So, you've been elected as a delegate to the Convention...

...and you find yourself committed to representing your congregation as a member of the Convention. Now what?

Well, your term begins with the convening of the Annual Meeting of the Convention this fall and continues until the convening of the next annual meeting in the fall of 2011. However, you will need to prepare for your responsibilities as a delegate well before you attend the Annual Meeting.

How should you prepare?

•    Attend Leadership Training Day on Friday, October 29, 2010, the day before Convention. This will be an opportunity to be in fellowship with other leaders from throughout the Diocese and together improve leadership knowledge and skills.

•    Educate yourself about your responsibilities as a delegate; become familiar with what the Convention is and how it operates. Read the relevant provisions in the Diocesan Constitution and Canons. Those can be found on this Web site, on the Canons page. 

•    Talk to delegates who attended the Annual Meeting last year to find out what the issues were then and whether any will still be relevant at this fall’s Annual Meeting.

•    Visit more pages on this Web site and educate yourself with regard to the Diocese in general and more particularly, the Convention. Click on “Convention XLII.” This site will continue to evolve between now and the Annual Meeting so visit it frequently. It will be the principal source of information regarding the Annual Meeting. You will not receive voluminous packages of material in the mail. To obtain hard copies of the material, just download or print it from the Web site.

•    Plan to attend meetings held in your area during the week of August 22nd to discuss issues that will be on the agenda at the Annual Meeting. Principal among these issues will be the adoption of the budget for the Diocese for the next year. It is the Convention that sets the assessments and the budget.

•    If your congregation is in the County of Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i, or Maui, determine whether that county will be asked to caucus at the Annual Meeting and propose a nominee for Diocesan Council. If so, start the process of determining who that person will be well in advance of the Annual Meeting.

•    Familiarize yourself with the Rules of Order of the Convention. The Rules cover the order of business at the Annual Meeting, the basic rules of procedure, and the various methods of voting. They can be found in the same place as the Constitution and Canons on the diocesan Web site (address above).

With proper preparation, the experience should be an enjoyable and worthwhile one! Your willingness to give of your time and talent is very much appreciated!