Two Urban Groups Consolidate Effort
Episcopal News Service. June 28, 1979 [79211]
DETROIT -- A major effort in urban ministry is now underway in the Episcopal Church sponsored by the Urban Bishops Coalition and the Church and City Conference.
Central to their plan is the formation of an Episcopal Urban Caucus of bishops, laity and clergy to work closely with other denominations and with secular institutions which share its concerns.
Chairmen of the parent organizations, Bishop John T. Walker of Washington, D. C., and the Rev. Michael Kendall of Scarsdale, N. Y., have schedule the Caucus' organizing assembly for February 13-16, 1980.
The two groups will also sponsor a series of Regional Institutes in the fall to bring together parish and diocesan teams to hear presentations on urban issues and to study innovative and successful models for church response to those issues. Institute members will do some action planning for their own dioceses and parishes and have an opportunity to reflect on the findings in the booklet "To Hear and To Heed. " The booklet is a compilation of findings from last year's seven urban hearings sponsored by the Urban Bishops Coalition. Based on the findings presented to them in March, 1978, the bishops gave top priority to the formation of an urban action caucus.
During the summer the joint program will have a dual thrust. Meetings to plan for the fall institutes are scheduled for June and July and will also bring together concerned deputies to General Convention to discuss issues which may come before the Denver meeting.
At the same time, the bishops have initiated some serious ecumenical discussions on public policy issues to which the churches might appropriately speak. From these discussions resolutions are expected to emerge, and the Steering Committees hope for in-depth considerations of these resolutions by both Houses of the bi-cameral convention. A booth, located in the convention' s exhibition area, will supply information on the new Caucus, the fall Institutes, available resources, and models for effective urban ministry.
To carry out their program, the Steering Committees have named a staff of urbanologists, organizers and educators headed by the Rev. Hugh White of Detroit, on a leave of absence from the Episcopal Church Publishing Company. Several dioceses have released staff members to serve on a part-time basis. A central staff office is located in the headquarters of the Diocese of Michigan.
For further information on the Regional Institutes or membership in Urban Caucus, write or phone Hugh C. White, Urban Bishops Coalition, 4800 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48201.