32 ( 11 clergy, 21 lay people) attended the Region One Meeting at Christ Church on Nov. 6, 2013.
1. Shrine Mont capital campaign
We welcomed Bishop Ted Gulick, Assistant Bishop of Virginia and Kirk Gibson, Development Officer of Shrine Mont to share their ideas about the new Shrine Mont Capital Campaign. During October, 2013, the Diocese set a goal of $2 million dollars ($2.5 million dream goal) for the campaign based upon a feasibility study by the Episcopal Church Foundation and announced two co-chairs.
The funds from the campaign will be used to update the facility and to create a scholarship fund to help campers pay the cost of Shrine Monte summer camp. They need to add spaces for campers and staff plus update and reconfigure existing space. There is deferred maintenance to be performed. The scholarships are a “glorious opportunity” to achieve a greater diversity of campers and to assure no child should be turned away from Shrine Mont camps due to an inability to pay.
The summer experience is important for both campers and councilors. Bishop Ted stressed that over the summers lives are changed at Shrine Mont among the campers. Many find God easier to understand in this “place apart”. He provided examples of one baptism and three confirmations that occurred. God is also raising up the next generation of Episcopal leaders. He recalled his own experience in that regard.
They have 189 Diocesan churches and 90,000 Episcopalians as their target. What makes a Diocese capital campaign different from a church campaign is the length of time involved. Kirk Gibson stressed that they require up to 1.5 years to be able contact all the churches. They emphasized the positive results from the recent feasibility study where 98% of the surveys were supportive of such a campaign.
Currently they are in the “quiet phase” of the campaign where they are meeting with potential major donors who could raise a majority of the needed funds. Each dollar received will be put to physical facilities and camp scholarships equally.
Both speakers encouraged churches to send potential donor names to them. Our churches should begin adding the capital campaign to future church events, such as parish meetings to attract interest. Other ways include adding a Shrine Mont pledge to 2014 parish budgets or holding special events. The anticipated timeline is to announce the general phase on or after Annual Council 2014.
The Region approved an amended budget in the meeting which includes a $1,000 contribution to the capital campaign in 2014 to be paid after when we receive sufficient funds in 2014.
We would like Region One to be the leading region in the Diocese supporting this cause. Other regions will be challenged to that effect. For our special event in 2014 we are leaning toward holding a dinner at one of the larger churches to raise funds for the campaign. We would like the event to include a hymn sing or camp songs geared to Shrine Mont. Details will be worked out in the next meeting in Feb., 2014.
2. Other Actions
– We passed an amended 2014 budget with anticipated resources of $14,431. The budget included transferring $2,500 each to the congregational emergency funds, mission and youth. We have spent a record $13.6K in those areas during 2013 so ending balances are low. We reiterated the need to have 2014 church pledges to treasurer Jack Gaines by December 15.
– We elected two Region One youth delegates to go to Annual Council. Mike Hamilton from Trinity who will be the voting delegate and Hannah Cannon as the alternate, part of our youth commitment.
– The Rev. Marian Windel from Church of the Incarnation introduced a possible Annual Council resolution from Region One which targets reducing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It encourages Diocese entities to redirect investments from a Prohibitive List (from a statement for the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society) and to promote awareness about the mineral trade in the purchase of electronic components. This trade is a major funding source of the ongoing Congo war. The minerals wind up in electronic devices purchased by consumers. Giving the complexity over the issue and the fact that not every delegate had a copy of the resolution, we will communicate the text through email/the web site and have a vote through email/ the web site by December 15.
– We thanked Mary Jo Browning for her 3 year duty as our representative on the Executive Board of the Diocese and also our Dean Jeff Packard for serving in that position for 4 years.
– We discussed recent events in the region, such as Church festivals at Aquia, St. Asaph’s, and St. Mary’s and educational activities at the latter as well as a St. Peter’s/St. Asaph’s concert. We also noted that we will have 8 churches in transition by early 2014.
– Finally, 2014 possible program topics were discussed including working with other denominations, a mission update, food ministries and finally a review of our own direction and initiatives.