Council concludes first meeting of triennium by living into discernment
Episcopal News Service -- Memphis, Tennessee. October 8, 2009 [100809-02]
Mary Frances Schjonberg
On the final day of its October 5-8 meeting here the Episcopal Church's Executive Council got down to the nitty gritty of its work by considering resolutions from its newly formed committees.
The council has formally divided its work into five new standing committees called Local Ministry and Mission (LMM), Advocacy and Networking for Mission (ANM), World Mission (WM), Governance and Administration for Mission (GAM) and Finances for Mission (FFM).
"The fact that we discerned what committees needed to exist to do the work and who needed to be on which committees and who needed to offer leadership on those committees is an example of trusting in the spirit to work things out," Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori told the council near the end of the October 8 sessions.
"That's a different mode of functioning for this body and I am abundantly hopeful that it will bear significant fruit in this triennium. You have named the places where your passions are, and that's where you are serving and it's going to be the focus of the committees' work. That's how God creates us and that's how we're meant to use the gifts with which we are created."
Jefferts Schori predicted that "this body is going to be stronger because of it and I hope the church will be better served because of it."
Anderson called the membership of the council "very strong and committed."
"After these three and a half days, I must say I am very impressed with the level of leadership skills on this council, the ability to zero in on hard questions, to speak out, to talk in plain language and tell the truth," she said during a news teleconference held during the lunch break on October 8.
The Executive Council carries out the programs and policies adopted by the General Convention, according to Canon I.4 (1)(a). The council is composed of 38 members, 20 of whom (four bishops, four priests or deacons and 12 lay people) are elected by General Convention and 18 (one clergy and one lay) by provincial synods for six-year terms, plus the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies.
The committee reorganization was prompted by the fact that 21 of the 38 members are new to the council with this meeting, having just been elected by General Convention and the provinces.
Council members had tentatively agreed October 6 to form the committees (although the names of some of the committees were slightly different at that time) and were assigned to committees based on their choices by Jefferts Schori and Anderson that same day. The committees began meeting October 7 to discuss the scope of their work and begin crafting resolutions on new and old issues. The required amendments to the council's by-laws to accommodate the new structure were made October 8.
The council had been divided into four standing committees -- Administration & Finance (A&F), Congregations in Ministry (CIM), National Concerns (NAC) and International Concerns (INC). At the Memphis meeting the members were asked to consider if that structure still served the needs of the council and the church.
"We spent a great deal of time on the opportunities of the significant economic crisis across the globe, the opportunities that come with this new Executive Council, the opportunities that might be had by restructuring for mission," Jefferts Schori said during the news teleconference. "I think that's where we're going to be focusing our work in the next three years."
Anderson said she sees "the opportunity for our council to exercise some very significant leadership over the triennium. The challenges, of course, are to keep our eye on the prize which is God's mission and how we can work together to achieve as much as we can during the triennium."
In action October 8, the council:
- agreed to support the continuing dioceses of Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, Quincy and San Joaquin in 2010 by making loans available not to exceed $125,000 per diocese. The terms of those loans are to be determined and reported to the council not later than its February 2010 meeting.
- failed to agree on a pattern of meetings for the 2010-2012 triennium and their locations. The council rejected a resolution that would have had the schedule include two more four-day gatherings (in February 2010 and October 2011) and six three-day meetings. It was requested that one of those three-day meetings be held in the Diocese of Fort Worth and the remainder in Salt Lake City.
The Utah location became the sticking point when the Rev. Winnie Varghese expressed concern that the state's constitution defines marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman, and bars recognition of any other domestic relationships. She said choosing Utah would go against the General Convention's stated commitment to protecting the civil rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people.
Council member Anne Watkins of Connecticut said choosing to meet in Utah "is going to be another slap in the face" to GLBT people.
Jefferts Schori, saying that the Episcopal Church "has a remarkable presence in Utah," suggested that going to Salt Lake City might "be a way to the larger community through our presence."
The choice to meet in one place for a majority of the gatherings is meant to save money through negotiating a long-term meeting contract near a major airport hub. Salt Lake City was the second cheapest location (by predicted average meeting cost), according to bids received by the General Convention office. The cheapest location was the Maritime Institute in Linthicum Heights outside of Baltimore, Maryland, but council's Governance and Administration Mission committee rejected that choice because of concerns both about the workability of the meeting space and about holding most council meetings on the East Coast.
Maryland has a state law, but not a constitutional provision, limiting marriage to a man and woman. Council member Bishop Jon Bruno of Los Angeles noted that California, the site of the July 8-17 General Convention, has a similar state law.
"There is no perfect solution and that's what you're wrestling with," Jefferts Schori told the council, adding that the decision about a meeting location would be considered by the council's agenda committee because contracts needed to be negotiated soon.
- heard Treasure Kurt Barnes predict that the church's 2009 budget "will remain balanced" following cuts made earlier to make up for a predicted $1 million shortfall in diocesan income.
Barnes also led the council through a re-cap of the process that led to General Convention adopting a 2010-2012 budget that is $23 million smaller than the 2007-2009 budget. The new budget, Barnes said, is based on decisions made at convention that the Executive Council's draft budget could not have predicted when it was submitted to the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance (PB&F) as required in January 2009. Those decisions included a reduction in the amount of money that will be requested from dioceses during the triennium and an increase in the amount of money dioceses can retain before calculating their contribution to the church-wide budget. Barnes said he was walking the council through the various decisions because council members and church center staff had heard criticism of their efforts in the aftermath of the drastically smaller budget passed at convention. He insisted that those who crafted the draft budget for PB&F understood the economic climate in which they were working.
- heard an update on the work of the council committee studying the United Thank Offering's roles, purposes, function, operational procedures and vision for faithfulness to God's mission. The committee is to report to the 77th General Convention in 2012. The UTO has helped the Episcopal Church expand its mission for the last 120 years by making grants to ministries that address human needs. Council had called for the study as the result of a series of conversations that began in January 2008 and centered on the need to clarify the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society's legal relationship with UTO. (The DFMS is the church's corporate legal entity.)
Council member the Rev. Ian Douglas, who convenes the committee, told council that the committee has been trying to foster trust with the people with whom it needs to work to accomplish the study. "Job 1 so far has really been pastoral," he said. For instance, he referred to a meeting the committee held during Episcopal Church Women's triennial gathering in July in Anaheim, California as "one of the more difficult conversations I have had in this church."
- elected Martha Gardner of Newark as council's representative to the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada and Michigan Bishop Wendell Gibbs as an alternate.
- elected Lelanda Lee of Colorado as the council's representative to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Stephanie Cheney of Memphis as alternate.
- heard a briefing about the College for Bishops' and CREDO's "Around One Table" report that describes how Episcopalians look at their church. More information is available here.
Coverage of the first day of council's Memphis meeting is here. Coverage of the second day is here. Council's third day was spent almost entirely in committee meetings.
The following is a summary of the resolutions passed by council during the Memphis meeting.
Executive Council
Approve the appointment of Grant Thornton, LLP, to audit all accounts under the management or control of the council and the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society for the year ending December 31, 2009 (EC001).
Commend the work of the Episcopal Archives Strategy Committee thus far and call on the Presiding Officers to appoint an advisory committee to the Finances for Mission committee to provide guidance and oversight of development for the Austin, Texas, property purchased for a new archives building (EC002s).
Review a list of Jubilee Programs (EC003).
Advocacy and Networking for Mission
Direct the executive officers of General Convention to refrain from using the Hyatt hotel chain for meetings until housekeeping staff fired from its Massachusetts hotels are re-hired with back pay, express support for those workers and share the council's concerns with hotel chain and church's ecumenical partners (A&N001).
Support the Executive Council Committee on the Status of Women and the Executive Council Committee on HIV/AIDS as continuing committees of Executive Council pursuant to Canon I.4.3(g) (A&N002).
Finances for Mission
Support continuing dioceses of Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, Quincy and San Joaquin in 2010 by making loans available not to exceed $125,000 per diocese, with loan terms to be determined in consultation between the diocese and the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS) treasurer or the chief operating officer, and either the President of the House of Deputies, Presiding Bishop or chief operating officer, and reported to the council not later than its February 2010 meeting (FFM001).
Approve revised official DFMS travel guidelines (FFM 002).
Revise language describing use of Trust Fund 37, African Boat Fund (1884) Gift (FFM 003).
Revise language describing use of Trust Fund 483, Ramsaur, William Hoke, Memorial Building Fund (1935) (FFM 004).
Revise language describing use of Trust Fund 892 Cuttington University College Trust Fund No. 1 (1985) (FFM 005).
Authorize withdrawal of $261,411 from Trust Fund 844 (Cuttington University College Endowment Fund) and Trust Fund 892 (Cuttington University College Trust Fund No. 1, 1985) to be remitted to Cuttington University College to meet operating expenses (FFM 006).
Approve request of the Episcopal Church of Liberia to fund its operating expenses by withdrawal of $97,891 from five trusts funds (FFM 007).
Establish Trust Fund 1034, Episcopal Diocese of Lexington -- Bishop Burton Fund (FFM 008).
Establish Trust Fund 1035, Episcopal Diocese of Lexington -- St. Agnes House Fund (FFM 009).
Governance and Administration for Mission
Amend council's by-laws to accommodate new standing committee structure (GAM002).
World Mission
Recognize extension of the companion diocese relationship between the dioceses of Litoral (Ecuador) and Tennessee for a period ending on January 31, 2010, unless further extended or terminated by mutual consent (WM001).
Recognize a new companion diocese relationship between the Diocese of Florida and the Diocese of Peru in the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of the Americas for a period ending on December 31, 2013, unless extended or terminated by mutual consent (WM002).
Recognize a new companion diocese relationship between the dioceses of Alabama and Haiti for a period ending on December 31, 2012, unless extended or terminated by mutual consent (WM003).
Recognize the extension of the existing companion diocese relationship between the dioceses of Maine and Haiti for a period ending on October 31, 2012, unless further extended or terminated by mutual consent (WM004).
Direct the Standing Commission on World Mission study in 2010 on how companion diocese relationships can be more effectively supported and maintained, especially given staff and budget reductions at the church center; how to establish cooperation between dioceses that have a companion diocese relationship in common; how such relationships can be intentional in furthering healthy relationships between the Episcopal Church and other Provinces of the Anglican Communion where communion may be strained by differences of theology, polity, and church practice (WM005).