I went to our diocesan archives to look for materials from a most difficult era in our nation’s financial history, the Great Depression. Very interesting what I found there. The program fund of the diocese was at $68,000 in 1929. It decreased almost two-thirds by 1935, when the fund receipts were in the amount of $27,000. It increased incrementally to about $31,000 in 1938 and remained at that level until the end of the war years.
The two Bishops of that era, Frederick Johnson and William Scarlett, both noted the sharp decrease in programming, as a result of falling revenues. Well, that’s what will happen, in the wake of steeply falling revenues. The Diocesan Journals got progressively thinner over the course of these years, because there were fewer things to report.
But these Bishops noted the drastic shortfall almost in passing, and with no sense of self-pity. They reported at length, however, about responsibilities of the Church to respond to a whole nation in crisis. And more particularly, to their Missouri neighborhoods in crisis.
The internal financial fact of funding shortfalls was noted, and the cuts were deep and painful. Whole programs vanished.
As far as I can tell from the Journals, the work of the Church in that era focused almost entirely beyond itself, which was a matter of mission and not program. And it happened by way of personal and corporate sacrifice.
I am glad that the bishop chose to highlight our brothers and sisters in the Sudan and that the intent is to continue a companion relationship with a diocese there.
I was struck by the following:
[blockquote] The number-crunchers, in fact, tell us that the roots of this decline go back at least fifty years. In the Diocese of Missouri, our ten-year decline is 6%, and our five-year decline is 2%, and statistically stable in the past few years. These numbers are markedly better than those of the whole Church, but they are hardly sustainable.[/blockquote]
At first, I couldn’t figure out how he got his numbers. It turns out that he is talking about ASA from 1996 to 2006 and 2001 to 2006. Now, 2005 and 2006 were a Christmas effect years – his years of “stability.” The 2007 data is [url=http://www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/Episcopal_Totals_by_Prov__Diocese_2006-2007.pdf ]available[/url]. From the graph, one can see that 2007 wasn’t kind to the diocese of Missouri – 3.6% and 8.3% one year drops in membership and ASA.
The correct figures: Using 1997 to 2007 and 2002 to 2007 data, we have an 11.4% and a 9.6% drops in ASA, respectively, instead of 6% and 2%.
“I remain committed to sustaining the highest degree of communion available to us, within the Anglican world.”
Which degree may violate all the Windsor moratoria (same-sex blessing rites, same-sex partnered persons at all levels of ministry, and repeal of the pretend apology/regrets to the Anglican Communion) and violate the Advent 2007 ABC Letter, but, hey, that’s how anglican we are.
The most concerning part for me about continuing the relationship for Lui is the express intent of the resolution to continue the realtionship to “share our understanding of the Gospel” – which the other resolutions demonstrate clearly to be gozpell of the new thang (c).
I heartily support Lui and the Wells for Lui project. It’s the “our understanding of the gospel” that remains the undoubted underlying goal clearly revealed in the other resolutions.