Minnesotans take leading roles in Province VI meetings

Bishop Jelinek and seven others participate in recent synod in Omaha

Seven Minnesota Episcopalians, plus Bishop Jelinek, attended meetings of Province VI entities meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, during the week of July 9, 2007. Five participated in the Province Network meeting from Tuesday afternoon through Thursday noon. Mr. Lou Schoen of Minneapolis is the Coordinator of the Province VI Anti- Racism Network; Canon Bronwyn Clark Skov is the Coordinator of the Faith Formation Network; Ms. Mary-Lou Triebenbach of Plymouth is the UTO representative; Ms. Gurtie Berkner of Basswood Grove represented UTO and ECW; the Rev. Canon Sandi Holmberg is the Coordinator of the Network of Commissions on Ministry.

On Thursday afternoon the Province VI Synod began, and continued through Saturday noon. The Rev. Paul Nancarrow of St. Louis Park and the Rev. Canon Sandi Holmberg represented Minnesota as Deputies. In addition, the Rt. Rev. James Jelinek completed his term as the President of the Province.

The program theme this year was “Behold I Do a New Thing,” based on Isaiah 43:18-21. The Rev. Lou Blanchard of Colorado led the opening plenary on the topic on Thursday evening. On Friday, Jerry Deichert from the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha made a presentation entitled “The Great Plains: Trends in Rural Decline and Urban Growth,” which focused on demographic information regarding major economic sectors, population change, components of population change, age structure, and current economic indicators. The information presented corroborates information concerning Minnesota presented by the Bishop’s Commission on Mission Strategy in the last two years.

Kirk Hadaway, who has been doing work for the Episcopal Church nationally, then addressed the theme of the Synod. He emphasized that the church needs to move away from a "service sector" mentality of seeing itself as a business which provides services to religious consumers, and reclaim its identity as a community which changes lives. Hadaway has written a book, Behold I Do A New Thing, Transforming Communities of Faith. In the afternoon, Ms. Marilyn Meacham led further reflective exercises.

At the Eucharist on Friday, the Rt. Rev. James Jelinek was thanked for his years of excellent leadership as the President of the Synod and was honored with the gift of a beautiful print from the St. John’s Bible Project.

On Saturday morning during the business meeting, the Rev. Marianne Ell of North Dakota was elected as the new President, and the Rt. Rev. Robert O’Neill of Colorado as the new Vice-President of the Synod. The Networks and Synod will meet next year, June 10-14, in North Dakota.