Christ Church Plano hosted the Anglican Church in North America’s 2019 Provincial Council and Assembly from June 17-19. The Very Rev. Paul Donison and Director of Events Cathy Carey give us a peek behind the scenes.
In June, more than 1,000 clergy and laity from the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and the Global Anglican Communion descended on Plano, Texas for the 2019 Provincial Council and Assembly. The conference not only celebrated the 10th anniversary of the province but also the release of its 2019 Book of Common Prayer. Christ Church Plano (CCP), one of two pro-Cathedrals or resource churches in C4SO, generously offered their building, resources, staff and volunteers to host the gathering.
Established in 1985 by the Rev. Canon David Roseberry and now under the leadership of the Very Rev. Paul Donison, Christ Church is uniquely equipped to handle the size and scope of an event like Assembly—without slowing down their local ministry. To gather there felt appropriate: Christ Church played a vital role in the formation of the province under Roseberry’s leadership, and the inaugural investiture service for the first Archbishop, Robert Duncan, was held at CCP in 2009.
From selecting a convention center for the plenary sessions, to recruiting and training 260 volunteers, to managing on-the-ground logistics, the CCP team did it all humbly and professionally. Donison’s goal as host rector was to use the church’s resources to welcome a new generation of Anglicans and testify to the maturity and stability of the province.
“Ten years in, the ACNA is steadier and calmer than ever before,” he says. “The smoothness and disciplined approach to the schedule and how we did things at Assembly was a reflection of how the ACNA is growing up. It was a confident celebration.”
For much of the fine-tuned experience, attendees had Cathy Carey, CCP’s Director of Events, to thank. Coordinating logistics was second nature to Carey because she held similar logistical roles at the 2003 and 2009 international gatherings. Moreover, her father was the convener planner of the Episcopal Church conventions for 20 years. Carey remembers him sitting at their dining room table figuring out the seating for the College of Bishops.
“[My work] is an interesting continuation of his heritage,” she says.
Carey and Donison planned the Assembly in partnership with the ACNA’s Coordinator of Special Projects Pam Norris and the Archbishop’s office in Atlanta. The ACNA handled registration, exhibitors, and communications while CCP acted as the province’s eyes and ears in Plano. CCP also enjoyed a “trusting and supportive” partnership with ACNA’s new COO Alan Hawkins. Under his guidance, CCP began scouting locations, finding speakers and musicians, and building the program.
One challenge was finding an affordable way to bus attendees from the Frisco Convention Center to Christ Church Plano in rush hour in the Texas heat for the opening Eucharist service. Calling on her event-planning experience, Carey worked with the local transportation pro’s to ensure multiple bus circuit options to keep things running smoothly, depending on traffic volume and changing road construction zones.
“It was all about using the right steps and tools and tricks of the trade to take a nerve-wracking aspect of the opening day, calm it down and get the right people on each end,” she says.
Two years of careful planning culminated in a beautiful processional that entered CCP’s sanctuary the night of the opening service. [image of opening service?] The newly re-elected Archbishop Foley Beach preached, reflecting on the province’s joys and trials and encouraging a renewed commitment to the Great Commission.
“You could sense, wow, this is a picture of where we’ve come in 10 years,” Donison says. “For many attendees, this was their first experience of something so organized and big.”
Despite the event’s large scale, attendees—whether at home in a cassock and stole or skinny jeans and a collar—found something familiar in Assembly’s worship services. Mark Snow, CCP’s Director of Music and Worship, made sure to represent the musical and liturgical breadth of the province. The planning team varied music styles from an organ for cathedral grandeur to lead singer Josh Havens of The Afters for a contemporary big-screen feel.
CCP also made sure every attendee’s physical needs were cared for. For this, they relied on a group of dedicated volunteers ages 84 to 16 who went above and beyond to act as advocates for attendees. In return, CCP tried to match each volunteer with a role that fit their gifts and abilities. One mom served alongside her autistic son, a meaningful experience for both of them.
“Our volunteers loved serving, and it was a great picture of the church coming together,” Donison says. “CCP’s people have always been generous with their time, talents and treasure, but we are pressing in to that even more.”
From music to manpower, CCP did it all with a servant’s heart.
“Service and hospitality is in the DNA of who we are,” Carey says. “Part of why this church was established was to be a sort of hub serving the province.”
“Hosting Assembly was an opportunity to continue being a blessing in the life of the province,” Donison says. “We’re not just a building or a campus. We’re people, staff and volunteers who can live into our Anglican tradition in a way that’s a blessing for others.”
Learn more about Christ Church Plano.
Read a recap of the 2019 Provincial Assembly.