Here are some of the highlights found within its pages:
♦ The diocese has grown. A section on parish statistics shows that total membership among our 28 parishes now stands at 9833, a five-percent increase over what those same parishes reported a year ago.
♦ The proposed $847,000 budget would lower what most parishes pay in diocesan assessments. On the expense side, the diocese would allocate more funds to support congregations and special outreach initiatives, especially for youth.
♦ More than a dozen resolutions have been offered. They range from courtesy recognitions to addressing the diocese’s relationships within the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion. One resolution not yet included – but soon to be added – asks the Convention to approve the Standing Committee’s recommendation to transfer ecclesiastical authority to a provisional bishop, namely Bishop Kenneth Price.
♦ The document contains the names and biographical sketches of those nominated to fill elected leadership positions and the annual reports and activities of twenty diocesan governing groups, offices, and organizations.
I couldn’t find the budget on the website, but I would be interested to learn how much is allocated for the seizure of assets not belonging to them.
I found it strange that Members increased from 2007 to 2008 by 5 percent when 16 parishes reported losses and 12 reported gains. Then i noticed that Trinity Cathedral reported a gain of 1,005 Members (207 to 1,212) from 2007 to 2008. Makes one wonder what else is in the communion wine. And I also thought that the Cathedral wanted to serve both TEC and ACNA. Oh, what a tangled web we weave… Statmann
Wow –that is some impressive increase Statmann. You would have thought the diocese would be trumpetting it to the heavens .. particularly since the statistics show that while they had about 200 members in 2007 they had only 100 actually in attendance, and that the highest their membership had been in the past decade was about 440.
The stats page is here:
http://12.0.101.92/reports/PR_ChartsDemo/exports/ParishRPT_919200993816PM.pdf
I think it’s going to be hard to figure out the relative size and health of the two dioceses for a while. For one thing, we’re looking at 2008 PR statistics here. The realignment and division didn’t take place until October, and for many months after that, and still continuing, there has been a good deal of stirring. Some parishes felt impact right away, others began a process of disorientation and reorientation. I don’t understand the cathedral statistics, but I would venture that many parishes on both sides of the divide are in flux, and many are looking at a very different situation here as we sail into the fall of 2009 than they saw through the later part of 2008.
Bruce Robison
After a closer look at the statistics I think we have a typo.
My reasoning:
The 1212 membership in 2008 is inconsistent with the average Sunday attendance of 86 and with the communciants in good standing of 123. It is also inconsistent with the Easter Sunday attendance of 344. They also show only 4 baptisms and 2 receptions for the year. Finally, pledges and offerings at just under $300,000 also looks high but reasonable for 200 people but very, very low for 1212 people.
I would conclude on this basis that the probable real number was 212. But unfortunately the extra 1000 is included in the total of 9,833. So without it the diocese would be 8,833 — which would represent a loss of about 5% over last year.
Perhaps someone should confirm with the diocese what the numbers actually are for Trinity cathedral.
An interesting line in the budget:
[blockquote] For financial reasons The Episcopal Church is making a line of credit available to the 4 rebuilding dioceses rather than providing a direct grant of funds. The diocesan budget assumes we will not draw on that line of credit. [/blockquote]
page B-5
and another one
[blockquote] The sum sent to the Episcopal Church for mission is a place holder. The same number appears under income. That is the sum we would send if all parishes participated. The actual pledge to TEC will be based on the information provided by parishes on their parish covenants this fall. [/blockquote]
page B-6
RE: “The diocese has grown. A section on parish statistics shows that total membership among our 28 parishes now stands at 9833, a five-percent increase over what those same parishes reported a year ago.”
[blockquote]After a closer look at the statistics I think we have a typo. . . .
. . . I would conclude on this basis that the probable real number was 212. But unfortunately the extra 1000 is included in the total of 9,833. So without it the diocese would be 8,833—which would represent a loss of about 5% over last year.”[/blockquote]
Richly richly ironic.
Wonder if they’ll ever notice.
And if they do . . . will they admit it? Or quietly make the key line in the pre-convention journal “go away”? Or just ignore it and hope that none of their parishioners notice?
The stats on my old parish, St Paul’s Kittanning, are interesting for 2008. The ASA listed is 31. Included is this average are all Sundays in Jan and Feb 08 (my last full two months) when attendance averaged about 65-70, Easter Day 131 and my last Sunday June 1 in which about 100 attended. Factor out those dates and the average would be about 18 -20. Not exactly viable.
Wow Sarah1— about your comment
[blockquote]
Wonder if they’ll ever notice.
And if they do . . . will they admit it? Or quietly make the key line in the pre-convention journal “go away� Or just ignore it and hope that none of their parishioners notice? [/blockquote]
I just clicked on the link and guess what … the first bullet point has disappeared! The other three remain there exactly as above but no sign of any comment on the numbers
So your prediction that it would “go away” was spot on.
#6, the reason for the “place-holder” is that some of the parishes in the Pittsburgh-TEC diocese continue, with the permission of our diocesan canons, to “redirect” to other missions the portion of their assessment attributed to the Asking of the Episcopal Church. This has been an option in Pittsburgh for a decade or more, and our TEC diocese continues to respect the decisions of parishes on the question of support of the national Episcopal Church. Thus there is no way to know what the diocesan contribution will be until the parishes have made their desires known.
Bruce Robison
BMR+, I think you are certainly correct in your observation that these parochial statistics don’t really reflect the fallout from the split. We’ll start to get a better idea next year with the 2009 numbers. With the exception of St. Francis (Somerset), whose ASA dropped from 167 to 45, none of the movement of parishoners is really reflected in 2008, (St. Francis of course showing the split because they divided in January 2008 before the convention). I do applaud TEC Pittsburgh for releasing the parochial statistics, even though they missed that glaring typo. Now, I’m curious to see if ACNA Pittsburgh will be so open in producing their parochial reports…
Heh.
RE: “I just clicked on the link and guess what … the first bullet point has disappeared!”
So typical — you can predict this stuff so easily. MargaretG — nice catch.
Give TEC Pittsburgh some credit here. They corrected the obvious typo and issued a new press [url=http://www.episcopalpgh.org/parish-statistics-corrected/]release.[/url]
This does of course mean a 5.5% decline in membership along with the 7.6% decline in ASA for 2008. Tough times…