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| Diocese of Washington Convention Deputation |
As Bishop +Mariann and our elected deputation of eight clergy and eight lay persons depart tomorrow for the 77th General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Indianapolis, IN, we ask for your personal and communal prayers. First, for safe travel to and from. And second, for wisdom and discernment as we take part in the councils of our Church from July 3rd - July 13th, 2012.
There will be over 300 resolutions the Convention (comprised of the House of Deputies and House of Bishops) will consider over the next 11 days. Important decisions will be made around the structure of the church; new liturgical resources; our mission and ministry at home and abroad; Anglican, ecumenical and interfaith relationships; social justice and national/international concerns; lifelong Christian formation; children's, youth, and young adult ministries; Canon and Constitution changes; ministry development; communications technology, just to name a few. There will be elections held for the President and Vice President of the House of Deputies, the Executive Council, the Church Pension Fund board, and other significant offices. And the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) will be holding their triennial convention and will have information to report about the United Thank Offering (UTO) and other initiatives.
Our diocese will be sponsoring three resolutions that were passed at our Diocesan Convention in January 2012: 1) for The Episcopal Church to Fund a Community and Tribal College Mission Initiative; 2) on Pursuing a Just Peace in the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict; 3) on Endorsing Statehood for the District of Columbia. We will also be sponsoring an additional resolution Celebrating the Life and Ministry of Pamela Pauley Chinnis. Our bishop and deputation members will be testifying on behalf of these resolutions both at hearings and in their respective houses.
It is our intention as a deputation to keep you - the people of the Diocese of Washington - up to date with our reports and reflections on the discussions, votes, and experiences at the 77th General Convention. We will be utilizing this blog, You Tube, and other resources facilitated by Peter Turner at Church House. We hope that you will follow what is happening at Convention and find these venues helpful.
For now, God's blessings be upon you and thank you for your prayers and support. We are very proud to be representing our Diocese at this Convention and will do our best to live out faithfully the trust you have placed in us.
(Rev.) Joan Beilstein+
The Rev. Dr. Joan Beilstein is the Chair of the Diocese of Washington Deputation and Rector of Ascension Episcopal Church, Silver Spring, MD.
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