Being an Episcopal church means having a commonly-held structure around how we handle our church governance and business affairs. Much of this is contained in the Episcopal Church Constitution and Canons.

This is a actually a very good thing, because it integrates our Christian identity into something larger than our particular congregation.

The ANNUAL PARISH MEETING is one of the canonical requirements associated with church governance. This is usually held in January, at which time we approve a budget and elect members to our Bishop’s Advisory Committee. Church canons also require maintaining an active Canonical Membership Register, which in turn serves as the list of people who have voice and vote at the Annual Meeting.
 
In order to be on the active canonical membership register (which simply means having a vote at the Annual Meeting and being eligible to serve on the Bishop’s Advisory Committee), one must meet these requirements for the year immediately prior to each Annual Meeting:

a) Be baptized
b) Be faithful in corporate worship (ie, attend Sunday services regularly)
c) Be faithful in working and praying within the congregation
d) Be faithful in giving, (which means being a financial giver of record as determined by the Church treasurer)

In all of this, I think it is important to remember that we are NOT talking about “insiders and outsiders.” That would be completely antithetical to our vision statement! What we DO have is the expectation that, when people desire and are ready to make a deeper commitment, then it is the right thing to have a more explicit set of standards about how we relate with each other, and how we begin to function as part of the leadership that supports our common life.
 
This year, I will be inviting you to update your personal information during the January home meetings.  Our Annual Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 25th, right after the 9:30 a.m. service.

Towards Spiritual Wholeness:
A Ten Week Book Study on Deepening our Spiritual Journey

Do you long for a wholeness and spiritual wellness?  Are you hungry for a deeper sense of connection with yourself, with others, and with God?
 
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you might want to participate in a ten-week book study on developing the integration of our spiritual lives. We’ll be reading “Urgings of the Heart: A Spirituality of Integration” - by Wilkie Au and Noreen Cannon.

Here’s a write-up on the book:

“Awareness - this is a vital word in spirituality today. But how do we become aware? How can we experience the depth in our own lives?

Wilkie Au and Noreen Cannon have written a profound book which gives us a pathway to an answer. Using stories from a variety of religious traditions, Jungian psychological insights, and pearls of wisdom from spiritual masters, Au and Cannon create a way for all of us to come to self-knowledge and self-transcendence.”

The group will meet once a week, starting mid-January and ending sometime in March. Click here for a survey asking for your preferred gathering time and days!

Patricia+