Deputies approve lay pension plan, covenant study
Episcopal News Service -- Anaheim, California. July 15, 2009 [071509-10]
Melodie Woerman, Director of Communications for the Diocese of Kansas
The House of Deputies tackled a wide range of resolutions during its second session July 15, which marked the deadline for action on resolutions that require the concurrence of the House of Bishops.
It approved Resolution D020, which asks dioceses to study the Ridley Cambridge Draft of a proposed Anglican covenant -- or any that might come after it -- and report their comments to Executive Council, which then is asked to make a full report to the General Convention in 2012.
Most speakers favored adoption of the resolution. The Rev. Ellen Neufeld (Albany) noted that deputies previously had expressed a commitment to continuing participation in the Anglican Communion. "This resolution does not finally commit us to the covenant," she said, "but it keeps us at the table, it keeps us part of the process."
The Rev. Ian Douglas (Massachusetts) said, "Three years ago we did commit ourselves as a church to participate in the development process of a covenant, not a specific text. This church has been incredibly faithful to that task, both with the Nassau Draft and also the St. Andrew’s Draft. This resolution calls us to continue in the same good faith."
The resolution now goes to the House of Bishops for action.
Deputies also approved Resolution A138, which changes church canons to implement a mandatory pension plan for lay church employees who work at least 1,000 hours a year. A lay pension plan first was mandated by General Convention resolution in 1991, but a study of employees found that not all who qualified were offered the chance to participate in the plan.
This resolution already was passed by the House of Bishops, so the deputies’ action finalizes it.
In other action, the House of Deputies adopted:
- Resolution A074, a lengthy theological statement that will guide interreligious relations.
- Resolution B007, which allows any bishop of a diocese, not just the diocesan bishop, to make an official parish visitation at least every three years.
- Resolutions on the church’s internal life, including concurrence with the bishops on a program for formation of newly elected bishops (A008) and encouraging those preparing for ordination to engage in cross-cultural formation (A135).
- Resolutions on a series of social and national issues, including support for civil rights for transgendered persons (D012); a call for labor law reform legislation (D039); support for the victims of human trafficking (A167); a call for peace between Israel and Palestine (B027); a repudiation of the doctrine of discovery in relation to indigenous peoples (D035); and a call for pandemic preparedness (D063).