The Episcopal New Yorker |

Eight workshops on a variety of topics were offered, much to the delight of the Convention-goers.

Campus Ministry for the Parish

Chaplains for Vassar, West Point, Columbia and NYU talked with 30 delegates about supporting religious
life on campus. They agreed students are more interested in spiritual practice and the place of faith in daily life and the discussion of big issues than in religious instruction. Email communication is most effective. Having a student or staff connection on campus helps programs get started.

Cemeteries and Columbaria: Part of the Life of our Churches

The Rev. Brenda Husson, St. James’, Manhattan, spoke on the experiences of St. James’ as it built a 4,000-niche columbarium in its bell tower as part of a comprehensive renovation/restoration project. She covered the many areas that need to be thoroughly discussed during the planning process, such as any policies regarding that may purchase a niche, what group will administer the columbarium, how and when family and friends will have access to the columbarium, and what happens to the remains if the church building or the congregation cease to exist. The Rev. Canon George Brandt, St. Michael’s, Manhattan,
spoke to the differences between cemeteries owned by religious institutions and those operated by independent concerns, legal issues regarding long-term maintenance, transfers and resales of cemetery plots given to churches, when to seek legal counsel on matters involving the church’s cemetery, and the potential pitfalls of administering New York State’s many historic cemeteries.

DIT

The Rev. Jerry Keucher and Gary Glynn facilitated the workshop centered on the Diocesan Investment Trust (DIT). Nearly 75 people listened as Keucher and Glenn guided people through understanding what the DIT does, who it invests in, and why they thought it prudent to have the fund change from investing in large domestic companies to mid-sized and small companies as well as international stocks. Attendees were also told in more detail about the Parish Endowment Management Service (PEMS), a low-cost service that helps parishes invest money that will keep abreast with inflation and give them resources to support
themselves. The DIT takes any money invested in PEMS and calculates the drawdown (reduction in account equity from a trade or series of trades) and sends it to the vestry of that particular parish every quarter. The parish never relinquishes control over their money.

EpiscoBuild

This workshop centered on EpiscoBuild, a collaboration of 16 parishes working closely with Habitat for Humanity in Newburgh. There were 26 people attending the workshop; it was facilitated by the Rev. Deborah Dresser of St. George’s in Newburgh, the Rev. Thomas Margrave of St. John’s, Cornwall, and Deirdre Glenn, Executive Director of EpiscoBuild. Through EpiscoBuild, volunteers act on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 am to 1 pm in Newburgh. Glenn pointed out there are 1,800 low-income families in Newburgh who need help with housing. Margrave explained what exactly entails finding a place for EpiscoBuild to restore: find a project, find community projects, find money, share the vision, fulfill the vision. After reconvening from small groups, there was much lively discussion.

General Convention 2006

The forum, presented by several EDNY deputies and delegates to the triennial meeting, drew 110 attendees.
It was dominated by discussion of resolution BO33, which established a moratorium on the election of bishops whose “manner of life” might offend some in the greater church community. Speakers talked about issues of justice and community, the importance of listening, perceived American arrogance and the wish to support the new presiding bishop in her introduction to the Anglican community.

Make A Difference to 50 for 5: Carpenter’s Kids program for AIDS orphans in Tanzania

Bishop Catherine Roskam and the Rev. Duncan A. Burns of St. John’s Kingston led this workshop which featured a panel of teenagers from the St. John’s Youth Group telling about their stay in Tanzania with orphans of AIDS. There were seven teens and one adult in the group who took turns explaining what it was like as slides of photos from their trip played along side them on a screen. Bishop Mdimi Mhogolo of Tanzania spoke about Carpenter’s Kids. After the youths finished telling their stories, questions ranged from the safety of the travel to how one’s own parish could be involved.

Starting or Reviving your Sunday School

The why, how, when, where, what, and who were the questions addressed in the workshop titled “Can We Talk??? Starting or reviving your Sunday School program.” The Rev. Canon Patricia Mitchell, Canon for Christian Formation, led a group of about 30 through these questions, offering suggestions and fielding questions. Mitchell emphasized the need for planning, for a budget, and for support from clergy, vestry, parishioners, and parents. She also suggested it’s important that children be at the Eucharist regularly.
“ If the kids are not in the service, they’re not with the family. They need that church experience.”
On the “where” question, she emphasized space should be child-friendly, inviting, and safe noting the importance of creating separate spaces for different class levels, and creating separate groups for age levels,
even when there are only two or three students in that age group. She recommends a lectionary-based curriculum, especially of the children are not in church. “It gives kids a sense of the life that we live, the calendar that we live. It gives them an idea of the calendar that we live, an idea of the liturgical year.” Who should teach? Mitchell recognizes that people are afraid of teaching, even three-year-olds, and suggested
emphasizing that the teacher does not have to be a Biblical scholar or a church historian. She also suggested that we loosen up our thinking about who could be teachers. “Teenagers can teach,” she said.

Capital Campaign Workshop

Diocesan Stewardship Officer, the Rev. Richard Sloan, and Director of Property Support, Michael Rebic, led an engaging program on the Episcopal Diocese of New York’s Partnership Program. The program offers small congregations a low-cost way to hold a professionally-managed capital campaign. The Episcopal Church Foundation provides expert advice paid for by the Diocese to guide congregations from the starting point review through the feasibility study to the final gifting phase. In return, parishes agree to tithe received capital gifts to enable the continuation of the program. For more information about the Parish
Partnership, contact the Rev. Richard Sloan in the diocesan office.

Next Page- Convention Exhibits

THE EPISCOPAL NEW YORKER
230th Convention	November/December 2006
Convention Workshops Cover a Variety of Topics Byline

Eight workshops on a variety of topics were offered, much to the delight of the Convention-goers. Campus Ministry for the Parish Chaplains for Vassar, West Point, Columbia and NYU talked with 30 delegates about supporting religious life on campus. They agreed students are more interested in spiritual practice and the place of faith in daily life and the discussion of big issues than in religious instruction. Email communication is most effective. Having a student or staff connection on campus helps programs get started. Cemeteries and Columbaria: Part of the Life of our Churches The Rev. Brenda Husson, St. James’, Manhattan, spoke on the experiences of St. James’ as it built a 4,000-niche columbarium in its bell tower as part of a comprehensive renovation/restoration project. She covered the many areas that need to be thoroughly discussed during the planning process, such as any policies regarding that may purchase a niche, what group will administer the columbarium, how and when family and friends will have access to the columbarium, and what happens to the remains if the church building or the congregation cease to exist. The Rev. Canon George Brandt, St. Michael’s, Manhattan, spoke to the differences between cemeteries owned by religious institutions and those operated by independent concerns, legal issues regarding long-term maintenance, transfers and resales of cemetery plots given to churches, when to seek legal counsel on matters involving the church’s cemetery, and the potential pitfalls of administering New York State’s many historic cemeteries. DIT The Rev. Jerry Keucher and Gary Glynn facilitated the workshop centered on the Diocesan Investment Trust (DIT). Nearly 75 people listened as Keucher and Glenn guided people through understanding what the DIT does, who it invests in, and why they thought it prudent to have the fund change from investing in large domestic companies to mid-sized and small companies as well as international stocks. Attendees were also told in more detail about the Parish Endowment Management Service (PEMS), a low-cost service that helps parishes invest money that will keep abreast with inflation and give them resources to support themselves. The DIT takes any money invested in PEMS and calculates the drawdown (reduction in account equity from a trade or series of trades) and sends it to the vestry of that particular parish every quarter. The parish never relinquishes control over their money. EpiscoBuild This workshop centered on EpiscoBuild, a collaboration of 16 parishes working closely with Habitat for Humanity in Newburgh. There were 26 people attending the workshop; it was facilitated by the Rev. Deborah Dresser of St. George’s in Newburgh, the Rev. Thomas Margrave of St. John’s, Cornwall, and Deirdre Glenn, Executive Director of EpiscoBuild. Through EpiscoBuild, volunteers act on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 am to 1 pm in Newburgh. Glenn pointed out there are 1,800 low-income families in Newburgh who need help with housing. Margrave explained what exactly entails finding a place for EpiscoBuild to restore: find a project, find community projects, find money, share the vision, fulfill the vision. After reconvening from small groups, there was much lively discussion. General Convention 2006 The forum, presented by several EDNY deputies and delegates to the triennial meeting, drew 110 attendees. It was dominated by discussion of resolution BO33, which established a moratorium on the election of bishops whose “manner of life” might offend some in the greater church community. Speakers talked about issues of justice and community, the importance of listening, perceived American arrogance and the wish to support the new presiding bishop in her introduction to the Anglican community. Make A Difference to 50 for 5: Carpenter’s Kids program for AIDS orphans in Tanzania Bishop Catherine Roskam and the Rev. Duncan A. Burns of St. John’s Kingston led this workshop which featured a panel of teenagers from the St. John’s Youth Group telling about their stay in Tanzania with orphans of AIDS. There were seven teens and one adult in the group who took turns explaining what it was like as slides of photos from their trip played along side them on a screen. Bishop Mdimi Mhogolo of Tanzania spoke about Carpenter’s Kids. After the youths finished telling their stories, questions ranged from the safety of the travel to how one’s own parish could be involved. Starting or Reviving your Sunday School The why, how, when, where, what, and who were the questions addressed in the workshop titled “Can We Talk??? Starting or reviving your Sunday School program.” The Rev. Canon Patricia Mitchell, Canon for Christian Formation, led a group of about 30 through these questions, offering suggestions and fielding questions. Mitchell emphasized the need for planning, for a budget, and for support from clergy, vestry, parishioners, and parents. She also suggested it’s important that children be at the Eucharist regularly. “ If the kids are not in the service, they’re not with the family. They need that church experience.” On the “where” question, she emphasized space should be child-friendly, inviting, and safe noting the importance of creating separate spaces for different class levels, and creating separate groups for age levels, even when there are only two or three students in that age group. She recommends a lectionary-based curriculum, especially of the children are not in church. “It gives kids a sense of the life that we live, the calendar that we live. It gives them an idea of the calendar that we live, an idea of the liturgical year.” Who should teach? Mitchell recognizes that people are afraid of teaching, even three-year-olds, and suggested emphasizing that the teacher does not have to be a Biblical scholar or a church historian. She also suggested that we loosen up our thinking about who could be teachers. “Teenagers can teach,” she said. Capital Campaign Workshop Diocesan Stewardship Officer, the Rev. Richard Sloan, and Director of Property Support, Michael Rebic, led an engaging program on the Episcopal Diocese of New York’s Partnership Program. The program offers small congregations a low-cost way to hold a professionally-managed capital campaign. The Episcopal Church Foundation provides expert advice paid for by the Diocese to guide congregations from the starting point review through the feasibility study to the final gifting phase. In return, parishes agree to tithe received capital gifts to enable the continuation of the program. For more information about the Parish Partnership, contact the Rev. Richard Sloan in the diocesan office. Next Page- Convention Exhibits

Convention Workshops Cover a Variety of Topics