Diocesan Synod 2021 will take place on Oct. 30, but due to health and safety precautions during the pandemic, it will be held as an online gathering. And like the 2020 Synod, it will be a much shorter business only session, except that there will be a keynote speaker this year.
Instead of the usual Great Chapter meetings, there will be two pre-Synod information sessions hosted on Zoom. The first, on Oct. 12 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. will focus on proposed amendments to the Canons and Bylaws relating to the appointment of associate incumbents in parishes and to episcopal elections. The second session will be on Oct. 18 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. There will be time to continue discussions of the Canon and Bylaw changes if needed and followed by a presentation of the diocesan financial reports. All Synod Members will receive the Zoom links by email before these meetings.
The Synod circular will be published in October. It includes reports on all aspects of Diocesan life, the draft Synod agenda, practical information on how Synod “works,” notices of motion and material on issues to be addressed at the meeting. The circular and financial statements will only be made available online, and organizers ask Synod Members to read all the material in the circular carefully because it will not be repeated during plenary time.
The keynote speaker will be the Rev. Canon Dr. John Gibaut, president of Thorneloe University. Gibaut, a priest in the Diocese of Ottawa, held senior executive leadership positions within the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland and the Anglican Communion Office in London, England before returning to Canada to head Thorneloe University. He is well known in ecumenical circles, having been a member of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue of Canada, the Faith and Witness Commission of the Canadian Council of Churches, the International Commission for Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue, and the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations.
Synod members can check for updates and information at:
https://www.ottawa.anglican.ca/Synod
St. John, Antrim — Deanery of the Southwest