Encouraging Financial Signs in Episcopal Church Noted
Diocesan Press Service. September 16, 1975 [75311]
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Despite the nation's economic woes, financial contributions to the Episcopal Church in recent years have continued to increase.
This was a comforting fact for the Executive Council as it convened on September 16-18 in Greenwich, Connecticut to look ahead toward the triennial Minnesota General Convention in the fall of 1976.
In 1974, the national Church received $13,633, 000, meeting in full the budget goal set by the General Convention in Louisville, Kentucky in 1973.
In 1975 expected receipts are within roughly $100,000 of the General Convention goal of $13, 925,000. Of this, over $200, 000 has already been pledged through the new and ongoing Income Development Program, launched this year.
In 1976, the General Convention goal is $14,225,000.
If the Church is able to meet these three goals for the full triennium of 1974-76, it will be an historic first. Never before in its history has this been accomplished. Other highly encouraging signs are in evidence.
The United Thank Offering, an annual giving by the women of the Church, this year totalled $1,495,000, a notable increase of $200,000 over the giving level of the past several years and the highest total in a decade.
Another dramatic evidence is provided by the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief, which has received $2,100,000 so far in 1975, as compared with $1,100, 000 for the entire year of 1974.
Most of these contributions, which came from all of the Church's 93 dioceses in the U.S. and from its 20 overseas dioceses, were in support of a special appeal by Presiding Bishop John M. Allin for funds to minister to the world's hungry. The Church School Missionary Offering, largely contributed by young people in the Church, this year was designated to support the work of the Church in Appalachia. On September 1, $76,000 had been contributed to this fund, with other gifts expected through the year's end.