Happenings around the Diocese

Just as Trinity seeks parishioners to take on ministry in the Church, our Episcopal Diocese of Maryland relies on both clergy and lay leaders to support the work of the diocese. Over the last month I have given some of my own time and energy—if not talent—to two diocesan committees: Compensation & Benefits and the Diocesan Council.

The former group—that I call Comp & Benes—assesses and sets diocesan standards for both clergy and lay compensation. This used to be pretty simple, but the post-pandemic changes in the church have made this work more complicated. Fewer church employees—lay and clergy—are working full time. Parish giving has diminished while the cost of medical insurance keeps rising, but these changes provide an opportunity to create a compensation system that is fair and equitable to all. I am grateful to be a part of that.

The latter committee is something like the vestry of the diocese. We oversee the diocesan budget and assets and liaise with other diocesan committees. One of the most satisfying things we do is approve grant recommendations. In April we approved five awards of $50,000 from our diocese’s Reparations Fund. This past Saturday we held an awards ceremony at the Cathedral of the Incarnation with our grant recipients:

It was a small but powerful event full of joy and hope. The organizations’ leaders spoke with joy and gratitude about their ministries. Their various missions to bring justice, peace, reconciliation, and opportunity to the world vividly demonstrated the value of the Reparations fund.

In peace,

Postscript: We continue to be blessed with more people coming to serve at our altar and preach from our pulpit. Stay tuned for next week when I will say more about Sr. Barbara Smith, the Episcopal Carmelite ordained nun who concelebrated with me on Pentecost and Bishop-Elect Dorothy Parish, Dean of Students at Coppin State and founding pastor of Unity Fellowship Church of Columbia, who will preach to us on June 2.