Organizers of the Episcopal Church's newest diocese urged delegates to greater unity and summarized first-year results of a decentralized decision-making model at the first convention of the Diocese of Eastern Michigan Oct. 27-28 at Trinity Church in Alpena.

During her sermon at the Friday evening Eucharist, the Rev. Elizabeth Morris Downie, rector of St. Jude's, Fenton, and vice president of the standing committee, asked convention participants to adopt unity as the diocesan vision.

For Christians, she said, unity is not an option, but an essential element of the faith that stretches back in an unbroken line to Jesus' Gethsemane prayer for his disciples.

"We are also joined to all those other folk who have been baptized into Christ, whether or not we happen to agree," she said. "Living into our unity requires one major change of perspective and then countless disciplined words and actions."

The Rev. J. Thomas Downs, rector of the host parish and also a standing committee member, echoed the sentiment of family unity in his welcoming letter to delegates.

"It has long been a dream of many of us to have a diocese that was less institutional and more familial," he wrote. "According to this new vision, the congregation itself becomes the focus of ministry and the diocese a source of pastoral caring and practical assistance. That being the case, is it not reasonable to expect that a convention would have more in common with a family reunion than a stockholders' annual meeting?"

With much of the operational business already worked out in congregations and convocation councils, the two-day convention included as much networking and worship time as it did business meetings. In addition to elections, delegates were asked to consider two resolutions dealing with discrimination, and mostly housekeeping changes to the constitution.

A Saginaw Valley Convocation-sponsored anti-racism/racial equity resolution passed while a similar standing committee-sponsored resolution was defeated. According to the diocesan constitution, resolutions must receive either standing committee or convocation council support in order to be considered at convention.

Standing committee president Jack Carlsen linked decentralization to a broader, world-wide trend.

"We have chosen a decentralized model of governance to fulfill our vision," he said. "Decentralization in the diocese, however, is part of a decade-old, worldwide trend. I have heard some lament that with emphasis on convocations we are creating four dioceses. That could possibly become a problem sometime in the future. For now, however, substituting four active convocations for 57 independent principalities is a giant ecclesiastical step forward."

Delegate satisfaction with its new diocesan decision-making model apparently does not extend to the national church leadership, however.

Prior to convention, delegates were asked to complete and return a survey of diocesan attitudes and perceptions. The results, which were distributed with convention packets, contained slightly more than a 50-percent response rate.

The need for a bishop received near-unanimous support for the top diocesan priority.

Most of the respondents expressed approval for both convocation and diocesan leadership. Of those responding, 70 percent rated convocation leadership excellent or good. Diocesan leadership rated even higher at 73 percent. Only 18 percent gave similar responses to the national church.

The diocese is slated to select its first bishop March 16.

Steve Waring