| Resolution Number: | 1988-C030 |
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| Title: | Establish and Fund a Ministry of Community Investment and Economic Justice |
| Legislative Action Taken: | Concurred As Amended |
| Final Text: | |
Resolved, That the Episcopal Church hereby establish a ministry of community investment and economic justice directed to community-controlled economic development programs of the disadvantaged, with a special focus on land trusts, housing cooperatives, worker-owned businesses and community development credit unions by:
A. Urging the Church at every level to utilize, where possible, its buildings, properties, personnel, financial resources and moral power in support of this ministry;
B. Urging each diocese to appoint a Commission on Community Investment and Economic Justice for the local implementation of this ministry;
C. Urging each diocese to provide for the financial support necessary for the local implementation of this ministry;
D. Authorizing the appointment jointly by the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies, of an implementation committee to oversee the project for the coming triennium. Membership on this committee should include theologically sensitive people with expertise in land trusts, housing cooperatives, worker-owned businesses and community development credit unions. Members should also be drawn from those national Episcopal organizations which focus on economic development. The implementation committee shall be accountable to the Executive Council. The Executive Council, with the advice of the Committee, shall determine the criteria for grants and loans from the National Episcopal Fund for Community Investment and Economic Justice.
The effort at the national level will be funded in the amount of $250,000 per year from the National Church Program Budget.
A working group on community reinvestment and economic justice will be established with appropriate representation from Church Center units on National Mission in Church and Society, Education for Mission and Ministry and Stewardship and Development, which will work in close collaboration with dioceses to facilitate training, support and guidance to local efforts.
E. Establishing a National Episcopal Fund for Community Investment and Justice, to be administered by the Coalition for Human Needs, with goals of:
- Providing $4,000,000 per year for six years for the economic empowerment of the disadvantaged;
- Providing up to 10% of its annual receipts as matching grants to participating dioceses for the local administrative costs of the program;
F. Urging the church at every level to work in conjunction with other bodies for public policies at the municipal, state and federal levels, which are supportive of Community Economic Development.
| Citation: | General Convention, Journal of the General Convention of...The Episcopal Church, Detroit, 1988 (New York: General Convention, 1989), p. 233. |
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Legislative History
| Author: | |
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| Originating House: | House of Deputies |
| Originating Committee: | Committee on Social and Urban Affairs |
House of Deputies
Original Text of Resolution:
(C030)
Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the Episcopal Church hereby establishes a ministry of community investment and economic justice directed to community-controlled economic development programs of the disadvantaged, with a special focus on land trusts, housing cooperatives, worker-owned businesses and community development credit union, by:
A. Urging the Church at every level to utilize, where possible, its buildings, properties, personnel, financial resources and moral power in support of this ministry;
B. Urging each diocese to appoint a Commission on Community Investment and Economic Justice for the local implementation of this ministry;
C. Urging each diocese to provide for the financial support necessary for the local implementation of this ministry;
D. Establishing a Working Group on Community Investment and Economic Justice with appropriate liaison with Church Center Units on National Mission in Church and Society, Education for Mission and Ministry, and Stewardship/Development, which will work in close collaboration with dioceses to facilitate training, support and guidance to local efforts, said working unit to be funded in the amount of $250,000 per year from the Church Program Budget;
E. Establishing a National Episcopal Fund for Community Investment and Economic Justice, to be administered by the Coalition for Human Needs, with goals of
- Providing $4,000,000 per year for six years for the economic empowerment of the disadvantaged;
- Providing up to 10% of its annual receipts as matching grants to participating dioceses for the local administrative costs of the program;
F. Urging the church at every level to work in conjunction with other bodies for public policies at the municipal, state and federal levels, which are supportive of Community Economic Development.
Proposed Committee Amendment:
In place of Section D in the original resolution, substitute the following:
D. Authorizing the appointment jointly by the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies, of an implementation committee to oversee the project for the coming triennium. Membership on this committee should include theologically sensitive people with expertise in land trusts, housing cooperatives, worker-owned businesses and community development credit unions. Members should also be drawn from those national Episcopal organizations which focus on economic development. The implementation committee shall be accountable to the Executive Council. The Committee shall determine the criteria for grants and loans from the National Episcopal Fund for Community Investment and Economic Justice.
The effort at the national level will be funded in the amount of $250,000 per year from the National Church Program Budget.
A working group on community reinvestment and economic justice will be established with appropriate representation from Church Center units on National Mission in Church and Society, Education for Mission and Ministry, and Stewardship and Development, which will work in close collaboration with dioceses to facilitate training, support, and guidance to local efforts.
Debate followed on C030.
Deputy Cooper of Texas moved an amendment.
Proposed Amendment:
Delete the last sentence in the first paragraph of Section D; in its place add the following sentence:
"The criteria for grants and loans from the National Episcopal Fund for Community Investment and Economic Justice shall be determined by the 70th General Convention and shall be subject to review and reaffirmation by each subsequent General Convention with the proviso that in the interim between the 69th General Convention and the 70th General Convention criteria will be determined by the Executive Council and communicated to each Diocese."
Debate followed.
Deputy Crump moved a substitution to the amendment.
Proposed Substitute Amendment:
Insert at the beginning of the last sentence of the first paragraph of Section D, after the word "The," the words "Executive Council, with the advice of the."
The Committee accepted the substitute amendment as part of the main motion.
Deputy Cooper withdrew his amendment.
Deputy Drane of the Central Gulf Coast moved that the debate be extended.
A vote was taken on the motion to extend.
Motion defeated
Deputy Crump moved to extend debate in order to give the Committee time to respond to a question.
Motion defeated
A vote was taken on C030.
Motion carried
Resolution adopted with amendment
(Communicated to the House of Bishops in HD Message #158)
House of Bishops
The Committee on Social and Urban Affairs presented its Report #46 on House of Deputies Message #158 on Resolution C030a (Economic Justice, Michigan Plan) and moved concurrence.
The House concurred
(Communicated to the House of Deputies in HB Message #261)
Resolution Concurred by Both Houses, July 8.
| Abstract: | The 69th General Convention authorizes and presents guidelines for a ministry of economic justice directed at community-controlled development programs for the disadvantaged. |
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