In what its planner and presiding officer, the Rev. Richard Sloan, billed as "Doing Church - A Conference for Absolutely Everybody," a crowd of more than 1,000 flocked to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City Oct. 25 to participate in a string of seminars ranging from administration and finances to youth ministry. The program was planned as a teaching day for the leaders in parish churches: persons already "involved in ministry and seeking to deepen their knowledge and skills."

Inspired by a similar conference in the Diocese of California, the congregations were asked to select team leaders who, working with the clergy, might draw up a list of potential parish leaders. Having gathered a core group together, vestries were enlisted to encourage attendance at the conference. Meanwhile, clergy and lay people throughout the diocese were recruited to lead in areas of their own expertise. There were 29 subjects in all, including buildings and grounds, children and families, communications, evangelism, diocesan and parish history, liturgics and music, parish dynamics ("recognizing and resolving conflict"), persons with disability, Spanish (and other) language, stewardship, and technology ("buying computers and software").

(The Rev.) James Elliott Lindsley