To the Delegates, Clergy, and People of
The Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan:
In accordance with the Canons of the Diocese of Western Michigan (Title 1, Canon 3, Sec. 3), you are hereby notified of the 147th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan to take place October 29-30, 2021 in Lansing, Michigan.
This year’s convention will again be held jointly with our partner diocese, the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan and will take place in-person. Segments of the convention will be live-streamed for non-voting members of our dioceses.
Please communicate with your delegation to ensure that all people receive this information.
Peace,
The Rev. Joel Turmo
Secretary of Convention
The Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan
After more than a year in which our modes of gathering and community building were upended, our dioceses – its congregations, ministries, leaders — demonstrated remarkable resiliency, creativity, and commitment to sharing the Good News.
In this time of “regathering” and as we consider what God is calling us to be in the next year, five years, twenty years, and beyond, we pause to gather and celebrate our ministry “in the field” — doing the work God has called us to do in this place and at this time.
Our convention will bring together leaders from across the dioceses to learn about those ministries, engage in deep conversation, and to celebrate one another in the midst of a difficult year and as we look ahead to our new ministry field.
The joint convention, including worship and all business meetings, will be held at the Lansing Center, located at 333 E. Michigan Avenue in Lansing.
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.
Visit the “Business and Logistics” section for information about our hotel for those requiring overnight accommodations.
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@edwm.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.
Ministry Workshops
A series of workshops will take place on Friday morning. These workshops will be focused on a range of ministry areas from outreach and programming to finance and administration. Facilitators for these workshops are still being confirmed. A full list of workshops with descriptions will be available in the Second Call to Convention.
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. Our formation theme will be focused around our convention theme Gathered in the Field. 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 — Check-in at 9:15am, Check-out at 8:30pm following Compline
Saturday — Check-in after Convention Eucharist, Check-out at 4pm
Participants will spend some meals with their parents/guardians.
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 $30/child. The deadline to register is October 12th.
Click here to register a participant for the Children and Youth Program.
New Delegate Orientation
If you are new to the dioceses, new to serving as a delegate, or just want a refresher, you are invited to join Chancellor Bill Fleener, Jr. for a brief new delegate orientation during the lunch hour on Friday. The session will include an overview of the basics of serving a voting member of the convention, including Roberts Rules of Order and how to discuss resolutions on the floor.
Pre-Convention Meetings
Join us for one of three pre-convention meetings to prepare for the business session of convention. Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss the proposed diocesan budget and any resolutions scheduled to appear on the floor. Voting will also take place to elect regional members to the Diocesan Council.
The three pre-convention meetings will take place at 7pm:
Monday, September 20 – Northern Region
Tuesday, September 21 – Central Region
Wednesday, September 22 – Southern Region
If you are unable to attend the meeting scheduled for your geographic region, you may attend another region’s meeting but will be unable to participate in voting.
Click here to RSVP for a Pre-Convention Meeting to receive your Zoom link.
Nominations
The following positions are to be elected before and during the 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. The Council is composed of a minimum of 12 members and as many as 17, including an appointed youth representative. Its elected members serve three year terms and are elected at their region’s pre-convention meeting.
The following positions are open for election during this convention season:
*These vacancies have been corrected since the original Call to Convention.
Nominations for Diocesan Council must be submitted at least one day ahead of their pre-convention meeting in order for their information to be shared ahead of time with voting members.
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 eight members serve three year terms.
The deadline to submit nominations for Standing Committee in time for publication int he convention booklet is October 12.
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.
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 joint resolution.
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.
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, 2020 to September 30, 2021. Do not complete the form until after October 1, 2021 to make sure all memorials are included.
All names received by the deadline of October 12 will be included in the Convention Booklet.
Click here to submit names for the In Memoriam.
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 and vote at the convention.
Youth delegates are elected at the regional pre-conveniton meetings and others are appointed at-large by the ecclesiastical authority. There is no cost to be a youth delegate to the convention.
Click here to submit a nomination for youth delegate.
Change of Delegates
All congregations reported their elected delegates on their 2021 election report. If there has been a change to the membership of your delegation, a form must be submitted and signed by the senior warden and appropriate clergy person.
Click here to access the Change of Delegates form.
Exhibits & Tables
Our exhibition hall is a great place to learn more about the ministries and programs taking place within and beyond the Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan.
Continuing the theme of celebrating our ministries, in addition to our regular vendors and diocesan ministries, we invite you to consider hosting a table featuring your congregation’s particular initiatives. We’d love to learn more about the work you’re doing in your local community and how we might learn from it across our two dioceses.
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 work with your delegation or volunteers from your congregation 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.
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 our convention center, the Lansing Center, via skywalk.
The group rate for our convention is $126/night before tax.
Rooms may be reserved using the following options for any night, October 28-30, 2021:
The deadline to reserve your hotel room is October 12th.
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.
Communications & Previous Notices
To be faithful stewards of creation by conserving resources – both natural and financial – all communications about convention will be delivered two ways: by email and on our website.
Previous communications include:
Posting on Facebook? Tweeting? Checking-in? Use #emwm2021.
Previous Conventions
Minutes from the 145th Diocesan Convention, November 2019
Minutes 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
There are three types of convention registration – delegations, unassigned clergy, and visitors. The cost this year is $100/person.
DELEGATIONS – One person from the congregation (usually a parish secretary, senior warden, or clergy person) must register the entire delegation, including any clergy and all elected delegates. Please be prepared to provide email addresses for each delegate.
UNASSIGNED CLERGY and VISITORS may register individually, regardless of congregational affiliation.
The deadline to register and submit all payments is October 12th.
