Mission Districts
The 2010 Diocesan Convention adopted a resolution authorizing the Diocesan Council to replace the eight Deanery structure with a five Mission District structure. Each Mission District has two purposes: (i) to nominate and elect three Diocesan Council members and (ii) “to collaborate in ministry and mission and in furtherance of Diocesan strategic plans and initiatives, and to generally foster a closeness of community within the Mission District and across the Diocese.” With this change in the Canons, Council has fifteen elected members instead of twenty-six.
Diocesan Council adopted the following Mission Districts in March 2011:
District 1 – 10 congregations with Average Sunday Attendance (ASA) in 2009 of 613 people: Alburgh (10), Swanton (57), St. Albans (60), Sheldon (9), Enosburg Falls (9), Colchester (90), Underhill (34), Essex Junction (109), Burlington (170), South Burlington (65).
District 2 – 9 congregations with ASA of 366 people: Newport (60), Island Pond (12), Canaan (6), Lyndonville (16), Hardwick (37), Stowe (48), St. Johnsbury (35), Montpelier (108), Barre (44).
District 3 – 9 congregations with ASA of 389 people: Waitsfield (25), Northfield (33), Randolph (39), Bethel (20), Fairlee (40), Norwich (49), White River Junction (93), Woodstock (65), Windsor (25).
District 4 – 10 congregations with ASA of 545 people: Shelburne (141), Vergennes (57), Jerusalem Gathering, Middlebury (118), Brandon/ Forest Dale (32), Killington (14), Rutland (127), Castle-ton/Fair Haven (17), Poultney (20), Wells (19).
District 5 – 9 congregations with ASA of 612 people: Manchester (152), Arlington (55), Bennington (97), Wilmington (19), Brattleboro (153), Bellows Falls (35), Chester (59), Springfield (29), Proctorsville (13).
2019 Diocesan Council Members
| OFFICE | LAST NAME | FIRST | TITLE | MISSION DISTRICT | TERM | EXPIRATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ex-Officio | Bates | Lynn | Canon | |||
| Ex-Officio | Davis | Gerald | 1 | |||
| Ex-Officio | Little | Thomas | Chancellor | 4 | ||
| Recording Secretary | Fryer | Fern | 4 | |||
| Daley | Mary Alice | 1 | 1 | 2021 | ||
| Edson | Heidi | The Rev. | 5 | 1 | 2019 | |
| Bishop | Ely | Thomas | The Rt. Rev. | |||
| Gates | Colleen | 5 | 1 | 2021 | ||
| Gratz | Louis | The Rev. | 5 | 2 | 2020 | |
| Habersang | Paul | The Rev. | 2 | 1 | 2020 | |
| Hartman | Kathleen | The Rev. | 3 | 1 | 2020 | |
| Hawksworth | Edith | 1 | 1 | 2020 | ||
| Johnson | Barbara | 3 | 1 | 2019 | ||
| Moser | Frederick | The Rev. Dr. | 4 | 1 | 2019 | |
| Muller | Liam | The Rev. | 4 | 2 | 2021 | |
| Newton | Lisa | 4 | 2 | 2020 | ||
| Preece | Mark | The Rev. | 3 | 2 | 2021 | |
| Spainhour | J. Robert | The Rev. | 1 | 1 | 2019 | |
| Strong | Marjorie | 2 | 1 | 2020 | ||
| Wilson | Jean | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
Mission District #1:
- Edith Hawksworth (St. Matthew’s, Enosburg Falls), current
- The Rev. Rob Spainhour (Holy Trinity, Swanton), current
- Rick Taylor (St. Andrew’s, Colchester), retiring
- Alice Daley (St. Andrew’s, Colchester), newly elected
Mission District #2:
- The Rev. Paul Habersang (Christ Church, Montpelier), current
- Marjorie Strong (Church of the Good Shepherd, Barre), current
- Jean Wilson (St. Mark’s, Newport), term ending – re-elected
Mission District #3:
- Kathy Hartman (Christ Church, Bethel), current
- Barbara Johnson (St. James, Woodstock), current
- The Rev. Mark Preece (St. Martin’s, Fairlee), term ending – re-elected
Mission District #4:
- The Rev. Dr. Fred Moser (Trinity, Shelburne), current
- Lisa Newton (Trinity, Shelburne), current
- The Rev. Liam Muller (Trinity, Rutland), term ending – re-elected
Mission District #5:
- Heidi Edson (St. Luke’s, Chester), current
- Paul Gratz (St. James, Arlington), current
- Deb Moser (Zion, Manchester), retiring
- Colleen Gates, newly elected