A resolution for the diocese to accept the goal of .7% giving for international development and the appointment of a diocesan Commission on Global Reconciliation also failed.

Resolutions concerning congregational representation at Diocesan Convention and a maximum annual deductible for church employees covered by health insurance were referred to appropriate committees.

            (Click here for complete text of all resolutions.)

            In his address to convention, Bishop Frade spoke of surviving storms, including “ecclesiastical hurricanes”, like the current tensions within the Anglican Communion after the actions of last year’s General Convention.

            He suggested the model of “the grass that grows in the sand by the sea”. The grass, he said, can withstand hurricanes because it has a deep root that reaches down to the source of fresh water, a tight mesh of side roots that hold it securely in the sand, the ability to grow over wide areas and “burrs” that both protect the plant and hold the seed for future growth.

            The church needs to be rooted in Christ, he said, and “to drink of that water of unity that Christ has given us”.

            He called on congregations to “develop and strengthen [the] net of relationships among us”.  

“We cannot act as isolated congregations without any connection with each other,” he said. “…The time for competition and lack of cooperation among our diverse parishes must become something of the past…Our Lord is calling us not to compete with each other, but to complete each other.”

He urged the diocese to continue its commitment to growth with the adoption of the vision and mission statement.

He spoke of dissenting opinions as the “burrs” that protect the church and help it grow.

“…We need every person who is not afraid of a free exchange of ideas and opinions, and who will work to make this a better church,” he said. “…I welcome challenging dialogue; this is how the burrs in our midst help to strengthen us.”

Referring to the report of the Lambeth Commission on Communion that would be published two days later, Frade said he was committed to “graciously receive and study” the report.

He asked that “all of us, regardless of where we stand on the potentially divisive issues facing the church, to pray for the unity of the church and to continue the hard task of listening to each other as we have been doing this past year in order to preserve our ability to work with each other”. 

The guest speaker for the convention was Bishop Charles Jenkins of the Diocese of Louisiana. Jenkins, who is president of Province IV and chairs the presiding bishop’s Council of Advice, also spoke of listening, working together and staying focused on mission.

We are called, he said, to be “step-down transformers…to absorb some of the anxiety in the system, to be kind, respectful.”

“Let nothing deter us from our mission,” he said. “…Perseverance is part of who we are as Episcopalians.”

“Be prayerfully supportive of our leaders,” he urged, and thanked Bishop Frade for his leadership in staying focused on mission.

Bishop Suffragan Gilbert Thompson of our companion diocese, Nassau and the Bahamas, thanked the diocese for help offered and already given after the hurricanes, saying that hurricanes make “the idea of the people of God sharing resources…happen very dramatically”.

He said he did not have any answers to the current tensions in the Anglican Communion, but asked that we continue to “pray together, reflect together…that the Holy Spirit may keep us with his power”.

The convention heard reports from the Duncan Center Board on its campaign to fund completion of the Schofield Chapel and the Stahl Conference Building, from Fr. Steve Zimmerman of the Chapel of St. Andrew on the catechumenate program and from the parishes participating in the Nehemiah Project.

Youth Commission President Ellie Evans thanked delegates for ongoing support of youth ministry and asked them “to help us bridge the communication gap that has plagued our youth program”.
(Click here for full text of speech.)

Episcopal Churchwomen President Susan Stokes spoke of the continuing relevance of ECW and of the many ministries of women in the church. (Click here for full text of speech.)

At the Convention Eucharist, which ended the day, the sermon by Assistant Bishop James Ottley focused on peace and unity.

“How easily unity eludes us when we look at differences, rather than the oneness God has planned for us all,” he said.

He asked the congregation to “stand for peace, stand for oneness in the Body of Christ”, and led them in singing “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”

At the dinner on Friday night, Bishop Jenkins had sounded a note of hope for this “oneness”.

“It’s good to be in a happy diocese,” he said, observing that he felt here “the deep joy of Jesus Christ that transcends all our differences”.

Click here for Convention Photo Gallery