(Sacramento) The California Assembly Business, Professions and Consumer Protection Committee today approved on a 5-2 vote Senate Bill 1172, which would ban mental health professionals from subjecting minors to a dangerous and emotionally-scarring practice of trying to change their sexual orientation. Authored by Senator Ted Lieu, the bill is co-sponsored by Equality California, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Mental Health America of Northern California, Gaylesta, and Lambda Legal. Previously approved in the California Senate, it now heads to the floor for a full vote of the Assembly.
Sexual orientation change efforts pose critical health risks, including depression, shame, decreased self-esteem, social withdrawal, substance abuse, self-harm and suicide. For minors, who are often subjected to these practices at the insistence of misled parents who either don't know or don't believe that the practice is harmful, the risks of long-term mental and physical health consequences are particularly severe.
Ryan Kendall, a survivor of the practice who testified in the Perry v. Brown legal challenge to Proposition 8, described his experience before the committee today: “As a young teen, the anti-gay practice of so-called conversion therapy destroyed my life and tore apart my family. In order to stop the therapy that misled my parents into believing that I could somehow be made straight, I was forced to run away from home, surrender myself to the local department of human services, and legally separate myself from my family. At the age of 16, I had lost everything. My family and my faith had rejected me, and the damaging messages of conversion therapy, coupled with this rejection, drove me to the brink of suicide. For the next decade I struggled with depression, periods of homelessness, and drug abuse.”
Said Equality California Board President Clarissa Filgioun: “Too many young people have taken their own lives or suffered lifelong harm after being told, falsely, by a therapist or counselor that who they are and who they love is wrong, sick or the result of personal or moral failure. It's outrageous that state licensed therapists in California continue engage in this discredited, damaging and discriminatory practice that has been uniformly rejected by medical science and it's time for the legislature to put a stop to this psychological abuse.”
Added NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell: “The time is long overdue for the legislature to take action against the psychological abuse of young people perpetrated by so-called 'reparative therapists.' These practices have no basis in science or medicine, but the harms they inflict on young people are all too real – anxiety, depression, and self-destructive behavior. This bill will quite literally save lives. California youth deserve protection from shame and stigmatization disguised as therapy.”
Senate Bill 1172 is supported by the National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, California Division. In addition, four professional associations that previously opposed the bill, including the California Psychological Association, the California Psychiatric Association, the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists and the California Association of Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors, withdrew their opposition during today's hearing based on agreed upon amendments that will be made on the Assembly floor.
To learn more about Equality California-sponsored legislation, visit, www.eqca.org/legislation.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Saturday, June 23, 2012
"We are many communities, one movement"
"We are many communities, one movement" Olga Talamante told the 14th annual Pride Brunch honoring the 2012 SF LGBT Pride Parade's Grand Marshals. The event benefited the Positive Resource Center. Global Grand Marshal Bishop Christopher Senyonjo received a standing ovation before and after his remarks (shown above).
"We are all connected," the retired Ugandan bishop said. Pointing to the recent revival of a bill that imposes a death penalty on Ugandan LGBT people, Bishop Christopher urged people to respect the rights of every individual.
"Coming here has given me hope," he continued, adding San Francisco is a city where diversity is welcomed and celebrated. "Now we have hope," he added.
Bishop Christopher will preach at the
2012 Pride Eucharist 9:15 a.m. Sunday June 24th @Spear between Market & Mission
Friday, June 22, 2012
Preliminary Report shows positive trends for the Episcopal Church
[June 22, 2012] Information based on preliminary data from the 2011 Parochial Reports show an increase in Episcopal Church revenue and a moderation of recent declines among Episcopal congregations.
“Some churches are growing, fewer churches are seeing large declines in membership and attendance, and many dioceses are seeing gains rather than losses in gifts from their congregations and returns on investments,” noted C. Kirk Hadaway, Ph.D., Officer for Congregational Research and author of the report.
Among the key elements of the report indicate:
- An expected 95% of domestic congregations will have filed the 2011 Parochial Report.
- Average Sunday attendance (ASA) will show an improvement in 2011.
- While 2011 will witness a decline in membership, it is the lowest since 2002.
- Plate and Pledge giving is expected to rise by around $12 million, or +0.9% in 2011.
- Gifts and assessments to dioceses by congregations suggest an increase of .04% in 2011.
- Average Sunday attendance (ASA) will show an improvement in 2011.
- While 2011 will witness a decline in membership, it is the lowest since 2002.
- Plate and Pledge giving is expected to rise by around $12 million, or +0.9% in 2011.
- Gifts and assessments to dioceses by congregations suggest an increase of .04% in 2011.
“The last three years should not be considered the “new normal,” Hadaway states. “This is not to minimize the declines in membership and attendance since 2002, nor the loss of income in the last several years…Still, there are signs of improvement in terms of membership, attendance and finances.”
Hadaway’s report in full follows.
2011 Parochial Report Estimate with Commentary
Each year in the weeks following the May 1 Canonical deadline for completing a Parochial Report the research office of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society computes a projection of certain key statistics based on responses to date. As congregations and dioceses have filed earlier and more completely over the past six years, the accuracy and reliability of these projections has also increased.
As of early June, 2012, 89% of domestic Parochial Reports were submitted and entered by congregations and by dioceses on behalf of congregations. All domestic dioceses now have completion rates in excess of 50%, with only 3 dioceses having rates of completion less than 70%. Well over half of dioceses have completion rates over 90%. Given recent trends and the completion rate thus far, it is expected that when the 2011 Parochial Report is closed out, 95% of domestic congregations will have completed and filed a Parochial Report.
With such a high rate of response at present, it is possible to estimate the 2011 Parochial Report totals with a high degree of accuracy. The key items for this projection are average Sunday attendance, active baptized members, plate and pledge giving, and gifts and assessments to dioceses by congregations.
In order to make the projection, 2011 Parochial Report data were downloaded and merged with prior report year data. Information submitted by responding congregations was examined, and unlikely and obviously inaccurate responses checked and corrected. For non-responding congregations, data were carried over from 2010 with a percentage increase or decrease added to the overall total (based on the responding congregations’ rate of change) for the additional 6% of congregations that are expected to file this year.
The results are quite different from recent years. Average Sunday attendance (ASA) will show an actual increase in 2011 of less than 1,000 persons. However, since Christmas Eve fell on a Saturday in 2011, this essentially adds an extra Sunday to the count. The same thing happened in 2005, when the decline abated, but did not result in an increase. Adjusting for the “Christmas Eve Effect” results in an adjusted loss of slightly less than 12,000 persons or -1.8%. This is less than half the net and percentage loss experienced in 2010 and the smallest percentage loss in average Sunday attendance since 2002 (adjusting for the Christmas Eve effect in 2005).
In terms of active baptized members, the results are similar to ASA, but there is no Christmas Eve Effect to worry about. In 2011 we expect membership to decline by around 27,000 members, or -1.4%. Again, this decline is the lowest in percentage terms since 2002 and about half the loss the Episcopal Church experienced in 2010 when domestic dioceses declined by 54,436 members (-2.7%).
The financial picture is less positive than hoped, but also shows improvement over 2010.
In terms of Plate and Pledge giving, this key element of congregational income is expected to rise by around $12 million, or +0.9% in 2011. This is not much of a rise, but it is considerably better than the 1.2% Plate and Pledge decline in 2010 and the 2.8% decline in 2009.
In terms of Plate and Pledge giving, this key element of congregational income is expected to rise by around $12 million, or +0.9% in 2011. This is not much of a rise, but it is considerably better than the 1.2% Plate and Pledge decline in 2010 and the 2.8% decline in 2009.
Gifts and assessments to dioceses by congregations suggest a tiny increase of .04% in 2011. This is in contrast to a drop in gifts to dioceses of -2.1% in 2010. So although this major component of diocesan income is no longer declining, there is no reason to expect overall diocesan income will show much of an increase in 2011. Financial reports from dioceses are not complete enough to make any projections for overall diocesan income, but with around one quarter of overall income accounted for, the picture is one of little, if any, change overall in 2011. Some dioceses are reporting gains and others losses, but they are averaging at zero change.
Declines in membership, participation, and finances were particularly serious in 2008 to 2010. Not coincidentally, this was the period when the serious losses in the Dioceses of San Joaquin, Pittsburgh and Fort Worth were dealt with (statistically) in successive years and when the worst of the economic recession was felt. In 2010 alone, overall attendance dropped by over 5,000 due solely to the situation in Fort Worth (in which all non-cooperating parishes were reclassified as non-filing with zero attendance) and the loss of a very large parish in the Diocese of South Carolina.
The last three years should not be considered the “new normal.” This is not to minimize the declines in membership and attendance since 2002, nor the loss of income in the last several years. Problems remain with our skewed demographics and difficulty in attracting new members; and for many parts of the Episcopal Church the recession is not over. Still, there are signs of improvement in terms of membership, attendance and finances. Some churches are growing, fewer churches are seeing large declines in membership and attendance, and many dioceses are seeing gains rather than losses in gifts from their congregations and returns on investments.
More on the Bishop Seabury Episcopal Church Decision
The media release announcing the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court not to review the case involving Bishop Seabury Episcopal Church, Groton, was sent out June 19 (including to eNews subscribers) and garnered some media interest and interview requests. These included an article in The Day, of New London; the Hartford Courant; the Evangelical Press Association's Christian Post; and a brief segment on WSHU Public Radio. Associated Press (AP) also had a brief item on it that was picked up by a number of papers including Middletown Press. There is also a piece by WTNH TV 8 with video of some of the church and with former Episcopal priest Ronald Gauss.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Presiding Bishop releases budget proposal for General Convention review
[June 21, 2012] Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has released a Budget Proposal for consideration at the upcoming General Convention of the Episcopal Church.
“The heart of this body is mission – both domestic and foreign mission – in partnership with anyone who shares that passion,” Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori states in her Budget Proposal Message. “This Budget Proposal is intended to help us reorient ourselves to that passion, to be true to who we are as the community of the baptized, to come to know ourselves as the friends of Jesus who are sent to heal the world.”
Citing Canon I.2.4(a)(1) which states that “responsibility for leadership in initiating and developing the policy and strategy in the Church” rests with the Presiding Bishop, she notes, “I have, therefore, sought the development of a budget proposal that could be offered to General Convention which is more clearly based on missional strategy than the current draft proposed budget.”
The Presiding Bishop’s budget proposal is based and rooted on the Five Marks of mission and “takes mission as its organizing principle and uses the Five Marks of Mission endorsed by the General Convention as the strategic priorities for the budget as a moral document.”
She explains that her budget proposal includes input from staff, which was not the case in the current draft budget approved by Executive Council. Citing the willing participation of staff, under the leadership of Bishop Stacy Sauls, Chief Operating Officer, the Presiding Bishop points to “a selfless and kenotic approach to the wellbeing of the whole Church, to which I know they [staff] are deeply committed.”
She concludes, “As in every age, our church is in need of reform, in order to engage the mission God has set before us. This Budget Proposal is intended as the beginning of that reforming effort. It sets out what we can do at this General Convention, and offers a strategic direction for the next era in this Church’s life as partners in healing God’s broken world.”
The Presiding Bishop’s Budget Proposal Message is printed in full in this release and is also located here. http://www.episcopalchurch.org/sites/default/files/downloads/presiding_bishops_budget_proposal_2013-2015.pdf
The Presiding Bishop’s Budget Proposal is located here http://www.episcopalchurch.org/sites/default/files/downloads/presiding_bishops_budget_proposal_2013-2015.pdf
The Presiding Bishop’s Budget Proposal Message follows in full:
Budgets are moral documents. Our investment of time and energy in preparing a budget is a kind of liturgical work, giving shape to the “public work of the people.” Budgets reflect our hopes and dreams as a community. They reveal the secrets of our hearts.(1) They represent a concrete strategy for achieving what we believe God is calling us to do and to be in moving toward shalom or the Reign of God. They offer an opportunity for faithfulness.
The “responsibility for leadership in initiating and developing the policy and strategy in the Church” rests with the Presiding Bishop.(2) The budgeting process that developed through Executive Council represented new behavior, which should be applauded for its courage. In spite of those faithful efforts a coherent strategy did not emerge.(3)
I have, therefore, sought the development of a budget proposal that could be offered to General Convention which is more clearly based on missional strategy than the current draft proposed budget. I believe this reflects what I have seen and experienced firsthand in my visits throughout The Episcopal Church. Those very significant signs of health and hope in congregations and dioceses across this Church are examples of powerful engagement with God’s mission. What follows is a plan for making this Church a more effective agent of God’s redeeming love made manifest in Jesus Christ.
This approach begins with mission, and insists that mission shape the budget rather than the other way around. The perspective of the churchwide staff has been exceedingly helpful in this process, for they are deeply connected to mission at the local level, and have the unique ability to see across boundaries between communities.(4) This Budget Proposal reflects extensive consultations with staff, directed by the Chief Operating Officer, Bishop Stacy Sauls. The process reflects a selfless and kenotic approach to the wellbeing of the whole Church, to which I know they are deeply committed.
The strategic and spiritual principle of this Budget Proposal is that the Church is most truly itself, the Body of Christ, when it lives and breathes mission. Indeed, our baptismal identity is grounded in commitment to mission and in the assurance that in our faithful pursuit of that mission God will bless both us and our work.
As Episcopalians we have a shared understanding of mission: to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.(5) Paul reminds us that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation,(6) but as the body is composed of many members with varied gifts, different methods and approaches are required.(7) Some of us look to the Great Commission(8) for primary definitions of mission; others, to Jesus’ mission statement,(9) or Jesus’ call to care for “the least of these.”(10) The variety is reflective of our Anglican ethos, yet together in Christ we have one mission and we pursue it as we pray and worship, proclaim the Gospel, and promote justice, peace, and love.(11)
The Presiding Bishop’s Budget Proposal takes mission as its organizing principle and uses the Five Marks of Mission(12) endorsed by the General Convention(13) as the strategic priorities for the budget as a moral document. The Budget Proposal contains six strategic initiatives.
• Mark 1: To Proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom. $2 million is designated for starting new congregations and worshiping communities (line 27). The intent is to use churchwide resources to strengthen local mission efforts through partnering with dioceses to provide coaching, support, and one-third of new start costs. Using a partnership approach infuses a total of $6 million for establishing new communities of faith, both traditional and non-traditional. This strategy is also intended to inspire the creation of many new, multicultural, and non-traditional worshiping communities.
• Mark 2: To Teach, Baptize, and Nurture New Believers. One of the most significant and encouraging opportunities available to our Church is the work of our Latin American dioceses to teach, baptize, and nurture new believers. The lay and clergy leadership of Province IX have together committed to a process of leadership development to make the ministry of the province self-sufficient and sustainable.(14) The Tela Initiative,(15) from which the rest of the Church has much to learn, was introduced(16) and enthusiastically embraced by the Province IX Synod in March. The Budget Proposal allocates $1 million to support Province IX in carrying out its effective work of making disciples of Jesus long into the future (line 61).
• Mark 3: To Respond to Human Need by Loving Service. The Budget Proposal contains two strategic initiatives under Mark 3.
• First, it envisions a time when all Episcopal young people will have the opportunity and desire to devote themselves to this goal through missionary service. $1 million is allocated for that effort through both existing and new program, through partnering with sponsoring dioceses to help cover the cost. The target objectives include (1) doubling the number of young adults placed in non-U.S. mission sites by partnering with sponsoring dioceses to cover part of the cost; (2) supporting the expansion of the Episcopal Service Corps, a network which places young adults in mission projects in the United States, in partnership with participating dioceses; and (3) the creation of a gap year program (for young people between high school and college or work) by successfully completing a pilot project in at least two dioceses (line 79).
• Second, the Proposal builds on the Church’s commitment to the Millennium Development Goals by supporting the Diocese of Haiti in rebuilding its crucial service infrastructure of church-operated schools and clinics destroyed in the 2010 earthquake. The Haiti initiative seeks to leverage 0.7% of the churchwide budget through the work of the Development Office to raise an additional $1.4 million in a matching gift program. This would make more than $2 million available for Haiti (line 83).
• Mark 4: To Seek to Transform Unjust Structures of Society. $1 million is allocated to involve Episcopalians in the eradication of poverty in the United States (line 108). The intent is to develop a network of responders, resources, advocacy, and capacity building that will involve members of our Church in spiritually transformative relationships of solidarity with the poor – in urban areas, Native American reservations, and areas of rural poverty, including Appalachia. In an era of rising poverty in this nation, the opportunity to meet and serve the incarnate Jesus can lead Episcopalians to become more effective advocates for God’s reign of justice.
• Mark 5: To Strive to Safeguard the Integrity of Creation and Sustain and Renew the Life of the Earth. Significant work on Mark 5 is being done at the local level. The Budget Proposal allocates $1 million to strengthen and coordinate local initiatives in environmental ministry and to strengthen and encourage the engagement of dioceses and congregations in environmental ministry (line 122).
The mission section of the budget also directs churchwide resources to support the Marks of Mission through the work of others. One section is devoted to making resources available to local expressions of ministry within The Episcopal Church – dioceses, congregations, institutions, and networks. Another is devoted to making resources available beyond The Episcopal Church through partnerships with other members of the Anglican Communion, other churches, and other faiths.
The Presiding Bishop’s Budget Proposal is organized by spiritual priority – mission first, followed by sections devoted to governance (central to the way our community shares in decision making), and to administration (essential to providing necessary support services for mission initiatives). The Budget Proposal tries to assign appropriate weight to each, the second and third being servants of the first. The Budget Proposal has been crafted with the belief that the canonical budget model of canonical, corporate, and program expenses no longer adequately serves the Church in responding to a world very much in need of our partnership.
The categories of canonical, corporate, and program have always had a certain arbitrariness, and various expenses have been assigned to different areas in different triennia. In order to satisfy the canons, each line item in this Proposal is also given a designation according to canonical categories, but the existing canonical categories do not seem strategically useful and the Budget Proposal is not organized accordingly.
Several other points should be noted about the development of the Presiding Bishop’s Budget Proposal for 2013-2015.
• The mission portion of the Presiding Bishop’s Budget Proposal was developed as a zero-based approach. That is, the current budget did not define the budget proposal. This permitted a more theologically based and strategic process. Rather than seeking to deconstruct what has been in order to conform to current financial realities, the Budget Proposal sought to build what was needed for mission in our current context and develop a budget for that, looking ahead to what could be rather than backward to what has been. It was more difficult work than starting with the budget for the current triennium, but it has encouraged creativity and innovation, precisely what our Church most needs at this moment. That has made the process spiritually enriching rather than depleting. This makes direct comparisons with previous budgets difficult, but this Proposal does its best to show parallels. Deputies and Bishops are asked to do the same sort of challenging but creative work in considering the Budget Proposal.
• The proposal is made in the context of the Presiding Bishop’s role and office and is detailed as to those parts of the budget (mission and administration) for which that office bears canonical oversight and responsibility. In the area of governance, however, the proposal suggests overall reductions rather than specific reductions. The proposal anticipates a process to allocate the overall 5% reduction collaboratively, in consultation with other elected leaders including the President of the House of Deputies, the Executive Officer of General Convention, and the Executive Council.
• Details of the new initiatives related to the Five Marks of Mission remain to be developed, in consultation between churchwide staff and the Executive Council. This is understood as an opportunity for creative collaboration. Indeed, the creation of the Young Adult Service Corps resulted from a similar invitation to creative leadership issued by the 2003 General Convention, which named ministry with young people as a strategic priority. Cooperative collaboration between staff and Executive Council has led, and can again lead, to productive engagement of the challenges before us.
• The Budget Proposal takes a new approach to churchwide ministry by abandoning an understanding that the churchwide staff can accomplish all things for all people, and instead focuses our staff and financial assets on essential and strategic initiatives.
• The Budget Proposal suggests eliminating 12.75 staff positions from current levels, some of them currently existing but unfilled positions. It is here that the staff’s courage was particularly evident – and for that I am most grateful.
• Believing that we must answer to moral authority beyond ourselves, the staff and I have sought to make our Church’s budget at least minimally accountable to
standards for secular charities. We have had some successes in this. Part of this is due to reclassifying some areas previously listed as “canonical” which seem more appropriately listed as mission; part of it is due to making new money available for mission from previous budgets and drafts; and part of it is due to taking into account the in-kind services provided to affiliated agencies. (See budget document for charts.)
• Finally, with a desire to consider the best use of all our churchwide resources, I have directed Bishop Sauls to conduct a thorough study of the location of the Episcopal Church Center, made possible by generous assistance provided by the Diocese of Los Angeles. We anticipate that the study will be completed, presented to an upcoming meeting of the Executive Council, probably in October 2012, and implemented before General Convention reconvenes in 2015. We commit to working toward further savings and reductions in administrative costs as well as to being the best possible stewards of the church’s financial assets, for we are all trustees for the poor on Christ’s behalf.
The heart of this body is mission – both domestic and foreign mission – in partnership with anyone who shares that passion. This Budget Proposal is intended to help us reorient ourselves to that passion, to be true to who we are as the community of the baptized, to come to know ourselves as the friends of Jesus who are sent to heal the world. As it is in every age, our church is in need of reform, in order to engage the mission God has set before us. This Budget Proposal is intended as the beginning of that reforming effort. It sets out what we can do at this
General Convention, and offers a strategic direction for the next era in this Church’s life as partners in healing God’s broken world.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church
(1) Matthew 6:21
(2) Canon I.2.4(a)(1)
(3) See the Commentary on the Draft 2013-2015 Triennial Budget: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/sites/default/files/commentary_on_the_draft_2013-2015_triennial_budget.pdf
(4) For example, program staff currently work with at least 130 committees and local networks
(5) BCP, p 855
(6) 2Corinthians 5:18-20
(7) Romans 12:4ff
(8) Matthew 28:18-20
(9) Luke 4:18-21
(10) Matthew 25:31-46
(11) BCP, p 855
(12) Articulated by the Anglican Consultative Council in 1984 and 1990: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/ministry/mission/fivemarks.cfm
(13) 2009 Resolution D-027
(14) http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/03/09/province-ix-adopts-financial-self-sustainability-as-a-focus/
(15) http://archive.episcopalchurch.org/79425_127382_ENG_HTM.htm
(16) http://lideresixp.org/
General Convention
General Convention 2012 will be held July 5 – 12 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN (Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis).
The Episcopal Church’s General Convention is held every three years, and is the bicameral governing body of the Church. It is composed of the House of Bishops, with upwards of 200 active and retired bishops, and the House of Deputies, with clergy and lay representatives elected from the 110 dioceses of the Church, at more than 800 members.
General Convention 2012 http://generalconvention.org/gc
“The heart of this body is mission – both domestic and foreign mission – in partnership with anyone who shares that passion,” Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori states in her Budget Proposal Message. “This Budget Proposal is intended to help us reorient ourselves to that passion, to be true to who we are as the community of the baptized, to come to know ourselves as the friends of Jesus who are sent to heal the world.”
Citing Canon I.2.4(a)(1) which states that “responsibility for leadership in initiating and developing the policy and strategy in the Church” rests with the Presiding Bishop, she notes, “I have, therefore, sought the development of a budget proposal that could be offered to General Convention which is more clearly based on missional strategy than the current draft proposed budget.”
The Presiding Bishop’s budget proposal is based and rooted on the Five Marks of mission and “takes mission as its organizing principle and uses the Five Marks of Mission endorsed by the General Convention as the strategic priorities for the budget as a moral document.”
She explains that her budget proposal includes input from staff, which was not the case in the current draft budget approved by Executive Council. Citing the willing participation of staff, under the leadership of Bishop Stacy Sauls, Chief Operating Officer, the Presiding Bishop points to “a selfless and kenotic approach to the wellbeing of the whole Church, to which I know they [staff] are deeply committed.”
She concludes, “As in every age, our church is in need of reform, in order to engage the mission God has set before us. This Budget Proposal is intended as the beginning of that reforming effort. It sets out what we can do at this General Convention, and offers a strategic direction for the next era in this Church’s life as partners in healing God’s broken world.”
The Presiding Bishop’s Budget Proposal Message is printed in full in this release and is also located here. http://www.episcopalchurch.org/sites/default/files/downloads/presiding_bishops_budget_proposal_2013-2015.pdf
The Presiding Bishop’s Budget Proposal is located here http://www.episcopalchurch.org/sites/default/files/downloads/presiding_bishops_budget_proposal_2013-2015.pdf
The Presiding Bishop’s Budget Proposal Message follows in full:
Budgets are moral documents. Our investment of time and energy in preparing a budget is a kind of liturgical work, giving shape to the “public work of the people.” Budgets reflect our hopes and dreams as a community. They reveal the secrets of our hearts.(1) They represent a concrete strategy for achieving what we believe God is calling us to do and to be in moving toward shalom or the Reign of God. They offer an opportunity for faithfulness.
The “responsibility for leadership in initiating and developing the policy and strategy in the Church” rests with the Presiding Bishop.(2) The budgeting process that developed through Executive Council represented new behavior, which should be applauded for its courage. In spite of those faithful efforts a coherent strategy did not emerge.(3)
I have, therefore, sought the development of a budget proposal that could be offered to General Convention which is more clearly based on missional strategy than the current draft proposed budget. I believe this reflects what I have seen and experienced firsthand in my visits throughout The Episcopal Church. Those very significant signs of health and hope in congregations and dioceses across this Church are examples of powerful engagement with God’s mission. What follows is a plan for making this Church a more effective agent of God’s redeeming love made manifest in Jesus Christ.
This approach begins with mission, and insists that mission shape the budget rather than the other way around. The perspective of the churchwide staff has been exceedingly helpful in this process, for they are deeply connected to mission at the local level, and have the unique ability to see across boundaries between communities.(4) This Budget Proposal reflects extensive consultations with staff, directed by the Chief Operating Officer, Bishop Stacy Sauls. The process reflects a selfless and kenotic approach to the wellbeing of the whole Church, to which I know they are deeply committed.
The strategic and spiritual principle of this Budget Proposal is that the Church is most truly itself, the Body of Christ, when it lives and breathes mission. Indeed, our baptismal identity is grounded in commitment to mission and in the assurance that in our faithful pursuit of that mission God will bless both us and our work.
As Episcopalians we have a shared understanding of mission: to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.(5) Paul reminds us that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation,(6) but as the body is composed of many members with varied gifts, different methods and approaches are required.(7) Some of us look to the Great Commission(8) for primary definitions of mission; others, to Jesus’ mission statement,(9) or Jesus’ call to care for “the least of these.”(10) The variety is reflective of our Anglican ethos, yet together in Christ we have one mission and we pursue it as we pray and worship, proclaim the Gospel, and promote justice, peace, and love.(11)
The Presiding Bishop’s Budget Proposal takes mission as its organizing principle and uses the Five Marks of Mission(12) endorsed by the General Convention(13) as the strategic priorities for the budget as a moral document. The Budget Proposal contains six strategic initiatives.
• Mark 1: To Proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom. $2 million is designated for starting new congregations and worshiping communities (line 27). The intent is to use churchwide resources to strengthen local mission efforts through partnering with dioceses to provide coaching, support, and one-third of new start costs. Using a partnership approach infuses a total of $6 million for establishing new communities of faith, both traditional and non-traditional. This strategy is also intended to inspire the creation of many new, multicultural, and non-traditional worshiping communities.
• Mark 2: To Teach, Baptize, and Nurture New Believers. One of the most significant and encouraging opportunities available to our Church is the work of our Latin American dioceses to teach, baptize, and nurture new believers. The lay and clergy leadership of Province IX have together committed to a process of leadership development to make the ministry of the province self-sufficient and sustainable.(14) The Tela Initiative,(15) from which the rest of the Church has much to learn, was introduced(16) and enthusiastically embraced by the Province IX Synod in March. The Budget Proposal allocates $1 million to support Province IX in carrying out its effective work of making disciples of Jesus long into the future (line 61).
• Mark 3: To Respond to Human Need by Loving Service. The Budget Proposal contains two strategic initiatives under Mark 3.
• First, it envisions a time when all Episcopal young people will have the opportunity and desire to devote themselves to this goal through missionary service. $1 million is allocated for that effort through both existing and new program, through partnering with sponsoring dioceses to help cover the cost. The target objectives include (1) doubling the number of young adults placed in non-U.S. mission sites by partnering with sponsoring dioceses to cover part of the cost; (2) supporting the expansion of the Episcopal Service Corps, a network which places young adults in mission projects in the United States, in partnership with participating dioceses; and (3) the creation of a gap year program (for young people between high school and college or work) by successfully completing a pilot project in at least two dioceses (line 79).
• Second, the Proposal builds on the Church’s commitment to the Millennium Development Goals by supporting the Diocese of Haiti in rebuilding its crucial service infrastructure of church-operated schools and clinics destroyed in the 2010 earthquake. The Haiti initiative seeks to leverage 0.7% of the churchwide budget through the work of the Development Office to raise an additional $1.4 million in a matching gift program. This would make more than $2 million available for Haiti (line 83).
• Mark 4: To Seek to Transform Unjust Structures of Society. $1 million is allocated to involve Episcopalians in the eradication of poverty in the United States (line 108). The intent is to develop a network of responders, resources, advocacy, and capacity building that will involve members of our Church in spiritually transformative relationships of solidarity with the poor – in urban areas, Native American reservations, and areas of rural poverty, including Appalachia. In an era of rising poverty in this nation, the opportunity to meet and serve the incarnate Jesus can lead Episcopalians to become more effective advocates for God’s reign of justice.
• Mark 5: To Strive to Safeguard the Integrity of Creation and Sustain and Renew the Life of the Earth. Significant work on Mark 5 is being done at the local level. The Budget Proposal allocates $1 million to strengthen and coordinate local initiatives in environmental ministry and to strengthen and encourage the engagement of dioceses and congregations in environmental ministry (line 122).
The mission section of the budget also directs churchwide resources to support the Marks of Mission through the work of others. One section is devoted to making resources available to local expressions of ministry within The Episcopal Church – dioceses, congregations, institutions, and networks. Another is devoted to making resources available beyond The Episcopal Church through partnerships with other members of the Anglican Communion, other churches, and other faiths.
The Presiding Bishop’s Budget Proposal is organized by spiritual priority – mission first, followed by sections devoted to governance (central to the way our community shares in decision making), and to administration (essential to providing necessary support services for mission initiatives). The Budget Proposal tries to assign appropriate weight to each, the second and third being servants of the first. The Budget Proposal has been crafted with the belief that the canonical budget model of canonical, corporate, and program expenses no longer adequately serves the Church in responding to a world very much in need of our partnership.
The categories of canonical, corporate, and program have always had a certain arbitrariness, and various expenses have been assigned to different areas in different triennia. In order to satisfy the canons, each line item in this Proposal is also given a designation according to canonical categories, but the existing canonical categories do not seem strategically useful and the Budget Proposal is not organized accordingly.
Several other points should be noted about the development of the Presiding Bishop’s Budget Proposal for 2013-2015.
• The mission portion of the Presiding Bishop’s Budget Proposal was developed as a zero-based approach. That is, the current budget did not define the budget proposal. This permitted a more theologically based and strategic process. Rather than seeking to deconstruct what has been in order to conform to current financial realities, the Budget Proposal sought to build what was needed for mission in our current context and develop a budget for that, looking ahead to what could be rather than backward to what has been. It was more difficult work than starting with the budget for the current triennium, but it has encouraged creativity and innovation, precisely what our Church most needs at this moment. That has made the process spiritually enriching rather than depleting. This makes direct comparisons with previous budgets difficult, but this Proposal does its best to show parallels. Deputies and Bishops are asked to do the same sort of challenging but creative work in considering the Budget Proposal.
• The proposal is made in the context of the Presiding Bishop’s role and office and is detailed as to those parts of the budget (mission and administration) for which that office bears canonical oversight and responsibility. In the area of governance, however, the proposal suggests overall reductions rather than specific reductions. The proposal anticipates a process to allocate the overall 5% reduction collaboratively, in consultation with other elected leaders including the President of the House of Deputies, the Executive Officer of General Convention, and the Executive Council.
• Details of the new initiatives related to the Five Marks of Mission remain to be developed, in consultation between churchwide staff and the Executive Council. This is understood as an opportunity for creative collaboration. Indeed, the creation of the Young Adult Service Corps resulted from a similar invitation to creative leadership issued by the 2003 General Convention, which named ministry with young people as a strategic priority. Cooperative collaboration between staff and Executive Council has led, and can again lead, to productive engagement of the challenges before us.
• The Budget Proposal takes a new approach to churchwide ministry by abandoning an understanding that the churchwide staff can accomplish all things for all people, and instead focuses our staff and financial assets on essential and strategic initiatives.
• The Budget Proposal suggests eliminating 12.75 staff positions from current levels, some of them currently existing but unfilled positions. It is here that the staff’s courage was particularly evident – and for that I am most grateful.
• Believing that we must answer to moral authority beyond ourselves, the staff and I have sought to make our Church’s budget at least minimally accountable to
standards for secular charities. We have had some successes in this. Part of this is due to reclassifying some areas previously listed as “canonical” which seem more appropriately listed as mission; part of it is due to making new money available for mission from previous budgets and drafts; and part of it is due to taking into account the in-kind services provided to affiliated agencies. (See budget document for charts.)
• Finally, with a desire to consider the best use of all our churchwide resources, I have directed Bishop Sauls to conduct a thorough study of the location of the Episcopal Church Center, made possible by generous assistance provided by the Diocese of Los Angeles. We anticipate that the study will be completed, presented to an upcoming meeting of the Executive Council, probably in October 2012, and implemented before General Convention reconvenes in 2015. We commit to working toward further savings and reductions in administrative costs as well as to being the best possible stewards of the church’s financial assets, for we are all trustees for the poor on Christ’s behalf.
The heart of this body is mission – both domestic and foreign mission – in partnership with anyone who shares that passion. This Budget Proposal is intended to help us reorient ourselves to that passion, to be true to who we are as the community of the baptized, to come to know ourselves as the friends of Jesus who are sent to heal the world. As it is in every age, our church is in need of reform, in order to engage the mission God has set before us. This Budget Proposal is intended as the beginning of that reforming effort. It sets out what we can do at this
General Convention, and offers a strategic direction for the next era in this Church’s life as partners in healing God’s broken world.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church
(1) Matthew 6:21
(2) Canon I.2.4(a)(1)
(3) See the Commentary on the Draft 2013-2015 Triennial Budget: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/sites/default/files/commentary_on_the_draft_2013-2015_triennial_budget.pdf
(4) For example, program staff currently work with at least 130 committees and local networks
(5) BCP, p 855
(6) 2Corinthians 5:18-20
(7) Romans 12:4ff
(8) Matthew 28:18-20
(9) Luke 4:18-21
(10) Matthew 25:31-46
(11) BCP, p 855
(12) Articulated by the Anglican Consultative Council in 1984 and 1990: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/ministry/mission/fivemarks.cfm
(13) 2009 Resolution D-027
(14) http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/03/09/province-ix-adopts-financial-self-sustainability-as-a-focus/
(15) http://archive.episcopalchurch.org/79425_127382_ENG_HTM.htm
(16) http://lideresixp.org/
General Convention
General Convention 2012 will be held July 5 – 12 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN (Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis).
The Episcopal Church’s General Convention is held every three years, and is the bicameral governing body of the Church. It is composed of the House of Bishops, with upwards of 200 active and retired bishops, and the House of Deputies, with clergy and lay representatives elected from the 110 dioceses of the Church, at more than 800 members.
General Convention 2012 http://generalconvention.org/gc
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
U.S. Supreme Court Denies Petition to Review Case Involving Bishop Seabury Episcopal Church in Groton
Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court declined to review the Connecticut Supreme Court's decision that the property of Bishop Seabury Episcopal Church was held in trust for the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut and The Episcopal Church in the United States and that former parishioners of the parish could not take that property with them to another church. This ruling brings the litigation over the property to its final conclusion: the judgment entered in favor of the Parish, the Diocese and The Episcopal Church is now fully enforceable.
Bishop of Connecticut Ian T. Douglas expressed satisfaction with the decision. "This has been a long and difficult process that has taken away from our common witness to the Good News of God in our Savior Jesus Christ. With the decision of The Supreme Court we can now put this matter behind us and once again turn our full attention to the work of proclaiming and making real God's mission of restoration and reconciliation in all the world."
In the fall and winter, Bishop Douglas met several times with current leadership of the former parishioners to discuss their options in light of the Connecticut Supreme Court's decision. Those discussions concluded with the former parishioners' decision to seek further review at the U.S. Supreme Court. Now that the high-court has refused their petition, Bishop Douglas anticipates working through the options with the group.
The dispute arose when the former ordained and lay leadership of the parish chose to leave The Episcopal Church but refused to relinquish possession of its property. Those individuals, named as defendants in the action, first argued to the Connecticut State Court and later, in an appeal, to the Connecticut Supreme Court that they could choose who would control the parish property and that the property was not subject to the doctrine and polity of The Episcopal Church. As it did in 1993, the Supreme Court last September 2011 rejected that claim, ruling instead that The Episcopal Church has the right to govern itself and that courts should respect and enforce the trust in which church property is held for the Diocese and for the wider Church. While we are all blessed with the right to worship as we choose, the court's ruling joined the many other states that have also ruled that those who leave The Episcopal Church cannot take property of the Church with them.
The people and worshipping communities of the Diocese of Connecticut look forward to restored unity with our sisters and brothers in Groton as we continue to serve God's mission of reconciliation and healing.
Bishop of Connecticut Ian T. Douglas expressed satisfaction with the decision. "This has been a long and difficult process that has taken away from our common witness to the Good News of God in our Savior Jesus Christ. With the decision of The Supreme Court we can now put this matter behind us and once again turn our full attention to the work of proclaiming and making real God's mission of restoration and reconciliation in all the world."
In the fall and winter, Bishop Douglas met several times with current leadership of the former parishioners to discuss their options in light of the Connecticut Supreme Court's decision. Those discussions concluded with the former parishioners' decision to seek further review at the U.S. Supreme Court. Now that the high-court has refused their petition, Bishop Douglas anticipates working through the options with the group.
The dispute arose when the former ordained and lay leadership of the parish chose to leave The Episcopal Church but refused to relinquish possession of its property. Those individuals, named as defendants in the action, first argued to the Connecticut State Court and later, in an appeal, to the Connecticut Supreme Court that they could choose who would control the parish property and that the property was not subject to the doctrine and polity of The Episcopal Church. As it did in 1993, the Supreme Court last September 2011 rejected that claim, ruling instead that The Episcopal Church has the right to govern itself and that courts should respect and enforce the trust in which church property is held for the Diocese and for the wider Church. While we are all blessed with the right to worship as we choose, the court's ruling joined the many other states that have also ruled that those who leave The Episcopal Church cannot take property of the Church with them.
The people and worshipping communities of the Diocese of Connecticut look forward to restored unity with our sisters and brothers in Groton as we continue to serve God's mission of reconciliation and healing.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Uganda: Police raid on LGBT rights workshop
LONDON, June 18, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Armed police on Monday afternoon raided a human rights workshop attended by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists in Kampala, prompting Amnesty International to reiterate its call on the government to end its outrageous harassment of people involved in lawful activities.
At least five staff of the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP) who organised the workshop were detained by the police along with at least 12 of the workshop participants.
Some of the participants, who were from Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania were able to escape after being informed by members of the media that the police were on their way.
“This ludicrous and senseless harassment of human rights activists has no basis in law whatsoever and has to stop,” said Michelle Kagari, Amnesty International's deputy director for Africa.
“We are seeing a worrying pattern emerging whereby the Ugandan authorities engage in arbitrary activities deliberately designed to intimidate and threaten legitimate human rights work.”
“The participants in this workshop had done absolutely nothing wrong and we call on the police to end this outrageous behaviour which makes a mockery of Uganda's human rights obligations.”
For more information on previous harassment of LGBT activists in Uganda, please follow the link:
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Media coverage of the Church of England's livid attack on marriage equality
Media coverage of the Church of England's livid attack on marriage equality as proposed for the UK:
- Independent Gay marriage is one of the worst threats in 500 years, says Church of England
- Telegraph Gay marriage raises prospect of disestablishment, says Church of England and
- Editorial comment: Church and state collide over same-sex marriage
- Guardian Anglicans threaten rift with government over gay marriage
- The Times is not available online except by subscription but you can see its front page here. As you can see, the headline is Gay Marriage plan could divorce Church from State
- BBC Church of England warning on gay marriage
- Daily Mail Plans to allow gay marriages ‘could force Church to split from the state’ for first time in 500 years
Continuing coverage at http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk
Friday, June 8, 2012
Scottish Episcopal Church votes against adopting Anglican Covenant
The General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church on June 8 voted against the adoption of the Anglican Covenant, a document which supporters say offers a way to bind Anglicans globally across cultural and theological differences.
The Scottish synod was asked to vote on a motion to agree in principle to adopting the Anglican Covenant. The motion was voted down by 112 to 6 votes, with 13 abstentions.
“Our decision not to adopt the Anglican Covenant is not a decision to reject the Anglican Communion,” the Most Rev. David Chillingworth, primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, told synod following the vote.
“Nor are we indifferent to deeply held differences of view which are held across the Communion,” he added. “For those differences are also present in this church and they are part of our daily life and relationships. We hold a range of views. They are expressed with integrity, listened to with care and we are committed to living creatively with our diversity.”
The decision comes three months after it became clear that Scotland’s neighbors to the south in the Church of England could not adopt the covenant in its current form after a majority of its dioceses voted the document down. The Church of England’s General Synod cannot consider the covenant again until 2015.
The Anglican Covenant first was proposed in the 2004 Windsor Report as a way that the communion and its 38 autonomous provinces might maintain unity despite differences, especially relating to biblical interpretation and human sexuality issues. The report came in the wake of the 2003 election of Gene Robinson, an openly gay priest, as bishop of New Hampshire, a development that caused some provinces to declare broken or impaired communion with the U.S.-based Episcopal Church.
The covenant also was a response to some church leaders crossing borders into other provinces to minister to disaffected Anglicans and a decision by the Diocese of New Westminster in the Anglican Church of Canada to authorize a public rite to bless same-gender unions.
Following five years of discussion and several draft versions, the final text of the covenant was sent in December 2009 to the communion’s provinces for formal consideration.
The document’s fourth section, which outlines a disciplinary method for resolving disputes in the communion, has largely been the covenant’s sticking point. Some critics have warned that adopting the covenant could result in a two-tier communion.
“Our decision not to adopt the Anglican Covenant says that we think that this was not the right way,” Chillingworth said. “We needed to recognize that what brings division and difficulty to our life as a communion is a number of inter-related issues, not just one – not just the single complex of issues around human sexuality.”
The Episcopal Church’s General Convention will consider its response to the covenant when it meets July 5-12 in Indianapolis, Indiana. At present, seven resolutions have been proposed to convention, each calling for different responses to the proposed covenant.
Throughout the Anglican Communion, the seven provinces that have approved or subscribed to the Anglican Covenant are Ireland, Mexico, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, South East Asia, Southern Cone of America, and the West Indies.
The Anglican Church of Southern Africa has adopted the document pending ratification at its next synod meeting later this year.
The Church in Wales in April gave the covenant “an amber light, rather than a green light.” The church’s governing body said it feared the recent rejection of the covenant by the Church of England jeopardized its future and clarifications about that were now needed before a decision could be made. It sent questions on the matter to the Anglican Consultative Council, the communion’s main policy-making body, which meets later this year.
Episcopal Church in the Philippines bishops have formally rejected the covenant although the Anglican Communion Office confirmed that it has not yet received a formal notification from that province. Maori action in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia rejecting the covenant last November means that it may be rejected when it comes before the province’s General Synod in July.
The Anglican Communion’s Standing Committee agreed at its recent meeting that “no timeframe should yet be introduced for the process of adoption of the covenant by provinces,” according to a release from the Anglican Communion Office.
The Scottish synod was asked to vote on a motion to agree in principle to adopting the Anglican Covenant. The motion was voted down by 112 to 6 votes, with 13 abstentions.
“Our decision not to adopt the Anglican Covenant is not a decision to reject the Anglican Communion,” the Most Rev. David Chillingworth, primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, told synod following the vote.
“Nor are we indifferent to deeply held differences of view which are held across the Communion,” he added. “For those differences are also present in this church and they are part of our daily life and relationships. We hold a range of views. They are expressed with integrity, listened to with care and we are committed to living creatively with our diversity.”
The decision comes three months after it became clear that Scotland’s neighbors to the south in the Church of England could not adopt the covenant in its current form after a majority of its dioceses voted the document down. The Church of England’s General Synod cannot consider the covenant again until 2015.
The Anglican Covenant first was proposed in the 2004 Windsor Report as a way that the communion and its 38 autonomous provinces might maintain unity despite differences, especially relating to biblical interpretation and human sexuality issues. The report came in the wake of the 2003 election of Gene Robinson, an openly gay priest, as bishop of New Hampshire, a development that caused some provinces to declare broken or impaired communion with the U.S.-based Episcopal Church.
The covenant also was a response to some church leaders crossing borders into other provinces to minister to disaffected Anglicans and a decision by the Diocese of New Westminster in the Anglican Church of Canada to authorize a public rite to bless same-gender unions.
Following five years of discussion and several draft versions, the final text of the covenant was sent in December 2009 to the communion’s provinces for formal consideration.
The document’s fourth section, which outlines a disciplinary method for resolving disputes in the communion, has largely been the covenant’s sticking point. Some critics have warned that adopting the covenant could result in a two-tier communion.
“Our decision not to adopt the Anglican Covenant says that we think that this was not the right way,” Chillingworth said. “We needed to recognize that what brings division and difficulty to our life as a communion is a number of inter-related issues, not just one – not just the single complex of issues around human sexuality.”
The Episcopal Church’s General Convention will consider its response to the covenant when it meets July 5-12 in Indianapolis, Indiana. At present, seven resolutions have been proposed to convention, each calling for different responses to the proposed covenant.
Throughout the Anglican Communion, the seven provinces that have approved or subscribed to the Anglican Covenant are Ireland, Mexico, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, South East Asia, Southern Cone of America, and the West Indies.
The Anglican Church of Southern Africa has adopted the document pending ratification at its next synod meeting later this year.
The Church in Wales in April gave the covenant “an amber light, rather than a green light.” The church’s governing body said it feared the recent rejection of the covenant by the Church of England jeopardized its future and clarifications about that were now needed before a decision could be made. It sent questions on the matter to the Anglican Consultative Council, the communion’s main policy-making body, which meets later this year.
Episcopal Church in the Philippines bishops have formally rejected the covenant although the Anglican Communion Office confirmed that it has not yet received a formal notification from that province. Maori action in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia rejecting the covenant last November means that it may be rejected when it comes before the province’s General Synod in July.
The Anglican Communion’s Standing Committee agreed at its recent meeting that “no timeframe should yet be introduced for the process of adoption of the covenant by provinces,” according to a release from the Anglican Communion Office.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Proposition 8 Case Headed to U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals Denies Petition for Rehearing En Banc Filed by Anti-Marriage Proponents of Prop. 8
SAN FRANCISCO, June 5, 2012-- Today, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied a request from anti-marriage forces to reconsider its landmark ruling in Perry v. Brown that found California's Proposition 8 unconstitutional. Proposition 8 stripped gay and lesbian Californians of the fundamental freedom to marry.
"This order is a great step forward to the day when all Americans will be able to marry the person they love," said Plaintiffs' lead co-counsel David Boies. "Today's decision affirms what we have said from the beginning: marriage is a fundamental right and the unjustifiable denyial of that right seriously harms gay and lesbian couples and their families. This is a great day for all Americans who care about equality."
"Today is a monumental day for the values that we all cherish as Americans: liberty, equality, dignity, and respect," said Plaintiffs' lead co-counsel Theodore B. Olson. "Our Constitution not only protects these principles, it is what our fellow citizens expect from their government. This is a complete victory toward eliminating this last vestige of state-sponsored discrimination and second-class citizenship."
The American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) is the sole sponsor of Perry v. Brown, the federal constitutional challenge to California's Proposition 8.
"Today's order is yet another federal court victory for loving, committed gay and lesbian couples in California and around the nation," said AFER co-founder Chad Griffin. "The final chapter of the Proposition 8 case has now begun. Should the United States Supreme Court decide to review the Ninth Circuit's decision in our case, I am confident that the Justices will stand on the side of fairness and equality."
On February 7, 2012, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit concluded that Proposition 8 violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Ninth Circuit panel majority held:
"Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples. The Constitution simply does not allow for laws of this sort."
The request for a larger eleven-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit to reconsider the case, known as rehearing en banc, is only granted upon a majority vote of the Ninth Circuit's 25 judges in regular active service at the time Proponents' petition was filed.
The Ninth Circuit also rejected Proponents' renewed attempt to impugn the reputation of the United States District Chief Judge who struck down Proposition 8. Unable to defend Proposition 8 on its merits, Proponents claim that the now-retired Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker was disqualified from ruling on Proposition 8 and that his historic decision should be vacated because he is gay and in a committed relationship. The Ninth Circuit unanimously rejected Proponents' offensive argument, stating: "To do otherwise would demonstrate a lack of respect for the integrity of our federal courts."
About the American Foundation for Equal Rights
The American Foundation for Equal Rights is the sole sponsor of Perry v. Brown, the federal constitutional challenge to California's Proposition 8. After bringing together bipartisan attorneys Theodore B. Olson and David Boies to lead its legal team, AFER successfully advanced the Perry case through Federal District Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Perry case has the distinction of being the first federal freedom to marry lawsuit in American history. The Foundation is committed to achieving full federal marriage equality.www.afer.org
"This order is a great step forward to the day when all Americans will be able to marry the person they love," said Plaintiffs' lead co-counsel David Boies. "Today's decision affirms what we have said from the beginning: marriage is a fundamental right and the unjustifiable denyial of that right seriously harms gay and lesbian couples and their families. This is a great day for all Americans who care about equality."
"Today is a monumental day for the values that we all cherish as Americans: liberty, equality, dignity, and respect," said Plaintiffs' lead co-counsel Theodore B. Olson. "Our Constitution not only protects these principles, it is what our fellow citizens expect from their government. This is a complete victory toward eliminating this last vestige of state-sponsored discrimination and second-class citizenship."
The American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) is the sole sponsor of Perry v. Brown, the federal constitutional challenge to California's Proposition 8.
"Today's order is yet another federal court victory for loving, committed gay and lesbian couples in California and around the nation," said AFER co-founder Chad Griffin. "The final chapter of the Proposition 8 case has now begun. Should the United States Supreme Court decide to review the Ninth Circuit's decision in our case, I am confident that the Justices will stand on the side of fairness and equality."
On February 7, 2012, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit concluded that Proposition 8 violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Ninth Circuit panel majority held:
"Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples. The Constitution simply does not allow for laws of this sort."
The request for a larger eleven-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit to reconsider the case, known as rehearing en banc, is only granted upon a majority vote of the Ninth Circuit's 25 judges in regular active service at the time Proponents' petition was filed.
The Ninth Circuit also rejected Proponents' renewed attempt to impugn the reputation of the United States District Chief Judge who struck down Proposition 8. Unable to defend Proposition 8 on its merits, Proponents claim that the now-retired Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker was disqualified from ruling on Proposition 8 and that his historic decision should be vacated because he is gay and in a committed relationship. The Ninth Circuit unanimously rejected Proponents' offensive argument, stating: "To do otherwise would demonstrate a lack of respect for the integrity of our federal courts."
READ THE NINTH CIRCUIT'S ORDER DENYING REHEARING EN BANCHERE: www.afer.org/wp-content/
READ THE NINTH CIRCUIT'S PANEL DECISION HERE:
About the American Foundation for Equal Rights
The American Foundation for Equal Rights is the sole sponsor of Perry v. Brown, the federal constitutional challenge to California's Proposition 8. After bringing together bipartisan attorneys Theodore B. Olson and David Boies to lead its legal team, AFER successfully advanced the Perry case through Federal District Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Perry case has the distinction of being the first federal freedom to marry lawsuit in American history. The Foundation is committed to achieving full federal marriage equality.www.afer.org
9th Circuit Court DENIES request to rehear Prop 8 appeal - will the Supremes take it on?
AP: "A federal appeals court in San Francisco has refused to reconsider a landmark ruling that struck down California's ban on same-sex marriages." More
Reuters: "Supporters of the 2008 ban, Proposition 8, have lost two rounds in federal court but have made clear they will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and hope for a favorable response from the conservative-leaning court. The top U.S. court could agree to hear the matter in the session beginning in October, putting it on track to decide the case within a year. It could also decline to review Prop 8." More.
Reuters: "Supporters of the 2008 ban, Proposition 8, have lost two rounds in federal court but have made clear they will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and hope for a favorable response from the conservative-leaning court. The top U.S. court could agree to hear the matter in the session beginning in October, putting it on track to decide the case within a year. It could also decline to review Prop 8." More.
LA Times: "Tuesday's decision means the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to have two major gay-rights cases on its docket in the near future. Another federal appeals court last week struck down a federal law that denied federal recognition to same-sex marriage." More. Also: Supreme Court may not hear Prop. 8 appeal.
Mercury-News: "The 9th Circuit was widely expected to turn down the request to rehear the case. A majority of the court's 25 full-time judges must vote to rehear the case with an 11-judge panel, but the court is now dominated by Clinton and Obama appointees who were considered less inclined to reconsider the ruling. Just three judges dissented, conservatives Diarmuid O'Scannlain, Carlos Bea and Jay Bybee, saying they would rehear the case." More.
The New Civil Right s Movement: "Supporters of Prop 8 can petition the Supreme Court to try the case, or, after ninety days, same-sex couples in California can begin to marry again, if the case does not go to the Supreme Court. The Ninth Circuit has decided to "stay" the ruling, which would mean that same-sex marriage would still not be allowed in California, until the end of the 90 days, or until the case goes to the Supreme Court. Chances are strong that the supporters of Prop 8 will take their case to the Supreme Court, which probably would not hear the case until 2013 at the earliest." More.
Prop 8 Trial Tracker: "No one is certain if the Supreme Court would grant review of the case as it currently stands. Judge Reinhardt's opinion for the three-judge Ninth Circuit panel is very narrow and the holding is specific to California's unique legal circumstances. A denial of rehearing in this case leaves the decision California-specific and there may not be four Justices - the number needed to grantcertiorari - who want to visit an issue that's so limited in scope. On the other hand, the panel's decision did strike down an amendment to a constitution of an enormous state involving a contentious issue. And allowing gay couples to marry in California would nearly double the amount of people in the United States who live in an area that allows same-sex marriage." More.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
A personal appeal from San Francisco Pride’s Grand Marshall, Bishop Christopher Senyonjo of Uganda:
“I need you to volunteer and help bring Global
Equality to our LGBT brothers and sisters!”
.jpg) |
| Bishop Christopher Senyonjo |
As London and San Francisco celebrate LGBT Pride with the
theme “Global Equality”, what could be more satisfying than sharing PRIDE with
LGBT people from 76 countries where it is still illegal to be gay or to access HIV
prevention and care services? The bishop will be selling beautiful African
crafts and clothing made by the Women of the St. Paul’s Centre in Kampala to
support their gay/straight alliance.
He needs volunteers to staff the booth at San Francisco
Pride on June 23rd and 24th where these will be sold. Shifts
will be in three hour blocks. We also need other volunteers to collect
donations as part of the Community Partnerships Program to help the bishop and
other community organizations in the Bay area. General volunteer shifts begin 9-1.30
and 1-6 p.m. on Saturday 23rd.
| Get more information |
| Register Now! |
| I can't make it |
These include collecting donations
at:
- · All entrances to the Pride Celebration in the Civic Center
- · Donations booths at the Civic Center
- · On UN Plaza and Civic Center
On Sunday 24th shifts begin at the same times and
volunteer opportunities are the same as Saturday as well as staffing beverage
booths throughout the Pride site.
| Get more information |
| Register Now! |
| I can't make it |
A portion of all funds collected by our general volunteers
will go to support the work of Global Equality by bringing 26 people to the
World AIDS conference in July where it is illegal to receive HIV prevention and
care services. All of the funds collected for the sale of crafts will go to the
women’s project in Kampala.
Bay Area Queer Youth Assaulted by Religious Biased Words
You have to see this to believe it:
Be aware of travesty that took place during a City Council meeting in Richmond on May 22, 2012. LGBTQ teens were intimidated by pastors and people from the Richmond community when a list of speakers began to insult LGBT people by calling them "an abomination before God." One person had the audacity to laugh about a teen suicide while others needed to be removed from the council chamber due to their disruption.
Be aware of travesty that took place during a City Council meeting in Richmond on May 22, 2012. LGBTQ teens were intimidated by pastors and people from the Richmond community when a list of speakers began to insult LGBT people by calling them "an abomination before God." One person had the audacity to laugh about a teen suicide while others needed to be removed from the council chamber due to their disruption.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Contingent Monitor 2012 Training Schedule
Here's the information on training of Contingent Monitor for the 2012 Pride Parade. You can still sign up and be one of our monitors - please register here.
Here's what you need to know about the one hour training session:
First, if you are headed to a session that only has 100 seats, you may need to arrive early. Otherwise there may not be room for you the session. Also, those who arrive late may be turned away.
Second, you only need to stay for the first hour of training. The second hour is for folks who want to volunteer for the Pride Festival as safety monitors.
Third, all training sites are wheelchair accessible
Finally - here's the full list of training sessions:
Here's what you need to know about the one hour training session:
First, if you are headed to a session that only has 100 seats, you may need to arrive early. Otherwise there may not be room for you the session. Also, those who arrive late may be turned away.
Second, you only need to stay for the first hour of training. The second hour is for folks who want to volunteer for the Pride Festival as safety monitors.
Third, all training sites are wheelchair accessible
Finally - here's the full list of training sessions:
- Saturday, June 02, 2012 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 100 seats, Ceremonial Room, The Center 1800 Market St, SF
- Wednesday, June 06, 2012 7:00 PM, 9:00 PM, 200 seats, Virgin America 555 Airport Blvd, Burlingame
- Saturday, June 09, 2012 1:30 PM, 3:30 PM, 200 seats, Unitarian Church of Oakland 685 14th St, Oakland
- Monday, June 11, 2012 6:30 PM, 8:30 PM, 100 seats, Google West Campus 5 2375 Garcia Ave, Mt. View Contingent only
- Tuesday, June 12, 2012 8:30 PM, 9:30 PM, 200 seats, Head Over Heels (Cheer SF) 4701 Doyle St, Bld F, Emeryville
- Thursday, June 14, 2012 7:00 PM, 9:00 PM, 175 seats, Rainbow Room, The Center 1800 Market St, SF
- Saturday, June 16, 2012 12 Noon 2:00 PM, 235 seats, Koret Auditorium, SF Library 100 Larkin St, SF
- Sunday, June 17, 2012 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 235 seats, Koret Auditorium, SF Library 100 Larkin St, SF
- Monday, June 18, 2012 7:00 PM, 9:00 PM, 175 seats, Rainbow Room, The Center 1800 Market St, SF
- Tuesday, June 19, 2012 7:00 PM, 9:00 PM, 175 seats, Rainbow Room, The Center 1800 Market St, SF
- Wednesday, June 20, 2012 7:00 PM, 9:00 PM, 175 seats, Rainbow Room, The Center 1800 Market St, SF
"Voices of Witness: Out of the Box" Released
Integrity marks the beginning of Pride Month with the June 1 st release of "Voices of Witness: Out of the Box" – the groundbreaking documentary giving voice to the witness of transgender people of faith. Courageously inviting the viewer into their journeys, the film is ultimately a celebration of hope and the power of God's love to transcend even seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Produced by Integrity’s Communication Director Louise Brooks, the film is being offered as a gift to the Episcopal Church as a resource for both teaching and transformation.
"Gender identity and gender expression are issues that can easily be misunderstood and cannot be wrapped up in a neat little box,” said Brooks. “So the goal of “Out of the Box” was to answer some of the most frequently asked questions. We have been blessed by a truly amazing cloud of witnesses who shared their stories and their lives with us. It has been a privilege to work with them to take this project from a dream to a reality as we offer their voices of witness to the church and to the world.”
"I believe God is calling us into this conversation now,” said New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson, one of the voices featured in the project. “It is an opportunity to get to understand another part of God's never-ending diversity and another way to live into our baptismal calling to love all God's children."
The third in the Voices of Witness series, “Out of the Box” was released on the IntegriTV YouTube Channel on Friday, June 1 st . It will also be distributed to every bishop and deputation prior to the 77 th General Convention of the Episcopal Church meeting in Indianapolis in July, along with a study guide written by the Rev. Gary Hall.
“Making ‘all’ mean ‘all’ is the foundation of Integrity’s platform for General Convention 2012,” said Jon Richardson, Integrity’s VP for National Affairs. “And partnering with our TransEpiscopal allies to complete the work of adding gender identity and expression to our non-discriminations canons is part of the work “Out of the Box” will help us do.”
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