Renewal and Restructure-Keynotes of Executive Council Meeting
Diocesan Press Service. June 5, 1967 [55-1]
Renewal and restructure, mission and service - these were the two prime concerns of the Executive Council at its meeting, May 16 - 18, in Greenwich, Conn.
These twin concerns, highlighted in the opening remarks of Presiding Bishop Hines, were manifest throughout the actions taken by the Council, particularly in the approval of a policy of ecumenical cooperation in urban mission, and of the dissolution of the General Division of Laymen's Work. Both were, in the words of the Presiding Bishop "a response of the Council to the MRI document's requirement for a radical study of structures and priorities and the evaluation of the Church's activities by the test of mission and service to others."
The increasingly apparent call for ecumenical cooperation in the churches' mission, at home and overseas, was acted upon by the Council when it joined with it joined with the United Presbyterian Church and the United Church of Christ Boards in approving a "policy on Ecumenical Cooperation" which will apply to inter-denominational collaboration in the field of urban mission. Such a policy, passed with additional stipulations in the procedures for joint funding of projects, will establish a Joint Urban Executive Committee and joint planning processes. Results of urban experiments being done by individual communions will be fully and regularly shared and provision for the joint funding of some urban projects made.
The Council, in its second major action, had before it a proposal, adopted by the General Division of Laymen's Work at its May meeting, which called for the dissolution of the General Division. In a statement made by Bishop Hines after the Council approved the dissolution, he stressed that such action had been proposed after a prolonged period of self-examination and with the realization that separate structure of the General Division was no longer adequate to meet the task of serving the church's laity. The present functions of the General Division will be lodged within the Department of Christian Education and the Home Department, and an interdepartmental committee appointed to "explore and develop new programs, to bring to bear upon them the resources and skills of the Council staff and others, and to add precision and emphasis to services to the laity." As Bishop Hines stated: "This is the beginning of an exciting transition period. While it is too early to know what the 'new look' in work with adults will be, we are taking the first steps into a larger, more challenging program."
The Council also received a report from the Special Committee on the American Church Institute, and supported the Committee's recommendations that the Institute, an Episcopal corporation formed in 1906 to minister to predominantly Negro colleges in the South be dissolved and its funds transferred to the Executive Council. Council has proposed that adequate funds be made available to ACI colleges in the general church budget for the coming triennium and has recommended that this work continue as a part of the church's general strategy in higher education. Also recommended, and approved by the Council, was the appointment of a committee to study the Church's place in higher education generally.
The Council was informed of several ecumenical opportunities, and of several Council programs designed to further the mission of the church. The General Board of the NCC has invited all its members to undertake joint planning for mission in the 1970's and the Consultation on Church Union, at its meeting in Cambridge this May, requested each of its 10 participating churches to discover what more they can plan and do together. There was also reported the possibility of ecumenical cooperation in seminary education in Puerto Rico which would include Roman Catholics.
It was further reported to the Council that a proposal would be before the House of Bishops in September to create a separate missionary district of Okinawa. Such a district would in 10 years become largely self sustaining, and finally, it is anticipated, a part of the Nippon Seikokai, the Holy Catholic Church in Japan.
Also reported was a conference sponsored by the Council's Christian Social Relations Department. Held in Santurce, Puerto Rico, the conference enabled Latin Americans and North Americans to meet face-to-face and then, to deal together with such problems as poverty, population and economic development. A similar conference has been held each Spring for a number of years for training diocesan social relations leaders and paid program staff. The fact that the conference was held outside the continental United States for the first time allowed the proportion of Latin Americans attending the conference to be significantly increased, thus leading to the kind of cultural confrontation the conference was designed to bring about. As Bishop Hines said of the conference, "I hope this will be just the first in a series of imaginative efforts to support the Church's witness in developing areas overseas."
In the area of support for mission, the Council also considered the question of the future of the Church School Missionary Offering. In the light of the fact that proceeds from this offering have steadily declined over the past few years, the Council voted to memorialize General Convention to provide for continuing missionary education material, enabling all churchmen to understand and respond to the call to participate in Christ's mission in the world and to also have an annual churchwide children's missionary offering, to be designated by the Executive Council for specific geographic areas or particular institutions. This offering would be supported by specific promotional material. The Council also voted in a separate resolution that the offering of 1968 be recommended by the Home Department and the Overseas Department jointly, with a waiver of the traditional policy of automatically dividing the offering fifty-fifty between these two areas. Such a waiver was made subject to any limitation imposed by previous actions of General Convention.
The General Division of Women's Work, in their report considered the question of where the Division was going in the future. Mrs. Robert H. Durham of Detroit, who reported for the Division, stated that the Division anticipated restructure, but as a part of a general overall restructure of the Executive Council during the next Triennium. Examples of restructure, already taking place, were cited: the decision of the Division to end Supply Work on an assigned basis at the end of 1967 and the theme of the Triennial, which will consider the place of women in the world and church today, and what structures are needed for the future. Further information was given on the Triennial and it was announced that the Hon. Z. K. Matthews, Ambassador to the United States and the United Nations from Bottswana, would be the speaker. Also reported was the fact that 34 scholarships, totalling some $50,000 had been granted from the United Thank Offering for the 1967-1968 school year.
The Council delegated to the Management Advisory Committee all non-substantive matters of personnel policy and, in the same area, adopted a policy of long-term disability insurance for Council employees and a policy on the employment of family members. Prior to this time, the Council has not had insurance to cover the long- term disability of its employees, so, in effect, it was a self-insurer. Although under no legal obligation to provide for such, it felt that there was a moral obligation.
There may be changes in social security provisions for the clergy and the Council memorialized General Convention, asking the Convention to go on record as approving of the inclusion of clergy under social security, and ask all who employ clergymen to aid them with the heavy burdens of payments necessary under the present social security provisions.
The Council also heard
-- that the publication FINDINGS would now be published seven times a year with three issues directed at the professional Christian educator and four issues directed at parents and church school teachers.
-- the Church and Race Fund has so far received only $19,000. The 1967 goal for the fund is $100,000.
-- the partial results of a survey on the effectiveness of the Clergy Newsletter. Interviews conducted with 200 representative parish clergy showed that the clergy misunderstood the purpose of the newsletter, that their attitude was predominantly negative, and that a substantial percentage (40 percent) feel that the Newsletter arrives too late to be useful. They asked for less material promoting the program of the national church and for more information on the church's position on national and international issues.
-- of the appointment or transfer of five officers. Miss Irene Barlow has been appointed Personnel Officer, and the Rev. Everett W. Francis, appointed public affairs officer in the Division of Christian Citizenship, Department of Christian Social Relations. Matthew Costigan, formerly comptroller, has been appointed assistant treasurer. Elias Saleeby, formerly assistant comptroller, has been appointed comptroller and Louis Gill has been appointed assistant comptroller.
-- of three resignations: Douglas Bushy, public relations officer; the Rev. William Shepherd, personnel officer; and the Rev. David Patton, Department of Christian Education.
-- of the creation of four new companion diocese relationships, bringing the total of American jurisdictions involved in such relationships to 52. The new relationships include a four-way relationship between the Dioceses of Milwaukee, and Fond du Lac and the Dioceses of Masasi and Dar-es-Salaam of the Church in the Province of East Africa. The other companion relationships were Idaho and Kootenay (Province of British Columbia, Anglican Church of Canada); Missouri and Natal (Church of the Province of South Africa); and Arkansas and the Archdeaconry of Guatemala (Missionary District of Central America).
-- of the appointment of 11 new missionaries, five of whom will serve in other churches of the Anglican Communion. Because of restrictions in this year's budget, this is the final number of new missionaries to be appointed this year.