Dear Friends in Christ,
I have enjoyed visiting with so many of you, both during Sunday visitations and in one-on-one conversations. It has been wonderful to discover the many gifts and talents across this diocese. As we continue in this season of listening, I want you to know that I see your hard work, your sacrifices, and the communities you are building together. I am grateful for all of it, and I am eager to continue learning from you.
Late last week, I attended my first Episcopal Ministries of Long Island banquet, where the food pantry at St. George's, Hempstead, and the youth summer enrichment program at St. Peter's, Rosedale, were honored for their extraordinary ministries.
Bishop Adam and Mary Beth Welsh with honorees from St. George's in Hempstead and St. Peter's in Rosedale. Photos: Jen Uihlein.
On Saturday, I joined the Black Clergy Caucus of our diocese for a timely lecture by Dr. Obery Hendricks Jr. on the sinful ideology of Christian nationalism and the 2026 election. I also celebrated with the saints at Grace Church in Jamaica as they marked their 324th anniversary and received a certificate of congressional merit from Congressman Gregory Meeks. What a tremendous legacy of faithful witness!
On Sunday, I had the honor of joining St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Roosevelt as they celebrate their 125th anniversary. Founded in 1901, this congregation has spent the past several months focused on rebirth and reflection, anchoring its hopes and expectations in God.
These visits continue to remind me of the extraordinary richness of our diocesan life and the many people whose faithful service makes our shared ministry possible.
Who Serves Our Diocese: Meet the Trustees of the Estate
Part two of a four-part series
Last week I introduced the Diocesan Council, which is called to steer our mission between Conventions. This week I want to introduce a body that is often confused with it: the Trustees of the Estate Belonging to the Diocese of Long Island.
Here is the simplest way to tell them apart. The Council decides how we pursue our mission. The Trustees hold and protect the property and funds that make that mission possible.
What the Trustees do
The Trustees hold the diocese's real property and invested funds in trust. They oversee endowments, steward property held for the diocese, and make sure gifts given by past generations continue to serve the Church as their donors intended. Their work is quiet, careful, and long-term. They think in decades, not budget cycles.
Not one pot of money
It is easy to assume that everything the Trustees manage belongs to the diocese and is available for its budget. It is not. To invest well, the Trustees pool, or commingle, funds belonging to several diocesan institutions and to individual congregations. Each share still belongs to its owner and is held for the purposes it was given. Only a portion of the total is available to the diocese itself.
Who Serves
The Bishop of Long Island serves as president of the Trustees. The Bishop and Treasurer of the Diocesan Convention serve ex officio. Eight additional trustees, representing both clergy and laity, are elected by Diocesan Convention.
TRUSTEES OF THE ESTATE
Ex Officio
Serving until 2026
Serving until 2027
Serving until 2028
Serving until 2029
How to get involved
If you bring experience in finance, real estate, investments, or law, your gifts could serve the whole diocese here. To learn about how you might serve the Trustees, contact Canon Eddie Alleyne at: ealleyne@dioceseli.org.
Next week in Who Serves Our Diocese: Meet the Standing Committee.
A New Way to See Our Diocese
As we look toward Diocesan Convention, I'm excited to offer a glimpse of something the Rev. Gideon Pollach has been developing for our diocese: a new Congregations Map, which we'll introduce at Convention on November 13–14.
Our Convention theme, One Body, Many Members, reminds us that although we are spread across Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk, we are bound together in love through our Baptismal Covenant. This new resource will help us see that body more clearly, better understand the communities we serve, and discover new possibilities for connection and collaboration.
Of course, no map can take the place of the people who make up our churches. But I look forward to sharing this new resource with you at Convention and hearing your ideas about how it might best serve our congregations.
In the meantime, I hope you'll join us for our Pre-Convention Meeting this Thursday, October 29, at 7 p.m., at the Mercer School of Theology in Garden City or online via Zoom. We'll review matters coming before Convention, including nominations, resolutions, and the proposed Ministry Plan, with opportunities for questions and conversation. All members of the diocese are welcome, and I encourage you to register in advance.
I look forward to gathering with you as we prepare for this important moment in our shared life.
Faithfully yours in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Adam J. Shoemaker
Bishop of Long Island