to accept unreservedly the Windsor Report and its corollary documents or to commit to a church life consonant with them" it will "stand with all Anglican Churches, Dioceses and Provinces that hold and maintain the 'Historic Faith, Doctrine, Sacrament and Discipline of the one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church' whatever the costs or actions required to do so."
The resolution defines those corollary documents as the Lambeth 1.10 text (1998) and the Dromantine Communiqué (2005).
The resolution was a substitution for a milder resolution distributed with pre-convention materials.
Diocesan Bishop Robert Duncan urged passage of the resolution during his address to the convention before the vote. He told the convention that the Episcopal Church was a house built on sand "having recently set itself on the shifting sands of contemporary Western culture, and the Biblical compromises, intellectual relativism and moral laxity that attend that culture."
One priest, the Rev. Dr. Dallam Ferneyhough, of St. Luke's Church in Georgetown, Pennsylvania, alleged that the Episcopal Church is now teaching a "new faith" that is "not Christian" and has "no saving power," according to a press release from Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh (PEP).
The resolution passed in vote by orders. In the clergy order, 85 approved, 12 disapproved and nine abstained. In the lay order 118 supported the resolution, 45 opposed it and six abstained.
If the General Convention does not make "a clear statement of submission" to the Windsor Report, the resolution says, the diocese "will stand with all Anglican Churches, Dioceses and Provinces that hold and maintain the 'Historic Faith, Doctrine, Sacrament and Discipline of the one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church' whatever the costs or actions required to do so."
The resolution dropped language found in the original about remaining "committed to the fellowship of the Anglican Communion."
The Rev. Cynthia Bronson Sweigert, rector of the Church of the Redeemer, in Squirrel Hill, expressed concern for those who do not identify with the position of the diocese. "I don't know what this means for me or for my parish," she said, according to the PEP release.
"We love the Episcopal Church," PEP President Lionel E. Deimel, an observer at the convention, told ENS. "We're going to make sure the Episcopal Church survives in Pittsburgh."
However, he said there is "increasing resignation to a coming schism, at least in the diocese."
Also during the convention a large majority approved a resolution celebrating women's ministries and the 30th anniversary of the decision to admit women to the order of priests in the Episcopal Church. The original resolution was amended by the Rev. David Wilson, a member of the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes, to recognize the views of those opposed to the ordination of women.
The resolution designates 2006 as a year of celebration of women's ministry in the diocese, during which the diocese is to make special effort to encourage women in the discernment of their calls.
PEP's news release says that it has taken two years to craft a resolution that was broadly acceptable. Sponsors had hoped for unqualified affirmation of women's ordination and opposed Wilson's amendment, PEP said.
VERMONT: Global mission is convention's focus
[SOURCE: Diocese of Vermont] Vermont Episcopalians unanimously approved a resolution embracing United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
Clergy and lay delegates to the 173rd Convention November 4-5 committed to "work toward giving 0.7% of the annual diocesan budgeted operating income to fund international development programs by 2008" and to challenge congregations and individuals in the diocese to do the same.
The resolution also encourages Vermont Episcopalians to urge their elected representatives to support the fulfillment by the United States government of its as yet unmet commitment to fund international development aid at 0.7% of US gross national income.
The theme of "Global Mission" pervaded the two-day gathering at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, Vermont. Special guests included the Most Rev. Martín Barahona, primate of the Anglican Church of the Central America Region and Bishop of El Salvador, and his wife, Betty, Lallie Lloyd, co-chair of Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation, George Rishmawi of the Holy Land Trust, and Vermont singer/songwriter Elisabeth von Trapp.
In his annual address the Right Reverend Thomas Ely said his hope in calling the diocese together around the theme of global mission "is that we will see the transformational power of mission, not only in the lives of others, but in our own lives as well."
Noting that the Anglican/Episcopal Church in El Salvador had dedicated its full plate and pledge offering for the month of September to Episcopal Relief and Development for the relief effort in the Gulf Coast, Ely announced that the offering taken at the convention Eucharist would go to Barahona's primate's discretionary fund for hurricane relief. The 220 people participating in the Eucharist gave nearly $4,100.
Ely encouraged his listeners to move beyond feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of Millennium Goals' scope by picking one for which they have some passion.
"Give what you can of your time and talent and treasure in pursuit of your passion," he said. "Then you will make a difference."
In addition to the resolution on the Millennium Development Goals, the Convention business session approved a resolution supporting activities and programs that further biblical literacy and "counter ways of interpreting the Bible which oppress/marginalize certain groups such as persons of color, persons from different faith traditions, women, and (at this time especially) gay and lesbian persons."
The resolution links such efforts to three 2007 commemorations: the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade in the United Kingdom; the 230th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Vermont (the first such abolition in the world); and the 175th anniversary of the election of the first bishop of the Diocese of Vermont, John Henry Hopkins, who wrote about the biblical basis for supporting slavery.
The Rev. John Morris said that the resolution's aim is to highlight how "Scripture has been used to marginalize and oppress people."
"Above all," he concluded, "we want to take back the Bible."
The Convention unanimously approved a balanced budget for 2006 with proposed expenses of $1,098,759.
VIRGINIA: Parishes get committee to sound out conflicts
[SOURCE: Diocese of Virginia, AAC-Virginia Chapter] Bishop Peter Lee has authorized his chancellor to chair a special committee to work with concerned clergy regarding conflicts within the diocese.
The November issue of the "Virginia Episcopalian" reports that Lee has asked diocesan Chancellor Russell V. Palmore, Jr. to chair a special committee to help churches continuing in conflict over the decisions of General Convention 2003 "to get on with their mission in as close a union as possible with the diocese."
The bishop acted after a group of about 20 clergy met with him in September to voice their concern, according to "Virginia Episcopalian." He appointed Palmore after consulting with the Standing Committee in October.
Robin Adams, rector of the Church of the Word in Gainesville, said in a news release from the American Anglican Council's Virginia chapter that Lee was gracious to confer for several hours with many concerned clergy and senior wardens from his diocese.
"The tone of our meeting was very respectful towards the bishop and appreciative of his patient leadership in the aftermath of the divisive actions of the 2003 general convention. The stress on the participating congregations was clearly explained to Bishop Lee," Adams said.
The Diocese of Virginia, organized in 1785, is the largest diocese in the Episcopal Church. It includes 38 counties in central and northern Virginia.