Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

At the end of each year you see many Top 10 lists and I have room here for my own choice of seven stories that affected the life of our Episcopal Church in the past year.

1. Haiti relief galvanizes the church. Haiti is the largest diocese in the Episcopal Church and suffered a devastating earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010. Since that time thanks to the coordinated effort of Episcopal Relief and Development most dioceses in the church have offered support for emergency assistance and redevelopment work.

2. Gene Robinson and Desmond Tutu announce their retirement. Two giants of the church announced the ends of their careers in the past year. On Oct. 8 as he turned 79-years-old, Desmond Tutu, longtime archbishop of the Church of South Africa and tireless defender of human rights announced he would withdraw from public life. Then on Nov. 11, 2010, Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop, announced his retirement as the diocesan bishop of New Hampshire effective Jan. 2013.

3. Continuing dioceses fully established in Quincy, San Joaquin, Fort Worth and Pittsburgh. Since 2007, four dioceses have withdrawn from the Episcopal Church and launched independent Anglican expressions united in something called the Anglican Church in North America. Meanwhile, through the leadership of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and the Executive Council continuing dioceses have been constituted in Texas, California, Illinois and Pennsylvania.

4. Staff and budget cuts implemented at 815 include the end of print media. Executive Council had to slash already reduced budgets based on projected income from the dioceses and these cuts have led to the end of print journalism as communication tool for the Episcopal Church.

5. General Seminary keeps doors open. Faced with financial woes, General Seminary where six trustees are elected by the General Convention contemplated closing its doors. In July 2010 the school reached an agreement in principle with its chief lending institution, Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company on terms for a $5.3 million short term loan that provided working capital for the current school year.

6. The Rev. Canon Mary D. Glasspool elected first lesbian bishop. The first lesbian to be elected a bishop was consecrated on May 15, 2010.

7. Episcopal Church membership drops below 2 million. Suffering a steady decline since its peak membership of 3.4 million in the mid-60s, the Episcopal Church dropped below 2 million people for the first time since 1930.

What news stories would you add to complete a Top Ten List? Use our comment section to add to this list of stories. Also check out another list from the good folks at the Episcopal Café: