Only a little more than 120 miles separate Erie and Pittsburgh, but Episcopalians decided a century ago that the regions were too far and too different for one bishop to cover.
So at a convention in 1910, they created the Diocese of Erie from parts of the Pittsburgh diocese.
Now members of that newer entity, which eventually came to be known as the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania, will celebrate its centennial. The Erie-based diocese also will hold its annual convention here.
“We are in a really hopeful time for the diocese,” administrator Vanessa Butler said.
While membership is down to about 4,700, she said, the 34 congregations in the diocese are all working toward the mission of transforming lives and attracting people to the light of Christ.
Membership as reported in the article doesn’t agree with the national church statistics. In 2009 the diocese claimed about 4100 members while the article claims that there are now 4700. That’s a HUGE increase in about 10 months considering the trend of this diocese! In 1999 membership was about 5800, a drop of 1700 in 11 years. ASA is about 1750. [url=http://pr.dfms.org/study/exports/DioceseRPT_20101101_104629.pdf]See here[/url]
[i]So at a convention in 1910, they created the Diocese of Erie from parts of the Pittsburgh diocese.[/i]
Somebody slipped up here too. How could ordinary Episcopalians [i]create[/i] a diocese? That’s the prerogative of another body. 🙂
This is a nice upbeat article, but we may all whistle in the graveyard. The diocese had a tough time during 2002 through 2008 with Members down 28 percent, ASA down 20 percent and Plate & Pledge down 7 percent when adjusted for inflation. And in 2008, there were 82 Infant Baptisms and 131 Burials. Also in 2008, only 28 percent of the 6,270 Seatings was used by the ASA of 1,739. And for 2009, Plate & Pledge was flat while Members and ASA were down again, and 88 percent (30 of 34) of its churches had Plate & Pledge of less than #150K. And now that Pittsburgh is greatly reduced in Members and ASA, I would predict that a merger is inevitable. Statmann