AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE ECD PRESIDENT

Requesting all members vote on new Bylaws by email October 4-15 Deadline to renew your membership: Sept. 30, 2020

Dear Beloved ECD members:

The ECD has been amending little pieces of both our Constitution and Bylaws for the last 3 or 4 ECD Conventions. The Board believed that we were doing everything correctly. This past Spring the Board decided it was time to ask for some outside help to give ECD legal status in the Episcopal Church. Cass contacted her friend, Ms. Polly Getz, who is a church attorney, and she agreed to help us with our two documents.

When the Law Committee (the Rev. Dick Mahaffy, Lee Holland, and Cass Martensen) met with Polly she suggested combining the Constitution and the Bylaws into one Bylaws document, as many businesses and organizations are now doing. We agreed. Polly merged the two documents for us and changed the wording in some places to make it legal under church law. There will no longer be an ECD Constitution, only ECD Bylaws.

Now what? All active members of the ECD, not just the Board, need to vote to approve this document, the new Bylaws. The Board wants and needs your vote!

The ECD Board hopes you will pass the new By-Laws so that our organization can streamline our affiliation with The Episcopal Church.

Below you will find a link to our current and proposed bylaws, so that you will have an opportunity to review the bylaws before you vote. We will have informational meetings on Zoom to explain the bylaws and address your questions and concerns related to the Bylaws.

If you have no access to Zoom, you can send your questions to the Law Committee at
[email protected] We will answer you!

On October 4th, current members will receive an email with instructions on how to vote online, electronically if you are a member. Between October 4th and October 15th, vote – either yes or no for these changes.

The ECD Board does not want to wait until our next convention to have a vote on this, as we want to be in compliance with The Episcopal Church as quickly as possible. As an active member, you can help the ECD move forward.

Remember, your questions will be answered, and we need you to vote
In Christ,

The Rev. Richard “Dick” Mahaffy
President of ECD

Click here to see the new proposed and current bylaws

If your contact information has changed, please email your current email and mailing address with your name to [email protected]
Membership fee for 2020 is still $10. The late fee has been waived this year.

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Worship
Together from East to West

Join the members of the ECD and several Deaf churches from around the country for a virtual worship every Sunday at:
11:30am EST
10:30am CST
9:30am MST
8:30am PST

Click here to attend the online worship

Meeting ID: 817 9175 3536
Password: 334521

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WHO WE ARE

The Episcopal Conference of the Deaf is a national association of Episcopal Church workers whose purpose is to spread the Gospel of Christ among Deaf people. To do this effectively the ECD acts as a central clearing house concerning all aspects of work among Deaf people.

The ECD encourages the establishment of missions, promotes recruitment, training and placement of qualified workers and assists in the expansion, growth and perpetuation of the Episcopal Church work among Deaf people. It strives to present a united voice before the bishops and the whole church concerning the work among Deaf people and to assist church workers to better serve God and His Church, both spiritually and temporally.

"Word to the Church:
What Would Love Do?"
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
(Closed Captioned)

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