The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth
Equipping the Saints for the Work of Ministry
         

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The 27th Annual
Diocesan Convention
November 6 & 7, 2009 • St. Peter & St. Paul Church, Arlington

 
 

Sept. 24, 2009

Dear Clergy and Convention Delegates:

       On behalf of the Bishop, we are publishing this bulletin with information that you will need for the upcoming Pre-Convention Deanery meetings and the 27th Annual Convention. The Convention will be held at St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church, 3900 Morris Lane in Arlington. The church phone is (817) 496-6747.

       This year’s Convention will begin with the Holy Eucharist at St. Peter & St. Paul’s Church on Friday, Nov. 6, at 5:30 p.m. We are pleased to have as our guest preacher, the Dean of Nashotah House Seminary, the Very Rev. Robert S. Munday. All Clergy are to vest and process in cassock, surplice and white stole. Since this is the opening session of Convention, all clergy and delegates should be in attendance.

       The evening will continue in the parish’s Great Hall with hospitality, dinner, and entertainment. Dinner reservations are required. (Download the Meal Reservation Form.) Please pay strict attention to the deadlines. Also, there is information on the Reference page for those needing overnight accommodations.

       Registration for the Convention will take place on Saturday morning, Nov. 7, from 7:30 until 8:45 a.m. in the Great Hall. A continental breakfast will be served during registration. Morning Prayer will be at 8:30 a.m. in the Church. The Convention will then convene at 9 a.m. The Bishop will deliver his Convention Address on Saturday morning. We will break for lunch around noon; the cost will be $10 per person. We are very pleased to have a Mexican lunch prepared by the people of San Juan Church, Fort Worth. After lunch, the Convention will continue until all business has been transacted.

       This bulletin contains information that is important as you prepare for the Convention. Please refer to the steps on the main convention page and plan on attending your Deanery meeting, where the various nominees, budget and other items to be presented at the Convention will be discussed. Be sure to print out the budget information and nominee page. Please bring this material with you to the Deanery meeting and to the Convention. None of the materials published in this bulletin will be handed out again later.

       The proposed 2010 Diocesan Budget has been recently formulated by the Executive Council. With the budget is a brief narrative that is designed to anticipate any questions you may have and is provided for your assistance.

       The Nominees page contains pictures of all of the persons nominated for offices open at the diocesan level, along with their biographies.

       Once again, the Bishop is asking all Deans and Deanery Representatives to Executive Council to conduct their own Deanery meetings. The Deans have been provided an agenda for these important meetings. Nominations and elections for Executive Council representation will be transacted at each Pre-Convention Deanery meeting. The Sub-Deans should also be chosen.

       Once again, please note that registration for Convention will take place on Saturday morning only. 

       This year’s theme for Convention is “Standing Firm in the Faith.” The Bishop is looking forward to seeing each of you at the Eucharist on Friday afternoon as we begin this year’s Convention.

       Finally, your attention to the material in this packet is vital as you represent the various parishes and missions of this Diocese.

                                                                         Yours in Christ,

                                                                          The Rev. Canon Charles A. Hough, III
                                                                          On behalf of the Bishop and
                                                                          The Convention Arrangements Committee

CAH/gp

The material that you are receiving in this bulletin will not be re-duplicated for you at the Convention so that we might save some trees. Please print out all the material that you need and bring it to the Convention.

Memorandum

Date: August 5, 2009

To: Convention Delegates and Clergy

From: The Rev. Canon Charles A. Hough III

Subject: Diocesan Convention Information

The 27th Annual Convention of the Diocese of Fort Worth will be hosted by the Eastern Deanery and St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church, 3900 Morris Lane, Arlington. The opening Eucharist will take place on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009, at St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Following the Eucharist, there will be a reception and dinner in the Great Hall next to the church. The supper will be provided by The Brotherhood of St. Andrew group at St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church. There will be entertainment during and following supper. This should be a festive evening for all of our delegates.

Information concerning reservations for the Friday night dinner, hotels (if needed), and a Mexican lunch on Saturday (to be provided by San Juan Church) will be given in the next Convention posting on Sept. 18, 2009. Every delegate is encouraged to download the Convention packets from the website or from your Parish Church. If neither of these options is available, please contact Gala Pryor at (817) 244-2885, and she will be happy to mail the materials.

  • Registration will take place in the Great Hall at St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church, Arlington, on Saturday, Nov. 7, 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 convene at 9 a.m. in The Great Hall. 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. You will be given forms for these reservations in Packet #2.

  • This posting 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 (6) elected positions to fill at this year’s Convention:

  • Standing Committee 1 Clerical member 1 Lay member
    Trustees of the University of the South 0 Clerical member 2 Lay members*
      *1 Lay for a 3-year term  
      *1 Lay for unfulfilled term expiring 2010  
    Ecclesiastical Court 1 Clerical member 1 Lay member

  • Pre-Convention Deanery Meetings will be held in October. (See the calendar on the main page.) In keeping with Canon 35, the Deanery Council is made up of the members of the clergy who reside in the Deanery, who are entitled to a vote in the Convention, and all elected Convention Delegates for the Parishes and Missions of the Deanery, and the lay Deanery Representatives to the Executive Council. These Council Members will have seat, voice, and vote in the upcoming Pre-Convention Deanery meetings. Visitors who attend do not have voice or vote. All visitors who attend will be seated in an observer’s area.

  • 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.

DEADLINES

A.  RESOLUTIONS:
All resolutions shall be delivered to the Diocesan Office (to be forwarded to the Secretary of the Convention) by Friday, Sept. 11, 2009.  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:
If you are proposing a change to the Canons, please read Article 18 of The Constitution and Canons of the diocese.

C.   PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES:
If you are proposing a Constitutional change, please read Article 19 of the Constitution and Canons of the diocese.

The Constitution and Canons Committee will publish any proposed changes to The Constitution and Canons with other additional convention materials on Friday, Sept. 18. 

Pictures and biographies of the nominees for each open position will be featured in the September posting, along with the proposed Diocesan Budget for 2010.  Everything each delegate and clergy will need will be in hand in enough time for digestion before the Pre-Convention Deanery Meetings.

CAH/gp

 

 
   
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