Not only is the Diocese of Northwest Texas in a cash “crunch” for the present, but “it appears that without help from individual members of the diocese, our situation will continue to deteriorate,” according to the bishop, the Rt. Rev. C. Wallis Ohl, Jr., who issued an appeal to individual members on Aug. 15.

“In the eight years I have been bishop of Northwest Texas, I have refrained from asking our people to support the budget above their parish giving,” Bishop Ohl said. “However, the time has come for those of us who are able to assist with a one-time offering to do so.”

Bishop Ohl attributed the majority of the shortfall to St. Nicholas’ Church, Midland, the third largest contributor to the diocesan budget. More than 80 percent of the congregation left the Episcopal Church in June and formed a new congregation pledging ecclesiastical obedience to the Primate of the Anglican Church of Uganda. Prior to the split, St. Nicholas’ had contributed none of its $109,000 mandatory apportionment, but the financial problems run much deeper.

The latest issue of the diocesan newspaper, The Adventure, reports that as of March 14, 12 of the 39 congregations had contributed nothing to the diocese. An unscientific survey of the diocese conducted shortly after the 2003 General Convention suggested that as many as 80 percent of the laity in Northwest Texas did not approve of the New Hampshire consecration.

“From the time in 2003 that ECUSA chose to lead us where 80 percent of the laity don’t want to go, it was obvious to all of us that at some point there would be large losses of members and financial shortfalls,” lay member Glenn Polhemus wrote to Bishop Ohl in response to the appeal. “It is my opinion that our diocese and the national church will only respond to economic stimulus. ‘One-time askings’ only delay the process and keep them from dealing with the real problem which is: ‘How do you lead 80 percent of the church where they don’t want to go and still get them to pay for the trip?

“I really think that the ‘one-time asking’ should be sent to Bishop Griswold,” Mr. Polhemus wrote. “He seems to have incredibly deep pockets. He got us into this mess. Let him finance the short term fix or deal with the problem he created.”

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