The bishops of the Episcopal Church, who have been meeting in Alaska for the past week, have issued a 'Word to the Church' providing a summary of the meeting and what they learned. Bishop Matt Gunter posted his experience on his Facebook page with pictures and video. He also delivered gifts of a book and strawberry basket to the people of Beaver, Alaska by the people of Holy Apostles, Oneida. Read the full document and link to Stewardship of Creation resources at episcopalchurch.org.
Data from the 2016 Parochial Reports of the Episcopal Church is now available in both English and Spanish here. The data reflects a continuation of recent trends, although rates of decline in such key figures as Average Sunday Attendance have decreased. Congregational income through pledges and other offerings has remained constant even as overall number of congregants has decreased. "The loss of both baptized members and average Sunday attendance in the Diocese of Fond du Lac or both more than 20% over the past decade," noted Matthew Payne, Lay Canon for Administration. "Some decline comes from congregations cleaning up their books, especially when a new priest arrives, but the trend is significant. Giving to congregations parallels national findings and does shown a slight increase over the past 5 years." The Parochial Report is the oldest, continuous gathering of data by the Episcopal Church. By tradition and canon, the reporting requirements are developed by the House of Deputies’ Committee on the State of the Church, using a form approved by the church’s Executive Council. The newly posted documents include:
This posting was compiled from a release of The Episcopal Church. The Rt. Rev. Matthew Gunter, Bishop of the Diocese of Fond du Lac, the Episcopal Church in northeast Wisconsin, is pleased to announce the Most Rev. Michael Curry, 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church, will make his official diocesan visitation in October 2019. The Presiding Bishop visits every Episcopal diocese during a nine-year term of office. Read more about Bishop Curry here . . . "We look forward to having Bishop Curry join us in this part of the Kingdom," Bishop Matt explained. "His leadership will energize and inspire us to to share Jesus’ message of love with a world in need." Curry has made the Jesus Movement a central part of his leadership as Presiding Bishop. Initial plans include events for Episcopalians as well as the general public. Friday, October 25 would include the Diocesan Convention Eucharist and business session during the day. The evening features a banquet open to Episcopalians and other guests with Curry as Keynote Speaker. An revival event, open to the public, will take place on Saturday, October 26 and is planned for the new Fox Cities Exposition Center. Promotion of the event will reach across northeast Wisconsin and target area churches and denominations. The revival attendance goal is 800, although up to 3,000 can be accommodated. A picnic lunch will be available and weather permitting, the facilities of Jones Park next to the Center. The Presiding Bishop's visitation ends with preaching at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Fond du Lac on Sunday morning. "We have just started preparations, and there will be a lot of prayer and prep to be accomplished," Administrator Matthew Payne noted. "Over the next two years, we will involve volunteers to make this event successful in sharing the Gospel." Additional information about the visitation and volunteer opportunities will be available in Spring 2018 and found at diofdl.org/pbvisit. St. Anne Episcopal Church, De Pere, is introducing a new ministry for the parish, Diocese and community at large. “Walking Through the Valley” is a faith-based ministry to those who have suffered a loss. This ministry aims to assist people in their journey by providing listening hearts, information and encouragement. Walking Through the Valley consists of three offerings:
Complete information and registration is available at stannes.us. Following an in-depth process of more than a year, the Trustees of the Diocese of Fond du Lac are pleased to announce the selection of The Martzahl Group at Graystone Consulting - Morgan Stanley as its Investment Advisor for the Diocesan Common Trust (DCT). The DCT, established in 1956, is a pooled investment fund designed to provide regular income and maintain value versus inflation. It is especially useful for those without expertise in investments. Any congregation or affiliated entity may participate. Pooling assets allows for more effective and efficient investing from economies of scale, discounted administrative fees and increased ‘purchasing power’ with access to the institutional share class level. This results in reduced expense and improved performance versus solo entity investing. An Investment Committee conducted a request for proposal process with thirteen vendors, considering each in terms of investment performance, customer service, and fees. In-person interviews were conducted with four candidates. “We were impressed by Martzahl’s ability to cater to specific needs, both in investment strategy as well as customer service,” noted Anne Peterson, Investment Committee Chair. “The Committee believes their investment philosophy, values and customer service will be an excellent match for the diocese.” The Martzahl Group focuses on addressing the fiduciary responsibilities and investment needs of institutional investors and the private wealth management of high net worth individuals. It has assisted clients in northeast Wisconsin for over 20 years. Participant Impact Significant behind-the-scenes work to transfer assets to Graystone has begun, but participants should experience no disruption. Pension, Inc. has been engaged as third party administrator to perform recordkeeping and ministerial services on behalf of the fund and its participants. “Our new arrangement reduces the administrative burden on the Diocesan Office,” Administrator Matthew Payne noted. “The new arrangement frees up many hours each month so we can better serve congregations more in other areas.” A complete transition to the new Investment Advisor will be complete by 1 January 2018. Are you looking to deepen your devotion through prayer and reflection? Is this something you might want some assistance in on a daily basis? We suggest you visit the Diocese of Fond du Lac Devotional Resources webpage. A number of links are provided to quality tools of reflection, many of which have email subscription options. We hope you will visit today. diofdl.org/resourcedevotion. |
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