
Greetings!
Province VIII is now accepting nominations for various offices to be filled by election at the Province VIII Synod, July 3, 2012, at the site of General Convention, in Indianapolis, IN.
Open for nominations are:
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Executive Council (clergy representative)
Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop
Continue reading "Call for Nominations" »
By Lelanda Lee | January 17, 2012
Episcopal News Service
A Consultation on Alternative Leadership and Theological Training was held January 11-14, 2012, in a suburb of Oklahoma City. This was the first ever churchwide gathering of Episcopal Church leaders involved in ethnic ministries for the purpose of identifying and discussing the common elements of ministry in ethnic communities.
The four ethnic missioners of the Episcopal Church (Sarah Eagle Heart, Indigenous Ministries; Anthony Guillen, Latino/Hispanic Ministries; Angela Ifill, Black Ministries; Winfred Vergara, Asiamerica Ministries) convened the consultation. Eagle Heart, who is the team leader for Diversity, Social and Environmental ministries, explained that Winter Talk, a gathering of people in Indigenous ministry that was originally planned for the same weekend, had been canceled to focus program budget on training.
The missioners worked with acknowledged leaders in each ethnic ministry to invite eight to ten individuals to participate plus seven bishops who are actively involved with ethnic ministries. Several resource people who work directly with ethnic ministries were also invited, including a representative from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Gordon Straw, formerly the Director for American Indian and Alaska Native Ministries and now Program Director for Lay Missional Leadership Centers, represented the church’s full communion partner.
Ruth-Ann Collins, officer for Lifelong Christian Formation, served as the facilitator of the breakout
Continue reading "READ THIS. IT'S IMPORTANT. Leaders meet to consult on Episcopal Church’s ethnic ministries" »
A Report from the Standing Commission on The Structure of the Church
By D. Rebecca Snow, Chair, February 01, 2011
The canons direct the Standing Commission on the Structure of the Church (SCSC) to study and make recommendations to the General Convention regarding the structure of the General Convention and The Episcopal Church (TEC). Such studies are to include periodic review of the functioning of interim commissions and committees with an eye toward their effectiveness, coordination of efforts and the need for each interim body to continue.
Within this broad mandate, four topics were assigned by the 76th General Convention for review during the triennium and a report back to the 77th General Convention:
- the relationship of agencies (such as Episcopal Relief and Development and the United Thank Offering) to TEC;
- the role of chancellors in the structure of TEC;
- the role of parliamentarians in the deliberative bodies of TEC; and
- a study of current diocesan configurations.
The 76th General Convention also assigned SCSC three other projects, without specific deadlines:
- a review of the role and term of the Presiding Bishop;
- a review of the challenges raised by the "cultural homogeneity of the Canons" and their application within the domestic and international diversity of TEC;
- the provincial structure of TEC , including the Provincial Leadership Conference.
SCSC is currently working on all these issues, striving to recommend steps that honor the polity of this Church while incorporating changes that enhance the Church's ability to fulfill its mission and ministry in today's world.
A few examples of those competing concerns may be illuminating. Considering the place of provinces in our structure requires wrestling
Continue reading "Reviewing the Church for Effectiveness, Coordination, and Need" »