Despite differences and a radically changing world, Episcopalians in the Diocese of Dallas must kindly remember our mutual life together in communion and our love and charity for each other, the Rt. Rev. George Sumner said in his address to the crowd of about 400 at the 122^nd Annual Convention.

“We live in a time of great upheaval, challenge, change and experiment, in the life of the Church,” Sumner said. “We in this diocese have, I believe, a vocation of memory of the teaching we hold in common with those before us, with churches of the communion throughout the world, with the ecumenical family of churches. We, like those first Christians in Acts, share teaching, as well as sharing prayer, possessions, and bread with the church throughout the ages and the continents. But we do so as loyal members of our own Church, in full communion with our brothers and sisters with whom we may disagree, in our diocese and church and beyond. Inheritance, witness, disagreement, all in charity: all this has to do with communion too. That’s what family is, after all.  So the state of our church in controversy is not simply a problem to be overcome, whether you are a conservative or a progressive Episcopalian. It is a vocation,” Sumner said.

The convention started with a Holy Eucharist service that included a homily by the Rev. Grant LeMarquand, who is bishop of the Horn of Africa. Afterward members of church plant, Resurrection in Plano processed onto the convention floor in celebration of the church’s change from church plant to Mission status. The congregation, which is led by the Rev. Leslie Stewart, and has an average Sunday attendance of about 50.   

Once the convention was called to order, the bishop made appointments to a variety of boards and committees including the Corporation of the Diocese, Endowment of the Episcopate, Audit Committee, Commission on Ministry and Commission on Episcopal Schools.

Clergy and lay delegates voted for proposed changes to the constitution and canons, and casted votes for those running to serve on boards and committees. 

The year’s newly ordained deacons and priests were recognized: The Rev. Jacob Bottom, the Rev. Pamela Fairley, the Rev. Shea Gilliland, the Rev. Alexander Graham, the Rev. D. J. Griffin, the Rev. Andy Johnson, the Rev. Pedro De Jesus Lara, the Rev. Ryan Pollock, the Rev. John D. Sundara, the Rev. Ryan Waller.  

Clergy new to the diocese this year are: the Rev. Matthew Burdette, Good Shepherd in Dallas; the Rev. David Faulkner, Good Shepherd in Terrell;  the Rev. Eric Liles, Saint Michael and All Angels; the Rev. Leo Loyola, St. Thomas the Apostle; the Rev. Randy Melton, St. James by the Lake in Kemp;  the Rev. Melody Shobe, Good Shepherd in Dallas.

The Rev. Michael Gilton, Canon to the Ordinary, solemnly read the names of those clergy who have died in the past year: the Rev. William Forest, the Rev. Neal Hern, the Rev. William Dalton and the Rev. Robert Watts.