The 122nd meeting of the Diocese of Los Angeles’s annual convention Dec. 1 – 2 at the Ontario Convention Center will mark the transition from the sixth to the seventh bishop of the diocese as lay and clergy delegates consider the work of its congregations and institutions, vote on a budget for 2018, elect officers, and hear reports of work carried out in the past year.
Retiring Bishop J. Jon Bruno is slated to pass the crozier, or bishop’s staff, to Bishop Coadjutor John H. Taylor at the opening Eucharist, set for 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 1. Taylor, as the new bishop diocesan, will preside over the convention proceedings.
The convention theme is “Feeding Hungry Hearts,” which Taylor has chosen as the theme of his episcopate.
Bishop Minerva Garza Carcaño, Sacramento-based area bishop of the United Methodist Church, will deliver the fifth biennial Margaret Parker lecture during the Friday session, at a time to be announced.
Her visit follows a draft proposal for full communion between the United Methodist and Episcopal Churches, titled A Gift to the World: Co-Laborers for the Healing of Brokenness, released by the Episcopal Church-United Methodist Dialogue Committee on Oct. 23.
Carcaño will join a list of distinguished church leaders who have delivered the Parker lecture, which was established in 2008 by St. Cross Church, Hermosa Beach, in memory of Canon Margaret Parker, parishioner, activist and wife of its longtime rector, the Rev. Canon Richard I.S. Parker. Previous lecturers include former Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori; Bishop Barbara Harris of Massachusetts; the Rev. Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners; and the Rev. Renita Weems, Episcopal priest, author and New Testament scholar.
The first Latina to be ordained a bishop in the United Methodist Church, Carcaño is her denomination’s chief spokesperson on immigration issues and has taken an active role in promoting LGBT rights and interreligious matters. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Pan American and Perkins School of Theology. Ordained in 1976, she has served congregations in Texas, New Mexico and California. In 1986, she became a district superintendent in the continental United States, serving in West Texas and New Mexico. She was elected to the episcopacy in 2004 by the Western Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church, and has led the Phoenix and Los Angeles areas.
This year’s convention will begin on Friday, Dec. 1 at 10 a.m. with Eucharist, followed by legislative sessions. The diocesan community is invited to attend any part of the convention, including the Eucharist and Parker Lecture, but only certified delegates may sit in the main convention area; others, including alternates, may sit in a designated visitor’s gallery. Visitors do not need to register for convention.
Delegates will consider two resolutions; one concerning the proposed reorganization of The Bishop as a Corporation Sole, a California corporation of which the incumbent bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles is sole trustee; and one calling for a two-year study of youth and young adult ministries in the diocese, with results to be reported to convention in 2020. The latter resolution would be funded by contributions from the congregations of the diocese. Texts of the two resolutions are here.
Elections for a range of diocesan offices will also be held during the meeting. Information about the offices and candidates for each is here.
The Exhibit Hall will be open during the day on Friday and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Exhibitors include many ministries of the diocese and the wider church, as well as a number of organizations with goods and services for sale. A cocktail hour will be held in the Exhibit Hall from close of business on Friday until 6:30 p.m.
A buffet lunch will be offered on both Friday and Saturday at $12 per person. The buffets will be set up in the pre-function lobby outside the Exhibit Halls. Seating will be available outside or in the meeting room. No reservations are necessary, and tickets will be sold on site (cash only); visit the meal ticket table during registration.
Childcare will be available for children from infancy to age 11: click here for forms and information. Registration deadline is Nov. 20. Photographer Cam Sanders will be on hand to take photos of clergy during convention; more information will be available soon on the Angelus page.
For other information on Diocesan Convention, click here.