of the
West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod
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for Synod Assembly Click Here for Info |
| Pre-Assembly
Bulletin of Reports Click Here |
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Contents
|
By order of the Synod Council of the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a regular meeting of the Synod Assembly shall convene on Saturday, 20 May 2023, at 10:00 AM, at the Mon County 4H Center, Mylan Park, Morgantown, WV.
Although the first save-a-date was published in November,
Synod Assembly is officially announced by the "Call of the
Assembly," that must be issued 60 days prior to the
convening of the assembly.
Agenda
As this is a regular meeting of the Synod Assembly, all
business required by the governing documents will be on
the agenda. That includes an explicitly enumerated set of
reports and elections. New business is also allowed, but
there are rules that set a deadline for submission of
nongermane resolutions and memorials (see here).
The proposed agenda will be published in The Pre-Assembly Bulletin of Reports. It is subject to amendment by the assembly.
COVID Mitigation
Synod Council, in its 9 April 2022 Synod Council meeting,
determined that Synod Assembly 2022's COVID mitigation
policy would be whatever the standard was according to the
CDC, WV State, and Mon County Health Department, and,
where there was conflict among them, the higher standard
would prevail. Synod Council has not yet set a standard
for Synod Assembly 2023. To be sure to receive information
on last minute changes, sign up for our text messaging
service.
Churchwide Reports
The Rev. Christopher Otten
Our Churchwide Representative for Synod Assembly 2023 is
The Rev. Christopher Otten, Assistant to the Presiding
Bishop and Director, Federal Chaplaincies.
You can learn more about ELCA Federal Chaplaincy at https://www.elca.org/Our-Work/Leadership/Federal-Chaplaincy-Ministries/Contacting-Chaplaincy-Office.
Registration
Registration Deadlines
- 1 May 2023: In order to receive notice of
publication of the Pre-Assembly Bulletin of Reports,
registration must be submitted online by close of
business 1 May 2022. Those registering after this date
will be responsible for accessing the Synod Assembly
page themselves (or through their agent) in order to
obtain Synod Assembly reports and materials.
- 16 May 2023: Online registration closes at the
end of the day. Those registering after this date will
be responsible for for accessing the Synod Assembly page
themselves (or through their agent) in order to obtain
Synod Assembly reports and materials.
- 20 May 2023: You may register the day of the Synod Assembly. A downloadable registration form will be posted on this page after online registration closes. If registering the day of the Synod Assembly, please download the form, print it out, fill it out, and bring it with you to the Synod Assembly, reporting to the registration desk for submission and processing.
Voting Member Minimum Requirements
Voting members fall into two classes: clergy and laity.
- Laity voting members are elected by their
congregations (either Congregation Meeting or
Congregation Council, depending upon the local
practice). Laity voting members, in addition to election
by their congregations, must be voting members of their
congregations (voting members being confirmed members
who have made a contribution of record and communed in
the congregation during the current or preceding
calendar year). Some laity voting members are
enfranchised by virtue of being a member of Synod
Council or being the lay chair of a conference.
- Clergy voting members are those under letter of call or those enfranchised under our governing documents or by the Synod Council under one of several special classes.
| ☞ |
Register Online Here! Click for form |
On-line registration for Synod Assembly 2023 opened 21 February 2023 (significantly earlier than expected or planned). Click here to review all registration deadlines.
Dispensation from Requirement for Male and Female Laity Voting Members from a Congregation
Normally, a congregation is to send one male and one
female voting member. Dispensation, however, may be
requested of the Synod Council. For smaller congregations,
in particular, it may be difficult to find both a male and
a female willing/able to attend. To request dispensation,
please complete this form: Dispensation from
M-F VM Requirement. Requests for dispensation will
be processed, at minimum, weekly. In the meantime, proceed
with registration of your voting members until informed to
the contrary.
Synod Assembly 2023: Nuts &
Bolts
Date(s)
20 May 2023
20 May 2023 was announced (by website, Roadshow,
and facebook) on (or about) 21 November 2022 as the
confirmed date for Synod Assembly 2023. At the same time,
it was announced that the assembly would convene at the
Mon County 4H Center, Mylan Park, near Morgantown, WV.
Adjourned Meeting
Synod Council has not yet reserved a date for an
adjounred meeting of the Synod Assembly. It is hoped that
all work can be completed in one day. A second day will be
necessary under two conditions (otherwise we are done at
the end of the first day and go home without having to
come back):
- The Synod Assembly has uncompleted required business under the CBCR/WV-WMD or RONR.
- The Synod Assembly has business, though not required, it wishes to take up on a second day.
An adjourned meeting is not a special meeting; it is a
continuation of session. Folks often get the terms
inverted. A "meeting" is a discreet sitting for business
without more than a momentary recess of short duration,
the assembly members remaining in the immediate area and
prepared to return to work. A dinner break, break for
mass, or the overnight break constitutes a break that ends
a meeting. The "session" is the work of the assembly that
is governed by one agenda. So, our assemblies are already
made up of at least three meetings in one session. An
adjourned meeting is the next meeting in a series of
meetings that make up the session. With an adjourned
meeting,
- we continue business where we left off;
- there is no new registration process, all the voting members at the first meeting continuing as voting members in the next; and
- alternate voting members can be seated through the Committee on Registration should those originally serving be unable to continue.
Everything mentioned here is already the case with our
Synod Assembly, but we may not have recognized it as such.
Again, the major difference is the longer period of time
between meetings.
Venue
The Mon County 4H Center is located in Mylan Park, two
miles west of I-79 Exit-155, providing easy access for
travelers (click here for
google map). You can visit the facility online at
its Mylan Park
website. We are renting both the indoor and outdoor
pavilion, with the assembly business planned for the
outdoor space, the inside space being used by committees,
the assembly office, and, if need be, assembly hall should
the weather turn foul. As with the last Synod Assembly,
the outdoor space has ample room for exhibitors and
socialization.
 Dining Guide |
Dining
There are ample dining options, ranging from fast food
drive-thru to high class sit-down, within a short drive,
the Gateway complex and University Town Centers being two
and three miles away respectively. Drive a little further,
and even more options become available. Lunch will be an
extended period of time not only to allow attendees to eat
with some leisure but also to allow the tellers to count
ballots. It will also be possible for attendees to pack
their own picnic lunches and eat at the pavilions (or
anywhere else in the park). In 2022 we had a food truck
on-site much to the delight of many attendees. We hope to
do so again, but there are no guarantees. Lunch is not
included in the registration package.
 Lodging Guide |
While the assembly is planned as a one-day event, some
may still opt for overnight accommodations. There is ample
lodging in the area for anyone wishing to secure
accommodations. Of course, many will prefer to simply
travel in the morning and return home when we wrap up. A
lodging guide is available for your perusal, but there are
many other options that are not listed. The lodging guide
does not imply endorsement. Lodging can be had in the
Morgantown area at a wide variety of pricepoint and
accommodation level. Lodging is not included in the
registration package.
Cost
Synod Council has set the registration fee at
$0.00---that's right: free registration for the third
year in a row! This is possible because of
aggressive cost-cutting measures by SAPComm, redesign of
the Synod Assembly, an amazingly good deal on the meeting
venue, and a surplus in the Synod Assembly fund.
Synod Assembly Communications
Keeping abreast of all the information connected with
Synod Assembly isn't easy. To assist, we automatically
enroll registered attendees onto a dedicated email list.
Other means of communication (the synod website, Facebook,
and The Bishop's Road Show) are also employed.
Visit our Synod
Assembly Communications page for more information.
SMS/ Text Messaging
We've added a simple text messaging service to let you
know when announcements related to Synod Assembly are
published. Click here for more info.
Reserving the Right to Postpone or Cancel
Concerns about the pandemic have not abated. Synod
Council continues to monitor the situation and reserves
the right to postpone or cancel the Synod Assembly in
response to the pandemical situation. At the same time,
the state, the local health department, or the venue may
respond to a change in the pandemical situation that
precludes our gathering.
Why This Way?
Synod Assembly 2021 posed the greatest challenge ever
faced by this synod in planning and holding an assembly.
As we are not yet out of the pandemic and pandemical
conditions change quickly, we are approaching this year
with similar caution. A formal decision on COVID protocols
for the assembly will be made at the 15 April 2023 Synod
Council meeting, but the synod Council reserves the right
to modify them in response to the situation on the ground.
Additionally, while not a perfect assembly---what assembly
is ever perfect?---feedback has been generally positive,
with several expressing particular approval of the
open-air venue. Synod Council deemed it reasonable to
attempt replication (though not without debate).
Reviewing the COVID-19 Concerns for Synod Assembly 2021
Initial plans for the Synod Assembly 2021 were laid out
and accepted in principal by Synod Council at its October
2020 meeting. At the time, both risk mitigation and
pandemic psychology were forefront in the Synod Council's
thinking. The following assumptions drove planning:
- An easing of government restrictions and recommendations could not be expected, meaning social distancing, masking, attendance caps for indoor venues, and food service requirements (e.g., no buffets) would all still be in place;
- There would be a general uneasiness on the part of
potential voting members to stay in hotels/motels;
- Potential attendees would be dissatisfied with the
cost and quality of boxed meals and/or would be
uncomfortable with social dining (if even allowed by the
government or venue); and
- The sine qua non of the Synod Assembly is the
conduct of business.
With these assumptions, the following planning goals were
accepted:
- Synod Assembly should be in a high-ventilation context (e.g., an pavilion, amphitheater, field house, etc.);
- Synod Assembly should be as short as possible (with a proposed agenda including only those items of business required under the governing documents of the Synod and RONR);
- Synod Assembly should be planned to be held over two non-consecutive days and arranged such that it may adjourn sine die at the end of the first day if the work of the assembly is completed or deems the second day unnecessary;
- Synod Assembly should be held within a reasonable distance to the travel-calculated geographic center of the Synod; and
- Synod Assembly should be held in proximity to multiple dining options with an extended lunch hour.
SAPComm, monitoring the pandemical situation, concluded
that an open-air assembly, social distancing, and
mandatory masking were no longer necessary but, being of
the opinion that flexibility for response to possible
variants and new waves of the coronavirus, chose to retain
some of the planning parameters.
Synod Council reviewed SAPComm's work, settling on some
details and leaving others to the committee for further
work. As mentioned, details will be posted as they develop
and can be formatted for presentation.
Pre-Assembly Bulletin of Reports
The Pre-Assembly Bulletin of Reports is published 10 days prior to the convening of a Synod Assembly. On-line registration by 1 May 2023 is vital to guarantee notice of the publication of the bulletin. That said, it will be posted on this webpage and announced on our synod Facebook page and The Bishop's Roadshow. Be sure to check out our Synod Assembly Communications page for ways to keep abrest of developments.
Synod Assembly 2023: Submissions
Nominations 2023
|
Deadline for Nominations 19 February 2023 |
The public input phase for nominations associated with
Synod Assembly 2023 opened 20 January 2023 and closed 19
February 2023 be the synod bylaws. Floor nominations will
be allowed (as well as write-ins during the election) at
the assembly. To learn more about what positions will be
up for election at Synod Assembly 2023 and how to
recommend people for nomination to those positions, visit
our Nominations & Elections Page.
Reporting to/at the Assembly
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Deadline for Reports 1 April 2023 |
Exhibiting at the Assembly
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Deadline for Exhibit Application 1 April 2023 |
There are some significant changes this year when it comes exhibiting. Please visit our Exhibiting at Synod Assembly page for more information.
Resolutions & Memorials
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Deadline for Resolutions & Memorials 30 April 2023 |
As this is a regular meeting of the Synod Assembly, the
introduction of non-germane new business is not only
permitted by expected. Those interested in introducing new
business should note the deadline, 30 April 2023.
Understand, early submission is advantageous. Visit our
Resolutions & Memorials page for details on
submission, format, etc.. If you missed the deadline,
review the parliamentary aids section located in the Pre-Assembly
Bulletin of Report.