In October 2001, in her opening address to the Nevada Episcopal Diocesan Convention, Bishop Katherine Jefferts Shori stated, "The Diocese of Nevada exists for the purpose of mission. Period. If we're not engaged in mission, we should close up shop and go home." International Development Missions was given their first opportunity to speak publicly on the "idea" of a clinic in Kenya during the 2001 convention.
This year, sharing the podium with Bishop Joseph M. Kanuku of Machakos, Kenya, the Bishop's 2001 statement was reinforced and the full dedication of the Diocese to continuing and strengthening a strong relationship in Africa was visible.
Bishop Shori's opening address to the 2003 Nevada Diocesan Convention included the following: "As I travel around this diocese, I see a growing awareness of our mission in the world beyond our borders. And I don't just find awareness; I find people of faith doing something about it. We can celebrate the increasingly effective ways in which good news is being shared much farther afield. The medical clinic in Mua Hills (in the diocese where Bishop Kanuku serves) needs less than $10,000 to reach completion. We are exploring the possibility of a youth exchange between the young people of this diocese and several places in Kenya. The presence of our visitors here this weekend is an outward and visible sign of the grace-filled ways in which stronger connections are being made between the limbs of the body of Christ."
Support for the Mua Hills Clinic and International Development Missions was displayed in a number of ways.
- Deb Stiver and Melvin Stringer, both Board Members of IDM and representatives to the convention, assisted Ellen Gadegaard and Terri Martin at the booth. Many convention delegates visited the crafts booth, donating more than $2,600 and selecting from the hand-made wooden and soapstone crafts.
- In a formal presentation to the Convention, Terri Martin and Melvin Stringer detailed the progress of clinic construction during the last two years. They also described the sense of community being established between the two countries, the dedication of the people in both countries to provide consistent healthcare in the region, and the construction timetable. The IDM presentation concluded with Mr. Stringer showing a two-minute film of Mua Hills children performing a native song. The convention responded with a standing ovation.
- Following the presentation, a delegate to the convention pledged 10% of the money needed to complete the clinic and offered a challenge to the other delegates to match the donation. The challenge was met when the convention voted to donate one third of the monies collected during the Bishop's Mass to IDM.
- Finally, at the Bishop's urging, the convention passed a resolution to dedicate funds for international development programs: "RESOLVED, that the 33rd Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada recognizes the dignity of all human beings, and acknowledges the desperate need of adequate funding for nutritional, educational, health care, and development programs across the globe, reaffirms the 74th General Convention's Resolution D006, challenging all dioceses and congregations to contribute 0.7% of their annual budgets to fund international development programs, and commits itself as a diocese to achieve the 0.7% goal."
