Slideshow image
Overview The Objective of the Plan A Time of Transition - Liminal Time Eschatological Hope - Living Hope People First A Word About Implementation and Responsibility

THE DIOCESE OF HURON has been richly blessed by God’s infinite bounty since its foundation in 1857. Then as now we have two principal assets. The first and most primary asset is the people, lay and ordained, in whom “we see the divine-human relationship coming to life in faith and action” (“Yielding to the Life of the Spirit,” Bishop’s Charge To Synod, 2021). The second kind of asset is physical—and it is crucial that we do not reverse these priorities:

We have land, buildings, vessels, the scriptures, water, bread and wine. All of these non-living physical assets are simply “media”. Each of them is a medium in which, or with which, God relates to us. We consider them holy, but they are only holy because God brings them to life as “a means to an end”. The “end” is you, me, us—the living—and our relationship with God.  

 Physical assets are the means by which God will reach out and embrace us. They are necessary. They are crucially important. We need to make sure that we are using the best media possible. We know that God will use any means necessary to love us. It’s the nature of God, who has no physical body, to kindle life into matter, to breathe life into clay—or whatever else is at hand—and to love the creature infinitely. (“Yielding to the Life of the Spirit,” Bishop’s Charge To Synod, 2021.)

People first and then material things.

The Diocesan Plan will guide us  for the foreseeable future.  We will live it together. It will shape our decision making, resource allocation, reporting, and communication. It sets out what we will do collectively as a Diocese and what we will encourage each individual parish that makes up the Diocese to do. We will be accountable to God and to each other for it. There are likely not too many surprises here. Many parishes are already living the aspirations of the plan and are already engaged in the activities it proposes; we hope that they can provide encouragement and inspiration to others. The specific Acts and Actions outlined in Turning to Grace represent the initial implementation of the Plan over the next two to three years. Progress on them will be reported annually and new Acts and Actions may be added at that time. In this way, Turning to Grace will remain a living document...

Naturally, many things will continue to be done that are not specifically mentioned in  Turning to Grace, but arguably everything that we do do should relate in some way to its broad pillars and overarching direction. If we, the Diocese as a whole, have done our work well, those who come after us will see it to have been the right plan for right now—a Plan that is rooted and grounded in the past and present of the Diocese of Huron. Our hope is that this Diocesan Plan has been shaped not only by our current context but also by how God’s grace has been, is, and will be working in this place, nurtured and furthered by generations of faithful lay leaders, clergy, and bishops.