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November 7, 2023
To the Lay and Clergy Delegates to the 180th Convention of the Diocese of Florida,
We greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who prayed for his disciples, that they may all be one.
We are now days away from the 180th Convention. We felt encouraged by the collegial spirit and helpful feedback that marked the pre-convention meetings, and we are grateful to all who attended and participated.
One of the points that the Rev. Joe Gibbes made in his remarks each night was that we could discover some things we have been doing incorrectly for a long time. We would move to correct those practices, and it would feel different. Well, we found one.
Canon 1, Section 3a. of the Diocesan canons succinctly defines clergy delegates as “All canonically resident clergy of the Diocese in good standing.” There is no canonical provision for our long-held practice of allowing seat, voice, and vote to non-canonically resident clergy with cure. We can appreciate the spirit of inclusivity that first led to this mistake; we can also appreciate the careful adherence to the canons by our Chancellor, Mr. Christopher Greene.
Our Chancellor made this ruling having consulted with his Vice-Chancellors. We then double-checked with others having extensive knowledge of the canons. Finally, we checked with our Parliamentarian, Mr. Tim Wynn, who stated in an email to Rev. Gibbes,
“Those who don’t have the right to vote can be allowed to attend and to speak. They just can’t be allowed to vote. A majority vote is required to allow them to attend, but a two-thirds vote is required to allow them to speak in debate. However, all of this is normally handled quite easily by unanimous consent.”
We have several clergy who have registered as ‘non-canonically resident clergy with cure’; it is our intent to ask the Convention for seat and voice for these clergy by unanimous consent.
You may view the list of Canonically Resident Clergy here.
The list of registered lay delegates may be found here.
It is not our aim to exclude anyone from any of their rights at convention. At the same time, it is our aim to follow the canons as carefully as possible to maintain good order. If in our preparation we find other long-standing practices that need to be adjusted, we will communicate that as soon as possible.
We look forward to seeing all of you on Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Munnerlyn Center of the Episcopal School of Jacksonville. Holy Communion begin at 10 a.m. and will be open to all who wish to attend. The business of Convention will commence soon after the service concludes.
Yours in Christ,
Your Standing Committee,
The Rev. Joe Gibbes Mr. Ben Hill
The Rev. Teresa Seagle Mr. Keith Daw
The Rev. Sarah Minton Ms. Jackie Jones
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