The convention of the Diocese of Montana opened Sept. 29 with a service of Evensong in St. James' Church, Bozeman, sung by a choir of college students.

During the service the Rt. Rev. C.I. Jones, Bishop of Montana, addressed those assembled, and apologized for his actions that had resulted in the ecclesiastical trial court for a bishop. He said that like one of Alan Paton's characters in Cry, the Beloved Country, he "was a weak and sinful man who had been touched by God," and that the call to be Bishop of Montana had blessed him.

Bishop Jones noted that whether he was asked to resign as a result of that trial, or whether he chooses to resign or stay as diocesan bishop, the diocese itself has a challenge ahead of it. He is charged with immorality and sexual exploitation for an alleged sexual affair he had with a woman in his congregation in the Diocese of Kentucky in the 1980s.

He mentioned that looking at scripture, people can see that God creates order out of chaos. Despite the strong presence of God and the positive atmosphere in the diocese - the youth program, the process to ordination, the growth of the large churches, the love felt in all churches - Bishop Jones reported a sense of chaos at some level in the diocese.

The bishop encouraged the diocese to choose order over chaos, for people to trust in God as they go through the Vision 2000 process before them at convention. The process, he said, is not dependent on his being bishop, but is focused on the diocese as a whole listening for the expression of God's will for the diocese.

The majority of convention time was spent on the Vision 2000 process. The Rev. Michael Morrissey, priest-in-charge of the Yellowstone Ministry, presented statistical data on Sunday attendance and giving. He concluded that the diocese's seven largest churches are growing, that small churches (attendance of 35 and under) are holding their own, and that the intermediate-sized churches (36-95) are struggling.

Delegates worked in small groups to discuss the work of the Vision 2000 task force, to consider materials from the Diocese of Texas, and to discuss the strengths, challenges and hopes of their congregations.