|
 |
 |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|
[Back to index of November articles] Diocese works to strengthen congregations By Lucy Chumbley In his address to the 2005 Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, Bishop John Chane identified congregational development as his chief concern. "As a diocese we must be about growing and maintaining healthy congregations as our main priority," he told delegates from the diocese's 93 parishes, "for it is the healthy congregation that is best able to carry out and live into the mandate of doing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to engage the world and transform it." In September, the Diocesan Council voted to develop a congregational development action plan for implementation by 2007, and at its Oct. 11 meeting, the council chartered a Congregational Development Working Group to carry out this task. While the 13-member group works to establish a formal plan for growing the diocese's churches, the diocese continues to help parishes expand their congregations and ministries in various ways. Finance Committee chairman Mike Febrey described Holy Comforter as a "healthy, growing congregation" and said it had already raised more than $1.4 million in pledges. Representatives from Epiphany, Forestville, asked the council to release funds so the church could upgrade its 8,000 square foot parish hall in order to develop new ministries. "We have a building that just sits there because we can't use it," Epiphany's rector, the Rev. Allan Johnson-Taylor said. "We can't do the ministry they're asking us to do because the buildings are not up to code." Even without changing the use of the building, deferred maintenance must be performed on the parish hall, congregation leaders said. More lighting is needed around the entrance to increase safety - the church had four break ins last December - and the roof needs replacing. In addition to the danger of asbestos, mold has prevented the growing Sunday School class - 37 children at present - from using the space. To finance the renovations, the council released $140,000 from funds that had been set aside for Epiphany after the closing of the old Holy Redeemer Mission. The money, which had been earmarked for mission and ministry, was released with the stipulation that the parish work closely with diocesan property manager Robert Tomlinson. In addition, council members voted to release the remaining money in the fund, $176,000, for mission and ministry, and asked that the church work with the Rev. Carol Cole Flanagan, canon for congregational development, to determine the best use of those funds at that time. The council also voted to establish a group to work with St. Nicholas' - a church without a building of its own - to identify concrete ways of furthering ministry in Darnestown. The council turned down a proposal to help the church build a $2.8 million facility financed primarily by diocesan grants and loans at its September meeting, expressing concern that the parish could not manage the debt load, and pointing out that the project would seriously deplete the diocese's financial reserves. The council also chartered two new committees - the Committee on Urban Ministry and the Committee on Accessibility and Special Needs - to help congregations expand their ministries in these areas. The Rev. Randolph Charles, rector of Epiphany, D.C. and chairman of the Taskforce on Urban Ministry, gave a report on his group's vision for urban ministry in the diocese. Charles said it was important for healthy congregations to have a sense of their calling - to serve those in need - and to have strong leadership to take on outreach initiatives. The new committee will work on ways to promote congregational health, reach out to the surrounding community, serve people in need and advocate for social justice. "If this thing really takes off, it could be a fascinating model," Charles said. "Something could come out of this which could be a model for the church. "The plan is there, and wouldn't it be exciting if this diocese took a lead in enabling congregations to be more missional - responding to the needs of those in urban environments?" The Committee on Accessibility and Special Needs will work to compile a resource of accessibility information and educational tools, which it will make available on the diocesan Web site. Its members will act as liaisons to diocesan groups and will work to build awareness of disability issues throughout the diocese. In other matters, the council voted against a proposal to raise the cost of health insurance for those insured through the diocese. While the plan will save diocesan employees money, it comes at a cost of $363,000 to the diocesan budget. The council asked the Human Resources Committee to conduct a detailed study on the matter for 2007. [Back to index of November articles]
|
|
||||||||||
