Sunday services at nearly all of the 83 churches in Southern Ohio were canceled Nov. 5 in order to encourage a common worship at diocesan convention. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. George L. Carey, challenged nearly 10,000 people to spread the good news of Christ when he delivered the sermon at the 125th convention Eucharist at the Cintas Center on the campus of Xavier University in Cincinnati.

The archbishop's message coincided with that of the diocesan bishop, the Rt. Rev. Herbert Thompson, Jr., who has challenged Southern Ohio Episcopalians to quadruple their membership by 2005.

"Our challenges are great," Archbishop Carey said, "but the potential resources are greater than that. He who commands us to go will come with us."

Following the sermon the bishops and other clergy gathered around a huge brass and wood baptismal font, led the congregation in a renewal of baptismal vows and commissioned them to spread the good news.

Music was provided by choirs from around the diocese and other choral groups, including the Central State University gospel choir, St. Margaret's Choir of Westminster Abbey, and the silent choir of Marian Correctional Institute, a choir of prisoners who have been taught to sign.

Bishop Thompson, on behalf of the diocese, presented to the archbishop a check for $125,000 ($1,000 for each year of the diocese's existence) to assist missionary efforts in Sudan.

A youth convocation event, "Spread the Word," was held in conjunction with the convention at Christ Church Cathedral, Cincinnati. An informal gathering with Archbishop Carey and Bishop Thompson on Saturday evening at the Cincinnati zoo drew an estimated 2,000 people.

At a news conference, Archbishop Carey spoke of the need to evangelize. "I'm always keen to encourage Christians to evangelize," he said. He added that church members should go out and say, "'We have good news. We want to share this with you.' We want to make each church a center for mission and evangelism in a holistic way ... not merely praying for people's souls but also for their hearts and minds as well."

The archbishop was asked about Anglican-Roman Catholic relations in light of the recent document Dominus Iesus. He compared the current situation to a "chill wind," and said the pronouncement was aimed "at relativists within the Roman Church."

The diocese approved a budget of $2.7 million.

(The Rev. Wesley Hinton contributed to this story)