Martin H. Gregg     Lay Representative, Niagara Deanery

Members of my parish (St. Andrew's, Burt) asked me to pass along my thoughts on why I am part of Diocesan Coouncil and why it is important to me.

As some of you may know, I spent a number of years on vestry and as a warden at St. Andrew's, Burt. During that time, I tried to focus my efforts (and the parish's) on mission and ministry. I tried to bring in sound management strategies to help make everyone's efforts more focused and productive. Many of the initiatives from that era remain with St. Andrew's today, and I hope they still work.

At a point a couple of years ago, it came to me that a new and wider means of service was possible. At about the same time, the Diocese began the undertakings of the Futures Committee and started to think seriously about the Diocese's structure for the future. I like these kinds of things, and they seem to fit my skills set (gifts), so I agreed to become the Niagara Deanery's lay representative to Diocesan Council.

Over these last two years, I have met some wonderful people and had opportunities to interact with them across the entire Diocese. I think this has allowed me to take some of the things we do well out here in the northern reaches and make them transportable and available. I hope it has also allowed for a better connection between our outlying area (perception, not reality) and "Downtown." I hope having one of "us" as a part of "them" provides a communication bridge and helps to strengthen the bonds that our congregationalist hearts strain against so vigorously.

What I've witnessed over these two years is truly remarkable in my mind. Council has been able to move from a "sticks and bricks" mindset to a much more mission-focused team looking to face whatever challenges the future may bring. Current management practices have established standing committees on governance, congregational relations and mission. Using these committees to subdivide tasks and report to Council as a whole has streamlined Council meetings and made us all more effective managers.

Making management tasks more linear has allowed us to look at ourselves and develop some of the leadership skills our Diocese needs as we move forward. Developing leaders, facing failures and learning from them, celebrating successes and encouraging everyone to participate in our mission as a Diocese is a challenge we embrace wholeheartedly.

I am excited about our future together in the Diocese of Western New York. I recognize the challenges, and most importantly, invite thoughts, suggestions or criticisms from any and all of my brothers and sisters here in Western New York.