From the Nominations Committee in the Diocese of Olympia:
To prepare for elections at diocesan convention, the Nominations Committee is now calling for candidates to represent our diocese in four areas: Diocesan Council, Standing Committee, Commission on Ministry, and General Convention 2022. This year we’re seeking qualified candidates for the following positions:
For Diocesan Council: In fulfillment of Resolution 4 passed at the 2020 Diocesan Convention, the Council will begin a 3-year transition to a new structure including both elected and appointed positions. The positions below will be elected in 2021, with term length determined by the Council’s transition plan.
- Lay representatives from Eastside and Willapa regions (both 3-year terms)
- Clergy representatives from Mt. Baker (1-year), Holy C (3-year), and Columbia (3-year) regions
- The Lay incumbent member from Sno-Isle (1-year term) will stand for reelection
For the Standing Committee (at-large representatives, from across the diocese):
- 1 Lay representative for 4-year term
- 1 Clergy representative for 4-year term
For the Commission on Ministry: In fulfillment of Resolution 6 passed at the 2020 Diocesan Convention, the Commission will transition to a new structure comprised of both elected and appointed positions. This year, the following positions will be elected (with three other positions being appointed to the COM by the Bishop).
- 2 Lay representatives for 3-year terms
- 1 Clergy representative for 3-year term
For our General Convention deputation: This year we’ll elect both lay and clergy nominees to fill vacancies in three alternate positions in our diocesan deputation to General Convention. This convention of the entire Episcopal Church will meet in mid-July 2022 in Baltimore, MD. Openings include:
- 4th Lay alternate deputy
- 3rd and 4th Clergy alternate deputies
Eligibility: In all cases, lay candidates for nomination must be adult communicants in good standing associated with a parish or mission congregation of the diocese. According to our diocesan canons, a communicant is a baptized person who is faithful in corporate worship and has received the Sacrament of Holy Communion in this church at least three times during the preceding 12 months*; communicants 16 years of age and older are considered adult communicants. A Communicant in Good Standing is a one who is a recorded contributor to the support of the church with money or with personal service, as determined by the rector or vicar of the congregation.
(*We recognize that most congregations haven’t been open for in-person worship, including Holy Communion, during the past 12 months and will bear this in mind.)
All clergy candidates for nomination must be canonically-resident in this diocese.
Future newsletters will provide more detail about the responsibilities of those serving on these four groups. For now, it might be useful to know that these councils are currently meeting online via Zoom. This will continue to be an option for all representatives so that geography will not be a barrier to participating in diocesan governance.
Members of the Nominations Committee this year include Ms. Jan Akin (Willapa region), Mr. Wadell Brent (Evergreen), the Rev. Nic Mather (Columbia), Ms. Sylvia Sepulveda (Mt. Baker) and the Rev. Edie Weller (convenor, Holy C). Each of us will be actively reaching out to individuals and congregations to identify potential candidates for the positions identified above.
If you’d like to propose someone for consideration to serve on any of these groups, we encourage you to email the Committee at Nominations@ecww.org by Friday, August 6. Our goal is to identify and confirm the slate for election by Tuesday, September 14 – 45 days prior to the proposed date of convention. (By canon, additional nominees may be recognized at convention).
If you have questions about this process, please contact the Rev. Edie Weller at ebweller53@Q.com. Thank you very much for your help in this effort on behalf of our diocese!
