Episcopal Communicators Organize
Diocesan Press Service. June 28, 1974 [74190]
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- After several years of unofficial organization, Episcopal Communicators (EC) have announced their official existence within the Church, all of which came on the heels of their meeting in Washington, D.C., June 9-11, in conjunction with the Installation of the Presiding Bishop.
Early on the more than 60 communicators acted as a body to request that Presiding Bishop John M. Allin reverse his decision to forego a press conference after the installation ceremony. Bishop Allin did comply and appeared to the press shortly after the ceremonies ended on June 11.
After organizing themselves with officers, the group acted on several resolutions, one of which will involve an invitation by the Episcopal Communicators to the bishops of the Church to participate in "communications seminars " similar to those offered by the Roman Catholic Church to their bishops.
Other affirmative resolves mandate the group to ask the Church's Program Group on Communications "to share in the overall strategy for planning communications of the Church, specifically at a Communication Planning Council this fall"; to investigate an auxiliary (to Diocesan Press Service) national news service; and to obtain professional workshops services for EC members through the Associated Church Press.
A variety of topics occupied the podium during the EC meeting, including information on and concern for the new format for "The Episcopalian" and their proposal for combining diocesan papers in their monthly mailings; concern that Episcopal Communicators be included in decision-making on the national level in regard to Episcopal Church communications; and data on the communication system used by the Roman Catholics nation wide.
EC is open to anyone who has an interest, and particularly a job relating to, the communications task of the Church. At the Washington meeting this included full-time, part-time, lay, clerical, editors, reporters, public relations specialists, print media people, radio and tv people, columnists, and people from parish, diocesan, provincial and national levels of the Church.
Elected to the executive board for staggered terms were: The Rev. Canon Erwin Soukup (Chicago), chairman, the Rev. Ben Campbell (Virginia), the Rev. John Lockerby (Olympia), all for three-year terms; Betty Gray (New York), the Rev. Richard Anderson (Western New York), both for two-year terms; and Isabel Baumgartner (Tennessee), Polly Bond (Ohio), one-year terms.
In final action, the group agreed to hold their 1975 meeting in Memphis, Tenn.
All Church communicators are invited to involve themselves in EC. The executive board was mandated to submit organizational details at the next meeting. Information on the new group can be had by writing Canon Soukup at 65 E. Huron, Chicago, Ill., 60611.