Episcopal Press and News
Presiding Bishop's Fund Gives $500,000 in Grants, Launches African Appeal
Episcopal News Service. November 18, 1977 [77370]
CHICAGO, Ill. -- Leaving itself with its lowest working cash balance in three years, the Board of Directors of the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief disbursed over half a million dollars to 37 relief, rehabilitation, refugee and development projects at its meeting here, Nov. 3-5.
The Rev. A. Theodore Eastman, chairman of the Board's executive committee, noted that the Fund enjoyed an unprecedented giving record from 1974 to 1976, while the world hunger crisis and related problems were receiving extensive news coverage. The Board agreed to give high priority to a program for increased giving throughout the Church to counter the effects of reduced attention to the hunger and poverty issues. As a result of the large number of disbursements at this meeting, the Fund's undesignated cash balance has been depleted, although contributions are expected during the Christmas-Epiphany season.
The Board also outlined a plan for a churchwide African Refugee Appeal. The money from such an appeal will be used to support programs of direct and pastoral care for the hundreds of thousands of refugees from several African countries who have crossed borders to escape political persecution. An initial appeal was made by Presiding Bishop John M. Allin at the October meeting of the House of Bishops in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Bishop Allin cited the political upheaval in Uganda and the murder last February of Anglican Archbishop Janani Luwum as prime examples of a widespread problem throughout the continent.
The Episcopal Church, through the Fund, is currently working on relief and resettlement programs with the Primate's Fund of the Anglican Church of Canada and with Anglican and ecumenical groups in Kenya and other African countries. Special materials relating to the African problem will soon be made available to Episcopal parishes.
The grants made by the Board at this, its final meeting of the year, were disbursed as follows:
- $70,000 was allocated to the Anglican Diocese of Northern Argentina. The money will enable the Church to secure title to 25, 000 acres of land inhabited by indigenous Indians who are threatened by land speculators. Under Argentine law Indians are barred from owning land; Church ownership will insure against their displacement. Money to develop the land will be contributed by the Primate's Fund of the Anglican Church of Canada.
- The Board also approved $25,000 grants for each of three flood recovery programs in the United States. The first will be used to assist an ecumenical effort to help Kansas City recover from the Sept. 12 floods. Money will be used for the immediate needs of victims, counseling and operational costs.
- The second will enable the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh to undertake its share of an ecumenical effort to continue recovery work in the hard hit Johnstown area and the third will be used to assist over 4, 000 families in six Southwestern Virginia communities affected by the April floods.
- In addition, the Board authorized up to $43,000 to be used in support of anti-hunger programs sponsored by components of the National Council of Churches of Christ. These included programs in five of the target areas selected by the NCCC Domestic Hunger and Poverty Working Group for outreach education and advocacy training against hunger in a variety of settings.
- Included in these were: Hunger Awareness Information League of Houston, $3,000; Southeastern Michigan Food Coalition, $10,000; Hunger Resource Team of Buffalo, $5,000; Food Stamp Outreach in Northeastern Pennsylvania, $5,000; and Food Program Participation of Holmes and Talahatchie Counties, Mississippi, $5,000.
- Through the NCCC Ecumenical Funding Table the Board provided funds to: Mississippi Hunger Coalition, $5,000; Elimination of Hunger on Indian Reservations, $5,000; and Institute for Food and Development Policy, up to $5,000, as needs are determined by Fund staff.
Other grants include:
- $5,000 to St. Augustine's Center, Food Program for Indians, Diocese of Chicago, to assist a program whose resources were depleted by last year's severe winter.
- $5,000 to St. Anne's Food Outreach Program for continued support to a program which is successfully feeding hundreds of children and elderly in the South Bronx, Diocese of New York.
- $5,000 to Mid-City Concerns Meal Subsidy Program, Spokane, to support feeding service of an ecumenical group working with poor and elderly.
- $5000 to the Interfaith Hunger Coalition of Southern California
- $10,000 to the Lord's Food Bank of El Paso, Tex., to support a cooperative effort that collects surplus food and distributes it in exchange for labor.
- $3,000 to the Montgomery County Emergency Assistance Program serving people around Christiansburg, Va., with a food, clothing and furniture banks and a revolving fund.
- $15,000 to the Diocese of Olympia's Hunger Task Force Project in which the Episcopal diocese and the Presbyterian Church share in a wide-ranging feeding program.
- $7,000 to Nutrition Technology Training Scholarships, Santa Monica, Calif., to provide training support for overseas personnel at the Meals for Millions center.
- $5,000 in general program support to the Church World Service Domestic Disaster Response Coordinator. This newly established office is supported by several denominations.
- $16,800 to Expansion of Soy Agriculture, Ecuador, to assist in training and marketing among subsistence-level farmers; channeled through Church World Service.
- $13,083 to the Chapare Integral Rural Public Health program, Bolivia, to form local health committees and train health care agents for rural communities; through CWS.
- $4,200 to the Christian Council of Tanzania for completion of a small machine house and purchase of a milling machine to serve six villages in a self-help project; through CWS.
- $15,000 to Water Resources Development, Dominican Republic, for nationwide project of providing potable water; through CWS.
- $3,000 to the Diocese of Honduras, San Marcos Clinic Outreach, for budget support for a health care system that serves over 23 villages.
- $25,000 to Diocese of Panama and the Canal Zone, to LaChorrera Agricultural Cooperative, to provide partial support for a revolving fund program of this rural cooperative.
- $5,000 to Good Shepherd Sewing Project, Miraflores, Peru, to provide equipment to launch this self-help and outreach ministry; channeled through the Anglican Bishop of Peru and Bolivia.
- $13,000 to Farm and Trades Program for School Dropouts in the Anglican Diocese of New Guinea; budget support for a project inaugurated by Archbishop David Hand; with land and facilities from the governments involved.
- $8,191 to the Church of South India (Diocese of Madras) Self Employment Scheme to provide startup costs on a broad plan to rehabilitate a drought-stricken area.
- $18,250 to the Diocese of the Southern Philippines for its Trinity Marketing Project. The grant provides equipment and supplies to an area in which an agricultural cooperative collapsed during political unrest.
- $10,000 to the Diocese of Boga-Zaire Rural Health Program to expand a successful operation which the Fund helped start in 1976.
- $2,000 to the Northern Ireland "Peace Point" program, an advocacy and communication programs supported by the National Council of Churches of Ireland; channeled through NCCC/US.
- $25,000 to the Middle East Council of Churches, to support work among refugees throughout the area, through CWS and the World Council of Churches.
- $15,000 to the Lebanon Civil Strife Relief & Rehabilitation Program of CWS and the World Council to support schools, child care and rebuilding efforts.
- $20,000 to the Kitui Primary Health Project of Kenya for a pilot program in mother/child care, immunization and family planning; funded through Coordination in Development (CODEL).
- $20,000 for the Kokise Village Poly/Agri Extension Program in Kenya. Agricultural education for parents and children; funded through CODEL.
In addition to the regular grants, the Board also allocated $100,000 to the Caribbean Health Care Training Project for the second phase of production of a training film and programmed learning materials adapted to local environments. This grant was made from the Diocese of Rochester Gift Fund, for which the Board has stewardship responsibility.
The Board also ratified $30,595. 58 in emergency grants which had been made since the last funding meeting. These included:
- $3,000 for drought relief, Haiti.
- $3,000 flood relief, Kansas City.
- $6,000 to Johnstown flood relief, half through the Diocese of Pittsburgh and half through Church World Service.
- $1,000 to the blackout response, New York City.
- $10,000 to the All Africa Council of Churches for refugee emergency.
- $1,000 to Southern Brazil for emergency flood relief.
- $5,595. 58 for Uganda refugees.
- $1,000 to the Diocese of Polynesia for earthquake relief.
- $850 to St. Mary's School for Indian Girls, Springfield, S.D., to repair water lines.
The Board also forwarded a number of gifts which had been made to specific projects. These included:
- $423.75 to the Episcopal Church in Navajoland from Church of the Advent, Kenmore, N. Y.
- $10,000 to the Yucatan Erie Farm Project from the Diocese of California.
- $301.30 to School projects in Bangladesh from St. George Church, Durham, N.H.
- $100 to the Diocese of Lebombo, Mozambique from St. Michael's Church, Boise, Idaho.
- $4,500 to the Interreligious Task Force on U.S. Food policy from the Diocese of Missouri.
- $1,000 to the Interreligious Task Force on U.S. Food Policy from the Diocese of Ohio.
- $3,000 to the Institute for Policy Studies for World Hunger Programs from the Diocese of Ohio.
- $1,000 to the World Hunger Education Services from the Diocese of Ohio.
- $2,000 for tornado relief in Howe, Oklahoma, from an anonymous donor.