The 175th annual Diocesan Convention gathered on Friday and Saturday, October 23-24, in Lansing where lay and clergy delegates representing 86 churches and two university chaplaincies worshiped, considered a handful of resolutions, and approved a diocesan budget for 2010.

Highlighting the weekend convention was the Saturday morning worship service in which the Rev. Stephen Marsh, bishop of the Southeast Michigan Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, preached a spirited sermon asking Episcopalians to embrace the ways God desires us to change because God's love for us never does. A choir under the direction of John Repulski, Director of Music & Organist at Christ Church Cranbrook, Bloomfield Hills, accented the convention worship.

Bishop Wendell Gibbs followed worship on Saturday with his address to the diocese. Bishop Gibbs demonstrated through visual and verbal example that things are not always as they appear, and that people are often conditioned to see what is not really there.

"Problems arise when we hold to our perception as the only correct one. Such a stance dishonors and disrespects the other and disturbs harmony in the community," he said. "We must continue to remind ourselves to focus on God's mission rather than our own agenda of self-promotion, self-assurance or self-sufficiency."

Gibbs touched on the convention theme by adding, "while perceptions of change are as varied as the stars in the sky, it is the willingness to be open to reality (repentance), which leads to transformation (renewal), and opens the way to new life (revitalization). READ the bishop's address HERE.

In what may have been the most significant piece of convention business, a fourth "R" was etched into the convention records: Reconsideration.

A second reading of a proposed constitutional amendment that could have suspended the rights of lay representatives to Diocesan Convention in congregations that do not pay all financial support for the diocesan ministry or church pension premiums failed to pass. The measure passed a year ago, but amendments to the constitution require approval at two consecutive annual conventions and the measure received only half of the necessary votes by orders.

Diocesan Convention approved a 2010 budget of $2.2 million for diocesan ministry, returned to a three-year-average formula for assessing congregational support, and indicated that an increase in income to the diocese over what is expected would be used first to close the gap between what is asked of the Diocese of Michigan by The Episcopal Church and what is in the 2010 budget.

SEE the results of elections at Diocesan Convention HERE.
See the action Diocesan Convention took on Resolutions HERE.
SEE the results from The Record 18th annual Church Newsletter awards HERE.