General Convention Deputy Reflections: July 8th

Budget for Next Triennium
By:  Dennis Stark, Lay Deputy

Dennis served as a member of the General Convention Program Budget & Finance (PB&F) Committee in 2000, 2003, and 2006.  He was also volunteer staff to PB&F in 2009.  In addition he served on Executive Council from 2006-2009, was a member of the Finance Committee, and is a past treasurer of the Diocese of RI as well as a past chairman of finance commission.

The budget for the next Triennium (2013-2015) has not yet come from the Program Budget & Finance Committee (PB&F) to the House of Bishops and House of Deputies.  Both Executive Council and the Presiding Bishop have produced drafts.  We will meet in joint session to hear the final recommendation of PB&F  tomorrow.

In the meantime, other committees are hearing requests for funds, and the committee I am on, Stewardship & Development, has submitted a resolution to reduce the asking for the Triennium of  2016-2018 from the present l9% to l5%.  Presently less than 60% of the dioceses pay at the requested level.  Rhode Island is one of the dioceses who pay the full asking.

There is much talk of  restructuring how we do “Church” at The Episcopal Church level, including a proposal to sell the central headquarters building at 815 Second Avenue in New York.  Everyone wants to do more program and spend less on staff.

Stewardship and Development has supported the inclusion in the budget of a professionally staffed development department with funding to come from accumulated past surpluses in the operating budget.

I will report again after PB&F submits their proposal.