May 2011 - Diocese of Fond du Lac

Important IssuesReflections, from page Awatch your Sunday bulletins for further information.The other issue which I need to talk about in somedetail is the possibility of the Diocese of Fond du Lac andthe diocese of Eau Claire forming one new diocese. Overthe past three years we have been thinking about the ideabut now we need to begin serious discussions. Thesediscussions will need to be among ourselves on the locallevel as well as among the leadership of both dioceses.For over two years Eau Claire was without a Bishop;and when they needed Episcopal oversight I would goto Confirm, Ordain and do other things for them. Sincelast spring they have had a part-time Bishop Provisional.Bishop Ed Leidel is working for them 1/3 time. Sincethey have now experienced what it means to have a parttimeBishop, their Convention this fall will be decidingwhether to continue into the future with only a part-timeBishop or if they want to move forward with the possibilityof the two dioceses becoming one new entity. And Ibelieve we need to be ready with an answer from Fond duLac, should the latter be the case.The term in the Canons of the church, when twodioceses become one new diocese, is “junctioning”. It’snot a merging where we come together with our ownidentities and have a combined identity. It is each formerdiocese going out of existence and a new diocese cominginto existence. Of course the former dioceses wouldeach bring strengths and gifts to the formation of the newdiocese; but the new diocese would have to develop itsown identity and way of functioning. Together we wouldform that structure and identity.One question that I hear on occasion is “what wouldthe new diocese look like”? My answer is always that Idon’t know, because it would look like how we structureit. And after five years it would probably look different,as we grow into the future.When I became Bishop of Fond du Lac the diocese hada particular identity and way of living out our mission andministry. Now, eighteen years later, we are much different.We have lived into a new way of doing ministryover the years being guided by the Holy Spirit. The samewould be true for a new diocese.I have been in conversation with the Deans of theDeaneries about how we might best get as many peoplefrom the diocese involved in discussions on junctioning,and how, as the leadership of the diocese, we mightbest gather and then answer questions and concerns. Wehave concluded that this would best be accomplished bydiscussions in the local congregations.In conversation with the leadership in Eau Claire, theDeans and I intend to draft a vision for a new diocese innorthern Wisconsin, along with the pros and cons thatmight come along with junctioning. We would also drafta timeline of how the process of junctioning might happen,which needs to involve the General Convention ofthe Episcopal Church as well as the national ExecutiveCouncil. We will then share this information with theclergy at our Clergy Day in May and ask them to arrangefor opportunities in the local congregations to discussthis. The Deans are hoping that each congregation willsend back comments, questions, and concerns that arise atall of these local gatherings.Over the summer, in conversation with Eau Claire, wewill attempt to answer these concerns, making informationpublic through electronic communication as well aspossibly through bulletin inserts and other means.It is then our intent to spend time at the Deanery Preconventiongatherings discussing what Fond du Lac’sresponse might be should Eau Claire ask us to junctionrather than have just a part-time bishop. Eau Claire willbe changing the date of their Convention in fall, whichusually met in November. They will reschedule it so theirdecision will be known to us by the time we meet for ourConvention on October 21-22.I realize this will take effort on the part of many toprepare ourselves for a possible decision in October, butit is a window of opportunity for which we need to beprepared. To give us opportunity to prepare, it is my intentionto eliminate or postpone a number of other issueswe were to discuss, like the resolution on the AnglicanCovenant that was tabled at the last Diocesan Convention.That and several other things can wait for now.I’m really excited about this challenge that the Lordseems to have dropped in our laps. I know we will beable to meet the challenge if we stay focused on God’swill for us in this, and trust in the Holy Spirit to guide usto right decisionsYours in Christ Jesus,Bishop’sVisitationsMay 1, St. Barnabas, TomahawkMay 7, St. Olaf's, AmherstMay 8, St. Anne's, De PereMay 22, Grace, SheboyganJune 11, St. Mary's Chapel, WautomaJune 12, St. Agnes, AlgomaJune 19, St. Alban's, MarshfieldOur ministryThe Clarion reviews and previews news,activities and events in and affecting thecongregations and people of the Dioceseof Fond du Lac. It also serves asa means to create written dialogue onissues affecting the whole Church.----------Our missionThe Clarion is written to, for, and about thepeople of the Diocese of Fond du Lac. It isdesigned as a means for members of thediocese to communicate with each other;for the diocesan staff to communicate withmembers of the diocese; and to introducenew members and friends to the people ofthe diocese.----------Editor, The Rev. Robert Smith----------Clarion committeeBishop Russell Jacobus, publisherMatthew Payne,assistant editorCarol Gottard,resource assistanKim Lade,proof reader----------SubmissionsThe Clarion welcomes submissions from congregationsand individuals from throughoutthe diocese. Mail to: The Clarion, 1051 N.Lynndale Dr., Suite 1B, Appleton, WI 54914or e-mail files to clarion@diofdl.orgDiocesanOfficeDiocese of Fond du Lac1051 N. Lynndale Dr., Suite 1BAppleton, WI 54914-3094Office phone ........(920) 830-8866Office FAX .........(920) 830-8761The Rt. Rev. Russell Jacobus, Bishoprjacobus@diofdl.orgLay Canon Matthew Payne,Diocesan Administratormpayne@diofdl.orgThe Rev. Diane Murray,Diocesan Youth Ministries Coordinatordmurray@diofdl.orgVicky Stauber-Pufall,Diocesan Office Secretaryvstauber-pufall@diofdl.orgClarion is published 11 times per year in conjunction with Episcopal News Monthly, the national newspaper of the EpiscopalChurch, by the Rt. Rev. Russell E. Jacobus, Bishop of Fond du Lac, Publisher / the Rev. Robert N. Smith, Editor / Printedby AFL Web Printing, Voorhees, NJ.Please send all materials for publication in Clarion to the Diocesan Office, 1051 N. Lynndale Dr., Suite 1B, Appleton, WI54914 or send a plain text file to clarion@diofdl.org.POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Episcopal Journal, P.O. Box 2050, Voorhees, NJ 08043-8000.Diocesan Web Sitediofdl.orgDiocesan ListserviceSend an e-mail with “Subscribe”in the subject line todiofdl-subscribe@yahoogroups.comB May 2011 Clariondiofdl.org