Diocesan News
"Equipped for Action: Changing Lives"—Diocesan Leadership Conference coming your way, October 18
On
Saturday, October 18, following the business portion of our 86th Diocesan
Convention on Friday, October 17, the annual Diocesan Leadership Conference
will take place at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center (and adjacent
Hilton Hotel).Renowned storyteller and inspiring speaker the Rt. Rev. Charles F. Duvall will keynote, setting the tone for a day focused on Bishop Henderson's "four goals for a seamless transition," celebrating the road we've travelled, and serving up workshops and a wealth of resources to equip and empower congregational leaders for the mission to which we're called—Changing Lives.
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who should attend? |
On Friday evening, following the business of Convention, there will be a grand celebration, complete with the Bishop's Awards recognizing Upper South Carolinians who have made extraordinary contributions to the life and ministry of our diocese.
Make plans NOW to attend these exciting events! Hotel rooms are going fast! October 17-18 is also weekend of the South Carolina–LSU football game, at home in Columbia. Three hotels have blocked rooms for Diocesan Convention: Hampton Inn, Rodeway Inn, and Comfort Suites. Full info on making reservations can be downloaded here. Please pay close attention to release and cancellation dates when making your reservations.
SOM information for Convocations
The 2009 SOM information is now available on the web. Click here to view and print the 2009 Statement of Mission materials.
These documents are the first stage in the development of the 2009 SOM and will be discussed at Convocation meetings. (Find out the date of your convocation's meeting here.) A consolidated version of the SOM compiled requests will also be posted to the web site soon. If you have any questions regarding the 2009 SOM materials or process, please contact Canon Julie Price, 803.771.7800, ext. 23.
A look at Gravatt's first "Golden Day,"
March 28—next one on
tap for June 16
See the photo gallery!
Gravatt's "Golden Days" are special events with special programs for adults
age 55 and older.
The first Golden Day was held March 28. Participants enjoyed music, Bible study, a hike led by Roy Stewart, birdhouse building, and keynote speaker Patrick McMillan from SCETV's popular show,
"Expeditions." The next Golden Day is scheduled for June 16, and registration materials will be available in mid-April.
UTO news from the March Executive Council meeting in Ecuador
By Regina Ratterree
[Okay, so this is really national news, but did you know that the author of this update, our own Regina Ratteree, is national president for the Episcopal Church's United Thank Offering?? ]
Since this is the middle year of the triennium, the
president of the United Thank Offering Committee was scheduled to make the
annual report in person at the Executive Council meeting in Quito,
Ecuador. Regina Ratterree, from All Saints', Cayce, was accompanied by Connie Coindet-Segura, from Honduras and the Province IX Representative on the UTO
Committee.
The presentation to Executive Council highlighted the granting of
$2,439,342.46 for funding mission work across the Anglican Communion in
2007. Work supports the
Millennium Development Goals, especially grants that
help achieve universal primary education for children and grants which
promote gender equality and empower women. In addition projects are
identified that support the budget priorities of The Episcopal Church and
need for Theological Education as identified by the primates.
In 2007 the UTO Committee had several changes, including selection of a new
president, vice president and staff coordinator for the UTO office in New
York. At the fall meeting in Stony Point, NY, the Committee spent two days
with consultant, Mary MacGregor, and developed a new Vision Statement: WE
WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT THE LIVES OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN BECAUSE OF
CHRIST’S LOVE. Several members of the committee traveled to work with mutual
ministries in Africa, the Philippines, Panama, Spain and the US. They
continued work with Diocesan UTO Coordinators, the Joint ECW/UTO Committee,
EPGM, GEM and others. Training was provided to new diocesan coordinators at
Face to Face in August at the Roslyn Center in Richmond, Virginia. As a new,
creative way to work with companion dioceses, the grant criteria were
revised for 2008 applications, allowing dioceses in the US to use one of
their two applications for work in an official companion diocese. Grants for
2008 will be approved in April.
A copy of the 2007 Annual Report may be obtained from the UTO office or from
President Regina Ratterree by e-mailing
rd2ra@aol.com.
In addition to the presentation to Executive Council, Regina and Connie met
with the International Concerns sub-committee and made several visits to UTO
grant sites.
UTO expresses its heartfelt thanks to the bishops, clergy, and all the
people who provided such wonderful hospitality. Many folks in Province IV
(for example mission teams from the dioceses of Atlanta and Tennessee) have
experienced this same great hospitality. The church is growing in Central
Ecuador, Ecuador Litoral and all of Province IX.
Keep your eyes on the Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)—eight in all aimed at reducing by half extreme poverty in the developing world by half by the year 2015—are, by resolution of General Convention, a priority of The Episcopal Church, and, by resolutions of our Diocesan Convention, of Upper SC. ("Extreme poverty" is defined as living on less than one dollar a day.)
For updates and wonderful ideas for implementing the Millennium Development Goals and home and at church, stay in touch with the Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation (E4GR) Web site or contact our diocesan liaison, Angela Daniel.
Here's another great proposal from E4GR—Be an EGR mission mentor
Have you traveled or worked ... even for a short time ... in the
developing world?
Are you willing to share what you learned ... from helpful tips to profound
experiences ... with other young people wanting to do the same thing?
Then sign up to be an EGR mission mentor! Here's the scoop:
We get lots of requests from young people who want to do short- or long-term
MDG work around the world but don't know where to start. This initiative
will create a database of "mission mentors" they can contact for advice,
experience and anything else to help them out—both in terms of location
and type of mission.
Interested? Here's what you do:
*Send us e-mail to the Rev. Mike Kinman, executive director of Episcopalians
for Global Reconciliation, at
MKinman@gmail.com with information
about where in the developing world you have traveled/lived/worked; when you
were there; what kind of work you did/organizations you worked with: your
e-mail address.
*E4GR will create an online map where people can click on a country or
search by keyword (e.g., AIDS orphans) and insert your information into it.
*When your experiences match someone's queries ... you'll get an e-mail from
them and have the wonderful opportunity to pass on what you've
learned— and maybe make a friend.
Questions? E-mail Mike Kinman (MKinman@gmail.com).
Please pass
this invitation on to everyone you know who can participate. E4GR will let
you know when the online map is ready to launch!
We CAN make extreme global poverty history by 2015!