Leaked to Stand Firm:
Notes on Steering Committee Meeting of September 6, 2009
9am to noon
The Rev Court Moore presiding
About 92 people in attendance.
Moore refers to this meeting as the "Consultative Committee of Diocese of Fort Worth." The goal is to have one member from each parish and mission of the diocese.
The introduction was a discussion centered on the Roman Paper.
Rev Moore wanted to establish for all time that "this paper was not stolen!" He did not disclose how he came to have it, but could state with certainty that the person who gave it to him did not steal it, nor the person who gave it to him. Then, he suggested that it might have been disclosed by Bishop Vann, a Roman Catholic Bishop. Several times during the meeting it was referenced that Bishop Iker would be moving to "wherever he ultimately decided. Rev Barber was there and he rose to explain that the notion of this diocese moving to the Roman Church was an idea that would not succeed. He noted that Dr Dickson, rector of St Andrews Fort Worth had risen to oppose it, and because of the financial support of that parish, any such move was dead in the water, even if it was being contemplated.
It appears that The Steering Committee does intend on using this as a wedge between parishes/individuals and the diocese. The sense of the folks in this room was that it is not an issue. Bruce Coggin rose to ask, "What makes anybody think the Roman Church would want us?"
Moore stated that the long-term goal of re-establishing Communion with the Romans was certainly part of the goal of all Christians to work toward unification of the Church.
Next, he wanted all those present to understand, "We are all Episcopalians; members of Fort Worth Diocese, and that we are all faithful to Bishop Iker, Our Bishop." Although his group may not agree with every position taken by Bishop Iker, they were not allowing themselves to attack anybody personally. He proudly stated he did not read blogs, except for Katie Sherrod's.
The stated goal of this committee is to keep the Diocese of Fort Worth alive after the split. They will not change their name, though they "understand" that Bishop Iker does not intend to change the name of the Southern Cone affiliate diocese. That said, they moved into Q & A Session...
Q: What do Vestries do after the vote?
A: You must call a meeting and replace the Members who have left to follow Bishop Iker. Even if there are just a few members, a Vestry must exist in order to conduct the business of a parish. There was discussion about the minimum number of members, six, to constitute a legal Vestry, but it was not determined what a Parish in Exile would do if there were not six willing to serve.
Q. What about the property?
A. Holy Apostles withdrawal from the Diocese in 1992 was presented as an example, leading to a discussion that assumed the orthodox held advantage and the revisionist group left the parish. Diocese sued Holy Apostles and eventually a settlement was reached which provided the orthodox group with incentive to leave the property and re-establish themselves elsewhere. Details of that settlement were not discussed. The Dennis Canon was introduced here, as applicable to this situation, but was not pursued in any detail.
It was generally accepted that most parishes would need to temporarily leave the current building to wait until property settlement could be concluded. There was no mention of Canon 32.
Q: What about the worship services? (nobody asked if TEC and Southern Cone are ‘in communion.’)
A: Lots of solutions: House mass, morning prayer, Faith Community, etc. "We will assure you that you have clergy available for worship.Weddings, funerals, blessings, all the Sacramental Services will be made available. Many rebels will return; we must welcome them with big hearts. That is what is happening in San Joaquin.
Make plans now for Altar Furnishings. The implication seemed to be that TEC loyalists should secure these items in advance in order to "be ready."
[i.e., be ready to steal Altar Furnishings. ed.]
"The Church in Exile" will call a convention in April. Until that time, there may not be a bishop in charge of the "exiles." They feel sure that Bishop Iker will make acceptable resources available in the interim. At the April Convention, TEC will establish the diocese and install a bishop. The re-constituted diocese would elect a permanent bishop at a later convention
Deposition of Bp Iker will occur as soon as Presiding Bishop is advised of the vote result. Bp will have 60 days to recant. Inhibition will be effective immediately, meaning Iker may only act administratively. Bank accounts will be frozen? That issue was not completely discussed.
House of Bishops meets twice annually, with next meeting this month. Deposition cannot be approved until that time, they think. There is a possibility that Presiding Bishop may find some reason to depose prior to the Diocesan Convention.
Courts will be asked to rule on the ‘assets’ of the diocese. Real Estate will be treated separately. Nobody can afford the number of lawsuits required; 55 parishes, 21 counties, many other separate entities. It seemed that meant that Exiles will pursue only the choice parishes. There will be Cherry Picking among the properties; prime properties will be identified and fought for.
Some parishes think they have deeds that will protect their properties for TEC. Hillsboro, for instance, has searched the courthouse and located the original deed. They say it will supersede any property arrangement made after that. However, some person mentioned the County by County filings of the new ownership by Corporation of the Diocese. There was no response to this and it made one wonder if it was intentionally omitted.
Treasurer Margaret Mieuli announced that Exiles may use the bank account of Steering Committee. Their money may ‘flow’ through this entity to allow them to maintain legal ‘not for profit’ status. This was explained as necessary in order to avoid each parish re-filing to establish 501(k)(3) status; Steering Committee has already accomplished this filing.
Exiles might be required to ‘unseat’ the current treasurer in some cases, also would apply to Vestry Members. If these positions are occupied by members who wish to remain loyal to Bishop Iker, they are no longer members of TEC, thus ineligible to hold office of any kind.
All Saints reports a petition to remove current rector is being circulated; who is doing it was not asked or discussed. It was firmly established that no entity except the vestry has any legal authority, thus a petition is meaningless.
Personal Fiduciary Liability not an issue for Vestry Members. However, the strategy of abstaining from the vote because a delegate or vestry member feels it is not a legal action, is not a recommended course. Every voting member should vote. Abstaining does nothing but allow others to be in control.
Court Moore is meeting on Tuesday 9th with TEC lawyers in New York.
Q. What about missions?
A. The answer eventually given was that missions are at the mercy of Bp Iker. Yes, folks could theoretically be locked out of a mission.
Some discussion about Cardinal Law and Bishop Pope: It was reported that Bishop Pope had gone to Rome to ask if the Diocese could en mass join the Roman Church. The answer at that time was "No" and this answer came through a Cardinal named Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI.
Question about Common Cause becoming a Province was asked about but quickly dismissed.
It was announced that TEC is healthy, but it was unclear how that statement fit into the discussion.
Q. What will a parish do about the legal entanglements such as property insurance, health insurance, bonding, etc. since that will have an impact on some salaried persons?
A. Alternate Insurance Coverage was offered some two years ago but reasons are now suspect. Rev Barber was present and he interrupted to say he had not changed to the local arrangement. Some hint of the status for pensions was there, but not allowed to the surface, giving the impression that Moore did not want to discuss it.
This meeting was referred to at the beginning and again at the end, as the "Consultative Committee" and should have one member from each parish and mission. Next meet on October 11.
There will soon be a new Vestry Handbook on SC website.
The new revised brochure was given to each attendee; it is on the website of the Steering Committee: http://steeringcommitteente.org/
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