Diocesan Convention

The 201st Convention of the Diocese of Maine

Nothing Will Separate Us: Being the Body of Christ

Saturday, October 17, 2020 - Sunday, October 18, 2020

“…there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:39

(Good News Translation)

AGENDA

The business of convention will take place online on Saturday, October 17 with the Bishop's Address and worship online on Sunday, October 18. More information to be posted soon.

VOTING AT CONVENTION

Vote and voice at Convention are granted to all canonically-resident clergy, priests-in-charge of congregations in the diocese, and elected, certified lay delegates. Read what the constitution and canons have to say applying to lay delegates to convention here.

Responsiblities and Expectations of Lay Delegates and Voting Clergy in 2020:

1. In advance of convention, review materials and be prepared to discuss and vote on business.

2. Please make your best attempt to attend any designated pre-convention gatherings before convention. These will take place at Town Hall on Tuesdays at 5pm via Zoom. The invitation to join these meetings will be emailed to you on the Saturday prior to the meeting. (Schedule and recordings here.)

3. Register for convention. Registration will be via Zoom and will arrive Wednesday, October 14.

4. Ensure that you have the technological capability to participate on Zoom, by having:

• An email address that is unique to you for registration and voting

• A device with a camera in order to vote; one device per voting member of convention is necessary

• A place with good connectivity

• Phone nearby during convention for alerts - smartphone preferred (Please note that if alerts are necessary, they will be sent from the diocesan AlertMedia phone number which is 1-800-447-4991.)

3. Attend convention October 17 for business; October 18 for Bishop's Address and Worship

• Vote on resolutions and adopt resolutions of courtesy

• Elect diocesan officers and representatives

• Adopt a 2021 diocesan budget

• Listen to the Bishop's Address/Sermon

4. Abide by the Rules of Order (draft available here) at convention.

5. Report back to your congregation the election results, actions taken by convention on resolutions, and share the Bishop’s address/sermon which will be delivered on Sunday, October 18 during worship.

Please take some time to make sure you have access to an individual email address for registration and voting, device with camera, place to participate, phone, and mark the Town Hall schedule on your calendar. We will be presenting convention materials and practicing all sorts of technology applications, including voting, at these meetings as well as praying with each other for online convention success! View Convention FAQs here.

CHANGES TO LAY DELEGATES AND ALTERNATES

Lay representatives are elected by their congregation and must be certified. The certificates are examined by the Committee on Credentials prior to convention. (All certificates have been received as of September 9, 2020.)

Lay Delegates: If you find you cannot meet the requirements above or have a change in situation, please be in touch with your priest (or senior warden, if you do not currently have a priest) as soon as possible.

Priests/Senior Wardens: Do you need to make changes to your Certificate of Lay Delegates (including swapping alternates for delegates)? Please do so before October 9, 2020 using the revision form below:

REVISED CERTIFICATE OF DELEGATE ATTENDANCE TO THE 201ST DIOCESAN CONVENTION

Convention 2020 is a whole new experience for all of us! Please help by keeping up-to-date with your certifications. If you have any questions, please be in touch with Teresa.

ELECTION OF DIOCESAN LEADERS

Nominations for consideration by the 201st Convention of the Diocese of Maine were due September 16, 2020. The slate is published below in the order received. Elections will take place at convention on October 17, 2020.

The open diocesan positions, terms and nominees listed in the order received are below:

Treasurer (1 year term); Mr. Richard Rozene, St. Ann's, Windham

Secretary (1 year term); Ms Leigh Spahr, St. Patrick's, Brewer

Standing Committee - Clergy (3 year term); The Rev. Peter Jenks, St. John Baptist, Thomaston; The Rev. Sara Gavit, St. Anne's, Calais

Standing Committee - Lay (3 year term); Ms Lisa Lindsay, St. Luke's, Wilton; Mr. Sam Allen, Cathedral of St. Luke, Portland; Ms Kimberley Wallace, St. Ann's, Windham

Provincial Synod - Lay Deputy (2 year term); no nominees

Disciplinary Board - Clergy (3 year term); The Rev. Nathan Ferrell, Saint Mary's, Falmouth

Biographical statements are available here. We will post a document you can download soon.

Diocesan Council is a decision-making body of the Diocese of Maine comprised of two elected members (one clergy person and one lay person) from each of the eight diocesan areas. In 2020, we are electing lay members. Nominations were due September 16, 2020. The slate of nominees is posted below. Bios to be published here soon. Elections will take place at the Town Hall meeting on October 13, 2020. Any communicant of a congregation in Maine may vote.

FIND YOUR AREA BY CLICKING HERE

Diocesan Council - Eight (8) Area Lay Representatives (2 year term). Nominees are posted below beside their Area in the order in which they were received.

Area 1 - Ms Nancy Mooers (Church of the Good Shepherd, Houlton)

Area 2 - Ms Rita Redfield (St. Andrew and St. John, Southwest Harbor)
Area 3 - Ms Christine Talbot (
Area 4 - Ms Melissa Sparks (St. Michael's, Auburn)
Area 5 - Mr. Tom Ward (St. Andrew's, Winthrop)
Area 6 - Mr. Stephen Ward (St. Andrew's, Newcastle)
Area 7 - Mr. Robert Stoddard (St. Alban's, Cape Elizabeth); Mr. Fred Fowler (Cathedral of St. Luke, Portland)

Area 8 - Ms Holly Sargent (St. George's, York Harbor)

RESOLUTIONS

The deadline for proposing a resolution or resolution of courtesy has passed. The final language of resolutions received will be posted here pending review by the Resoluions Committee. Resolutions will be presented and discussed at Town Hall/Pre-Convention Meetings on Tuesday, September 29, 2020 and October 6, 2020 before convention votes on October 17, 2020.

BUDGET

Below are two files containing the proposed 2021 Diocesan Budget. The budget will be presented at Pre-Convention Town Hall on September 29. Questions about the budget should be directed to the Rev. Lael Sorensen, Chair of the Finance Committee.

2021 BUDGET TO CONVENTION - 09232020

2021 BUDGET NARRATIVE TO CONVENTION - 09232020

Below is a timeline of the diocesan budget process.

* August 13: Finance Committee and Diocesan Staff meet at the annual budget summit

* by September 4: Terry Reimer, Canon for Finance and Stewardship, shares the budget with the Diocesan Council electronically.

* September 19: Diocesan Council convenes in regular session to review, amend and approve the budget.

* by September 24: The budget will be posted to the website. It will be announced that the proposed budget is posted for review in the September 25th newsletter to Clergy and Lay Leaders.

* September 29: Town Hall -- Finance Committee presents the budget to the diocese.

* October 6: Town Hall -- Members of the Finance Committee and bishop/staff are available to answer questions about the budget.

* October 17: Rev. Lael Sorensen, Chair of the Finance Committtee, will present the budget at convention. Dick Rozene, the Treasurer of the Diocese, will call for a vote by convention on the budget.

VIRTUAL CHOIR FOR CONVENTION

You are invited to be part of a virtual choir that will present music during the 201st Convention of the Diocese of Maine! We welcome singers of any age, especially children, to participate. We also welcome singers who are not members of Episcopal churches, so please feel free to pass along this invitation to musical friends. The music includes the well-known Dona nobis pacem canon and We are Marching (Siyahamb’) as well as new texts to the hymn tunes Diademata and Holy Manna. Participants may submit videos for just one or two or all of them.

REGISTER HERE FOR THE CONVENTION VIRTUAL CHOIR

Please complete a separate registration for each singer. Soon after registering, you will receive a confirmation with detailed instructions, links to pdf scores and a guide track with someone singing your part, as well as links for submitting your videos. Recordings must be submitted by September 25 at the latest. All the videos will be available on YouTube after convention. Questions? Please contact Robert Ludwig of the Convention Planning Committee.

RULES OF ORDER

DRAFT 21 September 2020

SPECIAL RULES OF ORDER

NOTE: Because of the Covid-19 pandemic the 201st annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine will not be an in-person gathering. Rather, it will be online convention. These Special Rules of Order will be in effect only for the 201st Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine to be held on 17 October 2020. You may read the draft below or download the draft of rules here.

Except in extraordinary circumstances, no Alternate Delegate will be seated unless the name of the Alternate and the elected Lay Delegate being replaced are reported to Canon Barbara Martin, Registrar, or her designee, no later than close of business on Wednesday, October 14, 2020.
There will be no late registration and no late arrivals will be admitted to the zoom room in which the convention is being held.
Delegates shall identify themselves as required to sign in, and shall maintain internet and audio access throughout the Convention.
All delegates are expected to remain in electronic attendance while the convention is in session and to vote.
Each delegate is responsible for their internet connections; no action will be invalidated on the grounds that the loss of, or the poor quality of, a delegate’s individual electronic connection limited or prevented their participation in the Convention.
The chair may direct the disconnection or muting of a connection if the delegate or the delegate’s connection is causing undue interference in the Convention.
Voting will be by electronic polling or, at the discretion of the chair, a show of hands.
Nominations from the floor for any office will be out of order, unless the chair, in its discretion, determines that such a nomination is necessary.
On all elections, on the first two ballots for each office a majority vote is necessary for election. On the third ballot, the candidate with the most votes (plurality) shall be elected.
To seek recognition by the Chair, a delegate shall use the zoom room “raise hand” request and await recognition. Once the pending action is completed, the Registrar or designee shall clear any online queue.
Delegates may address the chair as “Bishop” or “Bishop Brown” and must identify themselves by name and congregation.
Only resolutions which were timely filed before Convention will be considered. New resolutions on the floor will be ruled out of order.
No one shall speak more than once on a question until everyone desiring to speak has had a chance to speak. Speakers will limit speaking time to three (3) minutes.
No motion to cut off debate shall be in order until each side has been allowed a minimum of (3) three minutes for the presentation of its views.
(a) The Chair shall exercise broad discretion in calling the Convention to vote on a matter, being guided by the time constraints and the extraordinary circumstances of a virtual convention, while respecting the goal of letting all pertinent viewpoints be heard,

(b) It is recognized that, in exercising this discretion, the Chair may call for a vote before all those wishing to speak have been heard,

(c) The Chair may expressly call for a vote after two speakers have been heard in favor of a matter, if there are no further speakers in opposition,

(d) The chair may suspend further consideration of a matter if the chair determines this step is necessary for the Convention to complete its essential business in the time frame allotted.

A delegate wishing to make a point of order or other request which, under normal rules of parliamentary procedure, may interrupt a speaker, shall use the zoom “Chat” feature to so indicate (e.g., by stating “Point of Order”), and shall wait thereafter for a reasonable time to be recognized before attempting to interrupt the speaker by voice.
Members wishing to respond “so moved” to a request from the chair for a motion, or to offer a required second to any motion, shall do so by using the “Chat” feature, without being recognized by the Chair.
The deadline for Certificate of Delegates for the 202nd Annual Convention is…………, 2021, and the deadline for Nominations and Resolutions is …………, 2021.