Summary of Actions of the Executive Council
Episcopal News Service. February 13, 1986 [86025]
SAN ANTONIO (DPS, Feb. 13) -- The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church met here Feb. 4-6.
The Council -- which sets policy and develops programs for the Church between the triennial meetings of the General Convention -- consists of 40 members: 20 elected by the Convention; 18 elected by the Church's nine internal provinces, the Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Edmond L. Browning, and the President of the House of Deputies, the Very Rev. David B. Collins. The Rev. Canon James B. Gundrum is secretary.
Most resolutions for Council action came through four interim standing committees. Resolutions also occasionally come through a special committee or sub-committee.
The Council took the following actions:
- Affirmed St. Michael's Mission, Ethete, Wyo.; Bethanie, Port-Au-Prince, Haiti; the Manhattan North Interparish Council of the Episcopal Diocese of New York; and Episcopal Community Services, Erie, Pa. as Jubilee Centers.
- Appropriated $10,000 from the income of the Roanridge Trust Fund to provide for a portion of the funding needed for the Northeastern Land (Leadership Academy for New Directions) to be held in 1986/7 for the purpose of training clergy and lay persons in rural and small town ministry.
- Approved a resolution directing the secretary of the Executive Council to write the President of the United States urging him not to recommend inequitable cuts to Indian Health Service and to all members of Congress requesting them to oppose any reductions beyond the one percent agreed upon for fiscal year 1987 in Indian Health Service.
- Commended the Episcopal Society for Ministry on Aging on the occasion of its being certified as a Non-Government Organization of the World Health Organization, International Programme on Aging.
- Unanimously approved, after extended debate, a resolution instructing the Committee on Trust Funds to divest by June 30, 1986 all its holdings in companies listed in the Investor Responsibility Research Center, Inc.-- South Africa Review Service publication of January 1985 as doing business in South Africa and Namibia, with re-investment possible in any such company which can document that it has disinvested its business from those countries. The same instructions are to apply to the reinvestment of all funds, or other funds under the jurisdiction of the Trust Fund Committee. This is in response to General Convention Resolution D-073A.
- Heard from the Rev. Charles A. Cesaretti, now deputy for Anglican relations but for six years public issues officer and liaison with the Committee on Social Responsibility in Investments, on the history of that Committee and its workings.
- Passed, with some opposition, a shareholder resolution requesting the Board of Directors of Santa Fe/Southern Pacific Corporation to make available to shareholders a description of current obligations to transport nuclear materials, safety measures, provision in the event of an accident, financial arrangements between the company and the Department of Energy, explanation of any company efforts to limit transportation of nuclear materials, and an assessment of whether such efforts should be continued, and if so, how.
- Passed, with some opposition, a shareholder resolution requesting the Board of Directors of General Electric to commission its Public Responsibility Committee to study and develop criteria for the acceptance of military contracts, with a report to the shareholders at the next annual meeting.
- Passed, with some opposition, a shareholder resolution requesting the Board of Directors of Eastman Kodak to create a committee to review the ethical appropriateness and the rationales for Kodak's work in the space weapons program, issue a report to shareholders on this and provide a forum for their response.
- Approved, after some discussion, shareholder resolutions to J. P. Morgan and Company, Inc., and Johnson and Johnson Company requesting their Boards of Directors to issue public statements committing the companies to a wage policy free of sex discrimination and report to shareholders on how this policy is being implemented.
- Approved a shareholder resolution requesting the Board of Directors of J. P. Morgan and Company, Inc., to establish a policy, to apply until the apartheid system has been dismantled, of making no new loans and not renewing outstanding loans to any sector of the South African economy and, if faced with involuntary renegotiation of debt, to support only rescheduling for a term of one year or less at any one time
- Failed, by one vote, to pass a resolution requesting the Board of Directors of American Telephone and Telegraph to take steps to terminate their contract to manage the nuclear weapons related divisions of the Sandia National Laboratories.
- Passed a shareholder resolution requesting the Board of Raytheon to establish a corporate policy that neither Raytheon nor any of its affiliates shall enter into or renew any contracts with the government of South Africa of any of its agencies until that government has committed itself to the ending of apartheid and taken meaningful steps toward achieving full political and legal rights for the black majority population.
- Approved shareholder resolutions to the Board of Directors and management of Baxter Travenol, Bristol Myers Company and Eastman Kodak Company calling on them to take immediate steps to terminate operations in South Africa and to avoid doing business with that nation as long as apartheid is in effect and to arrange to compensate fairly all employees who may be adversely affected by this action.
- Approved a resolution to abstain, due to insufficient time to consult with the Church of Ireland, on a shareholder resolution requesting the Board of Directors of General Motors to implement and/or increase activity on the nine MacBride Principles and report progress on their implementation to shareholders.
- Passed, with some opposition, a shareholder resolution requesting the Board of Directors of Raytheon to make available to shareholders a report answering questions on the value of outstanding contracts to develop space weapons, the amount of in-house money being spent on research and development of these, whether Raytheon is planning to conduct or participate in materials-processing in space experiments, and whether the company has an internal policy or direction for the commercial development of space and/or development of space as a potential battlefield.
- Heard Social Responsibility in Investments chairman the Rev. Donald Nickerson of Brunswick, Maine, thank and wish Godspeed to outgoing Treasurer Matthew Costigan, saying they have been blessed with his genius and Christian commitment.
- With a question from Council member the Rev. Barnum McCarty of Jacksonville, Fla., opened a discussion, to be continued in the future, on whether members should vote their consciences or the expressed opinion of General Convention, when these differ.
- Learned from Treasurer Matthew Costigan that due to the early February date of the Council meeting, "it is impossible for the Finance Department to present to this Council meeting statements that would be meaningful, inasmuch as the figures and information would be so preliminary" as to be more confusing than informative and received his "reasonably correct" figures which estimated actual income for the year 1985 to be $26,172,048, exceeding the budgeted income of $25,834,548 for that year by $337,500.
- Learned that the 1986 General Church Budget is based on a total income figure of $27,605,000 and that response from dioceses in support of that is excellent, with only seven indicating inability to meet their assigned apportionment.
- Learned that the Trust Fund was evaluated independently as being in the 21st percentile -- very good performance for the portfolio.
- Elected the Rt. Rev. Donald J. Davis as the Council representative to the Trust Fund Committee; elected William C. Breed, III, John S. Buckley, and Douglas T. Yates to the panel for three years; and elected Harry W. Havemeyer to serve out the unexpired term of Karen Goukassow Loud until the 1987 Executive Council Annual Meeting.
- Established the Josephine McKenty Stichter Memorial Fund, approximately $13,000, for children's hospitals and Sunday Schools in Alaska.
- Established the Virginia B. Private Charitable Remainder Unitrust, approximately $50,000, to her for her life, for a period of ten years after her death to beneficiaries, and, at the termination of the unitrust, the principal to be distributed as follows: 65 percent to St. Mary's in the Valley, Ramona, Calif., for outreach programs; 30 percent to the Diocese of San Diego for general purposes; and 5 percent to the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief for general purposes.
- Established the Alvah L. Terry Consolidated Trust Fund, approximately $30,000, for use in the overseas field.
- Designated that the income from the Helen M. Ballard Trust Fund go to the Diocese of Western North Carolina to be used for continuing education for clergy.
- Authorized the Treasurer to negotiate, with the proper authority in the American Schools and Hospitals Abroad Agency of the U.S. government, a $4,500,000 contract for St. Luke's Hospital, Quezon City, Philippines, provided that matching grant requirements can be guaranteed.
- Appropriated up to $18,000 from the income of the Constable Fund for the printing and distribution of revised inserts for "A Manual of Accounting Principles and Reporting Practices for Episcopal Dioceses, Parishes and Missions."
- Set aside the lapsed balance from the year 1985 as a reserve for the 1987 budget in an amount not less than $700,000, with any amount in excess of that figure to be used to provide for four new billets in the year 1986 and to meet any short-fall anticipated in estimated trust fund income budgeted for 1986.
- Appropriated up to $12,000 from the income of the Constable Fund to the Communication Office for the production of video tapes and other material for congregations and dioceses preparing for the use of the Hymnal 1982.
- Heard that the committee found that the combination of Finance/Administration, Communication and Stewardship and Development worked well.
- Scott Evans spoke for Stough, the chairman, who had to leave early for his diocesan convention, reporting that the committee had heard a report on the recent Pre-Lambeth meeting in Lima and also a report from the Presiding Bishop's Fund on planning process, for which it commended them.
- Accepted the reports of the Partners in Mission Consultations of the Episcopal Church in Cuba and the Church in Uganda as the basis for policy of future partner relationships between the Episcopal Church and those two churches, respectively.
- Unanimously affirmed the Harare Declaration on South Africa and pledged to work for its implementation.
- Recognized that Haitian peoples in the United States are experiencing major restrictions in the guarantee of basic human rights and called upon the Episcopal Church in parishes, dioceses and nationally to become more informed about and involved in supporting Church and ecumenical organizations working to secure humanitarian treatment and basic human rights for them in this country.
- Appropriated $48,360 from the income of the Constable Fund to cover the costs of the Joint Christian Education Task Force over the next two years to study the history and present strength of Christian Education and recommend actions to strengthen the Church educational ministry, as mandated by General Convention.
- Heard Browning express elation at meeting in his home diocese and gratitude to its current bishop Scott Field Bailey and past bishop Everett Jones and to the diocese for all that it contributed to his life and ministry.
- Learned that the location committee for the Episcopal Church Center will be named after Browning's "year of listening" (to end June 1937), for a report to the 1988 General Convention.
- Heard a report on the December World Council of Churches' Harare meeting on the situation in South Africa, attended by then Presiding Bishop John M. Allin and subsequent follow-up meetings.
- Learned of the appointment of an Advisory Committee for the Washington Office to survey and evaluate its present ministry and explore ways in which its witness can be strengthened. The chairman will be the Rt. Rev. John T. Walker, and members Patricia Scharf, Congressman William Alexander and Dr. Alan Parrent.
- Learned that in response to General Convention Resolution D-087, the Presiding Bishop is prepared to name members of a task force to study. the history and present strength of Christian Education.
- Learned that a Blue Ribbon Committee on Indian Advocacy will report to the fall meeting of Council.
- Learned of the following appointments: Administrative Assistant to the Presiding Bishop's Office, the Rev. Richard Chang; Deputy for Anglican Relations, the Rev. Charles A. Cesaretti; Coordinator for Ministries with Children, Dr. Barbara Taylor; Field Officer for Indian Ministries, Sherman Wright; Assistant for Interpretation and Network Development, Dr. David Crean; Assistant Personnel Officer, James Lewis; and Systems Analyst, Barbara Kelleher-Buntin.
- Learned that within the next 30 days, Browning will meet with the Bishops of the IX Province and their Provincial Council and will attend the meeting of the Primates of the Anglican Communion in Toronto.
- Gave tribute to retiring Treasurer Matthew Costigan, who is invited to an evening in his honor at the June Council meeting, with a standing ovation.
- Welcomed new members the Ven. Lincoln Eng and the Rev. Ruth Potter.
- Were introduced to visiting members of the press: Jannette Pierce, the Rev. Steve Weston and the Rev. Charles Sumner.
- Were introduced to the Presiding Bishop's "best friend in the whole world," his wife, Patti.
- Heard a report from Browning on his conversation with the Rt. Rev. Luc Garnier of Haiti and wishes and prayers for them.
- Learned that the dates of the other 1986 meetings are June 17-20 in Atlanta and Nov. 12-14 in New York.
- Were asked to save the following weeks for meetings in 1987 and 1988: March 9-13, June 15-19, and Nov. 16-20, 1987; Feb. 22-26, May 16-20, and Nov. 14-18, 1988.
- Welcomed Lori Arnold and her new assistant in the General Convention Office, Caroline Shortino.
- Approved minutes of previous meeting, with change on p.43 from "United Airlines" to "UAL, Inc."
- Heard a report from the Standing Liturgical Commission.
- Passed courtesy resolutions thanking the staff of the Inn at Oak Hills, the Diocese of West Texas and its bishop, the Good Samaritan Center, Dr. John Carver.
- Sent greetings and good wishes to former President of the House of Deputies Dr. Charles Lawrence and to former Presiding Bishop John M. Allin.
- Passed a resolution to Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning on his first Executive Council meeting in that role, with thanks for his leadership.