Judy Hall, delegate report from the 225th DOV Annual Convention
11/17/2019
225th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
The purpose of the Annual Convention is to elect clergy and lay members of various committees and positions to function as representatives of the diocese in various aspects of our church life, to pass the budget of the diocese for the year, to pass non-binding resolutions, to pass amends to the Canons (governance rules of the church), and to meet and learn from others in the diocese.
During her opening remarks Bishop Susan Goff (acting Bishop of VA) addressed this time of transition for the diocese as an intentional interim time. “At Convention next year, we’ll reflect on where we are, celebrate the joys and name the opportunities. Also at Convention next year, I will call for the election of the 14th Bishop Diocesan of Virginia. This gives us a full year to engage the ministries ahead with undivided attention, before an election process shifts our focus. Working in conjunction with the Standing Committee and the staff of the Presiding Bishop, we anticipate that the election will take place in the late spring of 2022. The Ordination and Consecration of the new bishop will likely be in the late summer or fall of that year, and we expect the next Bishop Diocesan will preside at Convention in November, 2022. I anticipate that I will overlap in ministry with the new bishop for a short time before I retire in 2023.”
Most elected positions are held by clerical and lay persons for usually 4 year terms. Justin Ivatts Clarke Parish, Berryville ran for a position on the Standing Committee and became an alternate. Mat Rhodes, Cunningham Chapel Parish, Millwood and Winchester Region Dean ran for General Convention Depute and failed to win a position.
Elections were held for:
Diocesan Standing Committee, which serves as the council of advice to the Bishop.
Deputies to the Episcopal Church's General Convention to be held in 2021 in Baltimore.
Deputies to the Provincial Synod. The Diocese is part of Province III, which includes dioceses in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia and Washington D.C.
Budget : The Convention delegates approved a budget totaling $5,137,000. This budget included the Committee on Congregational Missions (CCM) line item of $98,820. “Mission churches” like Good Shepherd are those that are not self-sustaining and are supported by the diocese through the CCM. Good Shepherd, Bluemont 2020 request of $14,900 was approved as an increase from $8,900.
Please see the CCM budget posted on the board as the CCM increases their support for Good Shepherd to find a new supply priest. Also posted is the Winchester Region report in which Nadine mentions Good Shepherd.
Resolutions are guidelines for local congregations.
R-1: Discontinuing single-use plastic products, single-use foam products and single-use water bottles at diocesan churches and facilities
R-2: Adoption of amended diocesan alcohol use policy
R-3s: Resolution requesting reconsideration of water intake site to avoid Monacan Nation ancestral village and grave sites and to provide improved protection of graves of Native American and enslaved people
R-4: Resolution proposed for the 225th Annual Convention of the Diocese of Virginia regarding stipendiary clergy pay equity
The following canonical amendments were passed by the 225th Annual Convention.
C-1: Amend Canon 15.4 - Sales or transfers of property owned by the Bishop
C-2: Amendment to Canon 6. Archdeacons and Deans
C-3: Amend Canon 12.5 - Due Date of Diocesan Pledge –
Section 5. Each Vestry shall advise the Diocese not later than thirty (30) days before the date of the convening of the next Annual Convention of the percentage of its annual disposable income that will be shared with the Diocese in support of Diocesan Programs and remit the resultant sum to the Treasurer of the Diocese in regular monthly installments. It shall be the joint duty of the Rector or Vicar and Vestry to submit to the Bishop by the first of March of each year a parochial report for the year ending December 31st preceding.
Work Shops and Points of contact.
Rural ministry + language diversity + much more from the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church
Russ Randle – Miles & Stockbridge P.C.
Russ Randle is of the opinion that there should not be a millions of dollar effort to put out another edition of the Book of Common Prayer. His point is the Church of England is still using its 1662 edition. Therefore there is no need for the United States (ECUSA) to update its 1979 edition. His point is that efforts should be to translate the Book of Common Prayer into as many languages as needed for expanding the book’s use. Mr. Randle approaches church growth as a statistician. He proposes growing rural churches by pairing urban and rural churches. These churches will share resources and rotate priests from urban to rural locations to stimulate change.
The Way of Love
The Way of Love is a program and resources developed Paris Ball & Bill Campbell under the direction of Bishop Curry (Bishop of ECUSA) to provide Christian based study guides and resources. This is to be an open source platform to find educational and group study materials.
https://episcopalchurch.org/library/document/journeying-way-love-advent-calendar
Sharon Nachman – National Altar Guild Association Province III P3NAGA@gmail.com
866 Vine Street
Herndon, VA 20170
703-598-6478
St. Phoebe School for Deacons
Rev. Dr. Sarah Kye Price
PriestSO@stmarksrva.org | www.saintphoebeschool.org | (804) 358-4771, ext 104
