The opening Service of Holy Communion for the 144th Council of our Diocese was held on Thursday, November 7 at St. Mark’s Church, 1162 Beverly Rd., Rydal, PA.  Registration began at 9:00am and the service at 10:00am.  The Rt. Rev. Charles Gillin will preside and the Rt. Rev. Willie J. Hill will deliver the homily.  Clergy are invited to vest and wear white stoles.  Following the service, individually travel five miles to St. Paul’s Church, 800 Church Rd., Oreland, PA for lunch and all business and teaching sessions that afternoon and on Friday morning.  This church also serves as the site of the newly relocated Reformed Episcopal Seminary.

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At the close of our sessions on Thursday afternoon, Council will be in recess and delegates will be free to make their own dinner reservations at local restaurants.  Some local restaurants are found in Ft. Washington and in nearby Ambler, Blue Bell and Jenkintown.  Also, everyone is responsible for their own breakfast on Friday.  A Choral Matins service will be led by the St. Mark’s Church choir at St. Paul’s Church on Friday morning beginning at 9:00am.

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Bishop Gillin has agreed to lead the first teaching session on Thursday afternoon and will speak on the topic of mutual expectations concerning Bishop Jenkin’s assumption of episcopal ministry as Bishop Ordinary.  The second session, on Friday morning, will be led by Deaconess Dr. Susan Regisford, who will address the role and function of Deaconess in the church.  She was set apart as a Deaconess at St. Alban’s Church on June 30.

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Also, there is no host hotel and attendees needing accommodations are responsible for making their own lodging arrangements.  A list of suggested local hotels is posted below.   These hotels are found along the I-276 PA Turnpike corridor centered around the Ft. Washington exit.

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REGISTRATION

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The Registration fee for Council is $75 for all delegates, clergy and laity.   We will use an EventBrite payment website to collect fees and organize our delegate data.  The fee includes the administrative costs of Council as well as the shared lunch on Thursday.  Individuals who are accompanying delegates to Thursday lunch but not voting or attending business sessions may use the reduced Lunch-Only option.​

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CLICK HERE to transfer to the Registration website. (Registration is now complete)

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       Registration deadline: Monday, October 21

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LODGING

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Suggestions for local hotels (Thu. nite rates)  (distance to St. Paul's):

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- ​Best Western Fort Washington  ($87-95)  (3.5mi/7 min)

- Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington  ($105-123)  (3 mi/6 min)

- Holiday Inn Express Fort Washington  ($102-121)  (3 mi/6 min)

- DoubleTree Suites Plymouth Meeting  ($132-158)  (7 mi/15 min)

- Courtyard Willow Grove  ($105-124)  (9 mi/12 min)

- Fairfield Inn & Suites Horsham ($99-119)  (6 mi/12 min)

- Hampton Inn & Suites Montgomeryville  ($128-149)  (10 mi/15 min)

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LAY DELEGATE CERTIFICATION

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CLICK HERE to open the Downloadable PDF of the Certificate of Lay Delegates for 2024

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     Certification deadline: Sunday, October 20

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CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:

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To Rectors and Diocesan Members, From the Nominations Committee:

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Nominations to the Diocesan Standing Committee, Board of Trustees, and Board of Directors for the Seminary are vitally important to the life of our Diocese. These committees are essential to the health and work of our Diocese.

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Standing Committee:  The Standing Committee deals with spiritual and disciplinary matters related to clergy and parishes. People elected to this board must be spiritually mature, understand the structure of the Diocese and able to deal with confidential issues. Most meetings are handled by conference call, however, an occasional face to face meeting may be necessary from time to time.

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Trustees of the Diocese:  The Trustees handle the budgetary and other financial matters for the diocese. They meet twice per year for face to face meetings, and occasionally a conference call meeting is required. It is helpful if people who have business or financial expertise are elected to this board.

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Seminary Board of Directors:  Members of this Board serve in a governance capacity over the Seminary. People with experience in fundraising, business, non-profit corporations or academia are welcome. The Board meets three times per year, with occasional conference call meetings.

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Please carefully and prayerfully consider nominating godly men and women from your parish. While it is true that we do not have a large turn-over each year, we need names of qualified people to fill slots each year. If we get more names than openings, we will keep the names for future reference.

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You may email your nominations to me or to any member of the committee, or to the Diocesan Office for forwarding to the committee.  Nominations for Fall 2023 are requested by Monday, October 21.  Thank you for your cooperation.

 

The Rev. William Vowles
Chairman, Nominations Committee
wtvowles (at) gmail.com
 

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