Miscellaneous Actions of Executive Council
Diocesan Press Service. February 19, 1975 [75075]
(NOTE to Editors: These short paragraphs are in addition to the releases on specific issues and may be used as fillers, to report on matters of interest to your diocese, or accepted as information.)
The Council approved a resolution which authorizes the retaining of the law firm of Davies, Hardy, Ives and Lawther as the legal counsel of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, for the year 1975.
The Council approved a resolution which provides for the retaining of the auditing firm of Price Waterhouse and Company as its auditors for the year 1975.
The following dates were approved by the Executive Council as its 1976 meeting schedule: February 18-20; April 21-23; September 9 (in Minnesota); and December 8-10.
Bishop Jose Antonio Ramos of Costa Rica was given a special Power of Attorney in order that he might obtain a bank loan to build an income-producing facility on church property for the benefit of the endowment of the diocese.
The Council authorized the sale of a house in Greenwich, Conn., to a member of the staff, for the full appraisal value of $50,000.
The Council authorized its Committee on Trust Funds to establish a new Consolidated Trust Fund for the benefit of the three dioceses in Mexico to aid them in their efforts to achieve self-support status and ultimate autonomy.
Companion diocese relationships were established, until February 1978, between the following dioceses: Southeast Florida/El Salvador; and Upper South Carolina/Guam.
An appropriation of $50, 000 from the Esther H. Woodward Legacy was approved by the Council to the Gulf South Research Institute, New Iberia, La., for their "armadillo " leprosy research project, to be paid in two installments of $25, 000 each in 1975 and 1976.
The Committee on Lay Ministries reported to the Council that it had authorized a grant of $3,000 to Teach Each A Ministry (TEAM), Bishop William J. Gordon, director, in order to assist TEAM to qualify for a $7,500 matching grant from the Episcopal Church Foundation. The committee recommended Mrs. Carter (Pam) Chinnis, Diocese of Washington, presiding officer of the Triennial Meeting of the Women of the Church, for appointment by the President of the Council as a co-opted member of the Lay Ministries Committee.
The Council authorized the Presiding Bishop to increase the number on the Bicentennial Committee to 25, five of whom are to be Council members; heard that Mr. Hodding Carter, Greenville, Miss., will chair a task force on Liberty and Justice for All in One Nation under God; and heard the Rev. Dr. John B. Coburn, chairman of the committee, and the Rev. Page Bigelow, bicentennial resource associate on the staff, report on a variety of activities, including bicentennial celebration plans during the 1976 General Convention.
The Council heard a report from the Ghetto Loan and Investment Committee by Charles Bound, chairman, and Peter Braun, of the consulting firm, McKinsey & Co., Inc.
The President of the Council announced the resignation of staff member Fayetta deMontigny as executive secretary of the National Committee on Indian Work.
The Seabury Press, complying with a resolution adopted by the Council last December, resubmitted nominees with biographical information (city and state of residence, age, sex, race, and occupation) for the Board of Trustees of the Press, and they were elected as follows: The Rt. Rev. John M. Allin, chairman, Greenwich, Conn., 53, male, white, Presiding Bishop; Mr. Edward J. Bermingham, Washington, D.C., 56, male, white, president of Small Business Investment Corp.; Mr. John P.R. Budlong, Irvington-on-Hudson, N.Y., 53, male, white, senior vice president, operations, American Management Association; Mr. Hodding Carter, III, Greenville, Miss., 39, male, white, editor of Delta Democrat-Times; Dr. Lindley M. Franklin, Jr., Noroton, Conn., 64, male, white, treasurer of Executive Council; Mr. John C. Goodbody, Bronxville, N.Y., 59, male, white, executive for communication of Executive Council; the Rev. Canon Charles M. Guilbert, New York, N.Y., 66, male, white, secretary/treasurer of General Convention; the Rt. Rev. John E. Hines, Highlands, N.C., 64, male, white, retired Presiding Bishop; Mr. Werner Mark Linz, Rye, N.Y., 39, male, white, president of The Seabury Press; Mr. George A. Murphy, Washington, Conn., 69, male, white, retired board chairman of Irving Trust Co.; Dr. Manning M. Pattillo, Jr., Rochester, N.Y., 55, male, white, director of special projects, University of Rochester; Mr. Warren H. Turner, Jr., vice chairman, Nags Head, N.C., 62, male, white, management consultant, semi-retired; Mr. J. Randall Williams, Dover, Mass., 62, male, white, publishing consultant for M. I.T. and Atlantic Monthly Press; and the Rt. Rev. Milton L. Wood, Greenwich, Conn., 52, male, white, executive for administration of the Executive Council.
Dr. Lindley M. Franklin, Jr., treasurer of the Executive Council for the past 29 years, announced that he will retire August 1, 1975. The Finance Committee recommended that he be honored appropriately at the May meeting of the Council.
The President of the Council announced the following appointments: the Rev. William A. Norgren, assistant ecumenical officer; the Rev. Wayne Schwab, evangelism officer; and Miss Rotha Holbert of the Diocese of Washington, to the Governing Board of the National Council of Churches, replacing Miss Gretchen Zimmerman who resigned.
The Council instructed the secretary to send its greetings to absent member Bishop E. Lani Hanchett of Hawaii, representative of Province VIII, who recently underwent surgery.
A resolution was adopted by the Council which registered a "positive response " to a letter from Bishop George D. Browne of Liberia, in which he wrote of plans which are expected to enable the diocese to achieve autonomy in 10 to 15 years.
The Council elected as its Steering Committee for 1975 the following members: Bishop George T. Masuda of North Dakota; the Rev. T. Stewart Matthews, South Carolina, Province IV; the Rev. Robert R. Parks, New York; Mr. Walker Taylor, East Carolina; and the Rev. Canon R. Stewart Wood, Jr., Indianapolis, Province V.
Ms. Betty Louise Acton and Mrs. Margaret H. Lockwood were elected assistant secretaries of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and of the Executive Council.
The Executive Council voted to accept an invitation from the Diocese of Colorado to hold its May 14-16, 1975, meeting in Denver, provided a designated committee finds that the cost does not differ significantly from the cost of a meeting in Greenwich, Conn.
Walker Taylor, Wilmington, N.C., chairman of the Finance Committee, reported on a tentative process and schedule for developing the 1976 and the 1977-1979 General Church Program budgets. He said the committee and staff anticipate a 1976 budget of $14.2 million, as adopted by the General Convention in 1973.
The Council heard a report from Mrs. John S. Jackson, Jr., Lake Oswego, Ore., on a partnership consultation in the West Indies, and a suggestion by Bishop John M. Burgess of Massachusetts that in the future one or more members of such a delegation should include a person from the U. S. Church with West Indian background.
The Council deferred until its May meeting the election of its representatives to the Anglican Council of North America and the Carribean, asking for biographical information (residence, sex, age, race, length of service on the Council) for those nominated. The Episcopal Church has six elected representatives, serving for three years, with one member to be under 30 years of age. The Presiding Bishop is automatically a member of ACNAC.
The Council heard a statement from Werner Mark Linz, president of The Seabury Press, that the Board of Trustees of the press has begun to study matters relating to the board, including increase in size, broader representation, a rotation policy and staggered terms, and increasing the frequency of meetings, as requested by the Council last December. He said the board hopes to be able to report in May, well in advance of the December date set by the Council.
The Mission Committee reported to the Council that it is recommending that an overseas mission project be the recipient of the 1976 Church School Missionary Offering, and that the overseas bishops have been asked to make suggestions. Appalachian People's Service Organization (APSO) was the 1975 recipient.
The Council voted to refer the matter of an overseas development fund, approved by the House of Bishops in 1973, to the Development Office for "future planning."
A report from the Committee on Social Ministry and Concerns indicated that if the response to the President's Clemency and Earned Re-entry Plan continues to be "minimal" when the extension expires on March 31, the Council will be asked to "take further action to urge Congress and the President to enact legislation to provide full reconciliation of these men with their families and their country."
When a discussion of the relationship between Executive Council members and staff arose, there was general agreement that while either group may initiate program, policy decisions rest with the Council and the Presiding Bishop, as set forth in the Canons, while staff administers programs and policies and presents to Council committees recommendations and options for consideration and action.
Lindley M. Franklin, Jr., treasurer, reported that 1974 was one of the best years, financially, in the history of the Church; that 99.7 percent of the pledges in support of the national budget by the 93 domestic dioceses were paid in full, with only three dioceses failing to meet their pledges; and that 98.2 percent of the amount that was assigned to the dioceses by the 1973 General Convention formula were paid. He expressed confidence that the 1975 pledges on the $13.9 million budget for 1975 will be met.
In appreciation for the ecumenical work of Dr. Paul Anderson over a period of many years, the Council recognized his "singular efforts" which were "devoted to building bridges of communication and understanding among the world's churches and expresses its sincere appreciation to him for this great contribution and for the spirit in which it was given."