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Coalition 14 Sets Budget for 1974-1975

Diocesan Press Service. February 28, 1974 [74055]

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Bishops, and their elected representatives, met at Salt Lake City in early February to divide the $1,240,740 given to the 13 dioceses of Coalition - 14 (C-14) by the National Church.

In other action, new officers were elected, budgets were adjusted, new guidelines were established, resolutions made and passed and concern and advice for one another flowed freely throughout the three day meeting.

The Rt. Rev. William J. Gordon, Mr. John Robertson and the Rev. Bob G. Jones of Alaska were guests of C-14. They attended all meetings weighing the arguments and processes in order to decide if their diocese should join C-14.

C-14 is a group of 13 dioceses, formerly 14, banded together to ask the National Church for one total sum of money instead of 13 separate amounts. They act as a lobby group to the National Church. "I like to think of our lobby as you would a hotel lobby," Bishop George T. Masuda, Chairman of C-14 said, "a place where people join together. "

All of the dioceses are from the western area of the United States and have many problems and solutions to those problems in common. As a result, they are able to aid one another with human resources as well as money. For people to divide over a million dollars in a loving and concerning way is unusual if not unheard of, but that is what happened at the recent meeting.

The last day of the meeting, the Rt. Rev. Richard Trelease, Bishop of the Diocese of the Rio Grande, offered a resolution asking the Board for Theological Education to reverse its guidelines for grants for continuing education for clergy and bishops. At present, grants may be made only for study periods of 10 days or longer. In passing the resolution, C-14 indicated its concern that local diocesan commissions on ministry with bishops have the autonomy to make their own decisions about the length of time which continuing education grants should be given.

The budget for 1975 was frozen at the 1974 level. Although there may be a small additional income in the 1975 budget, it will be allocated at the 1975 Board meeting. Budgets in C-14 are determined two years in advance. The Executive Committee was given full power to adjust the 1975 budget in light of program and personnel needs of each diocese.

Virginia Alberg, representing the Diocese of San Joaquin, California, introduced a resolution on MRI (Mutual Responsibility and Interdependence) stating that dioceses of C-14 could undertake special missionary projects as long as the money was raised outside of their operating budgets. Two years ago, the C-14 policy dictated this could not be done.

A resolution was submitted and passed that a committee on communication be formed to make plans leading to the next General Convention in Minneapolis in 1976. The committee will assist C-14 in communicating with the church and the world. It will be jointly funded by C-14 and the communication office of the Executive Council.

Bishop Gordon spoke to the group minutes before he caught his plane back to Alaska. He emphatically stated that his comments were as an evaluator from the outside and he was not judging. He believed in the credibility of the church and thought it was working in new and wonderful ways of concern and planning and hoped C-14 did not lose sight of that by zeroing in on themselves.

He showed great concern for small dioceses in the east who do not have the strength of C-14 at National Church and suggested they invite bishops from these dioceses to sit in on a C-14 meeting. "Money does not create the program," Bishop Gordon said, "people create the program and their time and talent should be used. They should be administered to so they can in turn administer. In this way, a diocese can look forward to becoming independent."

"When you cut back on a program you need, because someone else needs the money more, then you really care about the church and the children of Jesus Christ, " he said.

Bishop Walter Jones, of South Dakota, whose communicant strength is half Indian, doesn't see any way his diocese can be self-supporting in the next 20 to 30 years unless there is a drastic change in the economic base for the Indian.

Bishop Masuda of North Dakota sees it differently. He also has Indian congregations, though not nearly as large as those of Bishop Jones. He feels that if money is available now, new directions of ministry can be discovered using human resources. The dioceses in C-14 can reduce their budgets and become independent, he believes.

Bishop David R. Thornberry of Wyoming was elected President: the Rev. Hunter Morris, Arizona, was elected Secretary. Both serve for one year. Members elected to the Executive Committee for a two year term are: Bishop Walter Jones, South Dakota; Bishop William Davidson, Western Kansas; and Mr. John Bauer, Eastern Oregon. The Rev. Victor G. Richer, Montana, was elected for a one year term.

The next annual meeting will be held January 30 to February 3, 1975. The location of the meeting will be decided later.