The Governance of The Episcopal Church: The following information is another in an ongoing series discussing the governance of The Episcopal Church. General Convention 2015 is two years away, but Executive Council’s 2016-2018 triennium budget preparation process is well underway. “The new budget process is really a visionary budget process,” Executive Council member the Rev….

The Episcopal Church Task Force on the Study of Marriage has issued the following report: At the 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church in 2012, Resolution A050 called for a Task Force on the Study of Marriage to be appointed by the Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and President of the House of Deputies…

Episcopal Church Chief Operating Officer Bishop Stacy Sauls has announced an innovative missionary program designed to connect dioceses and staff in a collaborative manner: The Diocesan Partnership Program. “Our Episcopal Church yearns for connection,” Bishop Sauls explained.  “Our people want to be connected.  Our leaders are looking for opportunities to be connected. Through the Diocesan…

Bishop Stacy Sauls, Episcopal Church Chief Operating Officer, has announced the appointments of eight full-time positions to the staff of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS).  The positions reflect the priorities of Episcopal Church General Convention 2012 and focus on the Five Marks of Mission.   Lisa Bellamy has been named Development Research Analyst…

The grant application process for the fund that coordinates two innovative Episcopal Church initiatives, the Mission Enterprise Zones and New Church Starts, is now open. The online application can be accessed here. The Five Marks of Mission triennial budget, approved by General Convention July 2012, allots $2 million for the work of establishing Mission Enterprise…

Wayfarer, the Episcopal Church Office of Communication new iBook series, is available at iBooks for free downloading here “Wayfarer lets us go a little deeper and tell longer, compelling stories through multimedia,” noted Mike Collins, Manager of Multimedia Services in the Office of Communication of The Episcopal Church and Wayfarer producer.  “There are many great…

At its meeting in June, The Episcopal Church Executive Council adopted new proxy voting guidelines. Episcopal Church treasurer Kurt Barnes explained that the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS) Proxy Voting Policy is based on the Church’s longstanding engagement in shareholder activism. “The Episcopal Church shareholder resolutions engage in dialogues with corporations regarding social issues…

The Episcopal Church Economic Justice Loan Committee (ELJC) of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS) has approved a $150,000 grant to Fonkozé USA, known for its support of micro-credit in Haiti and women’s small businesses. Based in Washington, DC, Fonkozé USA plans to re-loan the $150,000 to its Haitian partner, Fonkozé www.fonkoze.org Bishop Jean…

At the invitation of Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will visit the General Synod July 3 and 4 in Ottawa. Additionally, this year’s General Synod will be the first-ever Joint Assembly with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. More than 800 Anglicans, Lutherans,…

In response to the United States Senate’s vote to pass S. 744, the Senate’s immigration reform legislation, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson have issued the following joint statement.   United States Senate Passes Compassionate and Humane Immigration Reform   Today, Lutherans…