Diocesan Council 2010-2011
The Diocesan Council is the legislative arm of the Diocese between conventions and consists of the Bishop as Chair, ex officio; the Chancellor, ex officio; and twenty-six elected members. The Canon to the Ordinary and the Diocesan Treasurer have a seat and voice, but no vote. Of the elected members, sixteen are Deanery Members (elected by Deanery Chapters); eight are At-Large Members (elected by Convention); and two are Youth Members (elected by Convention).
New
Mission Districts
The 2010 Diocesan Convention adopted a resolution to
change the canons regarding the constitution and method of election
of members of Diocesan Council. The eight deaneries will be replaced
by five mission districts, each of which will elect three members
to Diocesan Council at the 2011 Diocesan Convention. This will reduce
Council membership to 15. At its March 2011 meeting, Council reviewed
a proposal for the makeup of the mission districts and agreed to
seek comments from throughout the Diocese before finalizing it at
the June Council meeting. Download a map here (pdf).
The Executive Committee of Council is composed of members of Council plus the bishop, the canon to the ordinary, the chancellor and the treasurer. The Executive Committee meets between Council meetings to prepare the agenda for Council meetings, and to consider business which will come before the full Council at its regular meetings. Council meetings are open to all people of the Diocese. The Executive Committee is the Program & Budget Committee of Council.
Members of Diocesan Council have adopted a Mission Statement, a Stewardship Statement, and a Covenant of Leadership.
Diocesan
Council Members, 2010-2011
(*
members or members ex officio of Executive Committee of Council)
Central Vermont Deanery Representatives
The Rev. Sr. Laurian Seeber (Term 2 to 2011)
47 Shadow Lane, Barre, VT 05641
(H) 479-7920 Email: srl@pshift.com
Champlain Deanery
(1) Representatives
Otter Creek Deanery (2) Representatives
The Rev. Terry Gleeson (Term 2, to
2011)
123 Juniper Lane, Middlebury, VT 05753
(O) 388-7200
Email: tpgleeson@yahoo.com
Southeast Deanery (4) Representatives
Southwest
Deanery (3) Representatives
Three Rivers Deanery
(5) Representatives
Central Vermont Deanery (6) Representatives
Ali
Mahra (also assistant treasurer)
Email: AMahra@uclub.org
Northeast Deanery (7) Representatives
Ryan Corkins (Term 2, to 2011)
Email: corkins4@comcast.net
Northwest Deanery
(8) Representatives
Helen Short (Term 2, to 2012)
12 Burrell Ter.,St. Albans, V 05478
Email: hshortvt@comcast.net
The Rev. Reid Farrell (Term
2, to 2011)
PO Box 273, Swanton, VT 05488
(O) 868-7185 (H) 868-7813
Email: holytrinityrector@myfairpoint.net
Members at Large
Robert Bowler (Term 1 to 2011)
Email: revbeau@gmail.com
The Rev. Mary Haas (Term 1 to 2011)
Barbara Hoar (Term 1 to 2011)
Email: barbhoar@comcast.net
The Rev. Alan Kittelson (Term 1 to 2011)
Email: alankittelson@gmail.com
Sarah Maynard (Term 2 to 2011)
Email: sarah265@myfairpoint.net
The Rev. Scott
Neal ( Term 2 to 2011)
PO Box 410
Arlington VT 05250
(H) 3735-6949
Email:
rectorstjamesarlington@myfairpoint.net
The Rev, Rick Swanson (Term 1 to 2011)
Email: rick@stjohnsinthemountains.org
Youth Representatives
Ex Officio Members
*The Rt. Rev.Thomas C. Ely
Bishop, ex officio member
5 Rock Point Road, Burlington, VT 05408
(O) 863-34311 or (800)286-3437 (VT only)
Email: tely@dioceseofvermont.org
*Lynn Bates
Canon to the Ordinary, ex officio member
5 Rock Point Road, Burlington, VT 054081-2735
(H) 985-2814 (O) 863-3431 or (800)286-3437 (VT only)
Email: lbates@dioceseofvermont.org
*Thomas Little, Esq.
Chancellor, ex officio member
P. O. Box 907, Burlington, VT 05402-0907
(H) 985-2701 (O) 862-6511
Email: tlittle@vsac.org
* Wally Good
Diocesan Treasurer, ex officio member
P. O. Box 386 St. Albans, VT 05478 (H) 524-5867
Email:whgoodjr@surfglobal.net
The
Diocesan Council exists to support and extend the work of the Bishop
and Convention, to promote the health and well-being of the Diocese,
and to lead and support the people of the Diocese in our mission to
pray the prayer of Christ, know the mind of Christ, and do the deeds
of Christ. To implement this mission, Council will:
1. work
to improve the quality of life in the Diocese.
2. assist local congregations to hold up their faith and to be
held up by it.
3. create opportunities for people to celebrate, share and learn
about their faith, and to experience a new life within it.
4. help the Bishop and congregations to recognize challenge
and marshal resources to support them in facing it.
5. strive to become an agent of reconciliation.
6. be faithful stewards of the financial and administrative
resources of the Diocese.
Stewardship Statement
June 12, 2004
(Reaffirmed by Council annually through Dec. 11, 2010)
We believe that we are called to live in loving and intentional relationship with God and all creation, and that, as God provides abundantly for us, God expects us to respond with generosity; therefore
We commit to the Episcopal Church’s teaching that the tithe is the minimum standard of giving; and to an increase in our proportioned giving until we can attain that standard; and to a course of prayer, study, and action regarding stewardship, including sharing our stewardship stories with others; and
We invite all people of the Diocese of Vermont to join us in this commitment to increased giving, open discussion, and ongoing transformation through worship, study, and prayer.
A Covenant of Leadership
(Reaffirmed
by Diocesan Council Dec. 11, 2010)
Our
Promises to God
We promise
to pray, alone and together, to thank God and to ask for God’s
help in our
lives and in our work for our Church, and we promise to listen to God’s
answer to us.
Our Promises to Our Diocesan Family
We promise to demonstrate our leadership and commitment to our diocese
by
our example.
We promise to support our diocesan pastors and staff so that their efforts
can be
most productive.
We promise to try to discover what is best for our diocese as a whole,
not what may be
best for us or for some small group in the diocese.
Our Promises to Each Other (as Council Members)
We promise to respect and care for each other.
We promise to treat our time on the Council as an opportunity to make
an important gift
to our diocese.
We promise to listen with an open, nonjudgmental mind to the words and
ideas of
others in our diocese and on the Council.
We promise to discuss, debate, and disagree openly in Council meetings,
expressing
ourselves as clearly and honestly as possible, so we are certain that
the Council
understands our point of view.
We promise to support the final decision of the Council, whether it
reflects our view
or not.
Reprinted from Behavioral Covenants in Congregations: A Handbook
for Honoring Differences by Gilbert R. Rendle,
with permission from the Alban Institute. Copyright ©1999
by The Alban Institute, Inc., Herndon, VA. All rights
reserved.
Copyright © 2007 CREDO Institute Inc., et al. All rights reserved.
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