Remarks from General Convention: Jana Troutman-Miller
Photo credit: Scott Gunn
After the House of Deputies voted to approve the reunion of the Episcopal Diocese of Wisconsin, the Rev. Jana Troutman-Miller, deputy to General Convention and a Trialogue Steering Committee member, spoke to the House.
Thank you, Madam President. My name is Jana Troutman-Miller, and it is my privilege to come before you and the deputies of this 81st General Convention, representing the good and faithful people of the Diocese of Wisconsin.
The dioceses of Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, and Milwaukee began our discernment together in the early fall of 2021, at the invitation of Bishop Matthew Gunter, as a group of laity, clergy, and bishops gathering to simply test the waters to see how our three dioceses might begin to think about areas of common ministry and mission, and by the end of that meeting we had made the unanimous decision to dive head first and focus together on one question: should we reunify back into the Diocese of Wisconsin.
The next two and a half years have been spent doing just that. And, as we pondered that question, we began the spiritual practice of paying attention.
We were all coming out of the pandemic, and we were paying attention to the question that everyone had on our mind: What will our church look like now, and how shall we respond to the needs of our parishes, our communities, and the state of Wisconsin as they present themselves to us in so many new ways?
We found ourselves three dioceses with one full-time bishop, the Rt. Rev. Matthew Gunter, and our provisional bishop, the Rt. Rev. Jeffrey Lee, who were both willing and more than able to sit in mutuality, respect, and openness to ask the tough questions, be open to the answers, and be eager to create solutions.
The timing was absolutely right and we paid attention.
Our initial group that met on that first day became what we called the Trialogue Steering Committee. We paid attention to the trust that we had with each other and the ability speak our truth in love when needed.
Honesty with one another and our dedication to becoming the Church that Christ was calling us to be was the formula that we used every step of the way.
We paid attention to the need to bring in others from around the state to participate in the work of discernment and formed task forces made up of laity and clergy that did everything from creating a state-wide profile of who our three dioceses were and what we could be to a dedicated group who prayed faithfully together for our discernment weekly. And I would bet that they are at home praying for us and all of you at this very moment.
We paid attention to the unique opportunity that we had before us to create a brand new set of nimble, relevant, and mission-centered constitution and canons that were designed to work for the church, rather than the church having to work for or around the constitution and canons.
We paid attention to the voices of our deputies at four separate conventions in each of our dioceses and at clergy gatherings and retreats. We kept our standing committees and executive councils apprised of each step we were taking and initiated their votes of confidence along the way.
We especially paid attention to hundreds of faithful and dedicated Episcopalians from around the state as we held 30 town hall gatherings, and had countless one-on-one meetings with lay and clergy alike, wanting to hear their questions, their concerns, their suggestions, their hopes, and their dreams.
And we paid attention to outside voices from around the Church who helped encourage us when we were on the right track and suggested things that would make our work stronger.
We want to thank especially our now presiding bishop-elect, the Rt Rev. Sean Rowe, and Ms. Sally Johnson who advised us on systems and our constitution and canons, and most especially we want to express our gratitude to Rebecca Wilson and her amazing team from Canticle Communications who kept us on track, made sure we dotted our “i’s” and crossed our “t’s” and without a doubt made it possible for us to be here before you today.
And this spiritual practice of paying attention was in our hearts and minds on May 4, 2024, when our three dioceses met together and voted a resounding yes to reunify into one diocese that will continue to honor the legacy of the Oneida people who were the first to bring the Episcopal Church to the territory of Wisconsin in the 1830s and blessed Jackson Kemper who was the first bishop of the Diocese of Wisconsin when it began in 1847.
This was a process that was done with intentionality and laser-focused on mission, and being good stewards of all the gifts that God has entrusted to us, always asking and discerning who God was calling the Episcopal Church to be in the state of Wisconsin. We believe that call has brought us, the people of the three dioceses of Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, and Milwaukee to this moment so that that our entire Church might be a part of our story and give us its blessing as we leave here as one diocese, the Diocese of Wisconsin.
Please pray for us as we go from here to begin the real work of this reunion, the living into the call that we have been paying attention to. And we will pray for you, the Church, that together in love we will all pay attention to what and who God is calling each of us to become, and then, with courage and determination, begin to live into that calling. Thank you.