The Rt. Rev. Larry Maze, Bishop of Arkansas, reviewed "an amazing year," when he addressed the convention of the Diocese of Arkansas, Feb. 16-18, at St. Mark's Church, Little Rock. Bishop Maze recalled the convention of 1994, which was held following a major ice storm after he had been in Arkansas for only a few weeks.

"I am constantly gratified, encouraged and frequently humbled to see the kinds of ministries going on throughout the diocese," Bishop Maze said.

In addressing the convention theme, Bishop Maze said, "For nearly 23 years now it has been my experience in the church that when congregations of any type and any size are willing to spend significant amounts of time on two questions, they will begin to discover their own mission. Those questions are 'who are we in the midst of our own community?' and 'what is the bad news in our community to which God would speak good news?'"

The theme, "History+Vision=Mission," was reflected in the convention's reports, presentations and addresses. A panel presentation by the diocesan department of Christian social responsibility addressed the topic, "The Church's Response to Gangs and Gang Violence." Panel members included a detective from the Little Rock Police Department, a member of the Little Rock Task Force for Youth, a coordinator for an alternative school in Little Rock, and an 18-year-old gang member.

The Rt. Rev. Jane Holmes Dixon, Suffragan Bishop of Washington, was a guest speaker and talked about her Arkansas roots as well as the convention theme.

"God wants us here to talk about history, vision and mission because there should be full participation for everybody in God's kingdom," she said. "It is our vision which gives us power to be able to act for God, to commit to others, to love them and to work one on one."

In business sessions, the convention approved two canonical changes and adopted a budget of more than $1 million.