Diocesan Council Approves Funding for Bishop Transition, at No Additional Cost to Parishes

By Dave Seifert, Diocesan Council

At its June meeting, Rhode Island’s Diocesan Council approved funding for a budget to cover expenses related to the nomination and election of the 13th Bishop of Rhode Island. “We are pleased that we have been able to fund this important process without asking our congregations for any additional money,” said the Rev. James Bocchino, vice president of Diocesan Council.

Council budgeted $175,000 for the process, based on this diocese’s experience in the last election as well as the experience of other dioceses that have recently conducted searches. The 2011 diocesan operating budget includes $10,000 for the election process, and an additional $25,000 is in the proposed 2012 diocesan operating budget, but this left a need for approximately $140,000.

Parishes were assessed a share of the cost in Rhode Island’s previous search but Council decided that the remaining $140,000 will not come from the churches. Bocchino explains “We know that many of our congregations face financial challenges. Through their annual apportionment payments, they are contributing to the $35,000 that will be funded from the 2011 and 2012 operating budgets.”

The $140,000 will come instead from a fund that was established to assist with deductible amounts under our former insurance program. Under the current insurance program the fund is no longer needed. As of this summer no further obligations exist, and the Diocesan Council has the authority to designate a new use for the fund.

The Diocesan Council decided that using this fund to avoid assessing parishes is a valuable investment in the future of the Episcopal Church in Rhode Island.