The Grapevine
Winter 2006
Volume 13 Number 1
A Word of Thanks
Provincial Synod Scheduled for April 27, 28
Nominations for Provincial Council
A Parish Lenten Project Word For The World
Provincial Ministries Urge You to Become Involved
Youth and Young Adult Trip to El Salvador
With Bishop Desmond Tutu in Haiti
The Episcopal Immigration and Prison Networks
Transforming Vision into Action
Disaster Preparedness Is Important
Diocese of Newark Bishop Committee Evaluates Nominees
Mariners ReceiveRrecord number of Christmas Gifts
Finger Lakes Conference
Thursday Nights at General
Ivy Tinkler will be 100 years young
Thirteen Bishops met in Tampa
Save the Date for Youth: August 1-6, 2007
Listening: Honduras diocese welcomes United Thank Offering committee
Province II Coming Events
Editor's Note
A Word of Thanks
I am coming closer to the time when my term as the President of Province II will come to an end. It has been a good run; yet it hasn't always been that way.
I remember one synod meeting when I, and a now retired bishop, proposed a resolution to end synod meetings. The reason was simple. We didn't do much, bishops wouldn't come, leaving just three or four of us wondering what we were doing, and the cost raised questions for some of us. We knew that these meetings provided opportunities for the “family clan” to come together, but we were not sure that this was the best way. We hoped for convocations, or the like, which would bring a wider group of province leaders together.
Need I say more about the outcome of the vote on the resolution? Why would elected delegates vote themselves out of office? They didn't!
It was a couple of years later that the notion, simply described as, “if you can't beat ‘em, join ‘em, came to my mind. It was then that I realized that the President of the Province sat on the Presiding Bishop's Council of Advice. I also had been hearing about an interest on the part of provinces to rekindle the networks. Networks of like-minded interested people were, as far as I could see, the main reason for the province to gather together. I “joined” and was elected President.
I am glad I did. These last six years have been wonderful, as we in Province II have begun to regenerate interest in our participation. Under the wise tutelage of our Provincial Executive Coordinator, Chuck Perfater, networks have begun to flourish. We have many of them and the leaders of each area of ministry find support, encouragement, and new direction through their network involvement. With such support, the sense of the lonely isn't as real. While we have been refashioning our province, our church at the national level has also begun to take seriously the place which networks can play in ministry. The Provincial Leadership Conference, held twice each year, brings program heads, national church leaders and representatives from all nine of our provinces together for discussion and planning. It is a mutual exploration of how we can deliver ministry resources to all levels of the church. It works!
I am pleased to say that we have provided a convocation gathering this past year, we have offered an educational event for general convention deputies on The Windsor Report, and we have gathered as bishops of the province each January for sharing, education and support. These events are significant in the life of our church.
I am grateful to those of you who are engaged in ministry and are willing to share your gifts with others. I am thankful for these years of service, and the new places which God has brought me to appreciate. I trust our support of the ministry through networks will grow.
The Rt. Rev. Jack M. McKelvey
President, Province II
Province II Synod For all Provincial Synod and General Convention Deputies and Alternates |
Provincial Synod Scheduled for April 27, 28
Plans for the Synod of Province II, which is held once every three years in the spring that precedes the General Convention, are underway. Deputies to the Synod and to the General Convention are invited to this year's Synod, scheduled for Thursday, April 28 and Friday, April 29 at the Century House in Latham , NY , to conduct the business of the Province and receive information about the issues that will arise at the General Convention.
Thursday's activities begin with lunch. The business session on Thursday will be devoted to the business of the Province; election of Provincial Officers, approval of the Provincial budget and consideration of Provincial resolutions are on the agenda. Deputies to Province II should plan to attend this session, and are the only attendees who have voice and vote at this portion of the Synod. General Convention Deputies who have not been elected or designated as Deputies to Province II are invited to attend, but not to participate, in this session.
Social time and the Provincial banquet follow Thursday's business session, providing time for relaxation, networking and conversation for representatives of the Province's eleven dioceses. Mark MacGougan, a liturgical comedian whose wry observations about life in the Episcopal Church have amused people from several of our dioceses and from around the church, will provide the banquet entertainment. General Convention and Provincial Deputies are urged to attend the banquet, and to take advantage of the opportunity for meeting and networking.
Albany Bishop Daniel Herzog has been invited to celebrate the Eucharist on Friday morning. Following the Eucharist, Greg Straub, Executive Officer of the General Convention, George Warner, President of the House of Deputies, and ECUSA Treasurer Kurt Barnes will review the General Convention's agenda and provide an overview of the Convention and the budget.
Workshops on Friday afternoon will offer information on a variety of issues, including revision of Title III and Title IV of the national Canons and changes to the church structure, that Bishops and Deputies will be deciding at this year's General Convention. Deputies may attend two of the 90-minute workshops, where they can ask questions and discuss the issues that are described by the workshop presenters.
Three local hotels have rooms available for Synod attendees; a limited number of rooms are also available at the Century House. All rooms include a complimentary breakfast. The registration fee for the Synod includes the cost of Thursday and Friday's lunch and the Provincial banquet. Information and registration forms are available on the Province's web site (http://www.province2.org); directions to Latham are available on the Century House's web site (http://www.thecenturyhouse.com ).
Nominations for Provincial Council
February 11, 2006
The Nominating Committee for Province II has proposed the following persons for election to the Provincial Council. The slate was received by the Provincial Council at its February meeting. The election will take place at the Synod meeting in April.
- For President: Mr. Michael Rehill ( Newark )
- For Vice-President: The Rt. Rev. George Councell (NJ)
- For Secretary: Mr. Louie Crew ( Newark )
- For Treasurer: Mr. Peter Hausman (NJ)
- For Chancellor: Ms. Dorothy Jane Porpeglia ( Albany ) (Appointed by the new President)
- For Clerical Rep. to Executive Council: The Revs. Yamily Bass-Choate (NY) and Petero Sabune(NY)
- For Episcopal Rep. to Provincial Council: The Rt. Rev. Michael Garrison (WNY)
- For Clerical Rep. to Provincial Council: The Revs. David Robinson (R) and Cecily Broderick (LI)
- For Lay Rep. to Provincial Council: No nominee
The members of the Provincial Council whose terms continue through 2009 are:
- Lay Rep. to Executive Council: Kim Byham ( Newark )
- Rep. to Episcopal Life: Debra Wagner ( Albany )
Members of the Province are invited to submit additional nominations by April 1, 2006, to the Rev. Canon Stephen T. Lane , 935 East Avenue , Rochester , 14607 or steve@rochesterepiscopaldiocese.com . Clergy must be canonically resident in the province. Laity must be communicants in good standing.
A Parish Lenten Project Word For The World: Send Bibles in English and any foreign language and wrapped hard candy to the Seamen's Church
The Seamen's Church Institute of New York & New Jersey is collecting and distributing Bibles in English and other languages to seafarers from around the world. Share in the Institute's cross-cultural ministry to seafarers by donating Bibles and wrapped hard candy. Chaplains and volunteer ship visitors will distribute Bibles and wrapped hard candy in Easter gift bags to seafarers during the Lent and Easter season.
“Reading God's Word is a comfort for seafarers who spend weeks at sea. Reading a Bible, especially in their own language, brings them out of desperate loneliness and into God's loving presence,” said the Rev. Andy Moore, Director of SCI's International Seafarers' Center in Port Newark.
- All versions of the Bible are welcome.
- The top three nations supplying the world's seafarers are the Philippines (Tagalog), Russia , and Ukraine .
- Foreign language Bibles can be purchased Amazon.com; or The American Bible Society Store (800-32-BIBLE) www. Bibles.com
Mail to:
The Rev. Andy Moore, Director
International Seafarers' Center
118 Export Street
Port Newark , NJ 07114
973-589-5828
The Seamen's Church Institute's mission is to advance the personal, professional, and spiritual well being of mariners worldwide. Established in 1834, SCI is an ecumenical agency affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The International Seafarers' Center is easily accessible and directions are available at the SCI web site. To learn more about SCI, please visit www.seamenschurch.org .