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What Does the Diocesan Council Do?
At the conclusion of our Diocesan Convention this October, I will have completed one full term on the Diocesan Council of the Diocese of Western New York, including serving for two years as its Vice Chair.
In some ways, Diocesan Council is one of the less visible governing bodies of the diocese. It does not usually attract the same attention as Diocesan Convention, where clergy and lay delegates gather annually to deliberate and vote, or the Standing Committee, whose canonical responsibilities become especially visible during episcopal transitions. Yet Council carries a substantial share of the year-round work of helping the diocese align its resources, programs, and priorities with the mission God has given us.
So, what exactly is the Diocesan Council?
In the Diocese of Western New York, Diocesan Council meets regularly throughout the year to oversee the programs and priorities of the diocese. It develops and presents the annual budget to Diocesan Convention, approves the expenditure of diocesan funds and indebtedness, and works with the bishop and other diocesan leaders to guide the use of our shared resources. Council consists of elected clergy and lay members, with additional members who may be appointed by the bishop, and its members serve three-year terms.
That description can sound administrative, and of course it is. Budgets, expenditures, programs, and priorities are administrative matters. But in the life of the Church, administration is never merely technical. The budget is one of the ways a diocese tells the truth about what it values. The allocation of resources reveals what we believe God is asking us to strengthen, sustain, risk, and sometimes let go. Council’s work therefore belongs not only to management, but to discernment.
The Diocese of Western New York describes its governance as an expression of distributed authority: bishops, clergy, deacons, lay leaders, congregations, committees, and councils all share responsibility for the common life of the Church. That understanding matters. Diocesan Council is not a small group set apart to make decisions in isolation. At its best, it is a representative body that listens across the diocese, weighs needs and opportunities, and helps translate our common priorities into concrete action. We seek to involve others in our work, especially through the various committees which we set up.
Most of the time, Council’s work happens quietly. We review financial reports. We ask questions about diocesan income and expenses. We receive updates on diocesan programs, ministries, and emerging needs. We work with the Treasurer, the Director of Finance, the Finance Committee, diocesan staff, and the bishop’s office to be sure that decisions are made responsibly and with as much clarity as possible.
But Council also has a broader responsibility: to keep asking whether our structures, spending, and shared initiatives are serving the mission of the diocese. That requires more than balancing numbers. It requires listening to congregations of different sizes and contexts, recognizing the pressures many of our churches face, and being willing to ask difficult questions about sustainability, collaboration, and faithful change.
My first full term on Council has coincided with a significant season of transition in Western New York. We have continued to learn what it means to govern faithfully in a diocese shaped by changing congregational realities, evolving financial pressures, and the need for renewed imagination about mission. We have also worked alongside other diocesan bodies whose responsibilities are distinct from ours, but deeply connected to the same common life.
The Standing Committee has its canonical role as the bishop’s council of advice and, when necessary, the Ecclesiastical Authority of the diocese. The Trustees hold and manage diocesan property and investment funds. The Finance Committee assists in recommending budgets and supporting sound financial practice. Diocesan Council’s role is different: it is where program, priority, budget, and mission meet month after month.
As Vice Chair, I have come to appreciate how much of Council’s work depends upon trust. Trust is built when information is shared clearly, when questions are welcomed, when lay and ordained voices are heard together, and when we remember that no single person or body carries the whole wisdom of the diocese. Good governance does not eliminate disagreement, but it gives us faithful ways to disagree, decide, and keep walking together.
I believe our diocese needs Council members who understand both the spiritual and practical dimensions of governance: people willing to read the documents, attend to the numbers, listen beyond their own congregational context, and ask how every decision helps us participate more faithfully in God’s mission.
The work of Diocesan Council is not about preserving programs simply because they already exist, nor about cutting them simply because resources are limited. It is about stewardship. Sometimes stewardship means sustaining what is strong. Sometimes it means reshaping what no longer serves us well. Sometimes it means investing in new possibilities before we can see all the results. Always, it means remembering that the resources entrusted to the diocese belong to the mission of the Church, not to any one office, committee, congregation, or preference.
Perhaps that is what I have come to appreciate most about Diocesan Council. Its work is ordinary and essential at the same time. It is ordinary because it involves agendas, reports, meetings, motions, budgets, and follow-up. It is essential because those ordinary practices help make possible the visible ministries of our congregations, clergy, lay leaders, diocesan staff, and partners across Western New York.
At its best, Diocesan Council helps the diocese connect faithful discernment with responsible action. It holds together mission and money, vision and implementation, local congregational realities and the wider diocesan picture. It reminds us that governance is not an obstacle to ministry, but one of the ways we care for the ministry we share.
As I complete my first full term this October, I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve on Council and as its Vice Chair. The Diocesan Council is on a path to continue to contribute to the transparent, collaborative, mission-centered governance that our diocese needs in this season.
Faithfully,
Jason+
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Bishop Search Update
Final Listening Session
Sessions have now been held in 49 congregations, and a Listening Team will be visiting one last congregation...St Patrick's in Cheektowaga. This isn't the end, but the start of the next step in our search process!
A special thank you to every congregation that has participated and added your voice to the diocesan profile!
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Renewal of Ministry
Bishop Steve will be welcoming the Rev. Karen Lawler to Trinity Church in Lancaster on Saturday, September 12 at 4pm with a Renewal of Ministry service.
All are invited to attend with a reception to follow. Clergy attending may vest in White or Festive.
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Nomination & Resolution Deadline
The final date to submit a nomination and/or a resolution for the Diocesan Convention is this Monday, August 24th.
For information on the Governance Offices, CLICK HERE.
Open Offices
Standing Committee:
1 clergy and 1 lay (4 year term)
Diocesan Council:
1 clergy and 2 lay (3 year term)
Trustees:
2 lay (3 year term)
To submit a nomination, CLICK HERE
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To view the WNY Constitution & Canons, CLICK HERE
To view the Resolutions from the 2025 Convention, as an example of the format, CLICK HERE
To submit a resolution, CLICK HERE
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We're Evolving, Learning, and Growing!
Wendy Schumacher, Missioner for Youth and Children
Diocesan Sleep Away Camp was held from Sunday, August 9, through Wednesday, August 12, at the Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center. Twenty-one staff members were there to welcome, entertain, support, and care for our 40 campers this year, representing a 25% increase in attendance compared to the 2025 camp.
Originally, Sleep Away Camp was designed for campers ages 8-12, while separate Junior High and Senior High camps served older youth. Over time, all three camps began struggling to meet minimum enrollment numbers. As a result, it was decided to expand Sleep Away Camp to include all children and youth from those exiting second grade through graduating seniors.
The transition has been gradual, but Sleep Away Camp is evolving into a program that campers are excited to attend. We began with two distinct tracks and have now grown to three. Campers are divided into the Littles (Grades 2-5), Middles (Grades 6-8), and Bigs (Grades 9-12). Each track has its own Assistant Director and Chaplain, along with age-appropriate programming tailored to the needs and interests of the group. While these changes have come with some growing pains, the results have been rewarding for everyone involved.
The 2026 Sleep Away Camp was filled with learning, fun, love, community, and perhaps a little too much foam! Campers arrived on Sunday afternoon with a wide range of emotions. Some were excited, some were anxious, and some were disappointed they weren't assigned to the cabin they had hoped for. Throughout their time at camp, campers participated in activities with their grade-specific groups, including Chaplain time and other track-based programming, while also joining together as one camp community for meals and many evening activities.
By Wednesday afternoon, it was inspiring to see the strong sense of community that had formed among the campers. The friendships that developed and the connections that were strengthened were the fruits of countless hours of planning, hard work, and a shared commitment to ensuring that everyone felt welcomed, valued, and included.
To view more camp photos, check out the Children & Youth Ministries Facebook Page.
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A Tremendous Camp Experience
Canon Cathy Dempesy-Sims
I have been part of the Diocese of Western New York Camp Program for most of my ordained life, since 2007. I've taken some years off for family obligations, but Sleepaway Camp is deep in my soul. This year's camp was last week, and once again I left exhausted — how is it that I age, but the campers never do? — and also exhilarated, spiritually strengthened, and moved.
At the closing Eucharist on Wednesday, a committee of Turkey Vultures gathered in a dead tree directly in my line of sight from behind the altar. At first I found it unsettling. But in a session with my Spiritual Director, she reframed the image into something beautiful. I had told her about the heavy burdens so many of our campers carry, and how moved I was watching them grow in God's love during camp. She suggested the vultures — birds so often associated with darkness and death — were being held at bay by the light of the Eucharist, shared with our campers, staff, and families.
If you haven't experienced our camp program, I urge you to visit next August. God's love, Jesus's teachings, and the Holy Spirit's warmth infuse the whole week, turning a group of strangers into a community of hope, love, and possibility.
Thanks be to God!
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Worship Leader Training Full
We’ve reached capacity for the Worship Leader training this Saturday, August 22nd at the Diocesan Ministry Center. Only people already registered will be able to take part. There is a waitlist in case space becomes available but there is no guarantee that will happen.
If you are interested in the training for Worship Leaders and were not able to register for this August session, it will be offered again on Saturday, May 22, 2027.
SAVE THE DATE!
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Audits Due October 1st
A reminder that your financial audits are due no later than October 1st. Audit information is available on the diocesan website Finance & Audit Page
If you have any questions please call Maria Manocchio @ 716-881-0660 ext. 118
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Season Winding Down at Brookside
Tonight...Wednesday, August 19 is the final Holy Eucharist at Brookside Chapel with a pot luck supper at 6pm. Please bring your own table service and dish to pass. Iced tea and water will be provided.
Next week... Wednesday, August 26, Deacons Robin Kozlowski and Martha Farone will offer a women's peace retreat. We'll gather at 5pm, enjoy a pot luck meal at 5:30, followed by an activity and worship service, including music. Please email Deacon Martha if you plan to attend the retreat so that enough material is available. All women are welcome to attend, even if you are unable to commit ahead of time.
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FREE Baby Grand Piano
Free to a congregation or an individual:
a Baby Grand Piano in excellent shape. It is located in Rochester, NY and needs to be picked up.
For more information, please call Tiffany 585-706-7320.
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Episcopal News Service
Stay informed on everything in the wider Church by visiting and/or subscribing to the Episcopal News Service (ENS).
ENS WEBSITE
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Prayer for the Bishop Search
Gracious God, we give thanks for your loving care for the people of the Diocese of WNY and the members of the Bishop’s Search and Transition Committees. Give us wisdom and understanding as we discern your will. We
ask for the gifts of honesty, to speak the truth in love; openness to the gifts and ideas of others and to the Holy Spirit; and willingness, to see your Light shining among us and on the path ahead. Prepare for our Diocese a bishop who will be a faithful pastor, and equip us for the ministries to which we are
called in these changing times. Help us to love and serve your world and one another in the Spirit of Christ, trusting in you to be our steadfast helper and guide; let us pray to the Lord. AMEN.
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Ordination Anniversary
The Rev. Ellen Brauza: August 19
We give you thanks, almighty and gracious God, that you have blessed us with their ministry, and we pray that they may continue to exemplify in word and deed the Gospel of your Son. Amen
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Episcopal Church Rhythm
Did you know that the Episcopal Church follows a three-year rhythm through scripture? Each Sunday, the readings come from the Revised Common Lectionary, a shared schedule that moves through years A, B, and C.
Year A focuses mainly on Matthew, Year B on Mark, and Year C on Luke. with readings from John included throughout the cycle.
This rhythm helps Episcopal churches move through scripture together over time.
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Name That Church?
How well do you know the congregations in WNY? Would you be able to name them, if you saw them?
Test your knowledge by naming the church shown, and then click on the photo to reveal the answer!
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Texas Youth Groups Visit the Area
The Rev Rich Inserra
In July, two youth groups from Texas visited the Diocese of WNY to help with two major projects and visit the area.
The youth group from St. Alban's in Harlingen, TX installed a new floor at Sacred Heart of Mary Church in North Collins.
While the youth from St. David's in San Antonio, painted a pickleball court in the community hall at The Church of the Good Shepherd in Irving. They also began to pour the concrete forms that will hold the granite name plates in the graveyard that surrounds the parish.
I would like to thank all the youth and the parishes that sponsored and supported their youth. I would also like to thank everyone here in WNY who helped and supported this endeavor, with a special thanks to St. Alban's in Silver Creek for hosting a dinner and Compline.
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Holy Hike
St. Paul's Cathedral, Buffalo - Holy Hikes of Western New York, a ministry of St. Paul's Cathedral, is pleased to announce its full schedule for the 2026 season. All hikes are held on the second Saturday of the month at 10am, unless otherwise announced.
On September 12, we will hike at Goat Island in Niagara Falls. We hike rain or shine. All are welcome; carpooling will be available from the Cathedral at 9:30am or you can join us directly at the appointed hike location.
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Chicken BBQ, Auction, & Raffle
St. Martin-in-the Fields, Grand Island - Join us for a day of fun with a chicken BBQ, face painting, balloon animals, a silent auction, and a basket raffle on September 12 from 3-6:30pm.
Tickets are $17 and may be purchased at the event. Both drive-thru and dine-in are offered and veterans eat FREE with ID.
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