75th General Convention.

[A letter from Bishops Tom, Bud and Gayle; May 2006]

Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

We write to share information with you that will assist you in educating and updating your congregation about the General Convention of the Episcopal Church which will be held June 13-21 in Columbus, Ohio. This will be the 75th time the church has gathered to be guided by the Holy Spirit in setting the direction of the church’s mission and ministry.

Media reports may not always have complete information about the life of our church and we hope to provide you with as much information as possible in as many venues as possible so that you may better inform your congregation. It is very important that you attend Clergy Day, Tuesday, May 16 at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center where Ian Douglas, an international authority on the Windsor Report and the Anglican Communion, will deliver a briefing and the bishops will provide more information.

A church wide octave of prayer for the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church opens on Pentecost, June 4 and concludes on Trinity Sunday, June 11 as deputies and bishops begin to gather in Columbus. Planners intend for prayers and related resources to be posted online at www.episcopalchurch.org early this month to support individuals and congregations in their participation in the octave.

BISHOPS’ COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS

We will be serving on the following committees at convention:

Tom – the National and International Concerns Committee which oversees legislative proposals that determine what issues the church’s government relations office will work on, and also a panel on the Middle East.

Gayle – Bishops for a Just Society which will hold a press conference at the beginning of the convention and also the Church Pension Fund.

Bud – Social and Urban Affairs.

There are many resources available to you and your congregation on the diocesan website www.diomass.org  (or directly at http://www.diomass.org/genconvention2006/ ). There you will find: information about the Convention, the Massachusetts deputation, audio files, and news links regarding the election of the next presiding bishop, resolutions, the Anglican Communion, the Windsor Report and more.

ENS PROVIDING WEEKLY DOWNLOADABLE BULLETIN INSERTS

Additionally, Episcopal News Service has provided you with weekly downloadable bulletin inserts in English and Spanish on issues ranging from the history of the church to how the church is organized for mission and particulars about the convention. These bulletin inserts are available now by going to http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_15654_ENG_HTM.htm.  We have attached a PDF file to this message for May 7. If you cannot download the PDF, please call 617-482-4826 x506 and we will mail you a hard copy.

EMAILS, E-NEWSLETTER and FYI

We will send you regular clergy emails up to the time of convention to keep you informed about these resources and other timely information. We will also include updates in our new monthly E-Newsletter which will go to 5,000 subscribers. Please urge others to subscribe by going to: www.diomass.org/elist.shtml

The FYI newsletter will also contain the reference links to obtain more information.

SPECIAL COMMISSION ON THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION

On May 2, Ian Douglas, Dorsey McConnell and three convention deputies, Lois Bennett, Richard Vanderlippe and Becky Alden, convened an open gathering to report on the Special Commission on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion and to discuss potential actions of the General Convention.

A second meeting with the Diocese of Massachusetts’ deputation will take place on Tuesday, May 23, 7:30-9 p.m., at Trinity Church (124 River Road) in Topsfield. All interested members of the diocese are invited to attend the meeting, which will include time for both information sharing and questions and answers.

Audio portions of the May 2 meeting will be posted on the diocesan Web site by the end of this week for those who are unable to attend a meeting.

YOUTH DELEGATION

For information on how to join the diocese’s youth delegation to General Convention, go to www.diomassyouth.org.

MEDIA RELATIONS

We urge you to take this opportunity to write an Op Ed article in your local newspaper explaining the history of the convention and its significance today. For more information on how to submit an Op Ed piece, please contact Maria Plati in the Office of Communications.

Faithfully yours,
/s Tom Shaw, Bud Cederholm, Gayle Harris