In lieu of Annual Convention, the Diocese gathered online to celebrate its accomplishments this year
As with so many other events this year, the 205th Annual Convention of the Diocese of North Carolina had to be rescheduled in light of gathering restrictions put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19. While we still hope to gather in March 2021 to conduct the business of the Diocese, we could not go an entire year without coming together to celebrate everything we’ve accomplished during the last 12 months and to plan for the work ahead of us. Instead of congregating at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem for an in-person convention, clergy and lay delegates from churches across the Diocese convened via Zoom on Saturday, November 21, for a diocesan celebration, “Behold, I am Doing a New Thing.”
While the gathering could conduct no official business due to canonical restrictions that require all votes take place in person, more than 350 people joined the day-long Zoom call to hear reports about the work happening in our priority areas of Becoming Beloved Community and to brainstorm ideas for expanding that work during breakout sessions. No digital gathering takes place entirely without technological glitches, and this one was no exception, but attendees left energized by the work that continues despite the obstacles we face both as a Diocese and as individual churches.
BISHOPS’ ADDRESS
After opening with a bilingual Morning Prayer service led by the Rev. Dr. Chantal Morales McKinney of Christ’s Beloved Community/Comunidad Amada de Cristo, participants dove into the ongoing work of the Diocese. The Rt. Rev. Sam Rodman and the Rt. Rev. Anne Hodges-Copple delivered a joint address highlighting projects addressing our mission priorities—and a few other areas—that individual churches and other ministries have undertaken in 2020. The bishops interspersed their presentation with videos produced by the ministries they highlighted—an excellent example of collaboration and a reminder we are all stretching ourselves to learn new skills.
Under the banner of innovative worship, Bishop Rodman shared the work St. Peter’s, Charlotte, has done with hybrid worship and the Zoom-based prayers and music the Advocate, Chapel Hill, create as a community each week (pictured, above). Bishop Hodges-Copple then described two examples of direct services that continue to serve fundamental needs in our communities: El Buen Pastor’s weekly food distribution and the day school at Good Shepherd, Rocky Mount, which has remained safely open throughout the duration of the pandemic (pictured, left).
Bishop Rodman then handed the presentation over to the Rev. Joyce Cunningham and Chuck Collier of the Racial Justice and Reconciliation Committee to talk about the committee’s revision, in partnership with the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing in Atlanta, of the Diocese’s anti-racism training, now called “Dismantling Racism: Reclaiming Our Baptismal Promises.” They also announced some
exciting anti-racism programming that will take place throughout 2021. The bishops’ presentation then pivoted to collaboration, as Episcopalians and Lutherans involved in supporting the food pantry at Christ’s Beloved Community/Comunidad Amada de Cristo, Winston-Salem, shared how they accomplish their ever-expanding work.
The Rev. Brad Mullis, chair of the North Carolina Episcopal Church Foundation (NCECF), and the Rev. John Gibson, rector of Grace, Clayton, conversed about the support NCECF has offered churches in the form of adaptation grants to fund the equipment necessary to transition online. Bishop Hodges-Copple then introduced the work in Christian formation that happened this year, like bringing Christian Essentials and HUGS Camp online and the All Saints letter-writing campaign organized by diocesan children and family missioner Amy Campbell that sent more than 100 children weekly letters, written by clergy volunteers, from various saints. Bishop Rodman then transitioned to creation care, highlighting the edible landscape Chapel of Christ the King, Charlotte, is in the midst of creating to serve their gentrifying community and the solar panels St. Andrew’s, Greensboro, recently installed to reduce their environmental impact.
To emphasize the ways in which so many of the stories they shared involve intertwining diocesan priorities, the bishops finished their address with a presentation from Galilee Ministries of East Charlotte that explained the ways in which the ministry exemplifies all diocesan priorities.
JOINING THE CONVERSATION
Participants did not spend the day passively absorbing information, however. During the afternoon, everyone on the Zoom call had the chance to attend a breakout room dedicated to sharing insights about, brainstorming and dreaming over one of the topics the bishops introduced during their address. With individual breakout rooms reaching up to 50 participants, the discussions were lively and inspiring. While registered participants headed to their breakout rooms, the bishops hosted a town hall for people watching the livestream of the celebration on YouTube or Facebook. They fielded questions about everything from self-care during a time of pandemic to the conversation around various ways to take communion in conjunction with online worship.
Mirroring the collaborative nature of their address, Bishop Rodman and Bishop Hodges-Copple shared leadership of the day with many voices, including the Rt. Rev. William Gregg, who led a bilingual Noonday Prayer; the Rev. Louise Anderson, chair of the campaign committee, and Josephine Hicks, vice president of Episcopal Church programs for Episcopal Relief & Development, who introduced Episcopal Relief & Development’s ONE THOUSAND DAYS OF LOVE campaign to support early childhood development and adult caregivers in Zambia and other nations in Africa and Latin America; and the Rev. Rebecca Yarbrough and Sue Guptill, who shared the work of the Diocesan Mission Strategy Task Force and their plans for the future.
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
Of course, no diocesan gathering is complete without a word from our companion dioceses of Botswana and Costa Rica. The Rt. Rev. Orlando Gómez of Costa Rica delivered greetings via video, and, while we were not able to connect via Zoom, the Rt. Rev. Metlhayotlhe Beleme joined Bishop Rodman in signing the renewal agreement for our companion link covenant with the Anglican Diocese of Botswana.
Although the signing was the only “official” diocesan business conducted on November 21, the gathering did receive
an update on the 2021 budget, the short version of which is, thanks to quick action by the finance department and the bishops, the Diocese is on solid financial ground and has been able to make budgetary cuts without affecting programming. In other good news, the fair share percentage is dropping yet again, to 10.65%.
While plans for March 2021 are still on hold pending the COVID-19 outlook in January, the Annual Convention planning group is hard at work brainstorming options for next year. Until then, you can learn about the work happening throughout the Diocese via our
Vimeo and
YouTube channels, where videos from “Behold, I am Doing a New Thing” are archived.
