Join Us Nov. 21 for a Diocesan Celebration
This year is one that will forever be associated with heartbreak: a pandemic that kept us from embracing friends and loved ones, taxed healthcare professionals and devastated families affected by COVID-19; image after image of social unrest and injustice and the impassioned reactions of those who oppose it; and a contentious election season that leaves us wondering how we will ever heal and come together again.
But as hard as it has been, 2020 has been a year to celebrate, too! For within the Diocese of North Carolina, faithful Episopalians across our 38 counties showed again and again that no matter what happens, we adapt and persevere and love our neighbor and carry on with the work of Becoming Beloved Community.
That deserves to be celebrated, so we are! The 205th Annual Convention has been rescheduled for March 2021 in the hope we'll be able to gather, at least in part, once again. But since we've had November 21 saved on our calendars since the 204th Annual Convention, we're using the day to celebrate all of the ways the Diocese of North Carolina has shined this year, to enjoy some online fellowship, to worship together and to look at the year ahead.
The day is wide in scope and will happen on several platforms. Clergy and delegates who would normally comprise the in-person Convention floor will attend the gathering via Zoom, and the whole event will be livestreamed for all who want to take part on Facebook Live, the new diocesan YouTube channel and the diocesan website.
The day will be comprised of a morning and afternoon session. The morning session will begin at 8:30a.m. with worship, featuring a Morning Prayer and music. The bishops will follow with their annual address, featuring the stories and work of congregations and ministries who have continued, adapted and created new ways to continue the journey of Becoming Beloved Community. And we'll hear about our proposed 2021 budget and the work of the newly developed Mission Strategy Task Force, who will be working between now and March 2021 to outline the work ahead in our various mission priorities.
The afternoon session will include time for those on Zoom to attend breakout sessions, while viewers at home enjoy time with the Rt. Rev. Sam Rodman and the Rt. Rev. Anne Hodges-Copple, who will answer questions submitted both ahead of time and those asked on the Facebook Live or YouTube livestreams. We'll practice some online voting and celebrate the renewal of our partnership with the Diocese of Botswana, then we'll finish the day with the official kickoff of our participation in "1,000 Days of Love," the Episcopal Relief & Development campaign to support their global work in improving the lives of children during their first six years.
We hope you will join us on November 21. We've all earned a little celebration, and the faithful of the Diocese of North Carolina have given all of us much to celebrate.
And for that, we are truly thankful.
Watch the invitation from the bishops:
