A Relentless Focus on Mission

The Very Rev. David du Plantier, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in New Orleans, visited the ECW plenary along with Bishop Duncan Gray of the Diocese of Mississippi and Bishop Charles Jenkins of the Diocese of Louisiana. Their central message was this: "Thank you for your constant and relentless focus on mission and ministry, not just since Hurricane Katrina but since your founding."

Bonnie Anderson, president of the House of Deputies, echoed that when she spoke to the ECW delegates earlier this week: "The ECW are unfailingly a group that keeps your eye on the prize - the world as it should be, the way God made it. Thank you for reminding us that we are a part of something that passes all understanding."

We all have a place in this beloved Church of ours, and I do believe that, yes, in ways seen and unseen we, the Episcopal Church Women, are most directly about mission.

Here's just one example. Every Triennial the National ECW Board works to make sure ECW connect with and address the needs of the underserved residents of the area where Triennial/General Convention is being held. This year the "Community Connection" gift recipient is Project Dignity, based in Garden Grove, California. Project Dignity works with perhaps the most misunderstood of all the homeless: people, un- and under employed,  living in low-income residential motels. Currently they're working with 500 families spread among 23 motels best described as fleabags. And given the state of the economy, the numbers are rising.

A table set-up in a corner of our meeting hall in the convention center was the collection point for donations to Project Dignity, which has 1 1/2 staff people and operates on a shoestring budget. In less than a week the large table was overflowing with towels, washcloths, socks, personal hygiene and grooming items, and school supplies. Cash donations for things like bus passes came to $1,201, and there hundreds of dollars more in giftcards for meals and such. On Thursday it was all boxed up and ready for pick-up and distribution.

Many, many thanks to those members of North Carolina's diocesan ECW board who made contributions to this effort. I was proud to add those donations on your behalf.

The theme of this Triennial was grace. One definition we received was, "grace is love at work." Episcopal Church Women wanted to make sure we didn't just take from our hosts but that we gave back, leaving Orange County, California a little better than we found it.

There was grace.

Seen

Some North Carolinians taking care of business in Anaheim:

The Rev. Kevin Matthews of Greensboro

The Rev. Lawrence Womack and the Rt. Rev. William Gregg of Charlotte

The Rev. Timothy Kimbrough of Chapel Hill

The Rev. Lisa Fishbeck of Chapel Hill/Carrboro and the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry

The Rev. Lorraine Ljunggren of Raleigh with her son Jake Melynk, who's part of the Youth Presence at GC

... and then when it all gets to be a bit too much there's Barnabas with his human, Mike. Every morning Mike offers people heading into the convention center an opportunity to give the big pooch a pat and scratch behind the ears. As the sign says, "it's therapeutic." No word from Barnabas how he feels about the situation.

Marching for Justice

[The following article appeared in the July 15 edition of "The Daily", which is published during General Convention/ECW Triennial]

By Jim DeLa

Bishop Greg Rickel of the Diocese of Olympia leads Disney hotel workers and supporters on a protest march from the Anaheim Convention Center to Disneyland.Episcopalians attending General Convention linked arms with hotel workers July 14 to march to the gates of Disneyland to demand economic justice for 2,300 Disney employees protesting a planned hike in the cost of their health insurance.

“It seems to me, as our church has moved toward a position of justice for all its members, particularly in the area of health care, this is the perfect opportunity for the church to witness to the world about its convictions regarding economic justice,” said the Rev. Lisa Hackney from the Diocese of Ohio.

Ada Briceno, an official from Local 11 of UNITE HERE, a Los Angeles-based union that includes hotel and restaurant workers, said they had been working without a contract since February 2008. Disney wants to replace the union-funded health plan with a corporate plan, she said, which, in time, will cost a minimum-wage worker about $500 a month for insurance for a family. “These are low-paid workers, making on average about $11 an hour,” she said.

Marchers approach the convention center from the Disney-owned Paradise Pier hotel where they had been picketing earlier in the day.Several hundred people gathered at the Anaheim Convention Center to hear a prayer by Bishop Jon Bruno of Los Angeles before joining more than 1,000 others already on the march to Disneyland.

“I cannot think of any reason more than the gospel proclamation of ‘do justice’ and ‘do God’s work.’ This is where I need to be,” said the Rev. Yamily Bass-Choate, a deputy from the diocese of New York.

Lynn Tyler, a deputy from the Diocese of New Hampshire, was marching to support Disney workers, 75 percent of whom, she said, are women. “And of those women, many are single parents. They’re pretty much living on the edge as it is.”

A letter in support of Disney workers signed by 13 Episcopal bishops said they were taking seriously “our call to stand with the poor and those who are suffering from injustice.” The protest included Episcopal bishops Greg Rickel (Olympia), Gene Robinson (New Hampshire) and Barbara Harris (retired of Massachusetts).

Henry Atkins Jr. of the Episcopal Church Peace and Justice Commission of the Diocese of Los Angeles is asking Episcopalians to boycott Disney hotels if the workers ask.

“We’re now marching with these people who are working for Disney for their rights, their privileges that they deserve as human beings,” said Bruno. “We ask you to let us turn the eyes of Disney toward justice and mercy; toward benefits, and the things necessary for people to live a just and abundant life.”

Church Comments on $23 Million Budget Cut

Here is a statement from the Church, issued today, July 15, about proposed budget cuts:

The Program, Budget and Finance (PB&F) Committee of The Episcopal Church today presented a budget to the General Convention that proposes a $23 million reduction in the 2010-2012 triennial.

“This is a very difficult day,” said Pan Adams-McCaslin, chair of PB&F. “For the committee and for me personally, the decisions are heart-wrenching and emotional. We are being called to be accountable and transparent in our mission and ministry to the Church, knowing that the decisions that have been made will be difficult and painful. As a Church of mission and ministry this is even more difficult because we work for a higher calling.”

Earlier this week, PB&F sent a special letter to both houses of General Convention explaining that there would be reductions. The weak economy caused PB&F to take a very close look at all the Church does, and where and how it does it, as well as how some programs may be consolidated. In finalizing the budget, PB&F followed a well-traveled path consistent with the spirit and practice of the Church – seeking to give to others first and ourselves second, and to help dioceses and parishes continue their focus on ministry.

The reductions, which affect both programs and staff, will occur over the next several months. The Diocesan commitment also is being reduced from 21 percent in 2010, to 20 percent in 2011, and 19 percent in 2012.

The proposed budget addresses every part of the Church: Corporate, Canonical and Program (Mission). While specific program details, in most cases, are still being worked out, approximately 30 positions will be affected, with staff being notified beginning today. The Church will be providing outplacement services and severance packages, as well as pastoral care.

“Our hearts go out to those affected by the changes,” Adams-McCaslin said. “With God’s help, hope and faith, we will seek to renew our efforts to share God’s mission in this difficult time.”

Heard

Budget results are starting to trickle in. A big win for the Millennium Development Goals. The .7% has been returned as a line item. The recommendation of the bishops that the MDGs be returned as a line item and upped to 1%, while a wonderful gesture, was never going to happen. I'm just grateful the Church has recommitted for the triennium.

Ecumenical and interfaith relations has taken a big hit, as has racial justice and the women's ministries desk at '815'. The Committee on the Status of Women is down but not out. It's to receive $20,000.

UTO Grants 2009: $2 million+

I blogged earlier about Bishop Curry's address at the United Thank Offering Sharing Dinner last Friday.

On Sunday the UTO Ingathering was the focus of the Eucharist service.

Alice Freeman, our UTO Coordinator, represented the Diocese of NC during the traditional parade of the dioceses at the Ingathering (each provincial UTO rep calls the diocesan coordinator forward one by one, and they file across the stage/altar area to greet the Presiding Bishop and president of the House of Deputies.) Here's Alice in her UTO blue, waiting with other diocesan coordinators for the procession to begin.

On Tuesday, the national UTO Committee brought their grant recommendations to the floor of the ECW plenary for a vote of adoption. The delegates voted unanimously in favor of the recommendations. Then it was announced the offering collected at Sunday's Ingathering totaled $28,168.92, a 37% increase over the offering three years ago.

In all, 63 grants totaling $2,065,472.43 will be made this year.

And yes, the Diocese of North Carolina is on the list of grant recipients. However, I can't announce that information until formal notification has gone out.

Movement on the Matter of Same-Sex Holy Unions

Thought you'd find the text of the following resolution interesting. (The 77th General Convention will take place in 2012).

Resolved, that the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, in consultation with the House of Bishops Theology Committee, collect and develop theological resources and liturgies of blessing for same-gender holy unions, to be presented to the 77th General Convention for formal consideration;

and be it further Resolved, that the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, in consultation with the House of Bishops Theology Committee, devise an open process for the conduct of its work in this matter, inviting participation from dioceses, congregations, and individuals who are or have already engaged in the study or design of such rites throughout the Anglican Communion;

and be it further Resolved, that all bishops, noting particularly those in dioceses within civil jurisdictions where same-gender marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships’ are legal, may provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this Church;

and be it further Resolved, that honoring the theological diversity of this Church, no bishop or other member of the clergy shall be compelled to authorize or officiate at such liturgies;

and be it further Resolved, that the Anglican Consultative Council be invited to conversation regarding this resolution and the work that proceeds from it, together with other churches in the Anglican Communion engaged in similar processes.

Ending the Ban on Gay Bishops

The bishops have voted to open “any ordained ministry” to gay men and lesbians. This effectively counters the moratorium on ordaining gay bishops that the church passed at the last General Convention. The resolution was written in a nuanced way, however. It allows dioceses to consider gay candidates to the episcopacy, but does not mandate that all dioceses do so.

A similar measure was passed on Sunday by the House of Deputies, which is made up of laypeople and clergy. Today, the bishops’ version will probably go back to the House of Deputies for reconsideration. But given the bishops 2-to-1 approval, and the fact that the deputies' version passed by a similar margin, a quick concurrence is expected. In a classic Anglican touch, though, the resolution acknowledges our Church "is not of one mind" about the matter.

If you read my post from a few days ago about the Archbishop of Canterbury's visit to convention, this is, I believe, exactly what he was thinking about when he said, "I hope and pray that there won’t be decisions in the coming days that will push us further apart."

What's interesting is the atmosphere at this convention versus that of 2003, when the Rev. Gene Robinson, an openly gay man, was elected as bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire. In 2006, the moratorium was passed at convention in an attempt to calm conservatives in the Anglican Communion and in the Episcopal Church.

Here's a picture of the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson that I took on Sunday after Eucharist.

The turmoil of the past six years has been replaced by a kind of calm. That's not to say there aren't strong opinions on both sides of the issue, but you just don't feel schism coming. The moratorium had never really pleased anybody. If what people wear is a gauge of where the thinking and emotions are, then an oft seen button and a big-selling T-shirt say alot: "My Church Has No Outcasts" reads the button, while the brightly colored tees say, "Here I Am, Send Me! I am a witness to God's inclusive love"

Elected: Lynn Hoke

The board of the national Episcopal Women's History Project, meeting in Anaheim, has elected three new board members, including Lynn Hoke, the ECW of NC's archivist and historian.

Susan Johnson of the Diocese of West Texas (pictured here), is president of EWHP, one of three affiliated Episcopal women's organizations represented at the ECW Triennial. (The other two are the Church Periodical Club and the United Thank Offering.)

The Episcopal Women's History Project was organized in 1980 by a handful of Episcopal Church Women in New York City. Formed to raise the consciousness and conscience of the Episcopal Church to the historic contributions of its women, EWHP has continued to gather the life stories of Episcopal Church Women. It has inventoried written source materials, gathered oral histories, published a newsletter, supported research, given grants, and encouraged interest at all levels through conferences and workshops.

Since going to work for the ECW in 2007, Lynn has, among other things, professionalized our archives at Diocesan House, advised women in parishes throughout the diocese about ways to preserve their history and tell their story, and envisioned and organized the well-received Bishop Tuttle School Day at Saint Augustine's College in Raleigh, one of three historically black Episcopal schools in the country.

Congratulations, Lynn!

North Carolina Connections

On Sunday, immediately after the Festival Eucharist and UTO Ingathering, which ran long because of the thousands of people present, I hightailed it from the convention center to the hotel where the Province IV ECW luncheon was being held. Stepping from the bright California sun into the hotel's lobby caused momentary blindness, so I didn't immediately see who was standing right before me.

Then I heard, "So I don't even get a hello? That's a fine howdy." Things came into focus and I saw who was talking, Lauren Stanley! Lauren is a missionary of the Episcopal Church whose work is supported by the church women of North Carolina -- specifically, the ECW of the Winston-Salem Convocation, and she's a frequent visitor to the diocese. In fact, she'll be preaching and teaching in Winston-Salem next month before heading off to her new assignment in Haiti.

Lauren was with her older brother and the Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnston, the Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Virginia, her sponsoring diocese.

Seeing the name of my diocese on my name badge, the bishop asked in what part of North Carolina I live. I told him and it turns out he knows the area well. Though he's a native of Alabama, his family put the Johnston in Johnston County. They also owned big chunks of Raleigh and Wake County. Well, the story goes on and it's a juicy one, involving shady deals and nefarious characters, and fortunes lost and somewhat regained, and a kind of penance that resulted in the giveaway of land upon which now sits a part of North Carolina State University. Devereux Street in Raleigh and the prime real estate around it? That too was part of the Johnston's portfolio once upon a time; Devereux is a family name. Easy come, easy go, eh?

None of this, of course, has anything to do with setting the course for the Episcopal Church for the next three years, but it sure was a fun conversation with home folk and down home folk and good all around Episcopalians. Lauren, her brother and the bishop left for their lunch and I headed to one of the hotel's ballrooms for mine. It just goes to show you never know who you'll run into at General Convention.

L to R: Alice Freeman, Sharon Curry, Lisa Towle and Vivian Edwards

Young is a State of Mind

Eighteen representatives of the official “youth presence” at General Convention visited the ECW plenary to thank Episcopal Church Women for their support of youth and campus ministries in many dioceses and parishes, to share their dreams and eloquently advocate for their priorities as young Episcopalians: increased youth involvement, evangelism, outreach and human rights.

"The community of youth yearn for a true voice in the Church. Our passion and faith are measurable, our ideas are sound," said 16-year old Amy Espinoza, a member of St. Martin's in the Diocese of Rhode Island, where she is a eucharistic minister.

Eighteen-year old Jacqueline Bray of St. Margaret's Church in San Diego was "shocked to discover that the average age members of the House of Deputies is 65."

At the close of their visit, the Rev. Canon Liz Habecker, a member of the National ECW board, led the youth and the ECW delegates in a choreographed dance.

I'm still not sure it did anything to prove we all aren't complete old fogeys, but as they were leaving one young woman did rush back to the microphone to say, "I think you all have more fun here than they do in the House of Deputies!"

Out of the mouths of babes.

Declare Yourself

One of the traditions of the ECW Triennial at General Convention is "Shirt Day." Delegations show their team colors, so to speak, with the wearing of shirts announcing their diocese's name, and sometimes more. (Who knew Province II is the "home of the kazoo"?).

Shirt Day was Saturday. Here we are in our but-white-goes-with-everything shirts. A shout-out to diocesan ECW board member Anne Butler of Winston-Salem for making sure the embroidery happened on time.

And here's a sampling of some of the other Shirt Day shirts seen 'round the Anaheim Convention Center.

Bishop Curry: "Go!"

Photo: Beverly RuebeckPresent at the United Thank Offering Sharing Dinner Friday evening were 400 people from throughout the Anglican Communion—including bishops, priests, deacons, ECW members and diocesan UTO coordinators.

Our own Bishop Curry addressed the assembly. Using the 20th chapter of the Book of John as his frame of reference, he continually referred to the sister ministries of the United Thank Offering and Episcopal Church Women as “a mission of witness” sorely needed in “a time of absolute and unprecedented change.”

“If you remember just one word from what I say tonight, it should be this: Go. You know, you won’t find the actual word ‘mission’ in the Bible, but mission is all over the Bible. It’s there because ‘go’ is there and ‘go’ means mission,” he explained.

“And if you take the word ‘go’ seriously, it means you’ve got to trust the Lord. No more is there easy Christianity or easy religion. In a time with religious institutions finding themselves swimming upstream, remember that you don’t need to have all the answers, you just need to have a mission,” he said.

The mission of the UTO, founded and administered by women since 1889, is to further the work of the church that addresses compelling human need by promoting daily offerings of thanks in parishes throughout the Church, receiving those offerings, then distributing that money across the Anglican Communion via grants.

It is a vital ministry, said Bishop Curry. And in a closing that brought the crowd to its feet, he added, “I’m telling you, it makes a difference. You make a difference. So I ask you to continue to go and spread the good news of Jesus. Do not falter. Go and love without abandon! Go and spread his justice! Go UTO! Go ECW! Go!”

Scott Hughes: An Honored Woman

The National Honored Woman award is the highest recognition given by Episcopal Church Women. Every three years, diocesan ECW executive boards around the country are invited to submit the name of a woman from their diocese they believe has, by word and deed, best exemplified the ministry of ECW. She is then honored in a ceremony during the Triennial Meeting at General Convention.

On Friday, 73 Episcopal Church Women from dioceses across all nine provinces of the Church were recognized. Scott Hughes of Durham is the Diocese of North Carolina's Honored Woman for this triennium.

The list of things Scott has done not only for Episcopal Church Women but the Episcopal Church in general at the diocesan, provincial and national levels is way too long to get into here. Suffice to say for now she was an innovator and remains a friend to many, respected counselor and servant-leader. You'll be hearing more about her accomplishments and this award.

Congratulations, Scott! We are proud of you.

Katerina Whitley’s ‘Yet We Persist:’ The story of women in the church, the story of my life

[In addition to blogging, I've been asked to contribute to the in-house newspaper about the proceedings at General Convention and ECW Triennial. This is taken from an article I wrote for the July 10 issue of The Daily.]

The Rt. Rev. Barbara C. HarrisThe Rt. Rev. Barbara C. Harris and Gregory Straub, executive officer and secretary of General Convention, and the other women and men who attended the ECW Welcome Dinner on Wednesday were reminded why the telling of our collective history can at once be liberating and soul wrenching.

Katerina Katsarka WhitleyAsked to produce a program for the dinner, Katerina Katsarka Whitley, an Episcopalian, author, dramatist and retreat leader, opted to write a play chronicling the history of Episcopal Church Women in order to “show how God worked through admirable Episcopal women in the course of long years and struggles to bring about the accomplishments taken for granted today.”

Nearly 140 years of history—from an early plea to the leaders of the Protestant Episcopal Church to seriously consider the contributions of women “who labor for their Lord” to the election of Katharine Jefferts Schori as presiding bishop—played out in under an hour, but still had people talking well into the following day.

An ActressDee Doyle, Triennial delegate from the Diocese of San Joaquin, said, “I thought it was great. It was, in a real way, the story of my life. I’m coming up on 80 years old. I’ve lived a lot of what they were talking about. I graduated from college with a degree in business in ’51, and all potential employers wanted to know was how fast I could type. The young men got the great jobs. The story of our church and the story of our society really parallel one another. The play last night showed that clearly.”

First-time delegate Sharon Massey of the Diocese of North Carolina said, “It was wonderful to see all that history so neatly laid out. I laughed. I cried. What a great gift.”

The Most Rev. Rowan Williams

The Archbishop of Canterbury (aka "ABC") Rowan Williams had just one day to spend at General Convention, and he made a point of devoting a portion of his time to the Episcopal Church Women.

He and his entourage, including what appeared to be a security team, were escorted into our plenary session and he quietly took a seat. He indicated he wanted to listen for a few minutes to what was being said before addressing us, so our chaplain, the Rev. Dr. Ellen Sloan, continued her meditation on the true meaning of grace. Hint: it has nothing to do with being "a ticket to heaven."

Once he got to the microphone, he first acknowledged the tension between the Episcopal Church and some others within the Anglican Communion, characterizing it as "rocky times." But he quickly moved onto his theme, the transformational capacity of women's ministry such as the Mothers' Union, which has a huge presence in Europe and Africa, and the Episcopal Church Women.

Here, in part, is what he had to say: "In your sharing of care and prayer, what you have is one of the most deep-rooted and enduring things that keeps our community together. It is profoundly sacramental. What unites Christians is the presence to one another in Christ; this is what you represent and live out.

"It is clear that the women of faith are among the most effective leaders of lasting and prophetic change. That is because, in so many contexts around the world, with women it's the grassroots. With this approach you provide the lever for real and lasting and profound change. You are the people that will bring about the Millennium Development Goals or whatever need is determined.

"I say, if you want transformation look to the women."

In all, he was with us 20 minutes. Not long after he offered a meditation during the daily Eucharist, again touching on issues of brokenness and reconciliation.

"I don't like coded messages and hidden agendas," he said in opening. "So I'll speak plainly. Thank you for the invitation to join you and for your continued willingness to engage in the wider life of the communion. Of course I'm coming here with hopes and anxieties. One of my hopes is there won't be decisions made in the coming days that will push us further apart."

Perhaps what he was talking about was B033, a resolution adopted by the 2006 General Convention. It calls for restraint in electing as bishops those whose "manner of life," widely understood to mean homosexuality, would cause concern for the rest of the Anglican Communion.

Revisiting B033 has created quite a stir in the House of Deputies, where opinion remains split between rejecting the resolution and preserving it.

Growing in Grace

Though the ECW tends to its Constitution and bylaws, minds rules and holds hearings to address matters related to the business end of our ministry, we are not a legislative body. Instead, we are a from-the-pews-up organization all about mission and service, spiritual enrichment, study and fellowship. We represent the Church, and it's been said on more than one occasion that the ECW meeting hall at Triennial -- "House of ECW" -- can feel like sanctuary.

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Audio of bagpiper

And so on Wednesday, July 8, there was joy as hundreds of women from places as diverse as Navajoland and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Delaware and the Dominican Republic, gathered for opening day festivities. Led by a kilted bagpiper, provincial presidents followed by diocesan ECW presidents, representatives of Episcopal women's organizations (Church Periodical Club, Episcopal Women's History Project, United Thank Offering), and the National ECW board, filed into the plenary hall.

There, a choir ready to burst into song and the Triennial Meeting chaplain, the Rev. Dr. Ellen Sloan, Chaplain and Dean of Community Life at General Theological Seminary, were waiting along with other certified delegates, alternate delegates and visitors.

Shortly after Kay Meyer, president of the National ECW, declared the 46th Triennial Meeting open, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori arrived to greet the gathering and participate in the "surprise" that had been promised. She blessed gold crosses embossed with the ECW symbol and then proceeded to hand a cross to each woman present. She did not rush the process. Nor could she stop smiling. There was singing and even dancing in the aisles.

Solemnity must be given its space, yes. But on this day, at this time, we were about the celebration of the gift of faith. We have been called to "grow in grace."

Shifting Into High Gear

The gang's all here in the Diocese of Los Angeles.

Good thing as the activity level, already humming along, has picked up. Joining me in Anaheim are the following Diocesan ECW board members:.

Alice Freeman, a member of the deputation from North Carolina, who's also an ECW delegate given that she's the United Thank Offering Coordinator for the diocese.

Sharon Massey, an at-large delegate and triennial newbie. Sharon is chair of the Durham Convocation ECW.

Vivian Edwards, who, as Altar Guild Coordinator for our diocese is contributing to the altar guild effort for the convention's daily community Eucharist.

We very much miss Moli Jones, Church Periodical Club Director. She was to have been a part of the delegation, but her for-pay job obligations called.

More MDG News

This afternoon the House of Bishops requested that the Millennium Development Goals remain a program and budget priority for the Episcopal Church for the next triennium. But then they went even further. They not only recommended reinstatement of the MDGs budget line item of 0.7%, but to raise it to 1% of the non-government revenue of the Church! All three of North Carolina's bishops voted in favor of this.

Word around the convention center is that the budget people at the national level completely underestimated the belief in the MDGs as a way for the Episcopal Church to live into its mission. Kay Meyer, president of the National ECW, had testified in a hearing to the vital role of the MDGs in women's ministries, and Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation executive director, the Rev. Devon Anderson along with the Rev. Ian Douglas, EGR board member and co-founder, had also spoken to the passion of the Church's grassroots for the Goals. And each of them stressed that national leadership was needed if these efforts are to be sustained.

Still and all, the recommendations and affirmative votes don't guarantee funding of the Goals at the national level. That decision rests with the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance (PB&F), and they've been told income during the 2010-2012 triennium could be $9 million less than forecast last January, when Executive Council approved the draft budget.

This is why dozens of people representing various constituencies within the Episcopal Church again pled their case before PB&F tonight. Episcopal Church camps, ministries for Native Americans, deaf congregations, the bishops of Haiti and Columbia, and Christian education directors were just some of those seeking to maintain funding levels. Dr. Dianne Suber, president of Saint Augustine's College in Raleigh, spoke on behalf of the country's three historically black Episcopal colleges. And Devon Anderson was back to bat for the MDGs.

"Symbols like the cross convey the images of our core values. They are visual proclamations. Likewise, the MDG line item in our national church budget is a singular proclamation, a symbol of who we are in relation to the world's poorest people," she said. "The choice to be faithful to the MDGs will cost us, but it will cost us more if we aren't."

Just In

The House of Deputies has adopted five priorities proposed by the Program, Budget and Finance Committee that will guide the mission of the Episcopal Church for the next three years. Included is reinstatement of a triennial budget line appropriating 0.7% in revenue for specific Millennium Development Goal spending as well as Christian education and formation. The resolution now goes to the House of Bishops for consideration.