A New Way of Meeting Needs
Diocesan Press Service. June 5, 1967 [55-5]
On Dec. 31, 1967, the General Division of Women's Work will terminate Supply Work on an assignment basis.
Why, it might well be asked, is this being done? A look at the history of this work should supply some insights.
Supply work had its origins in the work of individual parishes sending supplies to the Indian mission in Green Bay, Wis. as early as 1834. With the advent of the Woman's Auxiliary in 1871, and the increasing needs in overseas areas, the Box Work project was begun, bringing these individual efforts under central direction. In 1919, this work, re-titled Supply Department, adopted Red Cross methods of assigning quotas and was able, during the second year under this system, to send $280, 000 worth of material. Two additional projects, involving Christmas gifts for missionaries were adopted in 1923. These gifts were meant to augment inadequate missionary salaries, and it was recognized that they did not answer the real problem. In 1943, therefore, when the General Convention voted to increase missionary salaries, the Triennial decided gradually to discontinue these personal boxes.
The work of supplying missions with clothing, bedding supplies or money continued, but, since 1950, has been seriously questioned. There was a recognition that the sending of secondhand clothes to the deprived could foster dependancy, that it could be an excuse for lack of true involvement and Christian concern, and that it did not attack the root causes of poverty. From a practical viewpoint it also seemed advisable to meet the needs of missions in a different way. The cost of raw materials, the increase in postal rates, problems of shipping and import regulations made it much more difficult and expensive to ship goods.
In 1965 the General Division of Women's Work met with the Home and Overseas Departments to learn if the needs being met by Supply Work could not be integrated into these departments. This was done from the conviction that the essential needs of the church's missions and missionaries are the concern of the whole church, not just a part of it, and that they are not optional, but should be supported by the general church budget rather than by voluntary contributions.
The opportunity for service will still be there. Information on needs will be available from either the Home or the Overseas Departments. Projects for Partnership and companion diocese relationships also represent new, and often creative, ways in which needs can be met. Other opportunities can be found in the work of Church World Service, Seamen's Church Institute and locally sponsored projects.
The heritage of devotion through service remains unchanged. But the needs of modern missions change constantly. As in all areas of the church's life, there is the call for renewal and restructure.