The House of Deputies engaged in significant debate about the proposed budget, listed as Resolution A067, during the July 16 morning legislative session. Bonnie Anderson, president of the House of Deputies, permitted more than an hour of discussion, which included specific spending cuts, procedural rules, points of order and the implications of various actions.
 
For example, one deputy asked what the consequences would be if the House of Deputies failed to approve the budget. The partial response given was that while it was within the rules of order of the house not to approve the budget, such an action would cause grave uncertainty for the ongoing operations of at least some church ministries, particularly in the short term.
 
Many deputies wanted to know if it would be possible to restore some cuts that were contained in the proposed budget. While in theory those cuts could be restored, it would probably require cuts somewhere else in the budget in order to keep the budget balanced. One of the most intriguing proposals concerned moving The Episcopal Church Center out of New York City as a cost-saving measure. The resolution to relocate the church center did receive a second, but its fate was uncertain at the conclusion of the morning session. Several other speakers rose in opposition to the cuts made to women’s ministries, but the majority of deputies seemed inclined not to tinker excessively with the budget on a line-by-line basis.
 
Steve Waring reporting from General Convention in Anaheim.
 
A one-year subscription to The LivingChurch Online also gives you convenient access to more than a year of archived issues, all for just $25! Click here to start your subscription to the TLC Online Edition today!