To the Delegates, Clergy, and People of
The Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan:
In accordance with the Canons of Eastern Michigan (Title 1, Canon 3, Sec. 2b) and the Canons of Western Michigan (Title 1, Canon 3, Sec. 3), you are hereby notified of the 3rd Joint Convention of the Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan to take place October 28-29, 2022 in Lansing, Michigan.
On July 31, 2022, a notice was sent to all clergy, senior wardens, and general subscribers as well as to delegates and alternates. Please communicate with your delegation to ensure that all people received this notice.
Peace,
The Rev. Joel Turmo
Secretary of Convention
The Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan
God is at work in our midst. Across our dioceses, congregations and diocesan ministries are not only restarting initiatives and ministries paused during the earlier stages of the pandemic but empowered by the Spirit they are boldly reaching out in new ways. Members of our dioceses are building new opportunities for sharing the Good News and love of Christ with others.
At our third joint convention, there will be opportunities to share the joys and life-giving ministries that make up our congregations and our own witness to the world. Through presentations, workshops, and table discussions we will share our experiences of what we have witnessed with one another.
Our Friday morning workshops will explore issues of social justice, creation care, discernment/formation for ordination, children/youth ministries, and evangelism/outreach. During our joint sessions, we will begin with the Bishop’s Address and hear from other diocesan leaders. Like last year we will have table discussions with fellow delegates from both dioceses. The culmination of our time together will be the Convention Eucharist with the ordination of new priests and deacons and a procession of church banners!
The digital Convention Booklet will include all materials for the upcoming convention, including a detailed schedule. The booklet will be available at a later date with submitted nominations, resolutions, ministry reports, and more.
Delegates will be asked to either print their own copy or to have it available on a digital device during the convention. As part of our stewardship of creation and resources, physical copies of the booklet will not be provided on-site.
The joint convention, including worship and all business meetings, will be held at The Lansing Center, located at 333 E. Michigan Avenue in Lansing. This is the final year of a two-year contract.
PARKING INFORMATION FOR DAY ATTENDEES
24-hour parking is available in lots underneath and north of the Lansing Center.
The rate is $2/hr or a daily maximum of $10. Credit cards are accepted.
Click here to learn more about parking options near the Lansing Center.
Ministry Workshops
Two sessions of ministry workshops covering areas such as discernment, racial reconciliation, creation care, evangelism, and more will be offered on Friday morning. Details will be available in the Second Call to Convention.
Worship at Convention
Prayer and worship will be built into our time together throughout the convention. We specifically highlight the following opportunities to worship together at convention, both of which will be live-streamed to our Diocesan Facebook Page.
Youth-led Compline – Friday night at 8pm
Children and youth of the dioceses will lead a service of Compline following dinner on Friday night at 8pm. All are invited to join us in ending your day with this special night-time service as led by our youngest among us. If your child can be present and would like to participate, please email mknill@eastmich.org.
Holy Eucharist – Saturday morning at 9am
The celebration Eucharist of the 2021 Joint Convention will be held at the Lansing Center on Saturday morning at 9am.
In Memoriam
As we gather for convention, we will spend a moment praying for and remembering those who have died in the last year, acknowledging the impact that the members of the diocese have on their parish and on our wider community.
Please submit the names of any deaths in your parish that occurred from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022. Do not complete the form until after October 1, 2022 to make sure all memorials are included.
All names received by the deadline of October 12th will be included in the Convention Booklet.
Children & Youth Program
We are excited to offer a time of formation and community for the children and young people of our dioceses at the Joint Convention of the Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern & Western Michigan. The program is open to children of registered delegates, clergy, and visitors attending the convention, aged Pre-K (4 years old and toilet trained) through Middle School. Older children (6th-8th grades) will be helpers for the younger children.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 28
9:45am: Friday Morning Session Check-in
11:45am: Afternoon break for lunch (Children will be picked up at this time to eat lunch with their responsible adults)
12:45pm: Afternoon Session Check-in
4:45pm: Evening break for dinner (Children will be picked up at this time to eat dinner with their responsible adults)
5:50pm: Optional Evening Session Check-in
8:00pm: Compline led by Children and Youth
8:30pm: Evening Session Check-out
SATURDAY OCTOBER 29
8:45am: Saturday Morning Session Check-in
12:15pm: Saturday Afternoon Session Check-out
Activities will be available for children and youth in a soft space at the back of the convention center if business continues in the afternoon.
Adults interested in volunteering with the children’s program should contact McKenzie Knill, Director of Children, Youth, and Young Adult Formation for the dioceses, at mknill@eastmich.org.
The cost to participate in the children and youth program is $50/child and includes three meals. The deadline to register is October 12th.
Click here to register a participant for the Children and Youth Program. “Children’s Program” is one of the available ticket items.
Exhibits & Tables
Our exhibition hall is a great place to learn more about the ministries and programs taking place within and beyond the congregations and ministries of the Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan.
There is no cost to host an exhibit table. We ask that you make your table visually appealing (not an empty table with a piece of paper on it!), and to have at least one person staffing it at all appropriate times.
If you would like space to feature your ministry, please register your booth no later than October 12th. Space is limited and may run out before the deadline.
Nominations
The following positions are to be elected before and during the convention:
The following positions will be elected at diocesan convention:
Diocesan Council
The council serves as the governing authority of the diocese and administers the secular affairs including the budget, managing resources, creation of task forces, and more. There are six members serving three year terms.
Western Michigan elects Diocesan Council Members by region. This year, the vacancies to be filled are:
Standing Committee (1 Lay, 1 Clergy)
The Standing Committee serves as the council of advice to the bishop and assumes the ecclesiastical authority of the diocese when there is a bishop vacancy in addition to other duties. The six members also serve on the Diocesan Council and serve three-year terms.
Deputies to the 81st General Convention (4 Lay, 4 Clergy, up to 4 Alternates in each order)
Deputies to the General Convention of the Episcopal Church are elected to represent the diocese in the governance of our churchwide body. The 81st General Convention is expected to take place in Louisville, Kentucky in July 2024.
Click here to submit a nomination for election.
Resolutions
As per our diocesan rules of order, the deadline to submit a substantive resolution is September 14th.
The proposed resolutions will be reviewed by the resolutions committee, and emailed to delegates and clergy and posted on the diocesan website with the Second Call to Convention.
Click here to submit a resolution for consideration.
The 2021 convention will be held jointly with our partner diocese, Eastern Michigan. Members of the two dioceses may offer a resolution that can be considered by the two conventions together. Any joint resolution approved by the conventions of both dioceses will be considered a resolution of both dioceses separately and jointly.
To comply with the canons of both dioceses, a joint resolution must be signed by four clergy members and four lay delegates from each diocese.
Any joint resolutions must be submitted by August 30th.
Click here to submit a resolution for consideration.
Ministry Reports
If you are required or would like to submit a report on your diocesan ministry for the Convention Booklet, please email Katie Forsyth at kforsyth@eastmich.org for submission guidelines.
All reports must be received by October 12th.
Youth Delegates
High school aged young people are invited to participate at the diocesan convention by applying to become a Youth Delegate. Youth Delegates are leaders in their congregation and in the diocese, having voice at the convention.
Youth delegates will be appointed at-large by the Standing Committee. There is no cost to be a youth delegate to the convention.
Click here to apply to become a youth delegate.
Change of Delegates
All congregations reported their elected delegates on their 2022 election report. If there has been a change to the membership of your delegation, please email Catherine Cameron-Heldt at ccameron@edwm.org.
Hotel & Accomodations
We have a group rate with the Radisson Hotel in Downtown Lansing for our delegates, clergy, and visitors to the convention that require overnight accommodations. The Radisson connects directly to the location of our meetings at the convention center via skywalk.
The group rate for our convention is $126/night before tax.
Rooms may be reserved using the following options for either night, October 27th and 28th, 2022:
The deadline to reserve your hotel room is October 10th, or until space is filled.
PARKING INFORMATION FOR OVERNIGHT GUESTS
Due to the pandemic and staffing shortages, we do not yet know if valet parking will be available at the hotel entrance.
There are a limited number of spaces reserved for Radisson guests at the city parking lot on Ottawa Street. Information about these limited spots will be included in your confirmation from the hotel.
24-hour parking is available nearby, underneath and north of the Lansing Center. The rate is $2/hr or a daily maximum of $10/day. Credit cards are accepted.
Covid Protocols
We will follow the diocesan directives at the time of convention and will communicate specifics closer to the event, not knowing what the pandemic situation will be in the fall. However, we do plan to require each person attending to take a rapid test within 24-hours of arriving, needing a negative result to participate. Tests will be available at the convention center for those who forget and anyone who would receive a positive result will need to return home for quarantine.
Previous Conventions
Minutes from the 146th Diocesan Convention, October 2020
Journal from the 145th Diocesan Convention, November 2019
Journal from the 144th Diocesan Convention, November 2018
Journal from the 143rd Diocesan Convention, October 2017
Journal from the 142nd Diocesan Convention, November 2016
Journal from the 141st Diocesan Convention, November 2015
FOR DELEGATIONS – One person from the congregation (usually a parish secretary, senior warden, or clergy person) must complete the registration form for their group, including all lay delegates and clergy. This year, visitors and children’s program participants may be added to the group order form if desired. Please be prepared to provide accurate email addresses and dietary restrictions for each person. ($100/person.)
UNASSIGNED CLERGY ($100/person) and VISITORS ($75-100/person) register individually, regardless of congregational affiliation.
The deadline to register and submit all payments is October 12th.
