In an action that contrasts with staff reductions of recent years, the national church's Executive Council voted to reopen a planned giving office at the Episcopal Church Center in New York City. The vote was among actions taken by the council during its June 11-13 meeting at a downtown hotel in Charleston, W.Va.

"The focus of that office is really going to be to develop skills at the parish level for better planned giving," said assistant treasurer Catherine Lynch. Such assistance is especially needed, she said, because with baby boomers getting older, "there is a huge generational wealth transfer coming."

Council approved funding of up to $200,100 in 1996 for the planned giving office.

Ms. Lynch summarized the treasurer's report on the financial status of the national church. With close to 100 percent of diocesan commitments received, income is slightly below budgeted, she said. On the other hand, "short term cash management has been tightened," she said, which has led to better returns on short term investments of cash.

Council member Tim Wittlinger of Michigan addressed a question concerning approximately $8 million in national church funds. He said reserve funds had been set aside for building maintenance at the church center, for expenditures that had been approved in the budget but in some cases have not been carried out. He said the treasurer's office is "still trying to figure out what some of these funds are for."

Ms. Lynch explained that the questions came forth "in looking at the balance sheets as part of the audit.

"These things build up over time," she said. "It's one piece of putting things in order." She said the 1995 audit was close to being completed. "It's nice to get through a proper audit," she said. "It helps to restore some confidence."

The Most Rev. Edmond Browning, Presiding Bishop, in his address to the council, spoke of the importance of community. "It is very appropriate that while we are in this diocese we take an early look at the church in small communities, which we will celebrate in 1997," he said. Referring to the 1994 parochial reports, he noted that a third of the church meets in congregations of fewer than 50 persons, and that three-quarters of Episcopalians are in churches of 150 persons or fewer.

"God's community is not a club. We as Christians live into the community God has already made for us."

He spoke of ongoing discussions about sexuality. "From my perspective, I would say that some good and faithful Episcopalians believe that the answers to the questions we have about sexuality ... are immediately obvious from scripture, and therefore, why continue debating what God has made plain? If everyone believed this our troubles would be over. But, Episcopalians take the Bible too seriously to take it literally, and everyone does not believe this.

"It would be far less complex to take up one position or another and advocate for it with all my might ... But this is not my ministry. However, I can say that I not only believe, I know, that it is possible for gay men and women in committed relationships to be wholesome examples."

Bishop Browning said of the Concordat of Agreement with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, "this is going to be the single most important thing to come before our General Convention."

The Rev. David Perry, the Episcopal Church's ecumenical officer, led a discussion on the concordat. The council agreed to allocate $70,000 to the ecumenical relations office for communications projects, including $45,000 for a 20-minute introductory video on the concordat for use in congregations.

The council gave special attention to the concerns of small churches. Council members met at small tables from which they conducted business. They discussed challenges to small churches, such as how three congregations might work together in ministry and still retain their identities, or how a church can attract its own young people when they are already involved in a nearby church's youth activities.

A Eucharist and "covered pot" dinner were held in the nearby rural community of Hansford at the Church of the Good Shepherd, which joins four others in what is called the New River Cluster.

Other resolutions council approved did the following:

• established a trust fund for the Episcopal Women's History Project, with an initial contribution of $50,000;
• agreed to increase up to $50,000 the 1996 funding of Episcopal Life for increased newsprint costs and and up to $100,000 the General Convention's budget to computerize convention activities;
• urged Episcopalians "to find tangible ways to assist in the rebuilding" of the black churches that have been burned in recent months;
• designated $85,000 "for the development, production and distribution of materials related to the King Day Racism Dialogue" to take place throughout the church beginning next January.

Bishop Browning ended the meeting with some personal remarks. He urged the council, in its budget decisions for next summer's General Convention, to "make some signs to the church that we have heard them."

He said of his recent trip to Cuba with House of Deputies president Pamela Chinnis: "We saw a church that is deeply committed to the proclamation of the gospel and to serving its people." He added, "There is a great deal of fear in places we visited ... there is the possibility for greater aggression against Cuba which could cause the loss of thousands and thousands of lives." Council approved a resolution urging individuals and organzations in the Episcopal Church to visit Cuba and be involved in the worship and ministry of the church there, as well as invite Cubans to gatherings in the U.S.

Mrs. Chinnis was unable to attend the meeting in Charleston because of illness.

Among courtesy resolutions approved at the close of the meeting was one giving thanks for the decision by the 10 presenting bishops not to appeal the trial court decision in the case of Bishop Righter.