The Rev. Gay Jennings will present a Diocesan Commitments Task Force report to members of the administration and finance committee of Executive Council when council meets June 11-14 at the Sheraton Hotel and Convention Center in Parsippany, N.J.
Council approved creation of the task force at its last meeting in March. Resolution AF-21 proposed several steps to address what at the time was a $3.8 million budget deficit. Among the steps taken was creation of the task force to “develop strategies for increasing participation and accountability by dioceses that are not fully meeting their commitment to the budget for The Episcopal Church.”
At a press conference at the close of the March meeting, Josephine Hicks, chair of the administration and finance committee and sponsor of the approved resolution, said council was seeking ways of making formal contact with, not sanctions against, those dioceses that are not donating to the program budget of the General Convention at the recommended assessment formula rate.
Good luck with that.
Wow, $34 million for renovations. Now that’s a good use of funds for a church in financial and spiritual crisis.
But, no matter, stick it to the faithful laity, 99.9% of whom will never see nor benefit from $34 million misspent money.
The financial solution is obvious. Sell 815 and move to Memphis, or De Moines. No one cares where headquarters is expect for the egos of the people who work there. It is not like talent to run a middling bureaucracy can only be found in New York.
And while TEC is at it, close the Washington office and let those people go, and fire whatever lobbyist TEC pays to promote its left wing secular agenda. Considering that the liberals are such staunch supporters of “separation of church and state” (found nowhere in the words of the Constitution, by the way), clearly TEC does not need a Washington office.
Does this not look like hypocrisy? (edited-ed.)
Of note from the Living Church story:
Does this mean that we can expect the official response of the HOB to the Primates to come from this meeting?
As members & churches and even whole dioceses leave, so goes the money.
Why don’t they try examining why these dioceses don’t want to give? If TEC would stop offending with their strange doctrines and stuck to the gospel, then people would give more.
Watcher
Executive Council has gotten all the blood it is going to get out of the turnips. In fact, there will be less and less blood all the time since day by day the turnips are departing. And, among those that remain, more and more will take unkindly to having their money spent on suing fellow Anglicans.
You can talk about “formal contact, not sanctions against”, but “accountability” means “sanctions against”. The next General Convention, or the one after that, will enact punishment for the non-payers. The reappraisers have the political power to do it, and their history suggests they will do it.
Here’s the problem: some are withholding payments on conscience and some just don’t have it. As David+ says, the turnips are squeezed dry. Applying force to the situation won’t solve anything; except for trust funds (which will be gone in a few years anyway), the money comes from the people. It’s probably true that the vast majority of those people are pew potatoes, generally reasserter or generally reappraiser, but mostly just wanting the comfort of their parish church. That large middle may be religiously complacent, but they aren’t stupid and they aren’t complacent about money. At some point, this crowd is going to say no more to international conferences, funding of political intrigues, and multiple bishops with bloated bureaucracies for dioceses with less people than a good sized Catholic parish or evangelical mega-church.
When the vast middle group in TEC decides to cut their losses, no General Convention canons will help. The party will be over.
An earlier ENS story links the $3.8 million deficit to decreased contributions from 3 dioceses:
1. Pennsylvania- Bennison has mismanaged the diocese into financial ruin.
2. Southwest Florida- if I recall correctly the diocese just lost over a dozen churches.
3. Newark- the diocese is in a steady decline .
To make up the $3.8 million TEC is dipping into its reserves and investments. If events after Sept 30 turn out as they most likely will a viscous cycle could ensue. Churches and dioceses leaving in droves (less income, although frankly probably not much as these churches and dioceses are probably contributing little at the present) followed up by very expensive lawsuits. I note the Diocese of Pittsburgh has budgeted $500K in legal fees for 2007 (already spent $220K this year) and $500K for 2008. This is only one diocese and one lawsuit. If TEC gets involved in multiple states the financial burden could become enormous.
With this vending machine you get nothing for nickel and twice as much for a dime.
Right, where is all the money coming from to file all these lawsuits and pay for all their lawyers? Does 815 think they will seize the churches, sell off the properties and then pocket the money for more renovations?
$34 million on offices in Manhattan? They were going to move their ofices to the campus of General (Episcopal seminary). Last time I visited General it looked worn down and in need of care. Sort of like TEC.
$34 million? On offices? And the Executive Council wants to tax the Dioceses even more? Oh my.
bb
#6 The party is over! Gifts are given from the heart for what the heart values. TEC is not a value and $34 million spent at this time on a Center which is no center proves it No more money. No. And no more bodies, either.
The machinations of 815 are unbearable. I can’t imagine an even second or third class business foregoing essentials, like research, to support the corporate office in lavish style when the results coming from that office are destroying the entity.
If I remember correctly, PB John Allin tried to move the bloated staff to a place with good transportation. I think Wichita, Kansas or Elmodel, Georgia would be quite good. The whole idea was delayed until he was out and the next PB trashed the idea.
Just think of how +KJS could brag if she cut 815’s budget by one-third and gave the money to support the MDG’s she adores so much.
“Rise up, ye saints of God..†Check out Hymn 551 for what our course should be to return TEC to the fold of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
“The Rev. Gay Jennings …”
Heh, heh. Stop it. I can’t take it anymore.
Here is an interesting article which too few have noticed which applies to the current proposal before Executive Council.
Note especially this excerpt:
I recall a certain diocese where the bishop decreased the required parish donation and asked the parishes to spend the savings on evangelization which resulted in increased church rolls (only diocese to increase faster than the population rate) and thus increased giving and thus increased overall parish contributions. I bet Father Kendall recalls that diocese, too! :coolsmile:
The reference article by Father Kendall was a sobering one. Read comment #17, too.
“Not sanctions against…” Uh sure. Same “No Sanctions” concept promised post women’s ordination. Have we forgotten the team of TEC hit men and assorted thugs that descended on +Jack in Fort Worth? It was one of the signal events in the Current Difficulties. Oh yeah my friends. There will be sanctions, presentments, DBBeers TLC for the peasants. Any of them who stupidly hung around hoping for Christian behaviour from 815.
There is no need for a national Episcopal church and presiding bishop. The HOB should just appoint one of their own to preside over annual meetings and be the nominal primate of ECUSA and he can do so from his home diocese.