The Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan gathers each year for our convention – a time set aside for community building and governance. This year’s convention is held jointly with our partner diocese, Western Michigan.
To the Delegates, Clergy, and People of
The Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan:
In accordance with the Canons of the Diocese of Eastern Michigan (Title 1, Canon 3, Sec. 2b), you are hereby notified of the 27th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan to take place October 29-30, 2021 in Lansing, Michigan.
This year’s convention will again be held jointly with our partner diocese, the Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan and will take place in-person. Segments of the convention will be live-streamed for non-voting members of our dioceses.
Please communicate with your delegation to ensure that all people received this notice.
Peace,
Angela Krueger
Secretary of Convention
Assistant to the Bishop
The Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan
Northern Region Online Pre-Convention Meeting.
Deadline to submit an Eastern Michigan resolution.
Deadline to submit a joint resolution.
Deadline to submit a nomination for elected leadership.
Flint/Saginaw Region Online Pre-Convention Meeting.
Blue Water Region Online Pre-Convention Meeting.
Deadline to reserve hotel rooms at the Radisson.
Deadline to submit names for the In Memoriam.
Deadline to submit ministry reports.Deadline to register for convention.
Deadline to register for the Children and Youth Program.
Deadline to register a table for the exhibit hall.
The digital Convention Booklet includes all materials for the upcoming convention, including a detailed schedule. The booklet, available at the link below, will continue to be updated until its final version following the final deadlines on October 12.
Delegates are asked to either print their own copy or to have it available on a digital device during the convention. As part of our stewardship of creation and resources, physical copies of the booklet will not be provided on-site.
After more than a year in which our modes of gathering and community building were upended, our dioceses – its congregations, ministries, leaders — demonstrated remarkable resiliency, creativity, and commitment to sharing the Good News.
In this time of “regathering” and as we consider what God is calling us to be in the next year, five years, twenty years, and beyond, we pause to gather and celebrate our ministry “in the field” — doing the work God has called us to do in this place and at this time.
Our convention will bring together leaders from across the dioceses to learn about those ministries, engage in deep conversation, and to celebrate one another in the midst of a difficult year and as we look ahead to our new ministry field.
The joint convention, including worship and all business meetings, will be held at the Lansing Center, located at 333 E. Michigan Avenue in Lansing.
PARKING INFORMATION FOR DAY ATTENDEES
24-hour parking is available in lots underneath and north of the Lansing Center.
The rate is $2/hr or a daily maximum of $10. Credit cards are accepted.
A series of workshops will take place on Friday morning, beginning at 9:30am. These workshops will be focused on a range of ministry areas from outreach and programming to finance and administration. Facilitators for these workshops are still being confirmed. A full list of workshops with descriptions will be available in the Second Call to Convention.
Prayer and worship will be built into our time together throughout the convention. We specifically highlight the following opportunities to worship together at convention, both of which will be live-streamed to our Diocesan Facebook Page.
Youth-led Compline – Friday night at 8pm
Children and youth of the dioceses will lead a service of Compline following dinner on Friday night at 8pm. All are invited to join us in ending your day with this special night-time service as led by our youngest among us. If your child can be present and would like to participate, please email mknill@eastmich.org.
Holy Eucharist – Saturday morning at 9pm
The celebration Eucharist of the 2021 Joint Convention will be held at the Lansing Center on Saturday morning at 9am.
Our exhibition hall is a great place to learn more about the ministries and programs taking place within and beyond the Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan.
Continuing the theme of celebrating our ministries, in addition to our regular vendors and diocesan ministries, we invite you to consider hosting a table featuring your congregation’s particular initiatives. We’d love to learn more about the work you’re doing in your local community and how we might learn from it across our two dioceses.
There is no cost to host an exhibit table. We ask that you make your table visually appealing (not an empty table with a piece of paper on it!), and work with your delegation or volunteers from your congregation to have at least one person staffing it at all appropriate times.
If you would like space to feature your ministry, please register your booth no later than October 12th. Space is limited and may run out before the deadline.
The following positions will be elected at diocesan convention:
Diocesan Council (1 Lay, 1 Clergy)
The council serves as the governing authority of the diocese and administers the secular affairs including the budget, managing resources, creation of task forces, and more. There are six members serving three year terms.
Standing Committee (1 Lay, 1 Clergy)
The Standing Committee serves as the council of advice to the bishop and assumes the ecclesiastical authority of the diocese when there is a bishop vacancy in addition to other duties. The six members also serve on the Diocesan Council and serve three year terms.
Trustee (3 persons, any order)
The Trustees have oversight and make investment decisions concerning funds belonging to the diocese and some individual congregations. The eight members serve four year terms.
The following positions are up for election:
The deadline to submit nominations was August 30th.
Resolutions may come to the floor of convention in three ways:
The deadline to submit a resolution was August 30th.
The 2021 convention will be held jointly with our partner diocese, Western Michigan. Members of the two dioceses may offer a resolution that can be considered by the two conventions together. Any joint resolution approved by the conventions of both dioceses will be considered a resolution of both dioceses separately and jointly.
To comply with the canons of both dioceses, a joint resolution must be signed by four clergy members and four lay delegates from each diocese.
Any joint resolutions must be submitted by August 30th.
If there have been delegate changes, please submit updated information to akrueger@eastmich.org.
Join us for one of three optional pre-convention meetings to prepare for the business session of convention. Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss the proposed diocesan budget and any resolutions scheduled to appear on the floor.
Monday, August 23 – Northern Region (Cancelled due to low registration)
Thursday, September 2 – Flint/Saginaw Region
Thursday, September 9 – Blue Water Region
If you are unable to attend the meeting scheduled for your geographic region, you may attend another region’s meeting. Voting will not take place during pre-convention meetings.
These meetings have taken place. Click here to view a recording of the Blue Water meeting.
If you are required or would like to submit a report on your diocesan ministry for the Convention Booklet, please email Katie Forsyth at kforsyth@eastmich.org for submission guidelines.
All reports must be received by October 12th.
As we gather for convention, we will spend a moment praying for and remembering those who have died in the last year, acknowledging the impact that the members of the diocese have on their parish and on our wider community.
Please submit the names of any deaths in your parish that occurred from October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021. Do not complete the form until after October 1, 2021 to make sure all memorials are included.
All names received by the deadline of October 12th will be included in the Convention Booklet.
If you are new to the dioceses, new to serving as a delegate, or just want a refresher, you are invited to join Chancellor Bill Fleener, Jr. for a brief new delegate orientation during the lunch hour on Friday. The session will include an overview of the basics of serving a voting member of the convention, including Roberts Rules of Order and how to discuss resolutions on the floor.
High school aged young people are invited to participate at the diocesan convention by applying to become a Youth Delegate. Youth Delegates are leaders in their congregation and in the diocese, having voice at the convention.
Youth delegates will be appointed at-large by the Standing Committee. There is no cost to be a youth delegate to the convention.
We have a group rate with the Radisson Hotel in Downtown Lansing for our delegates, clergy, and visitors to the convention that require overnight accommodations. The Radisson connects directly to our convention center, the Lansing Center, via skywalk.
The group rate for our convention is $126/night before tax.
Rooms may be reserved using the following options for any night, October 28-30, 2021:
Online via this link.
By phone, calling (800) 333-3333. You must identify yourself as part of our group and give them the code “JOINT21” to receive the discounted rate.
The deadline to reserve your hotel room is October 12th, or until space is filled.
PARKING INFORMATION FOR OVERNIGHT GUESTS
Due to the pandemic and staffing shortages, we do not yet know if valet parking will be available at the hotel entrance.
There are a limited number of spaces reserved for Radisson guests at the city parking lot on Ottawa Street. Information about these limited spots will be included in your confirmation from the hotel.
24-hour parking is available nearby, underneath and north of the Lansing Center. The rate is $2/hr or a daily maximum of $10/day. Credit cards are accepted.
There are three types of convention registration – delegations, unassigned clergy, and visitors. The cost this year is $100/person.
DELEGATIONS – One person from the congregation (usually a parish secretary, senior warden, or clergy person) must register the entire delegation, including any clergy and all elected delegates. Please be prepared to provide email addresses for each delegate.
UNASSIGNED CLERGY and VISITORS may register individually, regardless of congregational affiliation.
The deadline to register and submit all payments is October 12th.
Location: 924 N Niagara St, Saginaw, MI 48602 | Phone: (877) 752-6020
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