The Acts of Convention

House of Deputies

Original Text of Resolution:

(D135)

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 68th General Convention call upon the Episcopal Church, its parishes and congregations to:

1. Continue and increase their support of the ministry and mission of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East through the use of the Good Friday Offering as a means of demonstrating our partnership and support with the people in the lands of the dioceses of this turbulent Province: Iran, Cyprus and the Gulf, Egypt (including Ethiopia and Somalia), Jerusalem (including Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and the Occupied Territories);
2. Recognize continued support of the work of St. George's College which is the Anglican Center in the Diocese of Jerusalem, and urge greater use of the College as a continuing education center for clergy and lay persons in the very heart of the Holy Land which strives to be a place of reconciliation for Christian, Jew, and Muslim, yet at the same time a place where Christians from around the world can come to see not only the ancient stones, but also the living stones of the Church today;
3. Call upon the General Convention's Executive Council, working through the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief and other units of the church, for deepening Episcopal understanding and commitment to Anglican and ecumenical initiatives in mobilizing additional human and material resources for the support of schools, hospitals, and institutions of the four dioceses in the Province in dealing with the impact of, and responding to, displaced persons and refugees, hunger, and development needs in these historic lands.

Proposed Committee Substitute:

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 68th General Convention call upon the whole Episcopal Church to:

1. Continue and increase their support of the ministry and mission of the Anglican Province of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East through the use of the Good Friday Offerings;
2. Recognize continued support of the work of St. George's College which is the Anglican Center in the Diocese of Jerusalem;
3. Call upon the General Convention's Executive Council, working through the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief and other units of the Church to increase ongoing commitment of human and material resources for the support of schools, hospitals, and institutions, ministering to displaced persons and refugees in these historic lands.

Motion carried

Substitute resolution adopted

(Communicated to the House of Bishops in HD Message #204)