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THE DIOCESE OF NEWARK
Present: The Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith; President; Mr. John Zinn, Treasurer, Mr. Michael Francaviglia, Secretary; Ms. Diane Sammons, Chancellor. Elected by Districts: The Rev. Janet Broderick; Ms. Faith Gideon Brown, Ms. Glenda deKruif, The Rev. David Gable, The Rev. Mariano Gargiulo, Ms. Lois Gray, Mr. Robert HarwoodThe Rev. Kathryn King, Ms. Doris Mardirosian, The Rev. Paul Olsson, The Rev. William Potter, The Rev. Stuart Smith, Ms. Mary Sunden, Ms. Patty Watts, The Rev. Fain Webb, The Rev. Sandye Wilson. Bishop's Appointments: The Rev. Joseph Harmon, The Rev. Gray Lesesne, Ms. Carol Taylor. Absent: Ms. Gail Barkely, Mr. Steven Boston, Mr. Henry Faulkner, Mr. Bert Jones, Ms. Catherine Potter. Staff: Canon R. Carter Echols and Canon Denise Haines; and Ms. Kai Alston, Ms. Lyn Headley-Deavours, Ms. Kitty Kawecki (for the work group time). COUNCIL WORK GROUP MEETINGS The work groups met separately for Bible study (Matthew 9:9-13) and discussion. The meeting was opened at 8:00 p.m. with silence, reflection and prayer. AGENDA The agenda was adopted with the addition of a discussion on confirmation requested by the Rev. Mariano Gargiulo. MINUTES Motion: It was moved to accept the minutes for the meeting of June 6, 2007. The motion was seconded and adopted. EPISCOPAL COMMUNICATIONS Bishop Beckwith's comments included: . Welcomed Canon Denise Haines to the diocesan staff as interim Canon for Mission and Ministry. . The Rev. Cathy Deats, rector of St. James', Hackettstown and member of the Standing Committee, was in Nevada for the introductory sessions of bishop candidates. The Rev. Tracey Lind, formerly of this diocese, was a candidate for bishop in the Diocese of Chicago. . Working with several other bishop colleagues on a response and strategy for the upcoming House of Bishops meeting with Archbishop Rowan Williams. . Following the shootings of four students in Newark on August 4 the creation of a religious response team to crises in the city was under study. . New rectors were called in recent weeks: The Rev. Michael Allen, Epiphany, Allendale; The Rev. Kendra McIntosh, St. Thomas', Lyndhurst; The Rev. Margaret Otterburn, Messiah, Chester; The Rev. J. Barrington Bates, Annunciation, Oradell; The Rev. Thomas Mathews, St. Luke's, Phillipsburg. . The presiding bishop will attend part of this year's annual clergy conference scheduled for October 29 to 31 in Shawnee PA. Part of the time will be spent in conversations about a clergy coaching program within the diocese. . The Civil Union Task Force had been meeting over the past several months. The group will present to convention recommendations of equity for relationships marked by love and commitment. . The Title IV Task Force, co-chaired by Mr. John Webb and The Rev. Cathy Deats, was working on a comprehensive clergy discipline manual that will be presented at the clergy conference. . The Stewardship Commission scheduled a day long workshop for Tuesday, December 4 for clergy and lay leaders. This will be an opportunity for pledge cards to be submitted and blessed. The day will include workshops on proportional giving and other stewardship issues. A presentation by Terry Parsons was unconfirmed at this time. Location to be determined. . The Role Clarification Task Force had been working and meeting over the past several months with representatives from the Diocesan Council, Standing Committee, the Trustees and the DIT. . Ms. Kitty Kawecki and Ms. Kai Alston interviewed all diocesan staff members during the summer, asking several questions: What do you do? Who or what helps you? What do you want to do but can't do? Why can't you do it? What gets in the way of doing what you're doing? What pieces or means of support are missing? What about the environment gets in the way of you doing your work? The information will be used as the process of reconfiguration moved forward. Staffing might include two canons and an assisting bishop to help with episcopal responsibilities. . Members of the finance department were receiving training on the Shelby financial software. . The senior staff will gather for an overnight retreat at the end of the week. . He and his wife, Marilyn, moved into their new home in South Orange in July. On December 14 the Diocesan Council, Standing Committee and the Trustees will be invited to an open house. During the coming year clergy from each of the districts will be invited for dinner. Spouses and partners were included. . The year's schedule included a number of institutions of clergy and five ordinations to the priesthood later in the year. A new clergy lunch was planned for October 4. . Expressed appreciation to The Rev. Sandye Wilson for her assistance to Mr. Brian Bussey in coordinating Fresh Start, a program now used by sixty dioceses for clergy following a transition. . The Steering Committee and the bishop have been meeting as the finance committee and studying the budget process and how to reframe the document and process. Four additional people will be added to the committee. (A sign up sheet was provided for those who were interested in being considered for appointment by the bishop to the committee.) . Congregational Ad-Ministration Conference was scheduled for October 13 for wardens, treasurers and property managers. This conference was in place of the previously held wardens' days and was expanded to include other congregational leaders. ROLE CLARIFICATION TASK FORCE Ms. Carol Taylor and The Rev. Paul Olsson, Council representatives to the Role Clarification Task Force, presented a status report. The task force included representatives from the Diocesan Council, the Standing Committee, the Trustees and the Diocesan Investment Trust (DIT). The roles and responsibilities of the individual groups in governance were reviewed. Additionally, they studied how each group functioned and how each group viewed their relationship with the others. By-laws and other enabling documents were studied. Historical information was shared, and areas of conflict that arose from interpretations of the documents or from personal insights were discussed. During the weeks of meeting, the members came to know each other and gained an understanding of the work of the different groups. One result was a new appreciation for the work that each group did. The task force will propose a new canon regarding the Trustees as requested by the 2007 convention. A public hearing on the text of the canon was scheduled for Tuesday, November 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Church of The Saviour in Denville. Through the hearing process, the group sought feedback before presenting the canon to the full convention. The canon addressed the composition, responsibilities and other functions of the Trustees. There were other issues remaining for discussion, and the group had the sense that its work needed to continue beyond the 2008 convention. For instance, the need for a strategic plan was raised during the meetings, a topic that required more extensive and broader conversation. Questions were asked, such as How do we revitalize congregations? What were the criteria for a viable congregation? These and other matters would best be discussed in a shared setting with the Role Clarification Task Force, Diocesan Council and the other groups. CONGREGATIONAL VITALITY WORK GROUP The Rev. Kathryn King reported that the group had worked for several years providing documents and resources on capacity for ministry and congregational development. The group realized that the scope of what was now needed went beyond the ability of the few people of the work group. There was need and desire for a broader conversation within the diocese, not unlike what was just shared during the report on the Role Clarification Task Force. The work group was considering the issue and asking itself if the group should be expanded with representatives from the Standing Committee and the Trustees or form a new task force separate from the work group or some other configuration. The group will continue this discussion over the next month. MEDICAL INSURANCE PLANS The Rev. Janet Broderick, member of the Steering Committee, presented the medical insurance plans available through Episcopal Church Medical Trust for 2008 and those plans being recommended for the eligible clergy and lay employees in the diocese. The recommendation was to continue with the current carriers offered in 2007 along with the addition of the two plans of United Healthcare Choice and United Healthcare Choice Plus. The cost of all the current plans except the Cigna High Deductible plan will increase by 11%. The cost of the Cigna High Deductible plan will increase by 7.5%. Because of the high deductible, the Cigna plan carried the lowest cost, the Cigna National HMO plus the Aetna plans with the exception of the National POS plan had similar costs. The Aetna National POS plan had the highest cost plus the highest number of participants. The United Healthcare plans provided a high quality of benefits, but not at a cost savings in comparison to the others. A consultant working with the committee, Mr. Hook Bailey, suggested that United Healthcare, which took over Oxford, was a sound selection to add to the current five plans. The Medical Trust offered three tiers of dental coverage through Cigna. There wasn't sufficient time this year to analyze the Cigna plans against the current provider, Delta Dental. The Rev. Janet Broderick moved the following resolution: Motion: RESOLVED, That for 2008 the Diocese of Newark offer the following medical insurance plans to eligible clergy and lay staff, both congregational and diocesan: Cigna National HMO, Cigna High Deductible Health Plan, Aetna Choice POS II, Aetna National HMO, Aetna National POS, United Healthcare Choice and United Healthcare Choice Plus. The motion was adopted with one objection. The Rev. Ms. Broderick noted that the discussion of medical insurance was often greeted with a varying degree of reactions and raising in many people strong feelings. There were many differences of opinion and often too little knowledge or information. It was also a matter that unintentionally not much time was available for dialogue. The available plans were announced in mid-August with a decision required by mid-September. It was understood that more information was needed to make an informed vote. Everyone in the whole system needed to have more information. This was a matter to be brought to the forefront and not left unattended, but given more time and study. Decisions on the selection of insurance providers were essentially economic in nature that impacted congregations and individuals. With all that in mind it was a recommendation of the Steering Committee that a committee should look deeply into the insurance matter and the various issues and components that attended it. This will be part of its discussion in the next month or so. TREASURER'S REPORT Mr. John Zinn reported pledge income fell behind budget since the June Council meeting and was in excess of one month behind budget. This will be reviewed as part of a full budget review for presentation in October. Next month a final report on 2006 outstanding pledges will be provided. A payment of $25,000 was made to the national church in August. A payment schedule will be set for payments to The Episcopal Church. Other outreach lines, mission and program lines were paid to the extent requested. Staff expenses were on target. All operating and administrative lines will be reviewed as part of the budget review. The end of August had a year to date deficit of $99,000, which was not unusual for the time of year. Motion: It was moved and seconded to accept the report, subject to audit. The motion was adopted. ENDOWMENT LOAN FOR EPISCOPAL RESERVE Mr. John Zinn presented an analysis of the costs related to the search, nomination, election and consecration of the 10th Bishop of Newark and the farewell to the 9th Bishop. In addition to providing background for this resolution, the analysis was intended to be a resource for the next Episcopal election process. Beginning with the 2000 budget funds were set aside for an eventual episcopal transition. A challenge was forecasting the actual costs because so much could not be foreseen, such as travel costs. The analysis broke down the expenses into five major categories; search phase, special convention, 9th Bishop farewell, consecration and transition. There was offsetting income for both the special convention and the farewell. Additional funding came from the Episcopal Reserve and the 2007 budget. In developing the 2007 budget it became clear that the remaining costs were significantly more than could or should be funded from the 2007 budget. Part of the design of the budget included the assumption of providing for these costs and future costs over a multi year period. Under this approach annual funding in the budget would be in the $30-35,000 range, first to pay the balance of the costs for the recent process and then to start reserving funds for a future process. The difference between the 2007 total cost and the 2007 budget line would be funded from an internal loan. After applying the $31,000 in the 2007 budget towards these costs there was an unfunded balance of just over $74,000. This resolution will allow those funds to be borrowed from the Diocesan Council's endowment. The loan will be repaid with interest over a three period from the Episcopal Reserve line in the budget. Assuming $31,000 in funding per year, the loan will be fully repaid in 2010; any funds not needed in 2010 to repay the loan will start to build up a new balance in the Episcopal Reserve. The Rev. William Potter expressed concern that the Search/Nomination and Transitions committees in the last election did not operate with budgets, but worked only with projections, and the cost overrun of 41% was troubling. Future efforts will need a process of accountability. Motion: RESOLVED, That $74,000 be borrowed from the Diocesan Council's endowment in order to fund the deficit in the Episcopal Reserve arising from the transition from the 9th to the 10th Bishop of Newark. The loan will carry interest at a rate equal to the dividend rate of Fund A of the DIT and will be repaid over a three year period from the Episcopal Reserve line in the diocesan budget beginning in 2008. The motion was adopted with one objection. STEERING COMMITTEE REPORT The President called to order a Meeting of the Episcopal Community Development Corporation. EPISCOPAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP. BOARD ELECTIONS Ms. Mary Sunden moved and it was seconded that the following persons be elected to the Board of Episcopal Community Development Corporation: Motion: Resolved, that the following persons be elected to the board of the Episcopal Community Development Corporation in the Class of 2009: Mr. Frank Failla, St. Peter's, Morristown; Mr. Michael James, Trinity + St. Philip's Cathedral, Newark; Mr. George Reeves, mechanical engineer, George Reeves Associates; and, Mr. Peter Van Brunt, Messiah, Chester. The motion was adopted. Motion: It was moved and seconded to adjourn the Meeting of the Episcopal Community Development Corporation. The motion was adopted. The President reconvened the meeting of the Diocesan Council. The President called to order a Meeting of the Jersey City Episcopal Community Development Corporation. JERSEY CITY EPISCOPAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP. BOARD ELECTIONS Ms. Mary Sunden moved and it was seconded that the following persons be elected to the Board of Jersey City Episcopal Community Development Corporation: Motion: Resolved, that the following persons be elected to the board of the Jersey City Episcopal Community Development Corporation in the Class of 2007-2009: The Rev. Geoffrey Curtiss, All Saints', Hoboken; Ms. Edith Gallimore, Trinity + St. Philip's Cathedral, Newark; and The Rev. Joseph Harmon, Church of the Incarnation, Jersey City. The motion was adopted. Motion: It was moved and seconded to adjourn the Meeting of the Jersey City Episcopal Community Development Corporation. The motion was adopted. The President reconvened the meeting of the Diocesan Council. WARD J. HERBERT FUND RECOMMENDATIONS Motion: It was moved and seconded to suspend the rules to allow for the ratification of the Ward J. Herbert Fund Board grant recommendations. The motion was adopted. Motion: It was moved by The Rev. Gray Lesesne that the recommendations for the second cycle of grants recommended by the WJH Fund board's June meeting be ratified. The motion was adopted with three abstentions. WJH-07-14: Lyndhurst, St.Thomas', undercroft floor, $4,500 WJH-07-15: Hope, St. Luke's, Septic Tank Replacement & Sidewalk, $2,250 WJH-07-16: Dover, St. John's, Roof for Rectory, $4,950 WJH-07-17: Millington, All Saints', Boiler Replacement, $2,100 WJH-07-18: Lincoln Park, St. Andrew's, Roof Replacement, $8,500 WJH-07-19: Fair Lawn, Church of the Atonement, Furnace & Fire Suppression System, $3,750 WJH-07-20: Glen Rock, All Saints', Roof Repair, Steeple Removal/Furnace, $18,500 WJH-07-21: Chatham, St. Paul's, Gutters, roof, windows, security, deferred WJH-07-22: Maplewood, St. George's, Masonry repairs on parish hall building, $15,000 WJH-07-23: Jersey City, Incarnation, Office windows, church doors, $14,550 Total recommendation to Diocesan Council: $74,100 INCARNATION, JERSEY CITY Ms. Faith Gideon Brown reported that during the summer in mid-July the Steering Committee received a financial report from Incarnation, Jersey City for the period of June 2006 to May 2007. The report noted that in March of 2006, Diocesan Council authorized the expenditure of Jersey City funds for Incarnation that included an amount of $5,000 for the cost of a comprehensive audit. The report indicated that the audit cost was lower than anticipated - $3,800 - and the request was made that the remaining $1,200 be used toward the audit for 2006. The 2006 audit was scheduled to be conducted within the next few following weeks and in fact had since been completed. The Steering Committee approved the use of the remaining $1,200 toward the 2006 audit. PAROCHIAL REPORTS 2006 OUTSTANDING Ms. Faith Gideon Brown reported the following 2006 parochial reports were outstanding as of the meeting date: Hackensack, St. Anthony of Padua; Mendham, St. Mark's. BELLEVILLE SENIOR HOUSING Ms. Mary Sunden presented a status report on efforts to secure funding from HUD. The application was filed on time and it was a matter of waiting for the decision expected by the end of October. PERSONNEL AD HOC COMMITTEE UPDATE Mr. Michael Francaviglia reported that the committee had been meeting since the spring and were prepared to send a draft of the revisions to the diocesan employees' policies and procedures manual by next month. DISTRICT SHARING District 10: The Rev. Stuart Smith reported the district meeting was scheduled for September 10 with a pot luck dinner with plans to continue discussions on ministry development as a district effort among the congregations. MEETING EVALUATION The bishop inquired how members spent their time this evening and what should be done differently, or more of or less of. There were no comments expressed. The meeting was closed with prayer by Bishop Beckwith. The meeting was adjourned at 9:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Michael Francaviglia, Secretary  --Return to Diocese of Newark Home PageReturn to Top of Page |