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Position: Executive Secretary of Province II of the Episcopal Church
Job Description:
This full-time position will be that of the chief executive officer of the Synod, supervised by the Provincial
President, and will report to the Synod and the Provincial Council as required. Candidates for this position must
possess a personal and broad knowledge of the polity of the Episcopal Church and its structure, especially Province
II. S/He must be highly skilled in meeting planning, systems consultation, organization, administration, computer
technology (e-mail, financial software, etc.) and communication, written and personal. Candidates, lay or ordained,
must have a theological vision and understanding that can be brought to life in the practical development tasks
needed for the strengthening of provincial mission and ministry.
Specifically, the Executive Secretary will be responsible for:
- Coordinating the work of the Province between Synod meetings.
- Administering the work of the Synod and Provincial Council.
- Providing logistical support for meetings of the Synod and Provincial
Council.
- Facilitating communication and cooperation among networks and programs
throughout Province II.
- Maintaining effective partnership links with appropriate program units
of the Episcopal Church Center.
- Providing an accounting of Provincial Network and Program funds.
- Maintaining mailing lists (including e-mail) of diocesan leaders.
- Producing and distributing a provincial newsletter and developing other
communication initiatives.
- Participating in the search for funding sources necessary to support
the mission and ministry of the province.
- Maintaining telecommunication, e-mail, and visitations with each diocese
of the province in order to know the on-going needs and gifts of each.
- Offering consultative help to each network, program and committee of
the province as requested for their planning and organizational needs.
- Connecting people of similar interests and needs on an ad-hoc basis
within the province.
- Establishing contacts with other provinces for information and resource
sharing.
Contact: Stephen Lane
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Executive Council Report for Province II
Alfred D. Price
The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church took the opportunity of its mid-Triennial meeting to assemble February
12-16, 1999 in Denver, CO., site of the 73rd General Convention in the year 2000. Earlier in the week staff from
the Episcopal Church Center in New York were joined by members of the Convention's Standing Committee on Planning
and Arrangements, to tour the convention and hotel facilities in preparation for General Convention. Members of
Executive Council arriving early were invited to join that group for the facilities tours. Denver is a splendid
city, with a thriving downtown commercial core and an eclectic mix of contemporary glass and steel skyscrapers
surrounded by charming 19th century historic districts. For convention-goers in 2000, there will be much to see
and do, in addition to the work of the Convention.
Honduras
In addition to routine business matters, one of the most deeply
moving reports that Executive Council received came in the form of a video-tape titled "A Rope of Hope,"
prepared by the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief. It provided eyewitness film footage of the PBFWR's mission
to Honduras, headed by Phoebe Griswold, wife of our Presiding Bishop, following last year's devastation by Hurricane
Mitch. This chronicle of our church at work to relieve the tremendous suffering of the poor of that country, especially
those in isolated rural areas, brought tears to the eyes of many of us. We gave thanks to God for the generosity
of all members of the church who responded so quickly with donations of money, foodstuffs, and urgently needed
medical supplies.
Diana Frade, a member of Executive Council and wife of The Rt. Rev. Leo Frade, Episcopal Bishop of Honduras, thanked
the Church for its leadership during that immediate crisis, and asked for our continued prayers. More important,
the statistics she cited underscored the need for sustained assistance over a number of years. For example, the
hurricane washed away 70% of the nation's topsoil, making subsistence farming an almost insurmountable challenge,
even with relief in the form of tools and seedstock. Parishes and dioceses interested in learning more are urged
to contact the PBFWR at the Church Center in New York. Copies of the video may be obtained by calling or writing
Ecumenical Relations
Members of Province II may already have read a front-page article
in Episcopal Life, reporting on the most recent developments between the Episcopal Church and other Protestant
denominations which comprise a long-standing conclave known as COCU—the Council on Church Union. Veteran deputies
of the General Convention will recall how much effort over the years has been put into nurturing inter-denominational
understanding and cooperation through this organization. From the perspective of the Episcopal Church, the present
situation in a nutshell is this: COCU has dropped all reference to "the historic episcopacy" in its formal
statements, but still wants to achieve "union" among Christian churches by the year 2002.
Our church, of course, has pointed out that we cannot accept this and other denominations have supported us in
this position. However, a nearly equal number of other Protestants want the clause dropped. Presiding Bishop Frank
Griswold advised us to "Stay tuned. There will be more to come."
In a related matter, Executive Council was pleased to hear a report from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America
(ELCA) with whom we are involved in much more intense discussions. The Rev. Karen Parker, a Lutheran Pastor from
California and the member of ELCA's national executive body assigned as liaison to our Executive Council, offered
interesting and helpful perspective to our church concerning the document Called to Common Mission (or CCM as it
is known). This document represents the current efforts between ECUSA and ELCA to resolve doctrinal differences
following the slender defeat of the Concordat of Agreement by ELCA's Churchwide Assembly in August of 1997. As
the Lutheran Church continues to grapple with CCM, the sticking points for them are the very things that make the
Episcopal Church unique among Protestant denominations: our commitment to the historic episcopacy which is our
legacy, and our emphasis upon the threefold ministry of ordained persons (bishops, priests, and deacons). What
was especially valuable to hear from Pastor Karen was the remarkable variation of opinion not so much among ELCA's
leadership, but among their laity. Their membership is like ours in so many, many ways. There continues to be well-founded
hope that the CCM document will be passed by ELCA's Churchwide Assembly in 1999, so that the document may be brought
before our General Convention in 2000 for its consideration. As I understand it, our church's action on the Concordat
of Agreement at Philadelphia in 1997 means that, if ELCA does approve Called to Common Mission this year, we will
not have to reconsider canonical and constitutional changes anew if we act to approve the document. If it is the
will of Convention, I believe we would be able to affirm CCM, while re-affirming our prior constitutional changes
on a second reading, potentially paving the way for immediate implementation.
Women's Ministries
While in Denver, Executive Council was treated to a multi-media
report from the Committee on the Status of Women. This Special Committee of the Executive Council had arranged
to hold its meetings concurrently with ours in Denver. This permitted the full diversity of talent represented
within their ranks to be present with us, and to participate in the unusual delivery of their report. The room
was darkened and candles lighted, while a Native American lay person called the group to centering prayer, invoking
the spirit from the four corners of the earth. A team of musicians playing folk instruments accompanied a series
of narrators who told the story of women's diverse ministries, as slides were projected onto a large screen to
depict these ministries in action.
In other news of women's ministries, we are pleased to report to the many who know her that The Rev. Canon Carmen
Guerrero, formerly of the Diocese of Texas and most recently the Diocese of Los Angeles, has accepted a position
on the staff of "815" in New York City. Carmen is a former member of Executive Council who, because of
accepting the staff position with Ethnic Ministries at the Church Center, is obliged to resign her position on
Executive Council. Although we will miss her wisdom and unique insight on Council, we are grateful that we will
continue to see her from time to time in her capacity as a staff officer. The Executive Council voted to elect
The Rev. Kathleen J. Cullinane of Los Angeles as Carmen's replacement.
Fellowship & Worship
We were warmly greeted in Denver by The Rt. Rev. Jerry Winterrowd,
Bishop of Colorado, and many members of the diocese. Following Executive Council's usual pattern of seeking to
be "ambassadors" for the church at large when we visit a local area, Sunday morning worship took us to
several local congregations. Among the more interesting were the St. Francis Center, and historic St. Andrew's
Church.
Responding to the needs of the large population of "street people" in downtown Denver, the St. Francis
Center is an outreach ministry sponsored by the diocese. The Center serves mostly homeless men, black, brown, and
white, who benefit from a varied menu of "daycare" programs: hot showers, a laundry, a clothing exchange,
hot meals, de-tox counseling and social service referral, and pastoral attention and spiritual guidance. The members
of Executive Council who attended Sunday worship services there reported a profound sense of the servant ministry
to which the church is called, an especially instructive message as we approached Ash Wednesday and the beginning
of Lent the following week.
At St. Andrew's, several of us had the opportunity to worship in a parish that, with the help and financial sponsorship
of Denver's cathedral congregation, has done the seemingly impossible. As a "downtown" congregation,
St. Andrew's had watched its membership decline in the last three decades, to the point where the parish faced
dissolution and closing a few years ago. How often have we heard this saga? "The neighborhood has changed,"
"middle class families with children have abandoned the city and moved to the suburbs," "younger
people aren't attracted to the church……" Don't those phrases have a familiar ring?
A core group of committed younger people approached the cathedral vestry, and a plan was worked out with the diocese
to re-classify St. Andrew's as a "mission" congregation to serve its "changed" neighborhood.
The clerical staff of St. Andrew's is all women: rector, curate, and deacons. They have re- established an effective
communication program to lapsed members, and have found creative ways to engage them in outreach ministries to
the surrounding neighborhood as well as to "committed" younger urbanites who work and live in the nearby
downtown area. The historic structure has been stabilized and restored, and their congregation has grown from 15
or 20 to nearly 70 pledging units in the last year and a half. St. Andrew's choir has been re-established under
professional direction, and they have re-started their children's Sunday school program, as well as a weekday after-school
program in the arts for children whose local schools have eliminated arts offerings to save money. It was wonderful
to witness and experience firsthand what belief and hard work can accomplish!
Youth at Denver 2000
Youth ministers throughout Province II will want to take note
that the Diocese of Colorado is planning a major youth/youth leadership-training event in conjunction with the
General Convention. Bishop Winterrowd informed us that plans are well underway to host a parallel conference oriented
to young people in a setting just outside the city. This affords two opportunities: to take up their own concerns,
and to join in the activities of the General Convention, including voluntary attendance at some legislative sessions.
Plans are being made to host as many as 3,000 Episcopal youth/young adults from across the United States during
the period of the Convention. For those interested in staying on afterwards, there will be opportunities to visit
and volunteer for a brief period on Native American reservations, or in various urban outreach ministries in the
Denver metropolitan area. Others may wish to take advantage of the chance simply to see another part of the country,
and to enjoy some vacation touring after the conference. More detailed information should be available soon through
the Diocese of Colorado as well as from the General Convention Office at the Church Center in New York.
The next meeting of the Executive Council will take place June 14-17, 1999 in the Diocese of Fond-du-Lac, Wisconsin.
Contact:
Alfred D. Price
77 Huntingdon Ave.
Buffalo, NY 14214
Phone: 716-832-1110
e-mail: adprice@ap.buffalo.edu
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Synod Theme Makes Connections
The annual Synod meeting of the Second Province will be held at the Omni Hotel, Albany, NY, May 6 - 8, 1999. Materials
have been faxed and mailed to each diocese to speed communication with the deputies. Those who have not yet received
reservation forms and other information should contact their diocesan liaison or deputation leader.
It should be noted that the Province is getting out of the housing business, after dealing with extensive problems
between deputies and hotels in the past several years. All housing arrangements including reservations, roommates,
payment by dioceses, tax exemptions, etc., will be made directly with the Omni. Exceptions from the package rate,
if any, will be made at the discretion of the hotel management only.
The theme of the Synod is "Making Connections: Communications for the Next Millennium." Our time together
will provide the opportunity for considering how we can make better connections for the sake of the work and ministry
of the province. Key to these discussions will be the election of officers to the Provincial Council (see Grapevine,
Winter edition) and consideration of a Provincial Executive (see Job Description in this issue). Our work as a
province is effective to the extent our leadership and program networks are able to maintain good communication
and to coordinate their efforts. Synod will provide us with the chance to enhance communication and coordination.
We'll also have the opportunity to connect with various program networks, hearing reports from each network as
time allows. And workshops will help us strengthen our connections. Workshops will be offered on the continuing
Lutheran-Episcopal conversation, JPIC, and the use of web pages by parishes and other groups.
Questions regarding the Synod should be directed to President Steve Lane or Secretary John Goldsack. Network chairs
should be in touch with Network Liaison John Rollins.
Contacts:
The Rev. Stephen T. Lane
President, Province II
120 East Main St.
Palmyra, NY 14522
e-mail: zion@computer-connection.net
John Goldsack
Province II Secretary
King, King and Goldsack
450 Somerset Street
Box 1106
Plainfield, NJ 07061-1106
The Rev. John A. Rollins
Province II Network Liason
400 Ramapo Avenue
Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442
e-mail: rollins@intac.com
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Nominees for Provincial Offices
At its October meeting, the Provincial Council acted as a nominating
committee and drew up a partial slate for the election of officers which will take place at the May 1999 meeting
of the Provincial Synod. The bishops have added their nomination for President/Vice President. Brief biographies
of all of the nominees except Bishop McKelvey were published in The Grapevine's winter issue and are still available
at the web site <http://www.ecusa.anglican.org/province-two/gv-ol.html>. A short biography for Bishop McKelvey follows the list of nominations.
For President/Vice President:
The Rt. Rev. Jack McKelvey (term of 3 years)
For President/Vice President:
Michael Rehill, Esq (term of 3 years)
For Treasurer:
Gwendolyn G. Carter (term of 3 years)
For Secretary:
The Rev. John A. Rollins (term of 3 years)
For Clergy Representative to Executive Council (term of 6 years): The Rev. Stephen T. Lane
For Provincial Council
(term of 3 years):
Bishop (elected by Bishops) (nominated by House of Bishops)
Clerical (elected by Deputies) James Brooks-McDonald
Lay (elected by Deputies) no nomination
For Chancellor:
John Wood Goldsack, Esq (term of 3 years)
The Rt. Rev. Jack McKelvey
is presently serving as Bishop Suffragan of the Diocese of Newark. Before his election as Bishop in 1991, he and
his wife, Linda, and their four children lived in Englewood, New Jersey, where he had been rector of St. Paul's
from 1979. Since he has been a member of the House of Bishops, he has served on the Sin of Racism Committee, the
Committee on Pastoral Development and on the Presiding Bishop Transition Committee. Within the Diocese of Newark,
he has been closely involved with assisting inner city congregations discern and develop their special ministries.
He has also been instrumental in working with the Lutheran Synod for the joint ownership of a Camp and Conference
Center, which opens as a common venture this summer.
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THE GRAPEVINE