Update from your ECCT Mission Council: Stronger Together
Mission Council Corner
Similar to how churches have vestries, the Mission Council is a representative body of clergy and lay leaders that oversees certain administrative and financial matters in the Episcopal Church in Connecticut.
Rev. Heidi Thorsen is one of the current members of the Mission Council. In an effort to keep Trinity members in touch with the work of Mission Council and the diocese in general, we share the following update:
January 2023 Update
Our most recent meeting of Mission Council was on January 14, 2023 at Camp Washington. This meeting highlighted how we are stronger together, in the following ways:
We are stronger together, financially:
Churches are working together to lower operational costs – a great example of this is how churches’ property insurance is at a more reasonable rate through affiliation with ECCT
ECCT is considering other ways of helping churches generate income, such as an agreement with a company installing 5G cell phone technology on church properties. This is still in the early stages of exploration.
ECCT is helping churches make faithful and financially wise decisions around property. In general, the selling of property is a last resort. ECCT is in conversations with a realty group that could be a potential resource in considering property sale and usage.
We are stronger together, spiritually:
Mission Council prays together and reflects on scripture (“dwelling in the word”) during our meetings. We recognize that there is a spiritual component to financial and administrative decisions.
On Jan. 14 Mission Council voted to allow four different task forces, formed at previous ECCT Conventions, to continue their work for another year. The work of these task forces helps us stay faithful and relevant:
o Task Force on Fostering Right Relationship with Indigenous People and ECCT – will continue to explore how justice for indigenous people is very connected to other concerns: environmental justice, creation care, and racial justice, reconciliation, and healing.
o Task Force on Reparations – will explore how a Truth and Reconciliation model could be used among churches to lead the work of truth-telling and racial reconciliation, and as a pre-requisite to a reparations program for ECCT.
o Task Force on ECCT Model Policies – will work to make policy trainings (specifically Safe Church) more accessible and efficient
o Task Force on Racism, Homophobia and Misogyny within the Title IV Process – will work to ensure that the clergy disciplinary process (Title IV) is fair and just for all with respect to gender, race, and LGBTQ orientation, with a focus on diversifying this task force and better understanding the demographic makeup of ECCT.
Submitted by:
Karolyn Nicolaides
The Rev. Sandra Stayner
The Rev. Rachel Thomas
The Rev. Heidi Thorsen