DIOCESAN CONVENTION REPORT

Our Diocese's 2015 Convention had a lot to offer

On Friday, November 13, and Saturday, November 14, 2015, Jennifer, as Clergy, and I, as the St. Margaret’s delegate, attended the 149th Diocesan Convention for the Diocese of Long Island. Anticipating a very long and boring weekend, I must report that it was a very pleasant experience. It was actually interesting to meet some new people, attaching names to faces, and learning (for my first time) the workings of our Diocese. Obviously, there were the long, drawn out - and yes, boring - elections, but there was a good amount of sharing, caring, and very uplifting worship. The highlight is usually the Bishop’s Address, and this was no exception.

The Bishop opened on Saturday morning with prayers for the people of Paris. He explained that he thought briefly of canceling the Convention in light of the Paris terrorist attacks. Instead, he realized that we must continue to carry on with our scheduled duties so that we may go forward doing the work we need to do as the Church.

The Bishop’s entire sermon/address is on the Diocesan website, but here below I have outlined what I believe to be the important topics:

  1. We are ONE DIOCESE (133 separate/equal outposts) with ONE MISSION
  2. Nix the idea of “them vs. us” (Garden City vs. Parish, Church X vs. Church Y, etc.); we are all part of the same Jesus movement.   We are not independent organizations, and we are not Congregationalists.
  3. “The Bishop’s staff is never the enemy.” 
  4. We will be calling the “Budget” the “Ministry Plan”.   Of that Ministry Plan,53%will be for Mission. In order to achieve this 53% Mission funding, the Diocese has asked each parish to work very strongly to achieve the 10% tithe to the Diocese. At the very least, if a Parish cannot at this time, for any reason, reach that 10% tithe, the Diocese is asking that each Parish at least increase their present giving by 2%, and if they cannot, they need to explain. NOTE – our Vestry will be considering this issue at its December meeting.
  5. The Bishop feels that we are a strong diocese, and we continue to grow in numbers, in strength, and in economic viability.

The Bishop announced the formation of several new ministries and/or committees, including a new Latino ministry on the East End of Long Island, a Food Truck ministry, and a committee to deal with racial and ethnic issues.

St. George’s Church in Hempstead relocated recently to Lynbrook, and the building and grounds of that campus will be used to house a Youth Center/ministry run by St. George’s Pastor, Fr. Rawlings.

Finally, the Bishop’s last words to us were that he wants to eliminate homelessness in and around this Diocese and is asking (since he was advised by counsel that he could not “demand”) that each Parish do something to make it work – to “let’s be the church”, and that “caring for Jesus is not an option.” He will be checking in and looking for reports on how each parish plans to step up to action.

Some side notes:

  1. Fr. Woodrum and Victor were at the Convention advertising their exquisite vestments. It was great seeing both of them, and they both look wonderful and are doing very well (the dogs, too!)
  2. Our very own Deacon Anthony Jones was elected to the Disciplinary Board until 2018.
  3. Jane Ames was an Usher at the Saturday morning Eucharist and came to the Convention with the UTO offering from St. Margaret’s.
  4. St. Margaret’s donated multiple gifts for the toy drive collected at the Convention.

Overall, this was a delightful experience. I look forward to 2016.

~ Janice Palladino, Delegate