Call to Convention
September 1, 2010
The Commemoration of David Pendleton Oakerhater
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I call you to assemble as a Council of the Church for the 227th Diocesan Convention to be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center on Saturday, November 6, 2010. Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m., and the Opening Eucharist will be at 8:30 a.m.
Clergy and lay delegates are asked to register online beforehand through the diocesan website. In order to defray some of the costs of the Convention, Diocesan Council has set a registration fee of $75 for each person attending. Congregations unable to pay all or part of the fee may contact my office for assistance. The fee can be mailed to Church House before November 6 or brought with you that day.
In his commentary on the church’s first convention, described midway through the Acts of the Apostles, the New Testament scholar Hans Conzelmann writes, “It is not by chance that the Apostolic Council occupies the middle of the book. It is the great turning point, the transition from the primitive church to the ‘contemporary’ church.”
May our 227th Convention mark a “great turning point” in our life as a diocese “contemporary” to the aching spiritual and material needs of the world Jesus Christ calls us to serve.
Faithfully,
Charles E. Bennison, Jr.
Bishop of Pennsylvania
Registration
To: Congregations, clergy and lay leaders of the Diocese
From: Diocesan Convention Arrangements Committee
Subject: Registration for Diocesan Convention
Date: September 1, 2010
Every attendee—lay and clergy—is encouraged to pre-register for convention this year. This includes active, retired, resident and licensed clergy, as well as laypersons who are not attending as deputies. We would appreciate your registering by October 15th for good stewardship of resources and accurate planning for space and meals.
Certification materials for delegates, alternates and youth representatives who were elected to represent their congregations at the Diocesan Convention and registrations for clergy and lay leaders can be found on the Registration page. Please register online if possible, read all materials carefully, and make every effort to submit your materials by October 15th.
Checks should be made payable to Diocese of Pennsylvania with the memo "Convention registration. Please mail checks and paper copies of registration forms to:
J.D. Lafrance, Convention Arrangements
Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
240 S. Fourth Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Please remember all information about Convention will be communicated online only. As Convention information becomes available, it will be posted on the diocesan website, which we hope you will visit often.
If you need further information about Convention or registration, please contact:
J.D. Lafrance at jdlafrance@diopa.org or (215) 627-6434 x151
Karen Bach at karenb@diopa.org or (215) 627-6434 x111
