The Diocesan Dialogue
Current Issue
May 2007

Greeting, Growing, Giving

By Dick Snyder

More than 200 people from throughout the West gathered in Sacramento at the end of March to learn about carrying out the mission of the Episcopal Church through "Greeting, Growing and Giving."

The comprehensive series of workshops sponsored by Province 8 covered topics such as mission, evangelism, stewardship and giving, and new styles of worship.

Noting the racially diverse population of the province, workshops also concentrated on planting and developing new Latino/Hispano and Asian congregations.

"We had originally hoped and planned for 125 participants," said Toni Marie Sutliff, minister of finance for the Diocese of Utah and a member of the design team. "We were very pleased when the enrollment total passed 200.

"And there was a lot of energy created in the workshops," she added.

The inter-connectedness of mission and ministry and evangelism and stewardship and spiritual growth was evident in the presentations of the plenary speakers.

"It's all about sharing," said the Rev. Canon Keith Brown. "Sharing is one of the core functions in developing the church. Evangelism and stewardship is all part of sharing."

Brown is from the Diocese of San Joaquin and is a consultant for the Church Pension Group.

He urged parishes to examine "what kind of an invitation they present" through their appearance and presentation to the community.

The Rev. Steve Wendfeldt of the Diocese of San Diego struck a similar theme: "People come looking for Jesus. No one is looking for you or your church. They are really looking for Jesus. And if they don't find him in your church, they won't ever return."

New ways of looking at stewardship and giving were presented by the Rev. Michael Burke of the Diocese of Alaska. His presentation was titled "Living as Giving: A whole life response to God's Grace."

He urged the standard of the tithe in giving and adopting an attitude of abundance which includes "teaching the holy habits of keeping Sabbath and tithing, and the concept that giving regularly of our time, talent and money to God's work on this earth is as much a spiritual practice as prayer and worship."

Carrying out the mission of the church involved knowing and responding to the needs of the community, suggested the Rev. Karen Ward of Church of the Apostles in Seattle, Wash.

"The mission-shaped church is incarnational, sacramental and missional and reconciling. It takes the traditions and uses them with a fresh expression," she said.

Province 8 is comprised of the Dioceses of Alaska, Arizona, California, El Camino Real, Eastern Oregon, Hawaii, Idaho, Los Angeles, Navajoland Area Mission, Northern California, Nevada, Olympia, Oregon, San Diego, San Joaquin, Spokane, Taiwan and Utah.

Of those 18 dioceses, 14 had representatives at the conference, which was held March 23-25 at the Holiday Inn in Sacramento.

"I found it all very helpful," said Candace Jones of the Diocese of Nevada. "There was a lot of useful information presented here."

The Rev. Barry Turner of El Camino Real, a member of the design committee agreed. He also noted that almost all the speakers came from within Province 8.

He introduced dinner speaker Terry Parsons, national staff office for stewardship. He noted that Parsons was the only workshop presenter who came from outside of Province 8.

He complimented her role in coordinating the conference, using as a model a similar workshop held annually in Province 1 with which Parsons is associated.

Parsons noted that the unexpectedly large attendance was evidence of the need, and the interest in the conference.

The design group was comprised of 16 people from 11 dioceses.

One of those members, the Rev. Paul Colbert of Nevada, said that he would support efforts to make the conference an annual event.

The Rev. Dick Snyder is editor of Diocesan Dialogue.

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