A Draft Resolution Supporting C095? Help, Please.

I'm drafting a resolution to do a re-visioning process in the Diocese of Indianapolis, in parallel with the Task Force established by resolution C095 (which...if you're going to read further, you should open it right now, because you'll want to refer back to it. I make no apologies for borrowing from it liberally). I'm interested in constructive feedback, particularly anything that points out where I might have violated the rules I posted yesterday.

I'm also concerned about anything that might undermine the work of the Task Force, so I'm interested in any thoughts on that issue -- though generally I think that a church wide visioning process is more likely to be supporting than interfering. Nonetheless that's the reason I set August 6, 2014 as the deadline for the reporting of my proposed committee's work, so it would be out there for a few months before the C095 Task Force's final deadline of November, 2014.

I'm definitely seeking ideas for how a committee might be chosen at the diocesan level.

Finally -- I'm under deadline! This is totally my fault, but resolution deadlines are coming down on the Diocese of Indianapolis right now. This puppy is due on Sunday.

Thanks to any and all for your help!

--

Resolved, that the 175^th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis affirms Resolution C095, Structural Reform, adopted by the 77^th General Convention of the Episcopal Church;

And be it further

Resolved, that this Convention urge all members  of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis to pray regularly for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to be upon the Task Force so established for the duration of its work, commending the Prayer for the Church found on page 816 of the Book of Common Prayer as a useful example;

And be it further

Resolved, that the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis commit itself and its officers to open and prompt sharing of information and expertise with the Task Force if and when so called;

And be it further

Resolved, that the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis believes that just as the Holy Spirit is urging the Episcopal Church to reimagine itself, so is the Holy Spirit also urging all of the constituent members of the church to reimagine themselves, through the conversion of individual hearts, parishes, and dioceses to more faithfully

• Proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
• Teach, baptize, and nurture new believers
• Respond to human need by loving service
• Seek to transform unjust structures of society
• Strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth;

And be it further

Resolved, that this Convention, under the legislative powers vested in it by the Constitution of the Diocese of Indianapolis IV.4.(c) create a committee whose purpose is to

• Study scripture and pray for God’s continual blessing upon the whole church and especially God’s people in the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis
• Engage in theological and historical reflection on the Diocese as the organizing unit of Christ’s church
• Make itself available to the Task Force established by C095 as fellow travelers in discernment of the will of God for the church
• Engage in appreciative inquiry of the programs, activities, and outreach of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, obtaining the wisdom, perspectives, and expertise of others throughout the Diocese, including those not often heard from
• Discern a shared vision for a relationship between the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis and its constituent missions, parishes, and other bodies that reflects the love of Jesus Christ and the theology and polity of the Episcopal Church
• Develop recommendations for the Diocese and its constituent missions, parishes, and other bodies to achieve that vision together, with God’s help
• Deliver an interim report to the 176^th Diocesan Convention and a final report to the 177^th Diocesan Convention, the latter to be published no later than the Feast of the Transfiguration, 2014 (August 6), on its discernment findings and recommendations, with such reports also to be made freely and contemporaneously available online, along with such resolutions as may be necessary to implement those recommendations;

And be it further

Resolved, who should select these people and how should they do it? We don’t have the built-in PHoD and PB structure at the diocesan level, that the members of the committee be named no later than the Feast of the Confession of St. Peter the Apostle (January 18, 2013), and that the members adequately represent the diversity of this diocese, and include those at a critical distance from the power structures of the Diocese

And be it further

Resolved, that the Executive Council, using the powers granted to it by the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, make such resources available to the committee as are necessary to enable this resolution to be implemented energetically and successfully, “…for surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Explanation: Don’t have the energy for this now. But if you’ve gotten this far, you know what it’s about.