Emily Blecksmith serves as the Convention and Data Manager for the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. Since her arrival on staff in the fall of 2023, she’s brought new eyes to various administrative processes, especially helping to clear a small backlog of database updates. Recently, Emily added a Zapier function to the wardens listserv that will make transitioning on and off the email group easier for incoming and outgoing wardens. Below she offers answers and insight into some frequently asked questions.
Whyyyy do we have to fill out a Parochial Report every year?!?
Ah, parochial reports… the bane of every Rector/Parish Admin/Treasurer’s existence… it may seem as though you work hard on the report, submit the results, then it just disappears into the ether, which may leave you wondering, was it really worth that much effort? Why did I have to do that?
But the reports do not disappear down a black hole. They become part of a very large set of data about every single church in every single Episcopal diocese in The Episcopal Church. And all of this data is public! You can peruse it here or using the interactive exploration tool.
These reports help to give the full picture of your church and your diocese. How has your church changed in the last 10 years or since the Covid pandemic? How has our diocese changed? What are the big trends in the United States and abroad? All of this becomes plainly visible when all of that parochial report information is gathered.
So the bottom line is: your church data are important. I urge you to take a look at The Episcopal Church’s church data using one of the links above.
Your parochial report is due on March 1 every year. And though the submission portal may stay open until about May 1, it is ALWAYS a good idea to get your report done well before the May 1 cut-off time.
When and how do I update my delegates for Diocesan Convention? Why is this important?
What a great question! It is very helpful to us if you update your convention delegates as soon as they are elected, via this form, which can be found on our website under Diocesan Resources → Parish Elections. I also send out a reminder email to all parishes about four times a year.
As we prepare voter roles and materials for Diocesan Convention during December and January, it is vitally important that we have accurate delegate information so your church is faithfully and correctly represented. So if you can get those delegate names to us as soon they are elected, that makes the work on our end that much easier.
How does my parish notify the diocese of new wardens and vestry?
Gosh, another great question! In addition to convention delegates, we also keep track of each parish’s wardens and vestry, so that we can communicate accurately and easily with church leadership, both lay and clerical. After your church has a vestry election, fill out this form, (which can also be found on our website under Diocesan Resources → Parish Elections) to let us know.
And although we don’t have a separate form for staff changes, there is a section of the vestry election form that asks you about non-clergy staff members at your church. Please be sure to fill out that part of the form too, so we can be up-to-date with all staff members at your parish.
Again, I try to send reminder emails about four times a year for vestry/lay delegate election reporting.
If you have any questions about Parochial Reports, updating your parish’s delegate and leadership information, or would like to know more about anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Emily Blecksmith
Convention and Data Manager
