(ENS) The Episcopal Church’s Executive Council heard October 22 that the church’s 2009 budget, if council members approve it, will have a $2.5 million deficit.
However, Treasurer Kurt Barnes told council members that the entire 2007-2009 triennial budget will be balanced, as required by the Episcopal Church’s Constitution and Canons. There were surpluses of $1.2 million in 2007 and $2 million in 2008, Barnes said.
Projections for the 2009 budget anticipate $54.6 million in revenues compared to $57.1 million in expenses. Barnes said that, given the triennial nature of the budget and the previous surpluses, the 2009 budget “could suffer a deficit of $2.8 million” and still be balanced.
I was alarmed by the following paragraph:
“Council also heard a report by retired Diocese of Arkansas Bishop Larry Maze on the continuing effort to relocate and expand the work of the Archives. Maze described that expansion as “a new center for the church as it tells its story” that would include a research center. Council member Tom Gossen reported that the owner of a site east of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Austin, Texas, has accepted in principle the archives’ $9.5 million offer. The archives currently leases space on the campus of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. The site is now a parking lot that generates $360,000 a year, Gossen said, and would continue to do that as the archives gathered financing for a potentially $41 million development on the site”
Why does TEC need a $41 million archive site? $9.5 million for property? Well, that would be less money for litigation on other property.
“Why does TEC need a $41 million archive site?”
At the rate ECUSA is going, it could simply donate its important papers to a university library, as prominent people do when they die.
That’s insane. Any number of universities would leap at the chance to have them.
Anyone want to comment on the this:
[blockquote]Included in the proposed 2009 budget is $600,000 for legal support to dioceses and expenses for Title IV disciplinary actions. Any costs above that amount will have to be taken from the church’s short-term reserves, Barnes said, noting that because of previous commitments made for $5.4 million of the $6.5 million in reserve, there is $1.1 million available that could be used for those expenses. Those previous commitments include a recent dedication of $2.4 million for the effort to relocate the Archives of the Episcopal Church and a 10-year-old promise to reserve $3 million for future pension enhancements for lay employees at church center.
In 2008, the council budgeted $450,000 for legal expenses but $1.97 million was spent. The difference was taken from short-term reserves as the council had directed when it passed the budget.
“We don’t know what the [2009] legal expenses will be in excess of what we’re estimating right now,” Barnes told council members.[/blockquote]
For that matter, what precisely is the justification for 815? The US Episcopal Church does not need an “archbishop.” Just elect someone to preside at the meetings and he can operate in that capacity for a one or two year term from his own see.
Byzantine, you’re right on the mark! TEC does NOT need now, and has NEVER needed, a Presiding Bishop who has no diocese of his own! But expecting them to give up a position somehow equal to that of an archbishop would be asking too much of them, wouldn’t it? “We simply MUST have an archbishop like everyone else in order to maintain our visible dignity, mustn’t we?” Never mind that they might actually expect their archbishop to be a man of God who preaches and teaches the Word of the Lord……like the rest of the primates!
And $41 million for an archive site? In God’s name, WHY? What a waste!
Since when has the Constitution and Canons met anything, they are violated all the time.
“Since when have the Constitution and Canons meant anything” —Baruch [#8]
When BeerKat wants them to mean something.
I can’t get any semblance of sense out of the acronym MDG and this proposal. Am I the only one?
41 millions for archives! 0.7% for MDGs lobbying efforts.
That’s 41 millions for archives and 0 for doing mdgs in actual dollars.