76 Dioceses Indicate Venture Participation
Episcopal News Service. September 21, 1978 [78261]
GREENWICH, Conn. -- Eighty-two percent of the Episcopal Church's 93 dioceses in the United States have indicated that they plan to participate in the Venture in Mission renewal/fund-raising program.
The Rev. Canon W. Ebert Hobbs of Cleveland, Ohio, chairman of the Standing Committee on Stewardship/Development, told the Executive Council at its mid-September meeting that most of the remaining 17 dioceses hope to develop a program at some future time.
The estimated financial goals of the 76 dioceses which have now indicated their participation in the program amount to $90 million, he said, with some $30 million of this amount expected to be applied to the national Venture goal.
Forty-one of the 76 participating dioceses expect to have their campaigns prior to June 30, 1979, with 10 more hoping to conduct their campaigns before the end of 1979. Twenty-five dioceses are looking forward to campaigns in 1980 or later.
Canon Hobbs said the Venture Cabinet is not yet ready to recommend a goal statement to the Council. "Do not interpret these figures as our goal," he warned. He said the Cabinet will probably recommend a goal statement to the Council in December when diocesan goals are better known.
Canon Hobbs emphasized the renewal side of the program as well. "I have a problem separating renewal from financial commitment," he said. Most of the dioceses of the Church are engaged in a study and commitment program on the theme, "Response to the Risen Lord," using a series of resource material prepared by the Education for Ministry staff at the Episcopal Church Center.
The challenge gifts part of the campaign has been "somewhat disappointing," he reported. The potential donors of large sums have been slow in making up their minds, he said.
So far, less than $3 million in challenge gifts has been pledged. He said that 90 calls have been made with 60 of the projects unanswered so far. Even though "the results are less than hoped for at this stage," he said, "we are not yet ready to say we had a poor challenge gifts campaign." He expressed the hope that some of the 60 persons contacted who have not responded will yet do so.
Presiding Bishop John M. Allin said that he has personally made 78 challenge gifts calls and that he is not disappointed in the results because people are challenged and involved. He pointed out that "it all becomes premature if we don't raise the money."
At the meeting, Council member the Rev. Robert R. Parks, rector of Trinity Parish in New York City, announced that his Church has pledged $500,000 over a five-year period as a challenge gift to the Venture program. The gift will be divided equally between the Diocese of New York and the national Venture goal. The $250,000 pledged for the national goal will be designated by Trinity for an urban ministry program in the Diocese of New York. The Rev. Mr. Parks credited a late 1977 visit by Presiding Bishop Allin and Bishop Paul Moore of New York as the persuasive factor in convincing the Trinity vestry to make the pledge.
The Council decided to approve at this time only one of the proposed projects to be added to the contingency category of the program. The Venture in Mission Cabinet had proposed projects totaling $3.3 million to be included in the $7 million contingency section for unexpected mission opportunities.
The approved exception was for the Julian Mission proposal to establish a shelter for abused women and for consulting services, totaling $111,795. Last February the Council rejected the request by a one-vote margin. In the meanwhile the Indianapolisbased group revised its proposal. The Julian Mission project was added to the opportunities list by a vote of 14 to 8.
The Council authorized the Venture Cabinet to proceed with the processing of other mission opportunity proposals that may come in without regard to a maximum limit for the Venture goal.
Robert E. McNeilly, Jr., of Kingsport, Tenn., who moved the resolution to hold in abeyance the approval of the bulk of contingency projects, said, "Early on we said there will be opportunities in the future that we cannot now contemplate and therefore it's prudent to establish a contingency fund. I believe that still exists." He said that there are "a number of attractive and approvable" proposals that might yet be added to the mission opportunity list and therefore the contingency fund should be kept open. He said he could not understand why the "artificial limit of $100 million" had to be accepted.