Diocesan Convention theme is "Living the Covenant"
By the Right Reverend Thomas Clark Ely, Bishop of Vermont
Mountain Echo, October 2001
Living the Covenant is the theme of our Diocesan Convention, November 2-3, 2001, at the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul in Burlington.
Covenant, of course, refers to the Baptismal Covenant, that powerful declaration of our faith and commitment to God in Christ that we are asked to renew from time to time. There is considerable material in this issue of the Mountain Echo related to our Diocesan Convention, including information about many of the people offering themselves for service either through election, or appointment to various ministries. Each person’s offering of his or her talents and time in service to our diocese is a generous gift to us. I hope you will thank those who are making this offering of self, regardless of outcome.
Information about the proposed Diocesan Budget also appears in this issue, as do the resolutions we will consider during the business portion of Convention. Budgets are one important reflection of our commitment to carrying out the mission and ministry of our diocese.
Resolutions are opportunities to express our opinion and will with regard to matters affecting our common life and ministry. Please give these documents the attention they deserve and discuss them with your representatives.
As we prepare to meet in Convention I have a request to make, both for those who will attend and for those who will be represented by others. My request is that you spend time reviewing the five promises of the Baptismal Covenant and commit yourself to one action related to each. Here are some suggestions to get you started on this spiritual exercise:
- Will you continue in the apostle’s teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers? Pray in church and in your private devotions for the work of Convention, for those representing your congregation, for those standing for election, for your Bishop, your Diocesan Ministry Support Team, Diocesan Council and those who plan and help Convention run smoothly.
Will you persevere in resisting evil, and whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? Be mindful of and resist any temptation to be cynical or apathetic about Convention and its place and purpose in our diocesan life.
- Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ? Tell someone you know who might be searching for a deeper relationship with God about our Church, about how we believe that God’s Spirit works in and through our life as a community of faith as we seek to discern direction for our mission and ministry. Tell them about how we believe that Christ is present to us in and through our deliberations, our differences, and our democratic process.
- Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? As you read about those offering themselves in service to our diocese, consider your own commitment to seeking and serving Christ in your day to day ministry of relationship with others. Where can you be more loving? More forgiving? More caring? More compassionate? More self-offering?
- Will you strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being? As a way of embracing our Christian longing for peace and justice, think about and seek a better relationship with someone to whom you could show more respect, especially someone who is "different" from you by virtue of race, or gender, or age, or ability, or sexual orientation, or economic status, or any other arbitrary category that we so often use to call attention to our differences.
I hope this very practical suggestion for some spiritual exercises as we prepare for Diocesan Convention will be a concrete way for us to take seriously the promises of our Baptismal Covenant and see the connection that each and every one of us has to one another and to our common life and ministry as the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont. And, remember that the response to each promise is always, "I will with God’s help." So ask God’s help in Living the Covenant!
Your partner in the Covenant,
+ Thomas
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Copyright ® 2001, The Episcopal Diocese of Vermont. All rights Reserved.