Dr. Lawrence Endorsed for Deputies Presidency
Episcopal News Service. June 22, 1976 [76209]
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The Rev. Robert Ray Parks, rector of Trinity Parish in New York, has announced his endorsement of the nomination of Dr. Charles R. Lawrence as President of the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church.
Dr. Lawrence, a nationally known lay leader and professor of sociology at Brooklyn College, has been elected a Churchwarden of Trinity Parish.
He is the first black to be elected to the top position of the 279-year-old Parish.
"His election attests to his leadership of this diverse Parish," Dr. Parks said. "Our other Churchwarden is a leading New York attorney with a specialty in international law. These two men give credence to Trinity's interest in domestic and international affairs as they relate to the religious dimension of human beings."
Dr. Parks said that he was endorsing Dr. Lawrence because he believes he will be a moderating, concerned leader of the House of Deputies.
"Charles Lawrence is a person of deep wisdom who makes firm decisions based upon prayerful analysis and experience. He has been an invaluable member of Trinity's Vestry during our transition towards self-determination and independence of the Chapels.
"I believe that it is important for the House of Deputies to elect one of its members who represent the black minority of our Church and country, especially at this moment in history," Dr. Parks continued.
"Even though some blacks have been able to move relatively freely in society since the Civil Rights Movement and Federal legislative action, it is known that there is plenty of work to do to build a fully integrated society in this country.
"Blacks are suffering from economic deprivation, unemployment, lack of adequate housing and upward mobility out of proportion to other ethnic groups in the United States. Our Church would be making a strong statement that this is not necessarily the status quo by electing Dr. Lawrence to its highest lay position," Dr. Parks continued.
This will be the fifth time that Dr. Lawrence has served as a lay deputy to General Convention from the Diocese of New York. In Louisville he served as Chairman of the Special Committee on the Ordination of Women to the Priesthood and Episcopate, conducting hearings and an open meeting to give an opportunity for all positions to be hears.
Dr. Lawrence has served the Church on the local level as a Sunday School teacher and choir member, as vestryman and senior warden of St. Paul's, Spring Valley, as well as on the diocesan level as a member of the Diocesan Council and the Inter-Parish Council.
"Because he has participated in every General Convention since Seattle, many of the lay and clerical deputies have gotten to know Charles Lawrence on a personal basis. I hope that those who are newly elected for the Minneapolis meeting will take time to meet him and talk with him about issues which they feel are vital for the life of the Church," Trinity's rector said.