Dear Friends in Christ,
Let us pray:
Almighty and everlasting Father, who hast given the Holy Spirit to abide with us forever: Bless, we beseech thee, with his grace and presence, the clergy and the laity of St Francis’ Episcopal Church assembled in thy Name, that thy Church, being preserved in true faith and godly discipline, may fulfill all the mind of him who loved it and gave himself for it, thy Son Jesus Christ our Savior; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (BCP p 204)
The annual meeting… an important part of the governance of the Church
When The Episcopal Church was founded, following the American Revolution, there was disorder in its structure. In colonial times, the Church of England parishes were organized under priests ordained and appointed in the Church of England, with fealty to the Bishop of London (bishop for the colonies) and the head of the church, the King of England. Many congregations had little input from members. Many congregants and priests remained loyal to King George and left the United States following the end of the hostilities. Those who remained organized our Church, The Episcopal Church, embodying some of the representative sensibilities of our civic governance, and based on meetings of congregants, elected representatives, and elected bishops of the Church.
Our Dioceses are organized under the direction of the bishop, in representation of the parishes of the diocese. The parishes are organized by their bylaws, in accordance of the national and diocesan canons (laws). Our parish elects the vestry, elects the delegate to diocesan convention, and approves the parish budget. The delegates to diocesan convention meets annually for diocesan business, including approval of budget, election of deputies to General Convention, and election of diocesan bishop. The deputies to convention and bishops of the Church meet every three years for the governance of the church.
The voice of our members, lay and ordained, are heard on every level of the Church. We have parishioners involved on diocesan, provincial, and national committees. We are blessed that we received the wisdom of those early Episcopalians who created church governance made, not by the appointees of the monarch, but by the members of the Church of the People of God, the Corpus Christi. May our gracious God bless us with wisdom and holy guidance in our meeting later today.
Thank you for your insight, counsel, and participation in our meeting today.
Thanks be to God, Amen
Father Eric