Why We Support the Episcopal Diocese of Washington

St. Mark’s made an effort in 2003 to increase our support for-and connections with-the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, financial and otherwise. We hope to build upon that effort this coming year, in part by moving closer to meeting the call to all parishes to contribute 10% of their annual income to Diocesan operations. (We currently contribute 7.9% of St. Mark's net income.) In light of our commitment, we thought you might be interested in a quick overview about the Diocesan activities and services that our contributions help to fund.

Support for Our Parish

By supporting the Diocese, we end up benefiting ourselves-by virtue of the many support services provided for parishes by the people at Church House, the Diocesan headquarters office. For example, we:

• Currently are connecting regularly with Nan Peete, the Canon for Deployment and Ordination, to tap her insights and nationwide contacts in filling our assistant/associate rector opening.
  
  
• Can tap the Diocese’s Youth Ministries Coordinator, Paul Canady, for help in revising and improving our ministry to families and youth.
  
  
• Obtain a Diocesan subsidy to defray some of our costs for the annual parish retreat at Shrine Mont.
  
  
• Take advantage of a host of training programs for our clergy and lay leaders, ranging from mundane-but-important matters such as church governance and property management to spiritual concerns such as Christian Education program options, clergy retreats, and liturgical resources.
  
  

Support for the Greater Washington Community

The Diocese is our principal bridge to other Episcopalians in the area and is a key conduit to connecting with other Christians. By combining with other Christians, we expand our effective grasp toward the “kin-dom at hand.” For example, the Diocese:

• Funds, collectively with its member parishes, an array of local social service programs, such as Samaritan Ministries’ Partner Arms II housing project, the Diocesan Hunger Fund’s grants to area food programs, and Episcopal Senior Ministries’ services for the low-income elderly.
  
  
• Serves a unique role in the national capital by working with the National Cathedral Foundation to operate the Washington National Cathedral as a “House of Prayer for All People” that is open to people of all faiths as they gather to worship and pray, to mourn the passing of world leaders, and to confront the pressing moral and social issues of the day.
  
  

Support for the Wider World

The Diocese is our direct portal to the Episcopal Church USA and the greater Anglican Communion, as well as a link to other Christians around the globe. Together with other entities, or under its own initiative, the Diocese helps us to extend our vision of Christianity. For example, the Diocese:

• Established and maintains the link with the Dioceses of Honduras and Panama through which our Summer Youth Service Trips have operated, and currently is organizing a new effort to assist with development in Africa.
  
  
• Provides significant financial support to the national church, which in turn funds social service efforts, such as the 600 Jubilee Centers offering essential services to needy Americans, and advocacy work, such as the national Office of Government Relations (headed by St. Mark’s parishioner Maureen Shea).
  
  
• Provides an affirmative voice for an inclusive Church, most recently through its endorsement of the election of Gene Robinson as the new Bishop of New Hampshire.
  
  

For more information about the Diocese’s services and activities, check its extensive website at www.edow.org or www.cathedral.org.