Chuck Theobald

Why do you feel called to serve the Church as a Deputy to General Convention?

To an extent, each of us who has served as a deputy or alternate to General Convention see what we want to see in General Convention. It is a spiritual gathering of Episcopalians. It is a legislative body dependent on committees and process. It is the ultimate governing authority in our Church, responsible for the Constitution and Canons as well as the Hymnal and the Book of Common Prayer. It is the place where we insure our Christian values are represented in the way the church is run. To be honest, it is all of these and more.

I am called to help the church serve parishes and congregations, large and small, so that they may create the opportunities to worship Christ and serve humanity. That is the work of General Convention, and why I would like to return as a deputy.

What life experiences and/or training can you offer as a resource to the Church?

We all take on many roles in life, and each role supports and strengths the others. I’ve worked as an engineer and project manager for FedEx, as a grants manager at a small non-profit, as a father, as a church member and lay leader, and as a community volunteer. While most of us at this convention have similar experiences, it is the way we synthesize information, and persuade others to join that makes the difference.

Analyze – persuade – act. What is the information we have gathered telling us to DO? Whether it is managing a diverse group of engineers spread across Europe, as I did as an expatriate living in Brussels, or leading a group of parents, teachers and administrators working to improve accountability in our school district. Sometimes, the path of action is clear, but more often it requires working together to find the best road.

Describe your ministries, participation and experience in the Episcopal Church.

I have had many opportunities to serve the church. My primary ministry is as a chorister, beginning in second grade at St. Paul’s in Dayton, Ohio and continuing through today. I have served on the vestry at St. Paul’s, at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Memphis, and currently at Grace and St. Stephen’s in Colorado Springs. I have previously served as member or chair of the communications, bylaws, finance, stewardship and worship committees, as clerk of the vestry and as senior warden. A labor of love is leading Grace and St. Stephen’s Jazz in the Garden program for outreach and evangelism as program director and chair of the steering committee. Beyond our parish, I am a member of the Sangre de Cristo executive committee, former chair of the Board of Trustees for the Colorado Episcopal Foundation and a deputy or alternate deputy to three General Conventions.

What aspects of our corporate life or issues facing the Church today hold particular interest or importance to you?

I believe the Episcopal Church should be thoughtful about our liturgy and music, welcoming to all and seeking to treat all God’s children with love and respect. Where we fall short we need the tools and resources of the larger church to guide us. My interest is in structures of governance we create and the leadership we develop to help amplify and implement God’s call to each of us.

How will your participation as part of the deputation enhance the life, mission and ministry of our diocese?

As individuals and a larger community, we are called to prayerfully consider how we carry our message as Episcopalians and Christians into the world. Our participation in General Convention connects us to the larger Church, and the larger Church to us.

The COVID pandemic had a significant impact on both the work of formation of the most recent Colorado Deputation and the eventual structure and work of the 80th General Convention. As restrictions to meetings and personal interactions are eased, I feel it is imperative that those elected deputies and alternates for the 81st General Convention establish the personal relationships necessary to broadly represent the diverse interests and concerns of the parishes in the diocese. Similarly, the COVID-related rules changes at GC-80 were necessary but did not always serve the need for careful debate and consideration necessary to discern the path to which the Holy Spirit leads us. I have worked extensively within the deputation to identify my concerns and actions that are necessary to correct this and would like to return as a deputy to the next General Convention to see those corrections implemented.

Over the last three deputations I have taken every invitation to share both the actions taken and the experience of General Convention to many parishes within the diocese. With COVID restrictions lifting, the deputation needs to focus to connect the people of the Episcopal Church in Colorado to the actions of the larger Church. I believe we can be more effective in delivering that message.