“Weaker, Deeper, Stronger.” Those words not only form Bishop Brewer’s theme for the Feb. 6, 2021, annual Diocesan Convention but provide both context and clarity for the event.

“The theme is profound,” says diocesan Director of Communications Erik Guzman. “I think the annual convention, and what we’re doing in putting on an all-virtual convention, is a living illustration of the theme. … As we experience these challenges, we’re confronted by our weaknesses, where we still have to grow and move beyond our limitations, and maybe even realize, ‘Well, that feels insurmountable.’”

“And the feeling of it being insurmountable drives us to the deeper part, which is reliance on God – reaching out to him, but then also reaching out to each other to rely on our collective strength in the difficult times,” he says.

Prepared by God

Guzman, who started at the diocese in October 2020, says God prepared him to take on the challenges of both a new job and the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the longtime vice president of communications for Key Life Network, Guzman participated in planning for multiple major events. Later, he traveled around the country helping produce the audiovisual portion of corporate events. As the pandemic began, the firm he worked with transitioned to helping companies with all-virtual events, and he helped produce those as well.

When Guzman began his new job, the virtual Clergy Conference was only weeks away, and the diocese had already decided to hold the Diocesan Convention virtually as well. “I think knowing that I had experience in doing 100% virtual events using various platforms provided some comfort to the diocesan staff,” he says. In fact, he worked on ways to make those events happen even before he was hired. Once he came on board, the implementation phase began.

Guzman notes that because of the pandemic, diocesan churches have been challenged to provide virtual services and live-streamed events. Beyond the issues around putting their own services online, how would clergy and laity adapt to an all-online Diocesan Convention?

“My concern has been good communication in advance: ‘How do we get that information out to people?’” Guzman says. “My job was to put the systems in place quickly to get them the information, to train them to be able to have an effective virtual conference,” Guzman says. This also meant he had to make some immediate updates to the diocesan website so it could support quickly adding all the information related to the Diocesan Convention.

“That was my biggest concern: making sure everybody has a really good experience and understands how to use the technology to view the event and vote,” he says.

Supported by the Diocese

“If you’ve attended a previous Diocesan Convention, the 2021 Zoom event will seem familiar, but you’ll experience it in an abbreviated format via video from the platform at Canterbury,” Guzman says. The agenda, the reports and even the worship (delivered in part via a virtual diocesan mass choir) will all have their place in the virtual event.

In the interest of time and accessibility, no resolutions will be voted on this year, and most participants’ mics will remain muted. “They’ll have the opportunity to interact when we get into voting,” Guzman says. The diocese will use an online platform called ElectionBuddy to streamline the voting process and provide results.

“It’s actually very user-friendly,” Guzman says of ElectionBuddy. “As long as people are getting the information from the diocese and closely following the directions given during deanery pre-Convention meetings, it should be pretty smooth.” Guzman presented a preview of how ElectionBuddy works during each pre-Convention meeting that explained the process and answers questions. On Thursday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m., the diocese will use Zoom to conduct a mock election using ElectionBuddy, “so they’ll get a chance to practice what they’ve seen in the pre-Convention meetings,” he says.

“It really just comes down to using the technology,” Guzman adds. He advises anyone interested in the Diocesan Convention, particularly the election process, to visit CFDiocese.org/2021DioCon and contact him at eguzman@cfdiocese.org for additional support.

“My concern is for people to navigate this change knowing they have the support of the diocese and from the entire diocesan staff,” Guzman says. “We put a lot of thought and prayer into it, and we’ve done a good job with preparation in the short period of time that we’ve had. … All of that effort is really about making sure they feel supported by the diocese, and that they can do the things they need to do as members. When it comes to the Diocesan Convention, there’s just a genuine concern that I have, and the whole diocesan staff has, of making sure they know they’re not alone in this.”