Brothers and sisters in Christ, I hope this finds you well in body and soul.

We had hoped and planned to have this year’s Annual Council in person. I personally was looking forward to seeing so many of you face to face and thanking you for your continued witness to the Gospel. However, given our continued battle with COVID-19 and now the Delta Variant, as well as the length of time we would need to be together to do the business of Council adequately, we have decided to convene Annual Council virtually this year.

On the bright side of this matter, last year we did our work together nearly seamlessly. People were elected to serve, discussions were had, worship was attended and our ministry budget was debated and passed. I have every confidence we will do the same and perhaps more this year.

Thank you for your continued prayers for one another and for our common life together, and thank you for your patience and good cheer as we together bear witness to a God who despite a global pandemic is trustworthy.

With every blessing,

The Rt. Rev. Robert C. Wright

Friday, November 12

8 AM: Check-in + Participant Virtual Council Tutorial

9 AM: Worship

9:30 AM: General Session

Noon: Midday Break

2 PM: Council Committee Meetings

Saturday, November 13

9:30 AM: Call to Order

Committee Meetings

Committees will meet on Friday of Council at 2 PM. Anyone can attend the committee meetings, but only those registered in advance may vote in the committee meetings. The deadline to sign up is Nov. 9.

One Lay Member and one Priest Member each for a three-year term; no successive full terms permitted.

The Standing Committee acts as a Council of Advice to the Bishop, consents to elections and ordinations of Bishops and to ordinations of Diocesan Priests and Deacons, becomes the ecclesiastical authority should the office of Bishop Diocesan become vacant, and to other matters. It meets as often as needed, frequently monthly.

Governor, Mikell Camp and Conference Center (Canon 8)

Two Governors, lay or clerical, for a three-year term; no consecutive full terms.

The board is responsible for the care and maintenance of the physical properties, the programs and activities of the Center, and the uses to which the facilities may be put. The board meets no less than four times a year.

Trustee, Sewanee, University of the South (Canon 10)

One Lay Trustee, for a three-year term; no more than four consecutive full terms.

Persons interested in this office must consult with Bishop Diocesan, who nominates one or more candidates. Trustees attend the annual spring meeting at Sewanee and act on issues of substance that affect the governance of the University of the South.

Nominated by the Bishop Diocesan and Elected by the Council

Diocesan Officers
Chancellor, Chancellor Emeritus, Treasurer, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, and Registrar (Canon 2). Each for one-year terms

Diocesan Disciplinary Board (Canon 42 for clergy discipline)
One clerical member for a five-year term and one lay member for a four-year term

How to Submit Legislation

Proposed resolutions and amendments to the Constitution and Canons may be presented by Convocations or Diocesan Departments and Commissions or any Lay Delegate or Clerical Member.

A proposed resolution must be submitted by November 1, if it is to be published on the Diocesan Council website. After that date, a resolution may only be considered at Council if submitted by email MS Word attachment to the Council Secretary, the Very Rev. P. Richard Game at Fr.Dick@stpat.net. by midday break on November 12.

Amendments to the diocesan constitution or canons must be submitted to the Council Standing Committee on Constitution and Canons no later than October 13 (Canon 45 Sec.2[a]). Send them to the Council Secretary, The Very Rev. P. Richard Game, by e-mail MS Word attachment to: Fr.Dick@stpat.net

Formats

1. A resolution must require specific action. The resolution should be phrased so that it will result in some action by the Council or by an identified person or agency of the Church.

2. Use the subjunctive verb tense: Examples: “That the 115th Council adopt the following statement…”(instead of adopts); “That the 115th Council confirm” (instead of confirms).

3. If a resolution contains more than one resolve clause, the two or more are joined together with a semicolon followed by the words “and be it further”. (for resolutions amending the Constitution or Canons, see below).

4. If you reference a report, study or other document that is not generally known by members of Council or readily available, you must provide a pdf attachment with the resolution by email at Fr.Dick@stpat.org.

5. If the resolution calls for the creation of an Interim Body, it should state the composition of the proposed body, and, unless otherwise provided for in the Canons or Constitution of the Diocese or of the Episcopal Church, how it is to be constituted.

6. Do not include web references in your resolution. Websites come and go and may not be relevant in the future to the legislation passed.

7. Do not refer to or attach Georgia General Assembly or congressional legislation or bills. They often change and may have “riders” attached that do not refer to the intent of the resolution being proposed.

8. Do not use “whereas” clauses. Instead, include an “Explanation” that focuses attention of the Council on the substance of the resolution.

A Model Resolution
Resolved, that resolutions submitted to any Council shall not include a preamble (“whereas” clauses); and be it further

Resolved, that any resolution or proposed Constitution or Canon change shall be followed by an explanation of the matter to be acted on by the Council.

EXPLANATION

Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised recommends that reasons for a motion not be in the motion or in a preamble, but be included in an attached explanation. This makes it clear that only the substance of the resolution is being acted on. A statement of the effect of the resolution can be included.

A Model Canonical Change of Some Complexity
Resolved, that Section 1 of Canon 23 Of Church Debt be amended to read as follows:

Section 1. No long term indebtedness shall be incurred by an Aided Parish or congregation without the prior approval of (a)both the Bishop and the Board of Officers, or (b) the Bishop and Department of  Finance Committee.

EXPLANATION

Words to be deleted are lined through. Words to be added are underlined (or in italics if desired). The explanation should show the intent of and the effect of the proposed amendment. This format is followed also for proposed amendments to the Constitution or the Council Rules of Order.

• Appleton Episcopal Ministries
• Commission on LGBTQ+ Ministry
• Commission on Stewardship
• ECF Impact Report
• Global Mission Commission
• Ministry Innovations Task Force

Community Ministries

Community Ministries address issues of poverty, social justice and advocacy and the needs of the communities they serve throughout the diocese. The diocese provides financial support to Emmaus House, The Friendship Center at Holy Comforter, Chattahoochee Valley Episcopal Ministry, and Church of the Common Ground. Part of our community ministries is the work of our Deacons and the LGBTQ+ and Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking commissions, Jubilee Ministries coordination, and initiatives in our diocese that support our focus on Children, Prisoners, Soldiers and Immigrants.

In addition, and not supported in the diocesan budget, the Episcopal Community Foundation for Middle and North Georgia ECFimpact.org partners with Episcopal communities in our diocese to serve people facing poverty and oppression by providing grants funded from donations, and Appleton Episcopal Ministries appletonepiscopal.org partners with parishes in Middle Georgia to promote the health, safety, education and well-being of children and families.

Episcopal Community Foundation for Middle and North Georgia

Lindsey Hardegree, Executive Director

ECF partners with Episcopal communities in Middle and North Georgia to lift up people facing poverty and oppression, creating sustainable impact for individuals, families, and communities. We provide charitable grants from The Rt. Rev. Bennett J. Sims Endowment to parishes and their nonprofit partners to strengthen community partnerships that serve people in need and encourage spiritual growth for Episcopalians through service. We help to resolve important issues in our local communities, including efforts around hunger, homelessness, generational poverty, refugee services, human trafficking, and those whose lives have been impacted by the criminal justice system. We raise funds and provide opportunities for individuals to establish a lasting legacy to serve the poor and oppressed, as well as honor their individual parishes in their estate. To learn more about ECF, please visit ECFimpact.org.

Hispanic Ministries

The Rev. Canon Isaias Rodriquez

The Hispanic Ministries in our diocese reach out to the Hispanic communities with joyful worship and spiritual growth in the Episcopal tradition. They have been blessed by a steady increase in membership and the planting of new congregations. Funding of these congregations is an example of the diocese and individual parishes partnering in financial support for the continued growth of this vital ministry. To learn more about Hispanis Ministries, please visit episcopalatlanta.org/hispanic-ministries.

Holy Comforter and the Friendship Center

The Rev. Ashley Lytle Carr, Vicar

Our mission is to be an inclusive community that promotes the mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing of adults marginalized by mental health challenges, disability, and poverty. We are a loving, caring, worshipping community where all who come may be seen, heard, celebrated as a child of God, and known. We are a family striving to support one other in our recovery and our humanity so that we can live the healthy, blessed, sustainable lives that God intends for us.

Those who come to Holy Comforter and The Friendship Center in southeast Atlanta are from an often unseen, forgotten, and underserved population: adults living with severe and chronic mental illness and in poverty. Holy Comforter established The Friendship Center in 1987 to serve this population when the number of publicly funded day programs was reduced. To learn more about The Friendship Center and about how you can make a difference, please visit friendshipcenter-atlanta.org.

Mikell Camp & Conference Center

The Rev. Ken Struble, Executive Director

Mikell is a place of connection to God and our worshipping communities. Experiences here change lives. Mikell has often been referred to as a “thin place,” or a place where the veil between heaven and earth is lessened. It’s about students from all over Georgia who visit Blue Ridge Outdoor Education Center with their schools and discover a new connection to nature and their responsibilities to each other and the world around them. It’s about young people in the Diocese who have a place where they feel comfortable enough to explore more about themselves, each other and God, and live into who God created them to be. It’s about children from Emmaus House spending time in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s about the numerous vestry, parish, spirituality, renewal, recovery, youth and art weekends where people come together to be a part of something bigger than themselves, to grow, and then to go back into their respective communities. And it’s about all those who come away with a new sense of God, nature, themselves and each other. It’s about the future — a future made holier by the transformations that happen to those who come here. To learn more, please visit campmikell.com.

Youth & Young Adult Ministries

Holle Tubbs, Youth Missioner

Youth Ministry

We believe in forming disciples by sharing the all-inclusive and unconditional love of Jesus Christ through worship, service, and spiritual growth in our parishes. The Office of Youth Ministry provides support to parish youth ministers and coordinates diocesan-wide programs designed for middle and high-school youth. To learn more about our Youth Ministry, please visit eycdioatl.org.

Young Adult Ministry

The diocese coordinates annual events for young adults, ages 18-25. Diocesan Young Adult Programs provide opportunities for young adults to serve in leadership roles and as chaperones for Diocesan Youth Events. To learn more about our Youth and Young Adult Ministries, please visit eycdioatl.org/campus-ministries.html.