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Special Diocesan Convention 2011
Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Burlington
June 4, 2011

Bishop Ely's Address to the Special Convention

Download Special Convention Registration Form

A Special Convention of the Diocese of Vermont has been called for the purpose of receiving and discussing the report of the Capital Campaign Discernment Committee regarding the feasibility of conducting a capital campaign for the Diocese and acting on the Committee's recommendations.

The Committee worked with a consultant, Christine Graham, CPG Enterprises, Inc., and with a variety of stakeholder groups in the Diocese to develop a preliminary case statement, "Spirit and Energy: A fundraising campaign to equip the saints for mission and strengthen our diocese for decades to come." Click here for information on this preliminary work and links to download the case statement and more detailed descriptions of the five major areas.

The consultant used the preliminary case study to test the feasibility of a capital campaign in interviews throughout the Diocese during March 2011. The resultant "Feasibility Study" will be used as the basis for discussion at the June Convention.

Download the Feasibility Study (pdf).
Download the shorter Feasibility Study Analysis and Recommendations (pdf).
Download the Feasibility Study Appendix (pdf). (This is the detailed enumeration of responses to interview questions.)
Convention Agenda
Proposed Resolution

Author of Changing the Conversation to offer teaching opportunities

Anthony B. Robinson, author of Changing the Conversation: A Third Way for Congregations, will offer teaching opportunities in the diocese on June 4 and 5, in conjunction with the Special Diocesan Convention.

On June 4, Robinson will present at St. Paul’s Cathedral, 10 a.m.–Noon, just prior to the Convention. This formation opportunity is open to all in the Diocese’s congregations, and clergy and delegates are particularly encouraged to attend.

Robinson will be at Trinity Church, Rutland, Sunday afternoon, June 5, 2–4 p.m., where he will repeat Saturday's presentation. This presentation is open to all in the Diocese, and those in leadership (vestry, diocesan organizations and committees/commissions, and clergy) are particularly invited.

On Sunday, June 5, Robinson will visit St. Luke’s in Chester, a congregation that used Changing the Conversation to transform their leadership and congregational life, becoming strong advocates for mission at the center of who they are and what God is calling them to be. He will preach at the 10 a.m. Eucharist and attend a brunch.

In his work, Robinson presents a vision of a “third way” for congregations, moving out of the polarized models of progressive/traditional, liberal/conservative, and others, and showing how to have conversations in congregations that set them on the course for following God’s call to mission.

Copies of Changing the Conversation are available through the Hopkins Bookshop at www.hopkinsbookshop.com, or 877-287-2422. Read more about Anthony Robinson and Changing the Conversation here.

Convention Discussion Agenda  (may be downloaded here)
9:00 – 10:00         Cathedral Open for registration (coffee, etc. available)
10:00 – 12:00       Anthony Robinson Seminar: “Changing the Conversation”
12:00 –1:00          Lunch hour – people are on their own
                               Convention Registration
1:00 – 1:45           Convention opens, welcome, worship, remarks from the Bishop
1:45 – 3:00           Presentation from CCDC, including a summary of the discernment process to date,
                               followed by facilitated table discussions using these questions:

1. The Feasibility Study conducted by our Consultant Christine Graham raised some important concerns that need to be addressed as part of our effort to launch a Capital Campaign. Referring especially to the Analysis and Recommendations and the Executive Summary sections of the Feasibility Study Report, to what degree do you agree (or not) with those concerns and recommendations?
2. What are the highest priorities for you, and how can the Bishop and other diocesan leaders best join with you and your congregation to create a more sustainable future for our church?
3. What else do you want to say about the Case Statement and/or the Feasibility Study Report?

3:00 – 3:30         Notes gathered from each table and one minute summaries given by each facilitator.
3:30                     Discussion and action on the following proposed resolution,
                             offered as a recommendation to convention delegates from the CCDC:

Proposed Resolution
Resolved, That attention be given and actions be taken at both the local and diocesan level to address the concerns raised in the 2011 Capital Campaign Feasibility Study report and summarized in the section “Analysis and Recommendations,” and be it further,

Resolved, That the Bishop and Diocesan Council, parallel with the above efforts, use the next 18 months to prepare a detailed plan for a collaborative diocesan-wide approach to fundraising to be presented to Diocesan Convention 2012 for consideration and action, and be it further,

Resolved, That delegates from this Convention commit to communicate the content, spirit and outcome of this day with the members of their local congregations.