Diocese of Virginia's Annual Convention Recap by Mike Giaquinto and Nina Janopaul, Convention Delegates

This past weekend, the Diocese of Virginia held its 225th annual Diocesan Convention. St. George's was represented by clergy delegates, Shearon Sykes Williams and John Shellito, and lay delegates, Mike Giaquinto and Nina Janopaul.

For those who don't know, Diocesan Convention serves as both an opportunity for members of the Diocese to connect and share notable stories and goings on, as well as a forum for delegates to vote on official resolutions regarding Diocesan business. Diocesan business includes choosing representatives for various bodies, voting on resolutions brought before the convention, and approving a budget for the coming year.

This year, Convention opened with an address from Bishop Susan Goff, the current ecclesiastical authority in the Diocese since Bishop Shannon Johnston stepped down last year. Bishop Goff offered a strong vision for the role of the Diocese, founded on the principle: Be Light. Know Life. Share Joy. Bishop Goff reminded those gathered that despite how it feels, the Church is not dying because the Church is the living, breathing embodiment of Christ; the Church is changing, and in the midst of change, Jesus brings us joy. She asked how we, as Jesus people, will bring light to the world, challenging members of the Diocese to find new ways to do old things. Among those ways, she called for Episcopalians to expand the number of those among us who speak the language of racial reconciliation. This came as part of a call for a task force to seek reconciliation across many divides, including racial, political, and environmental.

Bishop Goff also shared long-awaited news regarding the timeline in the search for a new Bishop Diocesan. The call for election will take place next year, in November 2020. The election will then take place in Spring of 2022, with consecration in late Summer or early Fall of 2022, so that the new Bishop may preside at the 2022 Diocesan Convention.

Delegates then began the first ballot to elect Diocesan representatives (there were four ballots in total, due to runoffs). On the ballot were clergy and lay representatives to the Diocese's Standing Committee, clergy and lay delegates to the 2021 General Convention, and representatives to Province III—a group of Dioceses in the Mid-Atlantic region. Of note, our own Bob Prichard was elected a clergy delegate to General Convention, and Lyn Crawford was elected as an alternate delegate for General Convention. Lyn was also elected as a representative to Province III. In addition, our former Deacon Intern, Katherine Ferguson was elected as a clergy representative to the Standing Committee. It's safe to say that St. George's is well represented throughout the Diocese!

There were four resolutions for delegates to vote on, in addition to numerous courtesy resolutions. Courtesy resolutions tend to be ceremonial in nature, usually honoring someone in retirement or in memoriam, and were approved en masse. The four resolutions were:

1) Discontinuing single-use plastic, single-use foam and single-use bottled water at diocesan churches and facilities
The Convention approved this resolution to discontinue use of single-use plastic plates, cutlery, cups, straws, food wraps and bags, and bottled water, in favor of transitioning to reusable or compostable alternatives. Exceptions may be made when necessary for health considerations.
2) Adoption of an amended alcohol policy
The Convention approved this resolution to amend the alcohol policy adopted at the 1985 General Convention. The amended policy expands the previous policy, with a "call to the whole Church to use alcohol in appropriate and thoughtful ways, so that people are not put in a position that compromises their membership in the Body of Christ or their own integrity, or that threatens the life of another with their actions." The most significant changes include an affirmative responsibilities by parishes to educate parishioners about alcoholism and alcohol abuse. The resolution also institutes a prohibition on the consumption of alcohol prior to the conducting of any church business, such as Vestry meetings and church committees, as well as by any adult at the time they are leading events involving youth.
3) Protesting a water project on a sacred Monacan Indian Nation site
The Convention approved this resolution for the Diocese to take an official stance of protest against a proposed water intake and pumping station by the James River Water Authority that would pass through Rassawek, a former capital of the Monacan Indian Nation containing the buried remains of their ancestors. The resolution noted that, although such a pumping station is needed in Louisa and Fluvanna Counties, there are other suitable sites available.
4) Clergy pay equity
The Convention approved this resolution that the Diocese of Virginia continue to report at Annual Convention each year its status of achieving clergy pay equity by gender and race, and furthermore that each congregation make public its compensation and benefits paid to each clergy by amount and time. Our own John Shellito was among the clergy proposing this resolution, and the resolution was based on the work of the The Diocesan Pay Equity Task Force, co-led by The Rev. Shearon Sykes Williams.

In addition to these resolutions, the Convention featured powerful stories from around the Diocese and beyond.

Brian Sellers-Petersen, Missioner for Agrarian Ministry for the Diocese of Olympia, Washington, gave a presentation about the variety of ways parishes have been using their land in the care of the Earth. The Rev. Melanie Mullen, Director of Reconciliation, Justice and Creation Care for the Episcopal Church, presented on ways the Diocese can move forward on the issue of climate change, noting that surveys show Episcopalians are actively engaged on the topic and view the need to take action as an aspect of their faith. Rev. Mullen also discussed the intersection between environmental concerns, race, and poverty, showing how the Episcopal Church is identifying parishes in areas of environmental need. Mr. Sellers-Petersen and Rev. Mullen later preached together at Friday evening's Eucharist, discussing the need to faithfully express ourselves through small, concrete actions to combat the overwhelming nature of environmental crises.

Members from Grace Church, Goochland discussed how they were able to maintain dialogue across the political divide in a context of love and respect.

Carl Holder, formerly of the DEA, shared stories of how the faith-based community has faced the opioid epidemic in this country, noting that churches have been the forgotten first responders in this crisis.
The Convention also heard from participants in the Triangle of Hope program. This mission, shared among the Diocese of Virginia, the Diocese of Liverpool, England, and the Diocese of Kumasi, Ghana, traces the geography of the Triangular Slave Trade. By bringing members from these places together, Triangle of Hope seeks to deepen the understanding of the painful history of the slave trade through repentance, reconciliation, and mission. One of the main projects of the Triangle of Hope is youth pilgrimages, and there is always potential that some of our younger St. Georgians could get involved. For more information, see https://thetriangleofhope.com/t-o-h-youth-pilgrimages.

After approving the budget for the upcoming year, the Convention closed with an address from our newest Bishop, Assistant Bishop, Jennifer Brooke Davidson. Bishop Brooke-Davidson joined the Diocese last month after serving as the Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas. Her address served as a colorful introduction into her life and work, and demonstrated her excitement to get to work in Virginia.

The 225th annual Diocesan Convention was filled with themes of a Church that must adapt with the times as it seeks to fulfill its role as the living body of Christ. If the presentations and resolutions presented are any indication, it seems the Diocese of Virginia is ready and willing to faithfully grow into this challenge.