Day 4 – June 24, 2024
Today started with a visit to the headquarters of the PC-USA (Presbyterian Church – USA). For the past five or so years I’ve been a part of the dialogue between The Episcopal Church and the PC-USA. These dialogues are the steps that can lead eventually to full communion agreements like the one we have with the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). The headquarters just happens to be in downtown Louisville and we were given a warm welcome and a tour of the building. It was mostly empty because the PC-USA is having its General Assembly in Salt Lake City starting tomorrow.
I had a question: Why is the headquarters of the PC-USA in Louisville? The answer is interesting. The denomination was formed in 1983 by a merger of Northern and Southern Presbyterians. They had headquarters in New York and Atlanta, respectively. When they merged, they sought out “neutral territory” for their new headquarters. They picked Kansas City. However, a group of Presbyterians in Kentucky were able to arrange for the sale of two large downtown properties in Louisville for two dollars. Sold!
Our delegation then returned to the convention center. The first item of business was a presentation on the budget. Yesterday I asked if you, dear reader, could guess the annual budget of The Episcopal Church. If you guessed about $48 million, you guessed correctly. That money comes from investments held by the church and (mostly) from monies assessed from each Diocese (just as the Diocese asks for an assessment from each congregation). The budget proposal is a public document that you can review here: https://budget.episcopalchurch.org/.
After lunch we launched into a full legislative session. To be honest, it did not move quickly, and by “did not move quickly,” I mean that even resolutions that passed easily were talked to death. This is not uncommon early in the convention when it feels like we have plenty of time to work with. In four hours we voted on exactly six pieces of legislation:
A101 - Revise DHP Pricing Structures for Equitable Access
C008 - Review Diocesan Assessments
A002 - Site for the 83rd General Convention
A031 - Translate Reconciliation Resources into Spanish
A079 - Mental Health Sunday
A189 - Honoring 85 Years of the Ministry of Episcopal Relief and Development
Tomorrow my committee meets at 7 a.m. Two pieces of legislation were sent to us today. One condemns Islamophobia. The second honors the 1,700-year anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea. The church nerd in me was thrilled!