The 165th convention of the Diocese of Tennessee heard good news when it met Jan. 24-25 in Trinity Church, Clarksville. A packed house of delegates heard the report of the Rt. Rev. Bertram Herlong, Bishop of Tennessee, on the growth of the diocese.

From its beginning in 1828 at St. Paul's, Franklin, with 115 members and three clergy, the diocese now numbers 14,000 members. That took 170 years. Since 1993, however, the diocese has grown 18 percent in members and 21.3 percent in congregational budgets. One new congregation had quadrupled its membership in less than 24 months.

In his address, Bishop Herlong repeated his watchword that "The Ten Commandments have not been repealed, the Summary of the Law still applies, and the wages of sin are still the same. The Diocese of Tennessee is a bright spot in the Episcopal Church." He restated St. Paul's question and answer: "Am I seeking human approval or God's approval? Am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Jesus Christ."

The convention admitted one new mission, and received news of the rapid growth of two new congregations. It adopted a 1997 budget of $1.16 million, which had grown 10.4 percent from 1996. A tithe of the 1996 budget surplus was pledged to the national church.

A major challenge was made to diocesan giving to the national church by several parishes. After deliberate discussions, delegates arrived at a specific pledge to the national church based on the approved General Convention formula.

(The Rev. Canon) Robert Dedmon