Clergy Day Schedule 30.10.12

9:15 Coffee and Registration

9:45. Eucharist - Bishop Terry presiding and Dean Kevin preaching

10:45. Details around book study

10:50. Strategic plan update (SPIG members)

11:05. Renew Presentation  (2 segments + discussion time) Amanda Gellman, Lynda McGreggor, Suzanne Edmonston)

12:30 Lunch

1:15. Post lunch exercises (Keith Nethery)

1:25. Overview of NCD (Richard Salt)

1:45. Conversation  about congregational development (deanery groupings)

2:05. The Three Colors of Spirituality - (Derek Davis )

2:25 Bishop's send off

Communication from September SPIG Meeting

The Strategic Plan Implementation Group met for the first time after its summer break on September 27^th.  The Group welcomed John Mencel to its membership.  The youth representative’s – Gladis Funes – term on the SPIG is up and she will be replaced by the youth of the Diocese in the near future. 

The SPIG is excited about the reception that the Diocese is giving to RENEW.  Many parishes are getting on board and have begun the process of visioning and putting their case together. We are also excited about the appointment of Suzanne Edmonston as the RENEW Coordinator.  With Suzanne’s energy and expertize we expect to see the program advance at a much faster pace. 

As reorganization continues in the Diocese there are new models of being church and of ministry that are emerging.  We are pleased with the development of some Regional Ministries that include more than one priest.  (There are parishes of three and four points that are moving toward regional ministry with one and a half or two priests.)  The advantages of this are that clergy can draw strength from working in a team; congregations can benefit from a wider variety of gifts that multiple clergy bring; there can be more continuity during times of transition and, this presents an opportunity in some cases to re-establish curacies in the diocese by appointing a senior priest and a curate to these ministries.  We are also pleased with the decision of some congregations to let go of their buildings so that they can afford to maintain paid ministry.  Congregations have or are considering sharing a church facility with another denomination or moving to a rented store front location.    We see all these steps as a positive way to face the challenges of today and to move into the future.

Last year the SPIG sent three documents to the Bishops and Executive Staff for their consideration.  The documents dealt with the current selection process used in the diocese, the formation and continuing education of clergy and the skill sets that were considered necessary for ministry in today’s environment.  As a result of these documents several actions are being taken.  Work will be done to connect the selection process more clearly to the Strategic Plan of the parish if it has one.  Many parishes currently have such a plan and those that do not are being encouraged to develop one as a part of the RENEW program.  The Bishop will be appointing a Post Ordination Training Group.  The mandate of the Postulancy Board is being examined by a sub-group from that Board.  Archdeacon Kammerer, Director of Human Resources for the Diocese,  will be attending the next meeting of the SPIG to discuss some of these steps in more detail.

The SPIG is anticipating another Diocesan wide book study to be held during the season of Epiphany.  The Group sees these studies as helping to connect the work of our Strategic Plan with the spiritual nature of who we are.

Following a thorough discussion of the first year of implementation of the Strategic Plan and important directions for year two the following motion was passed unanimously by the Group:  “Recognizing the mutual relationship between congregations and clergy in strategic planning and continued performance development, we wish to place a special emphasis in the Second Year of the mandate of SPIG on a) performance development strategies, b) the role and structure of deaneries, c) a Diocesan Human Resources Review, and d) the relationship of the Archdeacons to this process.”

After lunch the group split into two with the clergy working on the Clergy Day Agenda and the Lay People working on the Agenda for the Lay Leadership Days that will take place in the new year.

Communication # 7 From the Strategic Plan Implementation Group

The Strategic Plan Implementation Group met on May 24, 2012 to continue its work. The SPIG received a report from the Director for Mission and Mnistry about his work and spent the morning reviewing matters in that report. A draft of a Diocesan Position Paper responding to principles regarding the organization of parishes expressed in the 'Who is My Neighbour' Report was reviewed and sent on to the Archdeacons and Executive Stwff for their acceptance or amendment. Once the paper is adopted it will provide guidelines for the Archdeacons working with parishes in need of reorganization. An assessment of the first year's implementation of the Strategic Plan, and a outline for the second year's work were reviewed and accepted. Both the assessment and the future plans are based directly on the original outline of goals and objectives found in the Strategic Plan. These documents will be presented to the Diocesan Council at its June meeting. Following lunch the SPIG presentation to Synod was reviewed and then a report was received from a sub-group working on the competencies and attributes needed by clergy. The report was adopted and sent on to the Bishop and Executive Staff for their deliberation. The Group will next meet in September.

Waterloo Lay Leaders Day

Approximately 60 lay leaders gathered in Waterloo yesterday for a day of reflection on what it means to be a lay leader in church today and to discuss strategic planning in the parish. I thought it a great day and invite those who participated to leave their comments on this blog. Click the comment button below. There were so many conversations about the need to use social media that I will be very interested to see how many use this vehicle to converse. Your comment will not show up immediately but will after a time delay.

Blessings.

Richard

Draft Clergy Day Schedule (April 26, 2012)

9:30.    Coffee

10:00.   Worship

10:15.   Bible Study on Christian Heritage of Stewardship
              (Rev. Canon Bill Cliff)

10:45.   RENEW - Our Diocesan Campaign 2012-2017 - Guiding
               Principles and Work to Date
                Q & A

11:15.   Break out groups.

11:45.   Amanda Gellman - The Joy of Fundraising

12:00.   Lunch

12:45.    Strategic Planning in a Parish (The Ven. Richard Salt)

1:15.      Break Out Goups.

1:45.      Developing Your Case for Support
               What is a Parish Fund Development Plan?
                (Amanda Gellman)

2:15.        Break Out Groups. 

2:45.       A word from our Bishops.

3:00.       Depart for home

London's Lay Leadship Day

Approximately 180 lay leaders gathered in London yesterday for a day of reflection on what it means to be a lay leader in church today and to discuss strategic planning in the parish. I thought it a great day and invite those who participated to leave their comments on this blog. Click the comment button below. Your comment will not show up immediately but will after a time delay.

Blessings.

Richard

Communication #6 from the Strategic Plan Implementation Group

The Strategic Plan Implementation Group met for it's March meeting on Thursday March 22, 2012.  The group heard a report from the Director for Mission and Ministry – The Venerable Richard Salt.  Highlights of that report included:

·         A message from the Diocesan Executive Staff stating that it had received the two documents prepared by the SPIG regarding Human Resources and that the Executive Staff would study the documents and formulate, over the next period of time, a reply and next steps.

·         The Rev. Canon Rich Jones has been appointed a member of the SPIG with the intent that he be a liaison between the group and the Diocesan Coaches.

·         The registration for the Lay Leadership Day in London has reached its maximum capacity of 180 persons.  Those who were unable to be registered have been encouraged to attend the day in Waterloo in April.

·         Work continues with a number of parishes or groups of parishes around the Diocese.

The Group heard a presentation about the RENEW campaign from Bishop Terry.  Archdeacon Richard reported that 37 parishes have received a visit from a bishop to date. Everyone is pleased with the progress of the quiet phase and with the momentum that is developing.  It is exciting to see how RENEW is dovetailing into the rest of the Strategic Plan’s implementation as it is providing both incentive for congregations to become involved in local strategic planning and financial resources to implement those plans. 

The group sent the following communication to the A & F committee:  The Strategic Plan Implementation Group wishes to express its concern to A & F about the practice of including the income from the Revolving Loan Fund and from the Huron Development Fund in the Annual Diocesan Budget.  While recognizing that this practice is within the regulations laid out in the canons of the Diocese, SPIG is concerned that this is not the best stewardship practice.  It believes that any income from these funds should be reinvested in the funds in order that they might be built up to better serve the strategic needs of the Diocese.  We therefore request that A & F reconsider this practice.  If it would seem unwise or impractical to end this practice in a single year then it is suggested that A & F consider phasing out this practice over a period of three to four years.  The SPIG looks forward to the response of A & F regarding this matter.

The Group did some work on its Synod 2012 presentation, appointed a sub-committee to report back regarding the skills that might be further developed by clergy and ordinands, and continued its work on plans for year 2 of the implementation of the Strategic Plan.  The group recommended that many of the vehicles of communication used during the first year of implementation be continued.  These programs included (but were not limited to) another diocesan wide study, more clergy days and more lay leaders day. 

The Group will not meet in April as the regular meeting date conflicts with the April Clergy Day.  It will meet at the regularly scheduled time in May.