Elections, budget discussions, resolutions
and canons will be the order of the day at the 227th Convention of the
Episcopal Diocese of New York on Saturday, November 15. This year, the
theme of the Convention is “Sustaining the Mission.” All
are welcome — clergy, delegates, laity, youth, visitors —
to this year’s one-day Convention at the Cathedral Church of St.
John the Divine.
Bishop Mark Sisk will strike the
opening gavel following morning Eucharist scheduled for 9 am. He will
also be the celebrant at the Convention Eucharist. Scheduled to be among
the speakers addressing the Convention are Bishop Catherine Roskam,
Bishop E. Don Taylor and Cathedral Dean James Kowalski.
Registration will be held in the
narthex of the Cathedral beginning at 8 am. The business of the day
will commence immediately following the Eucharist. There will be a break
for lunch, and then the Convention is expected to conclude in mid-afternoon.
New This Year
For the first time, this year’s registration is available on line
on the Diocesan Web site, www.dioceseny.org. The Rev. Deacon Ian Betts,
Diocesan Database Manager, will be available at Convention to accept
any changes in the database or the directory. Mrs. Karen Sisk is inviting
clergy spouses and partners to lunch and conversation at noon in Synod
Hall.
Elections
Elections at Convention will be held for one clergy member and one lay
person to Standing Committee; seven lay persons to Diocesan Council;
three lay persons to Diocesan Trustees; three clergy members and two
lay persons to Ecclesiastical Trial Court; one clergy person and one
lay person to the Committee to Elect a Bishop; and three clergy members
and seven lay persons as nominees for Cathedral Trustees.
Canons
Convention will review and discuss a recommendation from the Canons
Committee to modify Canon 18. The change calls for the Trustees to refer
any proposed budget adjustments to the Budget and Finance Committee
for presentation to Council.
The suggested change for Canon 18.1.1 is:
When in the
course of their duties in managing the finances of the Diocese, the
Trustees determine that the diocesan budget needs to be materially adjusted
between Conventions, they shall present the adjustment to the Budget
and Finance Committee of the Council. That Committee shall review the
proposed adjustment and present its recommendation thereon to the Council
and, unless the Council objects at its next meeting, the adjustment
shall take effect.
No other canonical changes are expected
at Convention.
Resolutions
At Convention, resolutions ranging from the establishment of a Diocesan
credit union to the support of day laborers and the adoption of the
UN Millennium Development Goals will be reviewed.
The resolutions for Convention call
for the Diocese to do the following:
• to establish
a Task Force that will “research the steps necessary to create
a credit union” in and for the Diocese;
• to “encourage congregations to be sacred sanctuaries for
day laborers,” include prayers for day laborers in their liturgies,
and commend those that are currently offering space as sanctuaries for
day laborers;
• to create “a committee to research all available information
regarding the School of the Americas — Western Hemisphere Institute
for Security Cooperation,” with a report/resolution for the 2004
Diocesan Convention;
• to “raise up the concerns of immigrants, refugees and
asylum seekers in their communities and seek to respond locally and
regionally to the legal, social and pastoral needs of these unique and
diverse populations”;
• to “affirm and embrace the achievement of the United Nations’
Millennium Development Goals,” which focus on eliminating poverty
and hunger, providing better education, enacting gender equality, combating
disease and defending the environment. This resolution is in alignment
with a resolution approved at the recent General Convention;
• to send to General Convention 2006 a resolution adopting the
Earth Charter “as a declaration of global ethics consistent with
the principles of social and economic justice of the Episcopal Church.”
Pre-Convention
Caucuses
Three Pre-Convention Caucuses will be held in the Diocese. These caucuses
are designed to provide opportunities for delegates, clergy and interested
laity to discuss Convention agenda items with committee members and
meet the candidates nominated for Diocesan offices.
Exhibitors
The Cathedral will house an array of exhibitors. As of press time, the
list of exhibitors continued to grow and included Acutone, Inc.; Canterbury
Pewter, Ltd.; the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine; CM Almy;
Episcopal Charities; Episcopal Social Services; General Theological
Seminary; Integrity New York, Inc.; J. Wippel & Company Limited;
Rural and Migrant Ministry; Seaman’s Church Institute; and Social
Concerns Commission.
Convention Planning
Committee
The Convention Planning Committee is led by James A. Forde, Good Shepherd,
Bronx, Secretary of Convention. Members are the Rev. Randolph Alexander,
Christ the Redeemer, Pelham Manor; Charles Banks, Jr., Vice Chancellor;
Sanders Davies, Inspector of Election; Edward Fritsche, St. James,’
Goshen; Catherine Grant, St. Andrew’s, Bronx; the Rev. Lynn B.
Harrington, St. John’s, South Salem; Jeanette Matthews, Grace,
Nyack; Peter Ng, Our Savior, Manhattan; Marsha Ra, St. Saviour, Manhattan;
Mary B. Schinke, Vice Chancellor; the Rev. Burtner Ulrich, St. John
Getty Square, Yonkers, and Canons Committee Chair; George J. Wade, Chancellor;
and Sally Wilson, St. Stephen’s, Pearl River.
Staff members serving on the committees
are Annette E. Fredenburgh, Assistant Secretary of Convention; Dall
Forsythe, Chief Administrative Officer; Neva Rae Fox, Director of Communications;
the Rev. Christopher King, Youth Coordinator; and the Rev. Gerald Keucher,
Controller.
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