[HoB/D] Amounts the free-loaders are taking us for

[Louie Crew <lcrew@rci.rutgers.edu>]

The tab at the very least comes to these totals for the dioceses which have
not contributed a dime to TEC for 2007, the most recently completed year.:


Colombia	$20,188
Dallas		$261,373
Fort Worth	$124,508
Honduras	$243,564
Pittsburgh	$140,216
Quincy		$15,091
Venezuela	$4,290


[and San Joaquin $72,296, but deputies have fled, ostensibly with all the
assets; and it would not be fair to charge their tab to those faithful
Episcopalians who have moved to ministry in the ruins.]

It seems to me one thing to say that out of principle I will not fund
programs of which I disapprove.  I think that is terrible stewardship, yet I
can respect principled financial boycots.

It is quite another thing to participate in an organization and force others
to pay your fair share of the organization's basic operating expenses.  Many
organizations, including some dioceses, would not let you get away with such
theft.  In some dioseses you cannot vote at convention if your parish has
not paid its assessments.  Those who prefer, as does the General Convention,
to let diocesan contributions be voluntary by no means take away the
dioceses' obligation to pay their fair share of basic operation costs.

"Contributions" is possibly the wrong word to us to designate bill
payments of this kind.   Cf. "obligations."

Deputies who show up at GC from dioceses which have not paid a dime are
running up the cost for the rest of us.  The money we have to give to pay
for their participation is money being redirected from vital missions to
feed the poor, care for the sick, shelter refugees, respond to
disasters......

I computed these amounts the free-loaders owe by looking at the budget that
we adopted for the triennium,  at
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/budget2006_final_ENG.pdf

These are expenses for this triennium to keep GC and both Houses in
business. They are called 'canonical' expenses, expenses required by our
canons to be paid first to assure that we are in operation to take on
program and mission. Program and mission costs are not part of this narrow
selection from the total $152,002,988 budgets for TEC in the triennium:

$5,111,975	Office of the Presiding Bishop
$300,000	Extra Episcopal expenses
$639,000	HoB
$336,515	HoD
$3,487,247	Offices of GC
$3,691,350	Site costs for GC
$2,245,100	Other Exec, GC, and CCAB expenses

==========

$15,811,187

The budget we approved in Columbus notes that 19% of its debits are for
canonical expenses.  My bare bone account, to focus just on the costs of GC,
comes to only 10.4% of the budget.

Next, I computed the share of all TEC communicants who reside in the
dioceses who have not contributed even a dime towards their 2007
assessments.  That is their percent of thee $15,811,187 costs.

Of course there are other offenders who have not contributed anything like
their share of the costs.  For example, Like the rest of us, the Diocese of
Texas is asked to give 21% of its income but actually is giving at the rate
of only 7.5%, or a loss to the rest of us of $2,501,435 over the triennium.

"Some dioceses intentionally contribute no money whatsoever to the mission
and life of The Episcopal Church. Several others create their own formulas,
always offering less than the 21% Asking. Some dioceses are genuinely unable
to meet the Asking. If all our dioceses did contribute at the Asking level,
our mission would be funded by an additional $8,000,000 each year, or
$24,000,000 for the triennium."

  From  the Budget for The Episcopal Church, 2007-2009, pages 1-2


"'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to
keep back part of the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have
contrived this deed in your heart?  You did not lie to us but to God!.'  Now
when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died and a great fear
seized all who heard it.  The young men came and wrapped up his body, then
carried him out and buried him."

  --Acts 5: 3-6

Louie, L1 Newark

Louie Crew, 377 S. Harrison St., 12D, E. Orange, NJ 07018 973-395-1068
http://www.gracechurchinnewark.org/  Home of "America the Beautiful"