Episcopal Press and News
Council Activates New Venture Funds
Episcopal News Service. March 5, 1981 [81068]
GREENWICH, Conn. -- Venture in Mission and adjunct campaigns have now raised more than $113 million, the Episcopal Church's Executive Council learned before it authorized action setting 11 projects in motion.
The Venture in Mission report came during the Feb. 25-26 meeting of the Council at Seabury House here and was launched with the viewing of a 13-minute slide presentation narrated by Presiding Bishop John M. Allin.
In the slide show, entitled "Because You Ventured," Bishop Allin describes some of the history and results of the massive renewal/fundraising effort that has not only had immediate financial benefits but has raised the sense of mission, participation and stewardship among most of the dioceses taking part.
That presentation was first screened at a St. Louis meeting of Venture diocesan chairmen and the first part of the Venture report -- given by Stewardship executive the Rev. Thomas Carson -- laid out the findings of that meeting.
Carson told the Council that the leaders believed that strong episcopal participation was vital to a successful effort; that, unlike in other forms of campaign, the bulk of the funds came from congregations rather than large gifts and that wherever campaigns were undertaken stewardship and trust between levels of church structure had risen dramatically.
He relayed to Council the gathering's concern that a "casebook" of continuing mission opportunities be kept open and constantly lifted up to people along with the concept of a mission-minded church.
The second part of the Venture report was given later in the meeting when Mrs. Carter C. Chinnis, the Council member who chairs the Venture Process and Funding unit, asked Council approval to release funds for designated projects.
The largest of these involved $200,000 received from the Diocese of Oregon to be divided between the Diocese of Northern Brazil and the Igreja Episcopal do Brasil for land acquisition and expansion plans.
The Diocese of Haiti also received nearly $100,000 as Council authorized release of monies received from Virginia, Missouri and Delaware for planning and development projects. The Diocese of Southern Ohio is also expected to add to this fund now that the enabling resolution has been approved.
The Diocese of Northern Mexico received a boost for its self-development plans when the Council agreed to release more than $77,000 for investment to help that Church offset inflation effects on its current budget. The money may be turned over the dioceses directly when its leaders are assured of safe, productive local investments.
Other Venture projects were funded as follows:
- $1,000 from the Diocese of Ohio to Self Support for the Northern Philippines for the library of St. Mary's, Sagada;
- $5,000 for the Asian Seminaries Exchange program with the Church Divinity School of the Pacific; part of a $30,000 pledge from Hawaii which will enable planned exchanges of faculty and students among the U.S., Japan, Manila and Singapore;
- $12,000 for partnership projects at Coddrington College, Barbados as part of a $20,000 pledge from Central Pennsylvania;
- $17,502 from the Diocese of Central Florida and other donors for the Diocese of Jerusalem's capital development, the funds to be used for St. Luke's Hospital, Nablus;
- Funds from Central Pennsylvania, Colorado, Easton and others to establish special ministries to aid family life, to be administered by the social welfare office of the Church Center; these will include study guides, a human resources pool and efforts to implement the recommendations of the White House Conference on Families;
- $15,000 from the Diocese of Western Massachusetts to help the Offender Aid and Restoration program in recruiting, training and supporting volunteer ministries to help prisoners and parolees;
- $21,893, largely from the Diocese of Oklahoma, to help the Episcopal Conference of the Deaf expand its training projects;
- a permanent trust to begin the Development Fund for National Mission for support of several categories of rural and small church projects and budget support.
