Episcopal Press and News
Bequest Bolsters PB Fund, Partnership
Episcopal News Service. December 7, 1976 [76373]
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Nearly two years ago, the Diocese of Rochester turned over to the national Episcopal Church more than $911,000 which was the residual amount from a 1970 bequest to the diocese. The challenge of disbursing that money has caused a companion diocese relationship to grow into a full planning partnership and has been the impetus for the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief to undertake a study of its grant policies.
In 1974, the Diocese of Rochester convention passed two resolutions about the residual bequest from the estate of Margaret Woodbury Strong, who left more than $7.5 million to the diocese in 1970. The first made over the gift to the Episcopal Church for dispursal by the Presiding Bishop's Fund and the second urged that it be conveyed through the Bishops of Rochester and Costa Rica "in order to give impetus to the companion relationship."
The second resolution made particular note of the expertise in the field of disaster relief of Costa Rica's Bishop Jose Antonio Ramos and suggested that he and Bishop Robert R. Spears of Rochester take a leading role in setting the guidelines for the use of the money.
By early 1975, the two bishops had prepared and submitted four recommendations. First among these was the proposal that the funds be used for "the more difficult development tasks rather than on immediate relief."
The others called for a strong educational effort to equip the people of the Episcopal Church better to respond to hunger needs; a planning group of both beneficiaries and givers to develop program and the establishment of a revolving loan fund.
About a third of the total gift (including accrued interest) has since been disbursed by the Presiding Bishop's Fund, and -- in an interim report -- Fund Executive Director Mrs. Howard 0. Bingley reports that the concerns and wishes of the two bishops have been a guiding force in making grants.
In her report to the bishops, she notes that the gift has provided a stimulus for the board "to intensify its sense of stewardship of funds entrusted to it." An outgrowth of this is a major study the board has undertaken on grant policies. This study is due to be completed by the end of the year and Mrs. Bingley adds: "An inevitable outcome of this study has been the necessity of sharpening the criteria of the Fund, and this process has also been intensified by the challenge of administering the Rochester money."
She also points out that a large portion of the gift was used to establish a task force on world hunger in line with the bishops' recommendation and that -- to date -- all of the monies expended have been used for the sort of developmental tasks the bishops urged.
These projects are:
- $42,500 to an ecumenical Costa Rica farm project that aims at establishing a self-supporting peasant cooperative.
- $5,000 to the Council on Religion and International Affairs, Inc., for a task force on values systems and the world food crisis
- $34,000 for a legal aid project in El Salvador aimed at defending and improving the rights of the people against the institutions within the state.
- $12,000 to assist agricultural extension work in northern Ghana which attempts to improve productivity.
- $12,000 to a fisheries project in Haiti. The plan here is for development of a commerical fishery as one part of long-range diocesan plans for self-improvement.
- $5,000 to establish a craft center in Honduras, a project which also includes a market survey to determine the needs of the craft market.
- $4,000 to aid a major examination into the whole question of "agribusiness" and the control of food sources and supplies by corporate units.
- $5,000 to support the work of a volunteer in Ecuador in establishing courses and training for farmers
- $15,000 to a Masai rural training center in Kenya: a project which spans the range from extension work through primary schooling, vocational training to development of a locally run tannery.
- $40,000 to a similar but more ambitious project run by the National Christian Council of Kenya.
- $15,000 to an ecumenical National Council of Churches program to develop an interchurch emergency fund in Ireland.
- $28,000 to build a Christian education and home economics training center for women in Tanganyika.