Presiding Bishop’s visit will shine spotlight on Vermont
by the Rt. Rev. Thomas Clark Ely, Bishop of Vermont
Mountain Echo
October 2007

Over two and a half years ago, when I first wrote to the Presiding Bishop’s Office requesting that the new presiding bishop attend our Diocesan Convention in 2007 as part of our 175th Anniversary celebration, I had no idea who that person would be. I felt strongly that whoever was elected presiding bishop should be among us as we gathered to celebrate our life and ministry as a diocese in this anniversary season, particularly since Bishop John Henry Hopkins, the first Bishop of Vermont, served, by reason of his seniority, as the presiding bishop. What a delight it was when Bishop Katharine Jefferts Shori was elected our presiding bishop and agreed to my request that was “penciled in” to the schedule of the next presiding bishop! We are indeed honored to welcome this outstanding leader in our church to this historic gathering of our diocese.

Bishop Jefferts Shori’s visitation to Vermont offers us a wonderful opportunity to shine a spotlight on The Episcopal Church and the depth and breadth of ministry taking place in and through the congregations of our diocese. This pre-Convention edition of the Mountain Echo will help you understand and prepare for Convention and the pre-Convention Ministry Fairs taking place in October. In what follows, I want to highlight some of what we have planned for her visitation and for this Convention coming in the midst of our 175th Anniversary celebration.

The Presiding Bishop will arrive in Vermont on Thursday evening, November 1st. After a good night’s rest in the autumn climate of Vermont she will meet with the clergy of the diocese from 9:30-11:30 a.m. At noon on Friday, she will have lunch with the young people who are part of a special Diocesan Convention Youth Presence being organized by Connie Saeger-Proctor.

From 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Friday, Bishop Jefferts Schori will lead a public forum focused on the Episcopal Church’s mission commitment to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This forum will take place at Ira Allen Chapel on the Campus of the University of Vermont. Admission will be by ticket (no cost), with priority going to members of the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont. We will invite monetary donations from those attending the forum, with the net proceeds going to the New Sudan Education Initiative (NESEI) to assist in their MDG effort to build and operate 20 secondary schools in Southern Sudan. Many of the Sudanese living in the Burlington area will be present to greet you and talk about the ministry of NESEI. Since parking is very limited in the vicinity of Ira Allen Chapel, shuttle bus transportation from the Cathedral will begin at 2:30 p.m. This promises to be an inspiring forum, and I urge you to attend.

Friday evening, the Presiding Bishop will be our guest at the Convention Banquet at the Hilton Hotel in Burlington. Since Friday is the eve of the one-year anniversary of her investiture as presiding bishop, we have invited her to reflect on her first year in this new and challenging ministry. All are welcome to attend the banquet, but advance reservations are required. Social time begins at 6:00 p.m., with dinner at 7:00. Information about making reservations has been sent to all Convention Delegates. You can also call the Diocesan Office for more information, or check the “2007 Diocesan Convention” section on the diocesan Web site for a reservation form.

On Saturday morning, the Presiding Bishop will preside and preach at the Convention Eucharist, beginning at 8:30 a.m. During the liturgy we will receive and present to Bishop Jefferts Schori the Convention Global Mission Offering designated for The Episcopal Church’s new MDG Inspiration Fund being established in concert with Episcopal Relief and Development to help fight malaria in Africa and other parts of the world through the NetsforLife program. Information about a diocesan-wide ingathering on October 28, 2007 has been sent to all congregations. The idea is that each congregation will receive a special offering from its members on this day and will bring the proceeds from that offering to Convention for presentation to the Presiding Bishop. The formal public launching of the MDG Inspiration Fund will come in October at the meeting of the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church. This means that Vermont will most likely be the first diocese to make a diocesan-wide contribution to this fund. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate both our generosity and our commitment to global mission. I hope every congregation in our diocese will participate in this offering.

Continuing the generous gift of time with us, Bishop Jefferts Shori has agreed to engage with the clergy and lay delegates for about an hour after lunch on Saturday during the business session of Convention. This will be an opportunity for us to be in conversation with her about the life and vitality of The Episcopal Church from her perspective as the Presiding Bishop. On Saturday evening, Ann and I will host a dinner at the Bishop’s House for the Presiding Bishop and other guests.

On Sunday morning, Bishop Jefferts Schori and I will travel to Saint Paul’s, Windsor, where she will preside and preach at the 10:00 a.m. liturgy. Saint Paul’s was chosen for this honor (from among the many congregations I considered) because of its historic significance in the life of our diocese and because the Presiding Bishop expressed a desire to be in one of our smaller congregations somewhere in a different part of our diocese than where Convention was being held. Saint Paul’s welcomes others to join them for worship this day.

All in all, this promises to be a memorable weekend in the life of the Diocese of Vermont. Many people are involved in one aspect or another of our Convention and the planning for the Presiding Bishop’s visit. The national (and international?) spotlight will be on Vermont that weekend, and I am delighted at the prospect of sharing the wonderful and multidimensional ministry of this great diocese with Bishop Jefferts Shori and with the rest of the world.

All of this is part of our 175th Anniversary celebration as a diocese, so, come and be a part of this great weekend in whatever way you are able. If you can’t be present in person, please be present in prayer, through the delegates from your congregation and through the Global Mission Offering. We are so very blessed to welcome the Presiding Bishop, to get to meet and greet her in this personal way and for her to get to know us and the many gifts the Diocese of Vermont brings to the life and ministry of the Episcopal Church.

See you at Convention,
+Thomas