A spirited, engaged crowd of more than 500 clergy and lay members of our diocese gathered in Burlington on November 14 and 15 to participate in the Diocese’s Annual Convention!
Convention Highlights:
Keynote by The Most Rev. Melissa Skelton, most recently Bishop Provisional in the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, on congregational development and the importance of churches understanding their purpose. “No one had ever introduced the concept of ‘purpose’ to me and my impression of church was ‘spinning plates’—the rush of energy that requires you to be busy all of the time,” says Bishop Skelton. In her keynote, she presented a Gather, Transform, Send model that helps congregations develop and articulate their core identity, as a way to deepen who they are and appeal to newcomers most suited to their church. Listen to the keynote.
Bishop’s Address Bishop Whitworth emphasized the critical work that was done over the past few years, with input from more than 800 people, on diocesan core values, mission, and priorities (English slides, Spanish slides). She highlighted a range of commitments that came out of the visioning work, including hiring Hispanic and Justice missioners; hiring a Canon for Communications, Witness, and Engagement; supporting congregations in best utilizing real estate and with operational structures; and committing resources to formation throughout the diocese, including youth formation “the church of today.” Bishop Whitworth closed by introducing an Immigrant Legal Emergency Fund she has seeded with the Bishop’s Discretionary Fund, challenging those at the Convention to raise $10,000—which was accomplished—on Saturday to bring the fund to more than $100,000 to help immigrants with urgent needs. Listen to Bishop Whitworth’s address.
Courage and Joy Awards Bishop Whitworth bestowed the diocese’s first Courage and Joy Awards to members of our diocese who have demonstrated extraordinary courage and joy in their life and ministry. Recipients were: Rev. Ema Rosero-Nordalm, Community of Oscar Romero at The Allston Abbey; Rev. Brett Johnson, Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Wakefield; Samuel Mayanja from St. Peter’s Waltham; and Anne Shumway, St. James’s Episcopal Church, Cambridge.
Workshops on topics related to the diocese’s strategic agenda, including Invite, Welcome, Connect; stewardship; building collaborative churches; standing with the vulnerable; faith formation; and supporting LGBTQIA+ youth and adults. The workshop Managing Church Property for Mission, led by representatives from Stewardship Realty, addressed how churches can create financial sustainability through the redevelopment or reuse of church assets. Stewardship Realty emphasized that their approach is to generate creative ways to leverage church assets, like selling a portion of property for mission-focused projects such as low-income housing, to produce ongoing income. Rarely do they recommend selling churches outright because they are focused on long-term sustainability. Stewardship Realty’s process starts with an analysis of the missional and real estate potential of a church property. Reach out at admin@stewardshipr.com to start a conversation.
Resolutions As part of its public witness, several resolutions were passed, including affirming human rights for all people in US prisons and detention centers; supporting the Massachusetts’ immigrant community, especially those at risk of losing temporary protected status; and affirming support for the MA Indigenous Legislative Agenda.