Miscellaneous Items of Executive Council Business
Diocesan Press Service. September 23, 1975 [75327]
The Council adopted a resolution which calls for it "to assume the responsibility for gathering the necessary data and preparing a plan for Volunteers in Mission consistent with our commitment to Partners in Mission which may be presented to the next General Convention for approval and funding. " The proposed volunteer corps would include all ages, backgrounds, skills and professions.
Resolutions were adopted by the Council which expressed the Council's "moral support for the Rt. Rev. Richard Wood, and for the other Christian leaders, and expresses indignation at their expulsion from Namibia"; which supported "the self-determination, independence, and territorial integrity of Namibia"; and which urged the U.S. Government "to support fully the efforts of the United Nations to bring about the freedom of the people of Namibia."
The Council approved a resolution which accepted invitations to send Episcopal Church representatives to participate as partners in mission in the following regional consultations: South Pacific Anglican Council, Oct. 30 - Nov. 6, 1975; Province of the Sudan, Jan. 14- 20, 1976; and Province of South Africa, July 5-10, 1976.
The Council received from Bishop Scott Field Bailey of Texas, executive officer of the General Convention, a report which included details of the operation of the General Convention Manager's office.
A resolution was adopted making it the policy of the Executive Council to invest and/or deposit available funds up to $40, 000 per institution in FDIC, FSLIC, and the National Credit Union Administration, insured savings and loan associations, savings banks, commercial banks and certain community development credit unions primarily serving minority people in minority areas.
The Council adopted, with one negative vote by Bishop Gray Temple of South Carolina, a resolution which greeted "our Jewish brothers and sisters upon the celebration of their holy days, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, " and which noted "our indebtedness to Judaism for the rich heritage that we Christians possess," and which expressed the hope that "we will increasingly learn to live as brothers and sisters with one another despite the differences which continue to divide the human family."
John S. Buckley, 49, of Darien, Conn., senior vice president of The First Boston Corporation, was elected to the Committee on Trust Funds.
The Council allocated $30, 000 from the Constable Fund for the development of Christian education resources and curriculum materials that are sensitive to the Black experience, a joint project of the Council's committee on Christian education and the Episcopal Commission for Black Ministries.
The Council "endorsed in principle the development and production of a new Church's Teaching Series as a basic resource in adult education." The Council resolution recommended that the chairman and vice chairman appoint a committee, composed of Council members, representatives of the Seabury Press, and four members of the Church at large, to work out a design for the proposed project, to report to the Council no later than February 1976.
The communication committee pointed out to the Council that the proposed 1976 budget "represents less than 4 percent of the proposed total budget, as compared with nearly 10 percent as recently as ten years ago, " suggesting that "the priority assigned to communication by the diocesan visitation process" in 1972 calls for adequate funding. The committee identified a total of $190, 000 for the income development program, of which $75,000 would fund a film "which would clearly define the perspective and mission of the Church and incorporate the insights of the Presiding Bishop" for the 1976 General Convention. The remainder would fund a placement service ($15, 000) for Church leaders for radio and television appearances, and for pilot programs for dioceses on a matching basis ($100, 000) which would interpret the life and work of the national Church. The committee also urged the provision of an assistant press officer and clerk-typist, with the assistant press officer's principal assignment working directly with the Presiding Bishop as his press aide.
The Council approved a resolution which provides that beginning October 1, loans made by the allocations committee of Council be at the rate of 3 percent interest per annum with other terms unchanged. Since the establishment of the general loan fund in 1960, there has been no interest charge, and the new interest rate will provide "an automatic built-in growth factor to the fund."
The Council approved a resolution authorizing the administrative assistant to the treasurer to "sign all checks, drafts, orders for payment of money, or bills of exchange of The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. "
The Council approved a resolution which provided "that all properties owned and titled to the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America in the Republic of the Philippines be donated to the Corporation Sole," and that the transfer of the required documents be done by the Rt. Rev. John Maury Allin, President, in order to satisfy a request of the Register of Deeds of Bagui City, Philippines.
The residential loan fund was increased from $100, 000 to $150, 000, necessitated by increased demand on the fund since the authorized loan limit was increased from $5, 000 to $10, 000 a year ago. The additional $50, 000 comes from the proceeds from the sale of a residence in Greenwich, Conn.
Matthew Costigan, treasurer, reported to the Council that total receipts to five special funds as of August 31 were $4,084,371.99, a considerable increase other receipts for the same period in 1974. Receipts for the specific offerings were: Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief, $2,410,348.33; Church School Missionary Offering, $75,689,69; Good Friday Offering, $77,273.18; United Thank Offering, $1,501,527.11; and Income Development Program, $25,720.22.
The Council voted to change the designation of the Mrs. Gertrude Larson Trust from support of work for the blind at the Hospital of the Good Shepherd, Fort Defiance, Ariz., to the support of work for the blind for the entire Church, inasmuch as the Good Shepherd program is no longer suitable.
A new consolidated trust fund was established for the Missionary Diocese of Nicaragua because of the prevailing economic conditions. The fund was established from the $50, 000 overseas development grant from the United Thank Offering.
By Council resolution, expressions of sympathy were sent to the families of six distinguished churchmen, mentioned in the Presiding Bishop's first Message from the Chair, who died since the Council's May meeting: Seaton Bailey of Griffin, Ga., alumnus of the University of the South at Sewanee, Tenn., and husband of Council member Lueta Bailey; the Rt. Rev. Iveson B. Noland, Bishop of Louisiana, who died in the crash of an Eastern Airlines jet at Kennedy International Airport in New York, the Rt. Rev. E. Lani Hanchett, Bishop of Hawaii and Province VIII's representative on the Executive Council, who died in August; Humphreys McGee, senior warden of St. John's Church, Leland, Miss., and long-time personal friend of the Presiding Bishop, fatally injured in an automobile accident; the Rt. Rev. A. Hugo Blankingship, retired Bishop of Cuba, who died in August; and the Rt. Rev. Kenneth Anand, a collegial bishop who served as Bishop of Armitsar, India, for ten years, and was Assistant Bishop of Newark at the time of his death in August.
The Council accepted the resignation of the Rev. James P. McAlpine, program officer for Youth and College Work, to become rector of Christ Church, North Conway, N.H. The Council confirmed the appointment of Dr. Chris Cavender, of Minneapolis, Minn., as executive secretary for the National Committee on Indian Work. The temporary appointment is subject to review in December 1975. Dr. Cavender will maintain an office in Minneapolis.
James M. Winning of Springfield, Ill., presented the Council a synopsis of the preliminary report of the Standing Commission on Structure, and pointed out certain expansions and certain restrictions of Executive Council's responsibility which the proposed changes entail. Council voted to forward the observations of its own Structure Committee to the Standing Commission for careful consideration.
The Council passed a resolution "that it be a policy of the Executive Council that employees of the Executive Council shall not engage in endorsing candidates for election to the Executive Council while such employees are acting in their official capacity or with the identification of that employment. "
The ecumenical committee reported that the ecumenical dimension of the Council's work, especially with the World and National Councils of Churches, Ecumenical Consortia, and local and diocesan groups, is under review. The committee also saw as its responsibility the supervision and monitoring of "programmatic implementation of any applicable General Convention resolutions, " and the maintaining of liaison between Council and the Joint Commission on Ecumenical Relations.
The Council received, by resolution, the annual report of the Committee on Social Responsiblity in Investments, submitted by Dr. Paul Neuhauser.
The development committee announced that formal opening dates for the Cuttington College Fund Drive are: Sunday, Sept. 21, at the Epiphany Chapel, Cuttington College, and Sunday, Sept. 28, with a kick-off dinner in New York.
The ministry council reported that Ms. John Bowman has been engaged to head a project to "help ordained women find meaningful employment and mobility in the Episcopal Church.
The evangelism committee reported that the evangelism thrust for the dioceses of Coalition-14 is supported by all member dioceses and will begin in Pentecost 1976 with the theme, "The Spirit's Quest for You." It was also announced that the committee plans to attend the National Conference on Renewal to be held in New York Oct. 8-11. A recent committee survey found that 60 of the 92 domestic dioceses have groups responsible for evangelism planning. . . . A booklet "combining Eastern meditation methods and the meditation of St. Theresa of Avila" is in preparation. . . The committee also reported that Church Center staff has inaugurated a bi-monthly Evangelism Newsletter which reaches approximately 400 persons on local and diocesan levels.