Second Call to Special Convention of Eastern and Western Michigan

To the Delegates, Clergy, and People of
The Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan:

The information for the business meeting of our special joint convention is now available. All information is in the Agreement of Union including the proposed name, the Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes; the draft constitution and canons for the proposed new diocese; financial information; steps toward the election of a bishop diocesan; and more. The text of the resolutions on which the conventions will be voting and the rules of order are also attached. The Agreement document is a final draft and no further changes are expected before our meeting.

The original Call to a Special Convention was distributed on February 1st.

For information, please read below and visit the convention page of our websites, www.eastmich.org/special-convention and www.edwm.org/special-convention.

This notice has been sent to all clergy and general subscribers as well as to 2023 senior wardens, delegates, and alternates and some 2024 Eastern Michigan delegates. We are currently in the window of updating our contact lists for delegates following parish annual meetings, and have an early deadline (Feb. 15) for the submission of Parish Annual Reports in order to better communicate directly with delegates who will serve this special convention and annual convention in 2024. It will be especially important that parish leadership communicate internally to ensure that all delegates have the information for our meeting.

Peace,

IMPORTANT DATES & DEADLINES

THE AGREEMENT OF UNION

The Agreement of Union is the packet of materials that would be submitted to the 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church for ratification, should our conventions vote “yes” on the resolutions at our Special Joint Convention. It contains the proposed name of the new diocese, the draft constitution and canons, financial information, steps toward the election of a bishop diocesan and more.

At this convention, the action taken will be to vote on the resolutions for juncture, not to “pass” or “adopt” the Agreement of Union. The Agreement essentially demonstrates to the dioceses and the wider church that we’ve done our homework to prepare for this moment. Should we vote to juncture, the draft canons and budgets would remain amendable prior to adoption at the First Convention of the Diocese of the Great Lakes.

>>  Click here to access the Agreement of Union document, plus additional materials: the text of the resolutions before convention and the rules of order for the convention. 

The convention will not have printed copies of the 63-page Agreement available. It is available digitally and for printing at home or at church before you travel. The text of the resolutions will be printed and available as a standalone, one-page document.

A note on what would come after our vote: 

Should each diocese vote to approve juncture, our dioceses would submit the Agreement of Union to the General Convention of The Episcopal Church for formal affirmation this summer. We would remain separate dioceses until the adoption of the new constitution and canons at the first convention of the new diocese in October. The transition period of formally aligning processes, structures, and policies would begin in the summer, expand following the convention in the fall, and continue over time as we would live into being one body.

SCHEDULE

*This basic schedule is subject to change. Breaks will be taken as needed.

PRE-CONVENTION MEETINGS

All in the dioceses, especially voting delegates and clergy, are invited to join via Zoom for a pre-convention meeting to prepare for the business session of our convention. 

Both pre-convention meetings will be recorded for later viewing for those unable to join in-person. Delegates are encouraged to attend the pre-convention meeting for their respective diocese, but may attend the meeting of the other diocese should schedules conflict.

You must RSVP separately from your convention registration to receive your Zoom link to participate in the pre-convention meeting.

Eastern Michigan – Tuesday, February 20th at 7pm – Click here to RSVP
Western Michigan – Thursday, February 22nd at 7pm – Click here to RSVP

PRAYER & WORSHIP

Prayer and worship will be built into our time together during our convention, consistent with our call as followers of Christ and in accordance with our canons for convening a diocesan convention.

Holy Eucharist – 11:00 am
We will begin our gathering with Holy Eucharist. The Rt. Rev. Gladstone Adams, III, our bi-diocesan assisting bishop, will celebrate and preach.

Due to space and timing constraints for this special convention, this service will not include the procession of church banners and clergy are not expected to vest for the procession unless holding a role in the service.

Post-Business Prayer
Before departing from our special convention, our liturgy team will lead us in a short (10-15 minute) service of prayer.

Our planning team recognizes that, no matter the results of our vote on juncture, this is a significant moment in the life of our dioceses and a range of emotions and reactions will be present in the room. Grounding ourselves in prayer at the beginning and end of our day sets the tone for our work in this moment and in the months ahead, and reminds us of our call as disciples in this church and in the communities we serve.

YOUTH DELEGATES

High school-aged young people are invited to participate at the special convention by expressing interest in serving as a Youth Delegate.

Youth Delegates are leaders in their congregation and in the diocese and have voice and vote at convention. For this special convention, youth delegates will be appointmented by the ecclesiastical authority. There is no out-of-pocket cost for the youth delegates to participate. Food, and registration fees are included; no overnight accommodations will be provided for this one-day convention. 

Youth with interest should contact Director of Children and Youth Formation McKenzie Knill at mknill@eastmich.org or mknill@edwm.org by March 1.

BOOK EXCHANGE

At the request of some in the dioceses, we will offer an area for a book exchange.

Books related to the church and ministry are welcome to be offered at no-cost to other convention attendees. Any books left over at the conclusion of our convention may be reclaimed or will be donated.

CONVENTION LOCATION

St. Christopher’s, Grand Blanc

The joint special convention, including worship and business meeting, will be held at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, located at G-9020 South Saginaw St., Grand Blanc, MI 48439. 

The church building and parking lot are totally handicap accessible.

HOTEL & ACCOMODATIONS

We have several hotel blocks to provide options for those requiring overnight stays, available Friday night. Please read below for information including rate and booking instructions.

All reservations under our hotel blocks must be made by March 1st. A limited number of rooms are available at each site and blocks may fill before the deadline.

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Hyatt Place Flint/Grand Blanc

Rate: $109/night
Features: Free breakfast, free parking, pool
Address: 5481 Hill-23 Drive, Flint, MI 48507
Distance from St. Christopher’s: 9.2 miles or a little over 15 minutes

Click here to reserve our rate.

Hampton Inn Flint/Grand Blanc

Rate: $109/night
Features: Free breakfast, free parking, pool
Address: 6060 Rashelle Drive, Flint, MI 48507
Distance from St. Christopher’s: 9.4 miles or a little over 15 minutes

Click here to reserve our rate.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Grand Blanc

Rate: $119-124/night
Features: Free breakfast, free parking, pool
Address: 3405 Regency Park Dr Grand Blanc, MI 48439
Distance from St. Christopher’s: 2 miles or a little over 5 minutes

Click here to reserve our rate.

Fairfield Inn & Suites Flint/Grand Blanc

Rate: $139-149/night
Features: Free breakfast, free parking, pool
Address: 9044 Holly Rd, Grand Blanc, MI 48439
Distance from St. Christopher’s: 1.8 miles or a little over 5 minutes

Click here to reserve our rate.

Home2Suites Flint/Grand Blanc

Rate: $139-149/night
Features: Free breakfast, free parking, pool
Address: 9020 Holly Rd Grand Blanc, MI 48439
Distance from St. Christopher’s: 1.7 miles or a little over 5 minutes

Click here to reserve our rate.

REGISTRATION

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. Additional visitors and attending children may be added to the group order form if desired. Please be prepared to provide accurate email addresses and dietary restrictions for each person. ($25/person.)

UNASSIGNED CLERGY ($25/person) and VISITORS ($25/person) may register individually, regardless of congregational affiliation.

CHILDREN UNDER 12 ($10/person) may be registered individually or with a delegation to have meals provided. High chairs and booster seats are not available. A soft space with quiet toys for the youngest attendees will be set up for use during our worship and business meetings. Please note that there is no childcare or programming for children provided; kids must be supervised by their responsible adults at all times. Children in this age group who will not eat the lunch provided do not need to register.

The deadline to register and submit all payments is March 1.

>>  Click here to register.