The 47th annual convention of The Episcopal Diocese of Spokane will take place October 14-16, 2011 at the Clarion Hotel, Yakima, Washington, hosted by the churches of the Yakima Deanery.
The Convention of the Diocese of Spokane consists of elected delegates from each congregation and all clergy canonically resident in the Diocese. Meeting once a year it serves as the primary legislative authority for the Diocese.
The theme for 2011 is represented by the Spanish imperative “¡Adelante!” meaning to actively go forward with intentionality and purpose, and is applied to our sense of mission in the diocese….to go forward together.
A Joint Committee on Arrangements provides the leadership and planning for convention. Members are:
- Convention President: The Right Rev. James E. Waggoner, Jr., Bishop, The Episcopal Diocese of Spokane
- Convention Coordinator: The Rev. Jeffrey Neuberger, Cathedral of St John, Spokane
- Chair, Business Committee: J. Scott Miller, Cathedral of St John, Spokane
- Chair, Program & Worship Committee: The Rev. Anne Barton, St Timothy’s, Yakima
- Chair, Hospitality Committee: Bob Alexander, St Timothy’s, Yakima
- Chair, Youth Committee: Colin Haffner, Diocesan Staff
- Logistics and Operations: Paige McKee and Libby Beck, Diocesan Staff
- Chair, Nominations Committee: Marcia O’Leary, St David’s, Spokane
- Chair, Resolutions Committee: The Rev. Jane Schmoetzer, All Saints, Richland
The following information will be helpful in your preparations to attend convention 2011:
Click here for a brochure in PDF format: Convention Info Brochure
(This brochure will take a few moments to download at 7Mb in size. It contains much of the information below but also incudes menu information.)
DOCUMENTS AND MATERIALS RELEVANT TO CONVENTION NOW AVAILABLE:
Schedule of Convention 2011 (this is the document each participant will receive upon registration)
Welcome Letter Yakima Deanery
Quick Glance Schedule of Convention 2011
Report to Convention 2011
Resolutions 2011
Nominations 2011
Voting FAQs 2011
Current Constitution and Canons
Proposed Revised Canons 2011
Proposed Revised Canons Table of Changes
Minutes of the 46th Annual Convention (2010)
Lay Pension System & Denominational Health Plan Information
Transition of Members to New Diocesan Council
Workshop Information (Titles, Presenters, Times, Locations)
Workshop Location Map
CONVENTION COSTS
The costs of convention include a $50 registration fee, meals, and hotel accommodations. The registration fee and meals are paid for on the registration form. Hotel costs are made directly to the hotel (see below).
CONVENTION REGISTRATION
The convention registration fee is $50.00 for each person attending, whether clergy, lay delegate, lay alternate, or visitor.
CONVENTION MEALS
Meal selections are made on the reservation form and include Saturday and Sunday breakfast buffets ($16 each), Saturday lunch ($16), and the Saturday evening buffet banquet ($23). The total for all meals is $71.00. The registration form allows for selection and payment of meals chosen (all, none, or any combination to fit your situation).
Note: The Friday evening meal will not be hosted at the hotel. Rather, participants are afforded the opportunity to dine at a local restaurant of their choice.
CONVENTION REGISTRATION FORM
There are two options for registering, either by (1) a mail-in form or (2) an on-line form.
1. Mail-In Form: To download a PDF registration form, print, complete and mail to the diocese, click here:2011 Convention Registration Form Payment can be made with this form by check or credit card.
2. On-Line Form/Credit Card Payment Only: To complete an on-line form with payment by credit card only, click here: On-Line Registration Form. Your credit card information is forwarded in a secure manner directly to the diocesan Finance Officer, Libby Beck.
CONVENTION HOTEL AND RESERVATIONS
Hotel reservations are separate from convention registration and may be made at any time by contacting the Clarion Hotel.
509-248-7850 For Hotel Reservations at the Clarion
The Clarion Hotel, 1507 North 1st Street, Yakima, will serve as the convention hotel.
Please contact the hotel directly to reserve your room by calling 509-248-7850 and mention you would like the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane group rate. (Note: If you make a reservation using the hotel’s website, be advised the system will not recognize our particular group rate. It is highly recomended that you call the hotel.) Our convention rate is $84 plus tax for a total of $94.16. All reservation requests must be guaranteed with a major credit card.
We encourage you to make your room reservations early, as the hotel will release the blocked rooms a month prior to convention on September 13th. If you prefer to stay in a different hotel, there are many in Yakima from which to choose.
CONVENTION SCHEDULE & WORKSHOPS
Registration opens at 11am on Friday, October 14th and the first business session convenes at 2pm. Convention concludes with the festival Eucharist at 11am on Sunday, October 16th.
A complete schedule to include workshops will be available soon.
PRE-CONVENTION REPORTS
Pre-convention reports from diocesan commissions, committees and organizations are collected and collated through July . A CD containing the reports will be made available to clergy and churches by early September. A copy will also be made available on this website page.
NOMINATIONS FOR DIOCESAN OFFICE
Nominations are now closed until the first business session of convention on Friday, October 14th. At that time nominations can be made froom the floor.
A list of current nominees can be found here Nominations 2011
For information regarding nominations and how to make a nomination, click here….Information Regarding the Nomination Process
RESOLUTIONS
The function of the Resolutions committee is discussed in Canon VI, Section 4. “Of Committees and Commissions,” and states:
A Committee on Resolutions shall be appointed by the Bishop prior to the meeting of the Convention. It shall be composed of members of the clergy entitled to vote and of lay persons elected to the Convention, in number at the discretion of the Bishop. All Resolutions to be proposed to the Convention, with the exception of legislative proposals, shall be referred to the Committee for its consideration and report as provided in the Rules of Order. The Committee may also propose Resolutions on its own motion. With the consent of the Bishop the Committee shall have power to suppress any Resolution which appears in its judgment to be abusive or unparliamentary in tone, libelous, or grossly improper. With this exception all Resolutions submitted to the Committee shall be reported in due course to the Convention. In reporting a Resolution the Committee may recommend changes in form intended to clarify its purpose, or to combine two or more resolutions having the same purpose, but shall have no power to propose substantive alteration; it may, however, move reference to another committee for consideration of substance.
The deadline for submitting a resolution has passed (September 15th). However, resolutions may be made at convention.
For a general discussion of voting and the process for submitting and voting on resolutions, click here….2011 Voting FAQs
To view the resolutions currently submitted to the 2011 convention, click here…Resolutions 2011
EXHIBITORS AT CONVENTION
The deadline to submit a requesst for exhibits has passed (September 15, 2011).
QUESTIONS ABOUT CONVENTION
For questions concerning convention, please contact the convention coordinator, the Rev. Jeffrey Neuberger at jeffrey.neuberger@comcast.net.