Beyond the Diocese
The Diocese of Southwest Florida belongs to the Episcopal Church, also known as the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Below are some regional and national Episcopal organizations related to the denomination:
- General Convention
- Episcopal Relief & Development
- Dominican Development Group
- Bishop Gray Retirement Foundation
- University of the South
- Episcopal Church Building Fund
Executive Offices of the General Convention
The presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church administers the Executive Offices of the General Convention.
The Most Rev. Michael Curry
Presiding Bishop, the Episcopal Church
815 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Phone: (212) 716-6276
Fax: 212-490-3298
Website: www.episcopalchurch.org/presiding-bishop
- The 76th General Convention: This web page contains information on the 76th General Convention held July 2009 in Anaheim, Calif. It includes the Summary of Actions, handbooks, 2010-2012 Budget, Constitution and Canons Journal, and new Title IV Resources.
- The 77th General Convention: The 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church was held July 5-12, 2012 in Indianapolis, Ind. A Diocese of Southwest Florida website is at 2012.dioceseswfl.org.
- The 78th General Convention: This convention was held in July, 2015 in Salt Lake City. The Diocese has a separate convention website at 2015.dioceseswfl.org
- The 79th General Convention: Held in Austin, Texas
Dominican Development Group
The Dominican Episcopal Church has a companion relationship with the Dioceses of Western Louisiana, Southwest Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Central Gulf Coast and the Diocese of Southeast Florida. Our diocese and its congregations sponsor several ongoing mission and ministry trips.
Bishop Gray Retirement Foundation
The Bishop Gray Retirement Foundation’s financial assistance program continues to provide financial aid to low income elderly Episcopalians from the Southwest, Southeast, and Central Dioceses of Florida seeking help with the high costs of retirement community living and medical expenses. We do still gratefully receive donations from individuals and parishes from the three dioceses. The board of trustees would like to preserve the endowment fund as much as possible, using only the income from investments for distributions.
During 2011, we have helped 29 Episcopalians, living in retirement communities, assisted living and senior facilities in the three dioceses. Approximately $350,000 will be distributed for financial assistance this year mostly in the form of monthly housing grants.
The Bishop Gray Retirement Foundation website provides information on ways to give or to apply for aid. Contact Ginger Van Valkenburgh, Exec. Director
University of the South
Sewanee, University of the South, is the only university in the nation that is owned and governed by dioceses of the Episcopal Church, specifically the 28 dioceses of the southeastern United States.
Sewanee was founded in 1857 by clergy and lay delegates from Episcopal dioceses throughout the south. They selected a site in Sewanee, atop the Cumberland Plateau about 50 miles west of Chattanooga. Local landowners and the Sewanee Mining Company donated nearly 10,000 acres for the enterprise. On October 10, 1860, the founders laid the cornerstone for a campus that would eventually grow to house 1,500 students on 13,000 forested acres.
Sewanee has graduated 25 Rhodes Scholars, five of whom returned to teach at the University. The institution counts among its graduates numerous Fulbright scholars, 40 Watson Postgraduate Fellows, and 27 NCAA Postgraduate Scholars. Fifty-five percent of graduates earn advanced degrees. Of graduates who apply to law school, over 90 percent are accepted, and 85 percent of those who apply to medical, dental, or veterinary school are accepted.
Episcopal Church Building Fund
The mission of the Episcopal Church Building Fund is to aid in the building, improvement, and repair of churches, rectories, parochial, and diocesan buildings by providing assistance in planning and loans, and to aid in the development of congregations through providing training, education, and resources.
