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July Diocesan Council Recap
The Diocesan Council met via Zoom on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. After greetings and an opening prayer from Tammy Enockson, we reviewed, as we always do, Respectful Communication Guidelines. Then an informative discussion ensued regarding available grants, a line of credit at Bremer Bank, our real estate policy, an update on the flood damage in the basement of St. George’s, and funds for a potential Youth Missioner position.
Bishop Brian shared with us that Bishop Todd Ousley will join us in Minot for the September Council meeting. He is the Bishop for Pastoral Development from the Presiding Bishop’s office. Bishop Ousley hopes to share ideas as we move forward in the process of calling our next full time presiding bishop.
Much appreciation was expressed for Jess Krzewina, our Diocesan Administrator, and the tireless work she does for us. She recently relocated to St. Cloud, Minnesota. She will continue to work remotely with Bishop Thom (as has been the case all along) and travel to Fargo once or twice a month to assist the Diocesan Bookkeeper.
Stephanie Garcia said “more to come” from the Reconciliation Committee for when we meet in September. Robert Fox of St. Paul’s, White Shield (Creation Care Committee member) has embarked on a project involving planting trees for the Fort Berthold Prayer Path, an initiative supported by a grant from the United Thank Offering. And a short discussion was held about possibly clarifying Rev. Kim Fox’s title and duties.
Bishop Brian spoke briefly about his visitation schedule to North Dakota, learning that he spends one extra day here than Bishop Ely usually spent. Bishop Brian hopes to make productive use of his time with us during his visits. Bishop Brian also spoke of All Saints in Valley City. They have made the difficult decision to close. More information will be shared at Diocesan Convention in October.
As the meeting drew to its end, a lively discussion unfolded around diocesan staffing and budgeting procedures. Our Diocesan Treasurer, Amy Morrow, gave us a preview of the 2025 budget draft, and shared good news about the Bakken Oil fund: we have done surprisingly well in the past few months earning $48,000 from our wells, towards a $50K 2024 expectation. Fr. John Floberg also told us that the General Convention Grant has been helpful for us here in North Dakota, supporting several ministries in full or in part. Further discussion was held about reallocating funds that we have to cover shortfalls, and if we should focus our budget out two years rather than just one.
Our meeting closed with a beautiful prayer given by Tammy Enockson. The Council looks forward to meeting in Minot in September to continue working on all of the items mentioned here, and much more!
Deacon John Anderson
Diocesan Council Representative for the eastern region
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