Council Approves Budget
Diocesan Press Service. February 13, 1969 [74-8]
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Unusual weather conditions combined with an "unprecedented" financial situation added up to an extraordinary February meeting for members of the Episcopal Church's Executive Council.
Highlight of their meeting at the Church national headquarters in New York City was the passage of a budget of $14,171,000, slightly higher than expenditures in 1968 and sharply reduced from the 1969 budget proposal of $15,240,000 projected by the Church's General Convention.
An unexpected 15-inch snowfall, which ruled out the usual meeting place at Seabury House, Greenwich, Conn., made it necessary to transfer the two-day session to a place more accessible to the airports and railroad stations.
The agenda included hearing plans for a Special General Convention to be held at the University of Notre Dame, listening to a report by American Indians asking for positions of Church leadership and approving 20 grants under the General Convention Special Program to aid the poor: in self-help programs.
But highest on the agenda was consideration of a national Church budget for this year which in order to be balanced may require an appropriation of as much as $363,806 from reserve funds.
Last year Executive Council authorized the appropriation of $305, 000 from reserve funds to balance the budget, of which $73, 000 was actually used.
The Rt. Rev. Stephen Bayne told members of the Council that the deficit budget is the result of an "unprecedented" situation.
"This does not mean the end of the world," he said. "If it is true that 10 Dioceses could not pay their 1968 pledge in full, it is also true that 10 others paid more than their full quotas, and 59 more paid their quotas in full. Eight others pledged less than their quotas but paid their pledges in full. This is not to make light of a serious problem, but it is a way of setting a serious problem into perspective."
"We are facing unprecedented problems -- unprecedented at any rate in our time. To have 10 of our 87 continental Dioceses unable to meet their commitments in a given year is unprecedented. For our 87 Dioceses to pledge less for 1969 than they paid in 1968 is unprecedented.
"What these things call for is an unprecedented response. It would be wrong for us to continue to use our reserves to balance budgets unless at the same time we are mounting an unprecedented attack on the problems of lack of understanding, lack of communication, lack of trust, which are hurting Diocesan as well as national budgets.
"There is no easy diagnosis of the problem. 'White backlash,' resentment of unpopular decisions, a general mood of suspicion of ecclesiastical institutions, uncertainty as to the role of the Church in society, uncertainty as to the reality of the Christian faith, distrust of changes, lack of understanding of what the Church is doing, lack of common agreement as to the Church's mission -- all these enter into the problem, and all these must be faced. "
The Council passed two budget resolutions, one authorizing if necessary the use of reserve funds to balance the budget up to a limit of $363, 806 and another calling for a nationwide Church program which would stress better evaluation and communication, set up a task force to develop a broad stewardship program and establish a system of program priorities.
The Rev. David R. Thornberry, of Shaker Heights, O., reported to the Council as the chairman of the agenda advisory committee for the Special General Convention planned for Notre Dame, August 31 to September 5, 1969.
He reported that his committee is recommending a new style of General Convention which would combine the traditional functions of General Convention but would include about equal time for conference purposes.
He stressed that the committee suggestions would have to be approved by the Bishops and deputies and that the Convention would have an opportunity to complete unfinished business from the Seattle General Convention of 1967 and prepare for the General Convention to be held at Houston, Tex., in 1970.
One proposal of the agenda committee is for the representation of women, ethnic minorities and young people, who would participate in discussions and plenary sessions with voice and vote. They would not have a seat or vote in the regular legislative sessions of the Convention, he said.
" We had to take a hard look at the Church today," he said. "Much of the Church today is rebellious. If not that, it is in strong reaction to what is being done. All kinds of changes have come and more will come. We felt we had to build an agenda that would be responsive to this climate. The Convention should have in it an opportunity for ventilation and confrontation. If we can deal with the hangups of the Church before Houston maybe we can do some good things at Houston. It will take courage for the Church to face this."
The agenda committee proposed that the six-day Special Convention provide for 50 discussion groups which would report to general plenary sessions. Legislative action would be taken by the House of Bishops and House of Deputies during periods provided for that purpose.
A Council motion commended the work of the agenda committee and asked that ways be developed to test the proposal.
A "special order" of business was a presentation by four American Indian members of the Episcopal Church who asked for "a self determining voice" in the life and mission of the Episcopal Church and a program for the training of native leadership to serve in reservation parishes.
They asked for the establishment of a National Committee on Indian Work with a membership of ten Indians and five Bishops from areas of major Indian work.
Other requests, by the Indian delegation, all approved by Executive Council, called for:
The appointment of an Indian staff member on Executive Council.
Participation by Indians in decision making at all levels.
A high priority for lay and ordained Indian leadership through special courses and at seminaries.
The appointment of Indians to Church posts and committee assignments.
Mr. Vine Deloria, Jr., a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and of Executive Council, suggested that the Episcopal Church is the only Christian body with a strong influence in the Indian community.
"The Indian people, " he said, "consider the Episcopal Church is an Indian religion. "
Others who took part were the Rev. Ronald A. Campbell, an Indian priest of Pine Ridge, S.D., the Rev. Wilbur Bearsheart, of Porcupine, S.D., and Miss Yvonne Warhol, a Sioux of Minnesota.
A prolonged discussion of proposed grants under the General Convention Special Program was marked by sharp criticism by some members of the Council of procedures used in field evaluations and decisions by the Screening and Review Committee.
The Council voted approval of 241 grants totaling $469, 000 and returned two for reconsideration by the Screening and Review Committee. The report of the Screening and Review Committee was made by the Rev. Quintin E. Primo, Jr., of Wilmington, Del., committee member.
The Rt. Rev. Gerald F. Burrill, Bishop of Chicago, and Mr. Charles Crump, Council member from Memphis, Tenn., were both critical of actions which had turned down programs in their areas.
Mr. Leon E. Modeste, director of the Special Program, explained that in both cases the programs, though worthwhile, had been rejected because they did not meet the guidelines established by Executive Council and that they "lacked credibility" with grass roots community organizations. The guidelines require that funded programs be "of service to the poor, designed and controlled by those to be served."
The Rt. Rev. George M. Murray, Bishop of Alabama, expressed dissatisfaction with field reports and criticized the style in which they were written.
"I've been reading some of the worst stuff I've ever seen," he said.
Most of the grants were given unanimous approval by the Council, the largest of $120,000 going to the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization.
The Council also:
---- directed the Staff Program Group to present to the May meeting a report on programs combating racism now being conducted by the Council and the National Council of Churches.
---- elected as secretary of the Council the Rev. Canon Charles M. Guilbert, and as assistant secretaries Mrs. Margaret Lockwood and Mrs. Dorothy White. All three serve until February, 1970.
---- welcomed Brenda Perkins of the Diocese of Michigan and Jeffrey Ditzel, a student at Alleghany College, Meadville, Pa., as representative young people.
---- received communications from several dioceses concerning the General Convention Special Program and referred them to the Staff Program Group. The Diocese of Western Michigan expressed concern over the lack of communication about the GCSP; the Diocese of Dallas urged that all GCSP grants be made through Church organizations; and the Diocese of San Joaquin questioned a specific grant.
---- heard from John Paul Causey, Council member from Virginia, of a resolution adopted by the Diocese of Virginia which expressed concern over the administration of the GCSP and over the lack of communication.
---- welcomed the Rev. Rustin R, Kimsey of Baker, Ore., elected at the December meeting to fill the vacancy created by the election of the Rt. Rev. William B. Spofford, Jr., as Bishop of Eastern Oregon.
---- heard an interim report on a study being conducted to determine the feasibility of a Capital Funds Campaign. The continuation of the study was approved and a final report is to be submitted to the May meeting of the Council.
---- approved a change in the requirements for the Boy Scout God and Country Award.
---- heard from the Committee for Women of the election of Mrs. A. Travers Ewell of South Miami, Fla., as Presiding Officer, and of Mrs. Fernando Aldana of Guatemala, as Assistant Presiding Officer, of the Triennial Meeting of the Women of the Church, to be held in Houston in 1970.
---- heard from the Committee for the Integration of Women and voted to change the name of the Committee to the Committee for the Laity. The Committee indicated that its initial meeting uncovered the difficulty of considering the integration of women except in the context of total lay participation.
---- approved several grants, including one to the Associated Parishes to establish a communications network on liturgical reform.
---- extended for three more years the companion diocese relationships between the Dioceses of Milwaukee, Masasi and Dar-es-Salaam; and between the Dioceses of New Hampshire and Hong Kong.
---- heard from the Committee for World Relief and Interchurch Aid of continuing support by Episcopalians for relief efforts in Nigeria/Biafra. Receipts are now over $317,000.
---- saw the film "Huey" which had received a GCSP grant in December and "The Christian Challenge," a film produced by the Foundation for Christian Theology.