Pre-Convention Meeting Summary 2024

The Pre-Convention Meeting occurred on March 16, 2024 at 10:00 AM via Zoom. If you missed the meeting, a comprehensive summary of the Pre-Convention meeting can be found here. 

Bishop Phyllis Spiegel conducted the 2024 Pre-Convention meeting via Zoom on March 16, 2024, from 10:00 to noon. Pre-Convention focused on explaining resolutions and electronic voting instructions, introduced candidates, and gave a comprehensive look at Diocesan financial documents including last year’s financial expenditures and a detailed description of this year’s budget.

As a cost-saving measure, the Diocese of Utah will be running its own audio/visual setup during the convention; there will be 5 workshops that will be recorded and added to the web. 

Need lodging for convention? Find hotel information by clicking the button below.

From the Canons of the Diocese of Utah:

1.2.7 It is the duty of Lay Delegates to attend that meeting of the Convention to which they are
elected or appointed including pre-Convention meetings.
1.1.5 It shall be the duty of all Clergy entitled to seat, voice and vote in the Convention to attend
the Convention and pre-Convention meetings.

Zoom elections for Regional Representatives for the Salt Lake and Eastern/Southeastern regions took place just prior to the Pre-Convention meeting.

Resolutions

The meeting commenced with opening prayers and comments from The Rt. Rev. Phyllis A. Spiegel, followed by an overview and discussion session regarding the resolutions to come before the convention, led by Branden Burningham, Esq., and Stephen F. Hutchinson, Esq. 

Branden Burningham’s presentation detailed two key resolutions. Here are the details 

Resolution #1:

In order that debate may be directed toward the resolution and not toward its justification, only the “RESOLVED…” will be moved. The explanation of the resolution will, however, be distributed to delegates. Resolutions may be submitted to the Convention by the Bishop, Standing Committee, Diocesan Council, a member of the Clergy canonically resident in the Diocese, a Warden, a delegate to the Convention, a Diocesan Council representative of any Region of the Diocese, a Vestry, A Bishop’s Committee, a Congregation, a Diocesan Commission or a Diocesan Committee.

Resolution #2:

In order that debate may be directed toward the resolution and not toward its justification, only the “RESOLVED…” will be moved. The explanation of the resolution will, however, be distributed to delegates. Resolutions may be submitted to the Convention by the Bishop, Standing Committee, Diocesan Council, a member of the Clergy canonically resident in the Diocese, a Warden, a delegate to the Convention, a Diocesan Council representative of any Region of the Diocese, a Vestry, A Bishop’s Committee, a Congregation, a Diocesan Commission or a Diocesan Committee.

Chancellor Canon Stephen Hutchinson then presented 3 general convention resolutions. This presentation gave us insight into changes happening through the wider church. View all the general convention resolutions by clicking the button below.

Voting at Convention

Cn. Craig Wirth, Director of Communications, and Mr. David Skorut, Assistant of Communications, delved into the offices to be elected at the convention and explained the overview of the voting process, as well as provided a basic overview of current candidates.

They emphasized that all convention delegates must register using an email that will be used to send them a special voting access code. This code will also be available on their nametags at the convention. Delegates may access the voting page either through a link or by scanning a QR code, and then proceed to vote using their unique access code.

It is recommended to use 5G and LTE signals for a smoother experience and to prevent overwhelming the Wi-Fi system.

Budget

Mr. Bill Potts, CFO, presented an excellent overview of last year’s expenditures and this year’s diocesan budget. His presentation highlighted an optimistic projection for Camp Tuttle’s income, increased earnings across several areas based on the 2023 performance, and an anticipated revenue boost for the Wasatch Center. Despite a 15% reduction in most congregational grants, the budget demonstrated a 7.2% increase in income and a 3% reduction in expenses compared to the previous year, leading to a balanced budget.

Final Remarks

In final remarks led by Bishop Spiegel, there was a strong push for delegates to secure their hotel and lodging bookings, with information on booking available on the convention website and the newsletter. Additionally, Bishop Spiegel announced a children’s choir performance to conclude the convention’s second day.

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