2006 Diocesan Convention

Fr. Tim Fountain's Report from Diocesan Convention

The Diocese of South Dakota gathered for our annual Convention September 22 – 24 in Pierre. Fr. Tim, Tammy Briggs, Ruth Daucsavage, Rose Barker and Bonnie Makinson represented Good Shepherd (along with Gene Makinson, who was not a delegate but a good driver and watched plenty of football while the meetings were in progress). Thanks to all at Good Shepherd for your stewardship that helped us to attend, and for showing up in good numbers as Bob Shrewsbury led Morning Prayer on Sunday!

The Convention was preceded by the annual clergy conference. The guest speaker was The Rev. Charles Fulton, Congregational Development Officer for the Episcopal Church. His news was grim: the Episcopal Church is aging, is not bringing in new people by birth, evangelism or family tradition, and has a culture biased against church growth. The problems exist for the Episcopal Church nationally, for other denominations, and in our Diocese. (Good Shepherd, I’m pleased to say, is bucking the trend!)

The Convention exhibit hall included a "Good Things in the Diocese" display.  Denny and Irene Thurman provided a display board and materials about our Come Grow Celebrate! vision and successful capital campaign.  Our display included a basket of the yellow Come Grow Celebrate! pens.  It was fun to see people using them throughout the convention hall and workshop rooms!  In addition, we gave pens and prayer notes to the Bishop, Chancellor and other officers of the Convention as it opened.

Much of the Clergy Conference and Convention emphasis was on one key remedy: Learning to share our personal faith with others. It is important to tell others what difference Christ makes in our lives, and how church participation helps our relationship with God. People are seeking spiritual habits that can change their lives, and they are looking for people who can give a sincere example of spiritual growth and change. Fr. Bunker Hill of Spearfish led an inspiring workshop on how to share our personal faith stories.

Diocesan needs remain consistent with prior years. Finding clergy, especially to work in missions, is on going work. The diocesan budget for 2007 projects a deficit of just under $5,000. All congregations will have a goal of increasing their 2006 giving by 2% in 2007. Health insurance premiums continue to rise and place stress on congregational budgets. When The Rev. Karen Hall retires next year, her diocesan position will not be filled (parts of her work will be taken over by other clergy). The Episcopal Church will increase its grant to our diocesan budget. "Survival" issues keep looming and distracting us from mission and ministry work – this is why Good Shepherd must stay positive and go for the Come Grow Celebrate! vision.

On the positive side, Bishop Robertson was in good health and spirits and presided throughout the entire convention. The worship at morning, noon and evening services was wonderful and brought together worship leaders and musicians from around the diocese.

Bishop Robertson spoke of the Episcopal Church’s isolation in the worldwide Anglican Communion – a crisis marked by the consecration of an actively homosexual bishop but really about larger issues such as the authority of the Bible and how important decisions should be made among Christians. Bishop Robertson expressed his feeling that the Episcopal Church had not made an adequate response to the questions raised by other Anglicans around the world ("The Windsor Report"), but also felt that The Episcopal Church should continue with its current agenda, even if this leads to "a long, lonely vigil."

As one more in agreement with the worldwide Anglican Communion than with the current direction of the Episcopal Church, I presented a resolution to affirm and protect the ministry of traditional Anglicans. It was amended, but I was generally happy with the result that passed:

Resolution #10
Submitted by Fr. Timothy Fountain, Sioux Falls (Amended by the Committee on Resolutions)

RESOLVED, that the One hundred Twenty-second Convention of the Diocese of South Dakota recognizes the presence of faithful members, formed by the Episcopal Church with Scripture, Anglican tradition and reason, who cannot affirm teachings which detract from proclamation of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of all, and who cannot participate in innovations and experiments which depart from the Book of Common Prayer (1979 and prior), such as "open communion" for un-baptized persons or the blessing or ordination of those involved in same sex unions.

AND RESOLVED, that because we are historically a diverse diocese, we are committed to being a safe space for all members of this diocese, including both those whose faith and practice is consistent with that of the wider Anglican Communion and those who believe the Holy Spirit is leading the Church in new directions.

AND RESOLVED, that a "safe space" is defined as freedom from personal attack and from discrimination on the basis of differing opinions on controversial issues.

On a less controversial note, the Convention passed a wonderful resolution by Fr. Jim Pearson from Yankton and sponsored by our own Eastern Deanery, declaring November to be a regularly observed "Season of Thanksgiving" in which our churches emphasize thankful prayer to God for all the blessings we enjoy. You will be hearing more about it at Good Shepherd as November comes near.

As always, Convention is a time to catch up with good folks who live at a distance and to meet new friends in the Diocese of South Dakota.