The final report of the Bishop's Commission on Mission Strategy was overwhelmingly affirmed at Diocesan Convention, and its spirit seemed to mark a great deal of the convention business which followed.
The 150th annual Diocesan Convention elected a number of people to diocesan organizations, selected its deputation for the 2009 General Convention, affirmed the report of the Bishop's Commission on Mission Strategy, approved the 2008 diocesan budget and two resolutions, and defeated both a proposed canonical change and the call for the election of a bishop coadjutor.
The Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota officially opened its Sesquicentennial Year in grand style as nearly 800 persons packed the Grand Ballroom at the St. Paul RiverCentre on Friday, October 26, at the start of the 150th Annual Convention. It was, as Bishop James Jelinek said, a celebration of "a remarkable legacy of love: 150 years of service to the world in the name of Christ." A presentation by Garrison Keillor was the highlight of the event.
The Diocese of Minnesota's support of the Millennium Development Goals was recognized at the Sesquicentennial Kickoff Banquet and, at the close of Convention, Bishop James Jelinek issued a challenge to each congregation. Watch video of these two scenes here.