Keynoted by the Rt. Rev. Arthur Williams, Bishop Suffragan of Ohio, the convention of the Diocese of Rhode Island opened in Providence Oct. 22. His theme was Rhode Island's diocesan mission statement, "Live in Christ Jesus: transform the world."

Bishop Williams emphasized the grace of God as shown in the distance the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Rhode Island had come since he had been baptized in the Chapel of Our Savior in Providence. The chapel had been a segregated congregation, subsumed into the Cathedral of St. John but continuing to meet on Sundays at 11 a.m. in a separate room while the white congregation met in the main church. Nowadays non-whites make up a significant minority of the main congregation of St. John's Cathedral, while most Rhode Island congregations include few non-whites.

When the convention reconvened at Christ Church, Westerly, the following morning, Bishop Williams' themes of transformation, grace and ministry were developed in the address of the Rt. Rev. Geralyn Wolf, Bishop of Rhode Island. Bishop Wolf began with the diocesan mission statement and called the diocese to the Hebrew concept of Jubilee: "We are to relax in the sacred heart of Jesus, and receive God's bounty. Jubilee is the Sabbath of Sabbaths. It calls for a re-ordering of the way in which we approach our activities and relationships so that we might discover ways of creating a more equitable society."

While Bishop Wolf's declaration of Jubilee Year, from Advent Sunday 1999 through Pentecost 2001, was presented as a spiritual event, practical ministry was emphasized also. Her "Jubilee Challenge" included a call for the diocese's seven deaneries to plan and implement mission in Christian community and secular transformation, and pledged $10,000 to each deanery as seed money for the projects. The money will come from designated endowment income pledged to the Bishop's Discretionary Fund. Guidelines for the Jubilee Challenge projects and provision for accountability were distributed to each convention delegate following the address.

The convention advanced a process of budget reform, adopting resolutions and canonical changes to shift the basis of parish apportionment computation, and regularizing parish reporting of income. Delegates approved a total budget for 2000 of $3.3 million.

Resolutions were adopted supporting the Bishop's Jubilee Challenge; calling for "active recruiting" of members and leaders of minority races; and opposing gambling as a source of church revenue or public revenue.

(The Rev.) Peter Michaelson