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In this Issue:
Parishes in Partnership Update
A Letter From Bishop Gepert
September 7, 2006
Dear People of God,
I am writing to share with you my excitement and to update you about some of the developments that have come out of the Parishes in Partnership Committee, established by the Diocesan Convention of 2005. The goal of the Partnership Committee is to move financial support for the mission and ministry of the Office of the Diocese of Western Michigan from a voluntary plan to an assessment. An interim report will come to this year’s convention.
Following an initial report sent to each parish and reviewed by each Vestry, comments and concerns were fed back to Partnership Committee members. Using the information received from many of you, I want to inform you that a resolution to institute the assessment plan will not be considered this year for a vote by the upcoming Convention. Instead, the Committee and I are entering a period of listening which will last until the Spring Convention of 2007. Parishes in Partnership and I have listened to what you have told us about the proposal. We want to be in direct conversation with you (Vestry and Clergy) in order to include your thoughts regarding the parameters of an assessment in this diocese.
At this time I am pleased to be able to report to you that we are within budget, and the financial resources of the Diocese are being monitored by the Finance Committee, the Executive Council, and our Business Administrator, Tammy Mazure, C.P.A. Our history of clean audits continues. Standard financial practices have been put in place, and the Executive Council and I strive for transparency and accountability in our business practices. No longer operating in financial crisis mode, we are now able to live more fully into dreaming the dreams of what we can be and directing our time and energy toward mission and ministry as a diocesan community of faith. Our Diocesan Stewardship Committee is currently reorganizing in order to use the talents and commitment of tithing members of the Diocese to provide our parishes with stewardship education and assist with the implementation of a variety of successful stewardship practices and giving campaigns. The Executive Council, at its last meeting, directed me to appoint people with financial and pastoral expertise to serve as a resource for parishes experiencing financial difficulty. That resource is in place.
I agree with the recent comment of one of our parishes concerning the Partnership proposal, “It’s really all about community.” That’s exactly what partnership is about. Partnership is about joining with one another to become a powerful force for the sake of the gospel, working together to change the world and grow the Church.
To that end I am placing before you four priorities based on what I have heard you tell me over the past four years at conventions, in meetings with your parish leadership, search committees, forum times, and as we greet one another following worship. The priorities are:
1.) Taking our rightful place among the dioceses of The Episcopal Church; the ability to meet in full what we are asked to give to support the wider mission and ministry of The Episcopal Church in the nation and the world. At present we are not the dynamic voice I know we can be in the governance and programming of The Episcopal Church. Our current parish giving structure does not provide us with the resources to give to the National Church at the level we all want to see.
2. ) Growing existing parishes and the establishment of new churches in population growth areas of the Diocese. Nearly every parish has indicated the desire to grow so that more and more people can come to know the gospel of Jesus Christ, which has the ability to transform us to practice the ministry of Jesus in the world. I know there are people who would readily embrace the gospel in the way that we as Episcopalians have received it. To that end, teams of qualified laity and clergy will be trained to work intensively with parishes desiring to implement evolving church growth and development strategies.
3.) Learning ways to more fully invite and include children, youth, and young adults into the life and ministry of our parishes, taking seriously the gifts they have to offer and the ways that they can teach us.
4.) Participation in outreach that takes us beyond the bounds of our diocesan borders and enables us not only to practice ministry with the poor of this nation and the world, but also to expand our vision of the Church as universal. This also enables us to bring back within our borders the experiences of the ways in which God is at work and the faith experiences of others.
As I am writing this, subcommittees of the Parishes in Partnership Committee are working on a strategic plan and timeline for the implementation of the above priorities. The strategic plan and timeline will be presented at our October 21st Convention. This has given me renewed energy and passion as we work on how we will implement the priorities and join together in partnership in mission and ministry. We have existed so long with a we/them attitude and, now, I believe God is calling us beyond that in order for us to truly be a diocesan community knowing that we can accomplish more for the sake of the Gospel and the Church if we choose to come together cooperatively for mission and ministry. The characteristic of a Spirit-possessed community is the unity for common mission and ministry which finds its expression in mutual assistance, and common table that transcends local parochial concerns. The Parishes in Partnership proposal is the result of a tremendous amount of research and work by the Committee. Your input and support is needed in order for us to move more fully into diocesan community as partners. I know we are Spirit-possessed, I see the movement of the Spirit of God when I worship with you and marvel at the work you are already accomplishing. I am confident God will richly bless our efforts as we move into greater partnership for the sake of mission and ministry.
Faithfully,
The Rt. Rev. Robert R. Gepert
VIII, Western Michigan
Safeguarding God's Children Certification Workshops
Have all of your people working with children and youth been certified in Safeguarding God’s Children?
In our Diocesan policies it states that those working with children and
youth in parishes and on the Diocesan level must be certified within 6
months of hire. This includes both paid and volunteer – people
teaching Sunday school, youth group mentors and those serving in the
nursery. So why not get it done now???
Sign your group up for either workshop:
Sunday, September 24 – St. Luke’s, Kalamazoo – 1:30pm-4:30pm
Saturday, September 30 – Emmanuel, Petoskey – 9:00am-12:00pm
----Adult’s Model at 12:30pm
How do you register? Contact Mary McGuire, the Diocesan Secretary at
(269) 381-2710 or mmcguire@edwm.org. Registrations are needed one week
before the event so enough material can be on hand.
Take care and God bless,
Gennie
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Genevieve Callard
~Assistant to the Bishop for Children, Youth, and Young Adult Ministries
Staff Officer for Children’s Ministries and Christian Education - at the Episcopal Church Center
- Dear Colleague in Ministry:
It is with great anticipation that I share with you our position opening announcement (on the back of this page) for Children’s Ministries and Christian Education at the Episcopal Church Center. Please share this widely with any persons you think might be interested in applying for this role—often the best candidates are those who are very fulfilled in their current role but would consider a change on the invitation of a close colleague.
The announcement is also on our webpages: www.episcopalchurch.org/children, www.episcopalchurch.org/educators, and www.episcopalchurch.org/hr_62731_ENG_HTM.htm.
You will notice that the closing date is October 16, 2006. In this period, we are asking only for a brief cover letter, resumé, and salary requirements. We are eager to have this important position filled as soon in the next triennium as possible—please pray for the members of the search team and our staff as we move into this next stage of discernment for leadership among us. Jeffri Harre, our assistant for Children’s Ministries and Christian Education, will continue to be your main office contact during the interim period (800/334-7626 extension 6373).
I am grateful for the important ministry that you engage in your part of God’s world. Thank you in advance for all that you are able to do to get this good word out.
Faithfully yours,
Thomas K. Chu, Program Director
Ministries with Young People
The Episcopal Church Center
Diocesan Budget Request Forms
These forms are due by September 30, 2006. A downloadable form is available at our website:
http://www.edwm.org/pdf/2007-Budget Request Form.pdf |
