MEMORANDUM

DATE: July 23, 2004

TO: Convention Delegates and Clergy

FROM: The Rev. Canon Charles A. Hough

SUBJECT: Diocesan Convention Information

"BRINGING FORTH LIFE AND GIVING GROWTH" (from the 2nd song of Isaiah) is the theme of the 22nd Annual Convention of the Diocese of Fort Worth, which will be hosted by the Northern Deanery and St. Vincent’s Cathedral. The opening Eucharist will be on Friday, Nov. 5, 2004, at St. Vincent’s Cathedral, 1300 Forest Ridge, Bedford, TX 76022, 817-354-7911, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Following the Eucharist, there will be a reception and dinner at the new St. Vincent’s School Gymnasium. Information concerning reservations for the Friday night dinner, hotels (if needed), and lunch on Saturday will be given in the next Convention packet, which will be posted on the Diocesan Web site (www.fwepiscopal.org) in September. Every delegate is encouraged to download the Convention packets from the Web site or from your Parish Church. If neither of these options is available, please contact Susan Steele at (817) 244-2885, and she will be happy to mail the packets to you.

1. Registration will take place in the School Gymnasium on Saturday, Nov, 6, from 7:30 a.m. until 8:45 a.m. A continental breakfast will be served during registration. Morning Prayer will be in the church at 8:30 a.m. The Convention will then convene at 9 a.m. in the Gymnasium. After lunch, the Convention will continue until all business has been transacted. The Bishop will give his Annual Address at the beginning of the business session on Saturday morning. Don’t worry about making your reception/supper and lunch reservations or hotel reservations at this time.

2. This packet includes the "Standing Rules of Procedure" for the Convention, a form for offering a Resolution to the Convention, the Nomination form and a form for the Necrology report. We have (13) elected positions to fill at this year’s Convention.

Standing Committee	1 Clerical member	1 Lay member
Trustees to the University of the South	No clerical members	1 Lay member
Ecclesiastical Court	1 Clerical member	1 Lay member
Deputy to General Convention	4 Clerical deputies	4 Lay deputies

For your convenience, we are including the names of the lay and clerical representatives to the Executive Council from each Deanery. We are also including a form, which you may use to nominate someone to fill any vacancy on the Executive Council from your Deanery. We ask that if you choose to nominate someone, you forward the Nomination Form to your Dean at least one week prior to the Pre-Convention Deanery Meeting. Election for your Deanery positions will take place at the Pre-Convention Deanery Meeting.

4. DEADLINES

A. RESOLUTIONS:
All resolutions shall be delivered to the Diocesan Office (to be forwarded to the Secretary of the Convention) by September 3, 2004. The resolutions must be processed by the Resolutions Committee in adequate time to place written copies of the Resolutions in the hands of the convention delegates and clergy no later than twenty (20) days before the opening day of the Convention. Any resolution, which shows on its face that it deals with matters arising after the deadline date, shall be exempt from this requirement. All other resolutions delivered to the Secretary after the deadline shall be governed by Rule 27.

B. PROPOSED CANON CHANGES:
A copy of Article 18 of The Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is included in this packet for your convenience.

C. PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES:
A copy of Article 19 of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is included in this packet for your convenience.

5. In addition to the above, The Constitution and Canons Committee will provide each delegate and clergy with any proposed changes to The Constitution and Canons in written form. These changes, if any, will appear in the next Convention packet which will be distributed in September via the Diocesan website www.fwepiscopal.org.

Pictures and biographies of the nominees for each open position will be featured in the September packet. The proposed Diocesan Budget for 2005 will be included in the next Convention packet to each delegate and clergy. In other words, everything each delegate and clergy will need will be in hand in enough time for digestion before the Pre-Convention Deanery Meetings.

CAH/sfs

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