D023 (Support for the Association for Episcopal Deacons)
House of Bishops Message #225
The House of Bishops informs the House of Deputies that on Jun 27, 2024 it considered resolution D023 (Support for the Association for Episcopal Deacons). The house acted to:
Concur
Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring,
<Amended text as it would appear if adopted and concurred. Scroll below the line of asterisks (******) to see the version showing all deleted and added text.>
That the 81st General Convention celebrate and support the ministry of the Association for Episcopal Deacons (AED) which for the past 50 years, has served as the primary network to encourage and grow the diaconate, an order of ministry in The Episcopal Church, and provide resources and guidelines for its continuing development; and be it further
Resolved, That the Convention encourage individuals, congregations, seminaries, dioceses, and jurisdictions to support the work of AED by becoming members, participating in its conferences and activities, and engaging the work of diakonia in their own contexts; and be it further
Resolved, that this Convention looks forward to the day when The Episcopal Church engages more fully in resourcing and supporting the order of the diaconate; and be it further
Resolved, that in the meantime, this Convention requests the Executive Council’s Joint Standing Committee on Finance to consider a one-time, $200,000 allocation to the Association for Episcopal Deacons to support the ministry of the over 3,400 deacons in The Episcopal Church; and be it further
Resolved, that this funding also be used for the AED to engage with Executive Council in creating a working group to support the development of a long-term plan for the ongoing support of the diaconate in The Episcopal Church, and to present it to the 82nd General Convention.
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<Proposed amended resolution text showing exact changes being made:>
That the 81st General Convention celebrate and support the ministry of the Association for Episcopal Deacons (AED) which for the past 50 years, has served as the primary network to enourage and grow the dioaconate diaconate, an order of ministry in The Episcopal Church, and provide resources and guidelines guidlelines for its continuing development; for engaging the diakonia of all believers for over 50 years by encouraging, growing, and providing resources and guidelines for the continuing development of the diaconate, an order of ministry in The Episcopal Church; and be it further
Resolved, That the Convention acknowledge that AED is the only Episcopal organization building ecumenical diaconal partnerships, and it serves as the church’s resource portal for the diaconate, without financial support from the Church; and be it further
Resolved, That the Convention consider that Episcopal deacons, the primary supporters of AED, often personally fund their formation, ministries, and on-going professional development; and be it further
Resolved, That the Convention encourage individuals, congregations, seminaries, dioceses, and jurisdictions to support the work of AED by becoming members, participating in its conferences and activities, and engaging the work of diakonia in their own contexts.; and be it further and be it futher
Resolved, That the Convention requests that the Executive Council's Joint Standing Committee on Finance, make a capacity-building $450,000 budget allocation be budgeted during the next triennium to support the infrastructure necessary for the sustainability and growth of AED, subject to appropriate financial oversight.
Resolved, that this Convention looks forward to the day when The Episcopal Church engages more fully in resourcing and supporting the order of the diaconate; and be it further
Resolved, that in the meantime, this Convention requests the Executive Council’s Joint Standing Committee on Finance to consider a one-time, $200,000 allocation to the Association for Episcopal Deacons to support the ministry of the over 3,400 deacons in The Episcopal Church; and be it further
Resolved, that this funding also be used for the AED to engage with Executive Council in creating a working group to support the development of a long-term plan for the ongoing support of the diaconate in The Episcopal Church, and to present it to the 82nd General Convention.