Executive Council Summary of Action
Diocesan Press Service. September 26, 1974 [74272]
N-O-T M-I-N-U-T-E-S
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
SUMMARY OF ACTION
September 24-26, 1974
I. COMMITTEE STRUCTURE
A. Approved reconstitution of Executive Council committee structure as recommended by the Steering Committee.
II. RESIGNATIONS ACCEPTED
A. Executive Council: Dr. Charles V. Willie.
B. Church Center Staff: The Rev. William C. Heffner.
III. ELECTIONS
A. Executive Council: Mrs. Leona E. Bryant (replacing Dr. Willie).
B. Committee on Social Responsibility in Investments: (three year terms)
1. John Cannon
2. George T. Guernsey III
3. Melville Hodder
4. Robert S. Potter
IV. EXPIRATION OF TERM
A. The Very Rev. Dillard E. Robinson, Representative from Province II.
V. APPOINTMENTS CONFIRMED
A. Staff:
1. Mrs. Ruth G. Cheney as Executive for Program.
2. The Rt. Rev. Richard B. Martin as Executive for Ministry.
3. Ms. Elizabeth Crawford as Youth Program Officer.
4. The Rev. Page Bigelow as Bicentennial Research Associate.
5. Mrs. Nancie Oyama as Associate Secretary in the Asiamerica Ministry.
6. The Rev. Winston Ching as Executive Officer, Asiamerica Ministry (permanent basis).
B. National Advisory Committee on Youth and College Ministries:
1. Ms. Mary White
2. Ms. Linda Bland
3. Dr. Tom Govan
4. Sister Elinor Shea
5. The Rev. Thomas Woodward
6. The Rev. David K. Fly
7. The Rev. John Scott
8. Ms. Sara Davis
9. The Rev. Myron Bloy
C. Commission on Women in Ministry (National Council of Churches):
1. Miss Olive Mae Mulica
2. The Rev. Carol Anderson
3. The Rev. Page Bigelow
4. The Very Rev. Harvey Guthrie
5. Miss Helene Schnurbush
6. Mrs. Geoffrey C. Hazard
7. Mrs. Frederick C. Gilman (consultant)
D. Compensation Committee:
1. Mr. Bateman, Chairman
2. Mrs. Bailey
3. Mr. Cummings
E. Committee on Management of Records and Documents:
1. Mr. Bateman, Chairman
2. Mr. Cummings
3. Mrs. Bailey
4. The Rt. Rev. Scott Field Bailey, ex officio
5. The Rev. Canon Charles M. Guilbert, ex officio
6. Dr. V. Nelle Bellamy, ex officio
F. Board of Church World Service: Dean Robinson.
VI. FINANCE
A. Due to increasing interest rates, authorized loans of up to $10,000 from Residential Loan Fund for staff of Executive Council.
B. Approved sale of property at 317 7th Street, Washing- ton D.C. (Kibbey Will).
C. Adopted schedule and process for development of General Church Program.
VII. SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN INVESTMENTS
A. Heard a report from Mr. Paul Neuhauser, chairman, noting:
1. Progress of shareholder activities of the Committee in regard to:
a. Southern Africa
b. Political contributions
c. Equal Employment Opportunity programs
d. Ecology
2. Future plans:
a. Ecumenical cooperation
b. Projected need for full time staff person.
VIII. MINNESOTA CONVENTION
A. Heard a report from the Rt. Rev. Scott Field Bailey on:
1. Recent meetings of Joint Commissions
2. Schedule of future sites for General Conventions:
a. Minnesota - 1976 (firm)
b. Denver - 1979 (firm)
c. Milwaukee - 1982 (tentative)
IX. SOCIAL MINISTRY AND CONCERNS
A. War Resisters
1. Adopted a statement on Clemency and Earned Re-entry, directed staff to supply information and resources to assist the Church to develop a ministry in this area; a report to be presented to Council in six months.
2. Adopted a resolution urging local churches and individuals to use influence to work toward full reconciliation of young men and their families to this country.
B. Mining in Puerto Rico
1. Adopted a resolution in support of the efforts of the Diocese of Puerto Rico to postpone copper and nickel mining there until the ecology and well- being of the people can be protected, allocating $25,000 from the Contable Fund for the project.
X. GENERAL CONVENTION SPECIAL PROGRAM REPORT
A. Heard from the Vice President that the manuscript of MISSION: EMPOWERMENT, the report of the General Convention Special Program, prepared by Mr. Leon Modeste, has been received, but that the Society has no plans to publish it; Mr. Modeste retains, under the contract, the secondary rights to publication of the manuscript.
XI. PRESIDING BISHOP'S FUND
A. On recommendation of the Board of the Presiding Bishop's Fund, adopted a resolution requesting the Presiding Bishop to name a Task Force on World Hunger to:
1. Gather information on this problem;
2. assemble this information for dissemination;
3. train leaders to conduct workshops to -
4. elicit appropriate responses from the Church and
5. build consensus for a national program designed to mobilize additional resources; and
authorized appropriation of $2,000 to implement the initial stages of this program, directing the Task Force to report to the December meeting with program and budget recommendations for the remainder of the triennium.
XII. TREASURER
A. Heard a report that the property at 815 Second Avenue has been judged exempt from taxes, that a certified copy of that judgment has been served, directing the City of New York to remove the property from the tax rolls and refund $260,715.95 with interest, and that the City has filed an appeal.
B. The question of the head tax, raised at the June meeting, has been referred to Bishop Bailey, as Interim Executive Officer of the General Convention, Mr. George Shipman, of the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance and Bishop Wood, as liaison with the House of Bishops.
XIII. TRUST FUNDS
A. Heard a report on the present state of the Trust Funds indicating that although the stock market is down, it is hoped that it will not be necessary to invade principal.
B. The A. G. Becker evaluation of the Trust Funds management is to be submitted to the Trust Funds Committee within a few days.
XIV. COMMUNICATION
A. Received the report, which included:
1. Recommendation from the Episcopal Communicators that the Communications Committee consider the possibility of establishing a Press Secretary for the office of the Presiding Bishop.
2. Adopted a resolution commending a policy of open meetings to all agencies, committees and commissions of the Church, in the interests of greater understanding and support.
XV. ECUMENICAL
A. Adopted a resolution appropriating $1,200 from the Faith Offering of 1973 to the National Council of Churches in support of its office of Christian- Jewish Relations.
XVI. COUNCIL ON MINISTRY
A. Heard a report by the Rt. Rev. Robert R. Spears and received a Statement by the Council on Ministry on Racism and Sexism.
XVII. PROGRAM COMMITTEES
A. Heard that the five Executive Council Committees related to Program (Education, Evangelism, Lay Ministries, Social Ministry and Concern and Youth and College Ministries) had met together to look at ways of working jointly in sharing resources.
XVIII. EDUCATION
A. Allocated $10,000 from the Constable Fund to the Epis- copal Conference of the Deaf for the purpose of providing staff for a national program of Christian Education for the Deaf.
B. Heard that three new members had been appointed to the Committee: 1. Rev. Mr. Ottley 2. Mrs. Robinson 3. Rev. Mr. Spong
XIX. EVANGELISM
A. Adopted a resolution recommending that the Executive Council move to explore the proposal of producing and funding a new Church's Teaching Series; the Committees on Education, Lay Ministries and Evangelism instructed to work with Seabury Press on this and report to the December Council meeting.
XX. LAY MINISTRIES
A. Authorized the transfer of $13,800 from the Windham House Specials Account for two grants:
1. $10,800 to APSO for INTRAMONT, a local lay ministries training project.
2. $3,000 to Eleanor McLaughlin, for a research and writing project on the history, spirituality and image and role of women in the Church for the 99 Percenter.
XXI. YOUTH AND COLLEGE MINISTRIES
A. Received priority list recommended by the Advisory Committee on College Ministries and requested Executive Council staff assigned to this program area to develop strategies and programs to implement these priorities in 1974-75.
XXII. NATIONAL AND WORLD MISSION
A. Heard reports of partnership consultations in South- east Asia, Africa and the Caribbean attended by members of the Executive Council and adopted statements on the relationships between the Episcopal Church and: the Province of Uganda, Ruanda, Burundi and Mboga- Zaire; the Province of Tanzania; and the Province of Central Africa.
B. Requested that National and World Mission work with Communications to make tapes of these reports avail- able to the Church.
C. Approved Companion Diocese relationships between:
1. Southwest Florida/Panama and the Canal Zone
2. Arizona/Damaraland
3. Central Florida/Honduras
D. Appropriated $7,000 from the 1973 Faith Offering to the Diocese of the Southern Philippines for the purchase of an SSB Communications System to enable the bishop to keep in touch with his people.
XXII. COUNCIL MEETINGS
A. Requested the Presiding Bishop to appoint an ad hoc Committee to study and make recommendations on meeting sites for Executive Council; the committee to report in December.
B. Approved the following dates for Executive Council meetings in 1975, with the understanding that the December dates must be adjusted to the Presiding Bishop's calendar.
February 18-20
May 14-16
September 16-18
December 9-11
XXIV. DEVELOPMENT
A. Heard a report on progress of the Development Committee in regard to:
1. Ongoing stewardships program and development of materials for same.
2. Work toward the creation of dynamic extra-budgetary programs and resources.
XXV. MISSION SERVICE AND STRATEGIES
A. Approved the Charter of Episcopal Asiamerica Strategies Task Force (EAST).
XXVI. UNITED THANK OFFERING
A. Received the new list of United Thank Offering grants made September 18, 1974.
XXVII. COMPENSATION COMMITTEE
A. Approved a Charter for the Compensation Committee.
XXVIII. PERSONAL
A. Adopted resolutions of appreciation to:
1. The Rev. William C. Heffner, D.D.
2. The Very Rev. Dillard Robinson.
B. Expressed concern at the recent disaster in Upi, Philippines, involving Mr. Hamilton Edwards, member of Executive Council. Letters, greetings and gifts may be sent to the Presiding Bishop for transmittal to Mr. Edwards.
XXIX. PRESIDING BISHOP
A. Heard from the Presiding Bishop on several issues, including:
1. Ministry, its nature, and the continuing need for redemption and reconciliation.
2. Mission - methods, models and opportunities for the work of the Church.
B. Requested the Diocesan Press Service to circulate a clear summary of judicial processes which could be invoked at the national level with regard to the bishops and at the diocesan level with regard to the other ordained persons who participated in the July 29 service in Philadelphia.
C. Endorsed the list of opportunities for mission as set forth by the Presiding Bishop and asked the Executive Group to assign these areas of concern to the appropriate program committees for response at the next meeting of the Executive Council.