Resolutions Passed
A Resolution Establishing Minimum Clergy Compensation
RESOLVED, That the 169th Convention of the Diocese of Vermont concurring, the minimum stipend for clergy in the Diocese of Vermont be increased by five percent (5%) for the year 2003, and that travel allowance be reimbursed at the current IRS standard.
Proposer: Diocesan Council
Explanation
Canon 6.7 requires that Diocesan Council review the minimum stipend for full-time equivalent clergy and the travel allowance and make recommendations to the Convention. Such a minimum shall be binding on all parishes and missions upon ratification of the Convention. A 5% increase takes into account a COLA of three percent (3%) and provides for an additional increase of two percent (2%).
According to the Church Pension Fund (The 2000 Clergy Compensation Report, August 2001), the national average median compensation for Episcopal clergy is $50,010. This figure includes cash stipend, fair-market value of housing, utilities and payment of one half of the Social Security/Medicare (SECA) tax.
The Pension Fund reports the median compensation for full-time clergy in Vermont to be $48,343. The absolute minimum full-time compensation package in Vermont, factoring in the most modest housing allowance is $38,500 ($27,500 salary, $2,100 SECA, $8,900 housing). Twenty-four of the forty-seven active priests (and the bishop) in Vermont work full-time. Not all receive the allowance for SECA, and housing is often undervalued in order to reduce pension costs and the clergy SECA liability. Compensation arrangements for the many part-time clergy are difficult to compare, as they vary widely in terms of housing, SECA allowance and other benefits. In a diocese like Vermont, with fewer full-time salaries, those salaries that are higher push the median up quite quickly and make the comparisons with other professions (presumably a larger pool) somewhat skewed.
The Church Pension Fund report notes that the median income for professional and managerial employees in Vermont who have at least a graduate level degree is $45,300, somewhat lower than the clergy median, but significantly higher than the current minimum.
Though the Diocese of Vermont has made great progress in increasing clergy compensation, it still ranks in the third quartile nation-wide. Such a standing affects the ability of our deployment officer to attract talented clergy to serve the congregations of the Diocese and the capacity of current clergy persons to remain in Vermont.
Approval of this resolution will change the Beginning Level, Type II minimum cash stipend from $28,772 to $30,210, thus raising the minimum full-time compensation package to approximately $42,320.
A Resolution to Dismantle Racism
RESOLVED, That the 169th Convention of the Diocese of Vermont, calls on the congregations and individual members of the diocese to acknowledge and confess our racism as it is expressed at personal, social and institutional levels; and be it further
RESOLVED, That this convention calls on the Diocese of Vermont to commit wholeheartedly to dismantling racism in compliance with Resolution B049 of the 73rd General Convention; and be it further,
RESOLVED, That this convention create a Commission on Dismantling Racism to assist congregations and individuals in the diocese in the work of dismantling racism; and be it further,
RESOLVED, That we do this work in collaboration with the Vermont Conference of the United Church of Christ, the Unitarian Universalist Association, and other ecumenical and interfaith partners, and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Commission on Dismantling Racism assist the diocese to examine, and work to dismantle, racism in diocesan structures; and be it further,
RESOLVED, That the Commission on Dismantling Racism be instructed to develop appropriate training and resource materials for training diocesan leadership, congregations and youth; and be it further,
RESOLVED, That each congregation will commit to some period of study in the twelve months beginning on the first Sunday of Advent, 2002 using resources recommended by the Commission on Dismantling Racism; and be it further,
RESOLVED, That the diocese will pursue opportunities to work with communities and schools; and be it further,
RESOLVED, That the Commission on Dismantling Racism will report back to the 2003 Diocesan Convention on the work of the diocese during the twelve months between conventions and make recommendations and propose specific diocesan goals for the ongoing ministry of dismantling racism.
Proposers: Task Force on Dismantling Racism
The Diocesan Council
Explanation
The 73rd General Convention of the Episcopal Church, meeting in Denver in July 2000, in Resolution A047, acknowledged that, “our acts of commission and omission throughout the history of the Episcopal Church in the United States have perpetrated racism in our church and society.” The convention committed itself “with renewed energy” to continue working to “become a church committed to ending institutional and other forms of racism which necessitates the acceptance of abandonment of privilege and the sharing of power within our polity, within our society, and throughout the world.”
Resolution A047 thus urged that, “each diocese and congregation recommit itself to the task of overcoming the sin of racism in its many forms, including but not limited to, its effects on the recruitment and deployment of persons of color as clergy and lay professionals in the church.”
Resolution B049 (full text below) outlined one means of approaching the goal of dismantling institutional racism in the church, that of required anti-racism training for church leaders.
This resolution commits the Diocese of Vermont to joining, and complying with, the commitments made by the General Convention. One does not have to be a racist in order to act in a racist fashion. Racism is present insidiously in the language we use, the jokes we tell and the decisions we make in the workplace, the church and the community. Awareness is key to beginning a process of change in our individual and institutional behavior. The proposed Commission on Dismantling Racism will have as one of its primary tasks the collection and provision of training resources that will raise awareness for diocesan leadership, congregations and youth and stimulate efforts toward positive change.
Resolution B049
Approved by the 73rd General Convention on July 13, 2000
Resolved, That beginning on September 1, 2000 the lay and ordained leadership of the Episcopal Church, including all ordained persons, professional staff, and those elected or appointed to positions of leadership on committees, commissions, agencies, and boards be required to take anti-racism training and receive certification of such training; and be it further
Resolved, That the Executive Council select and authorize appropriate programs that will be used at the national level; that each province select and authorize appropriate programs that will be used at the provincial level; and that each diocese select and authorize appropriate programs that will be used at the diocesan and parochial levels, each province and diocese to determine those lay and clergy leaders who are to take the training; and be it further
Resolved, That the Standing Commission on National Concerns continues to develop a list of such appropriate resources; and be it further
Resolved, That each national committee, commission, agency, and board, and each province and diocese maintain a register of those who are trainers and those who have been trained, and forward this information to the Executive Council by January 1, 2003, and every two years thereafter, and the Council report on this information to the 74th and 75th General Conventions.
A Resolution to Build Peace
RESOLVED, That the 169th Convention of the Diocese of Vermont urge the congregations individually and collaboratively to pray for peace and to pursue ways of building peace in the world, through forums that examine the conditions that foster war and oppression; and through local, national, and international efforts to ameliorate these conditions; and be it further
RESOLVED, That this Convention commend the multilateral negotiation of United Nations Resolution Number 1441 on Iraq, together with assurances to other nations from the United States that, provided there is no further "material breach," the resolution will not be used to launch war on Iraq; and be it further
RESOLVED, That this Convention communicate with the President of the United States and inform him that we recognize that, while war may sometimes be unavoidable, we do not believe that a war with Iraq can be justified at this time, since we have not exhausted the possibilities for a peaceful solution to the present problem; and be it further
RESOLVED, That this Convention pray for and support those Christians who, expressing their right of conscientious objection, refuse to support war through war tax resistance or through finding an alternative to military service.
Proposers: Peggy Bressee, Elizabeth Hook, the Rev. Zarina O'Hagin, the Rev. Susan Tobias, Harriet Wood, all of St. John the Baptist, Hardwick
Joe Grannis St. Luke's, Chester
The Rev. Thad Bennett, St. Mary’s in the Mountains, Wilmington (proposed fourth resolve as an amendment)
EXPLANATION
Whereas, as disciples of Jesus Christ, we abhor violence and war; and our faith requires us to work for justice and peace; and we believe restraint and commitment to international cooperation are means toward building peace; this present time, when international events might be moving toward war at a speed far beyond our control, is the moment that requires our greatest watchfulness and striving toward a life-affirming future beyond war.
World support is not behind a preemptive attack on Iraq, and the consequences of such action will inevitably extend beyond the boundaries of Iraq. A preemptive strike with the force required to attain a quick victory will have serious consequences, including civilian deaths.
We recognize the urge to power and domination, and bigotry in all forms, including religious, as root causes of war. Waging war has human and material costs that could better be spent to address poverty, hunger, inadequate shelter, ill health, limited access to education and information, racial and ethnic hatred and discrimination, the suppression of women's voices, and political and economic exploitation.Indeed, the "war on terrorism" in which our nation is already engaged must be conducted with greatest possible care for innocent lives, and for the future security and well-being of the peoples inhabiting the nations of the world. To "build peace" means first of all to have a positive regard for life. In the words of St. Paul, let us not be "overcome by evil," but let us "overcome evil with good."