February 3, 2010: Reports and ECO's

I was tempted to do the "Groundhog Day" thing and simpy re-post yesterday's note. Then I thought, bah, it's been done.

Reports

The Presbyterian News Service (PNS) has been active recently detailing the number of major reports coming to the 219th General Assembly. From Special Committees, final reports and recommendations will be coming from:

• the Youth Ministry Task Force,
• the Special Committee looking at Christian Marriage,
• the Special Committee considering adding the Belhar Confession to the Book of Confessions;
• the Special Committee considering corrections to the Heidelberg Catechism; and
• a committee preparing a comprehensive study focused on Israel/Palestine.

PNS also is reporting on ACSWP's preparation of papers on:

• gun violence,
• HIV/AIDS,
• public education, and
• a theology of compensation.

Following up on yesterday, if an average report costs $32,500 to produce, that's just short of $300,000 worth of reports.

How much did the 9 (nine) reports to the 218th General Assembly cost? (Do you know what they were?)

• 36-01 The Power to Change: U.S. Energy Policy and Global Warming.
• 36-02 Comfort My People: A Policy Statement on Serious Mental Illness
• 36-03 [38-01] Lift Every Voice: Democracy, Voting Rights, and Electoral Reform.
• 36-04 A Social Creed for the Twenty-First Century and Recognition of the Centennial of the “Social Creed of the Churches” of 1908.
• 36-05 Report on Human Rights in Colombia.
• 36-06 From Homelessness to Hope: Constructing Just, Sustainable Communities for All God’s People.
• 36-07 God’s Work in Women’s Hands: Pay Equity and Just Compensation.
• 36-08 Costly Lessons of the Iraq War: Resolution with Recommendations and Study Paper.
• 36-11 Response to Smithfield Food Labor Situation.

I wonder if this is the best approach -- both in terms of our collective witness and the dollars & cents of it. With all due respect to the work that these study groups put in; I do have some questions:

• If we are writing reports about everything and spending thousands and thousands of dollars to do it, what is the fruit we are discerning? Is the publication and approval of these documents enough?
  
  
• Not every topic can be of utmost priority, can it?
  
  
• Is it really appropriate to exclude Presbyterians from the process of creating the reports for which they are paying?

 

Acronym of the Day: ECO (for a full list of acronyms, go here)

Today's acronym of the day is: Extra Commitment Opportunity (ECO). An ECO is something that is beyond of the denomination's budget but recognized as a valid Presbyterian mission. It is an unfunded approved mission project. ECO is a form of restricted giving where the donor indicates the purpose for which the gift is to be used and it is recognized as a mission project of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

I know there is a list somewhere, but the best I could find was the 10-at-a-time search here. I found this explanation of ECOs in the denomination's Worldwide ministry section:

There is a channel through which gifts can be designated for specific items that support the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s work around the world. These are called Extra Commitment Opportunities (ECOs). You can give directly to an ECO account online or by mailing your check designating the name and account number of the particular item you have chosen to:

PC(USA) Individual Remittance Processing
P.O. Box 643700
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700

Your gift will go directly into the ECO Account designated, and you will receive a letter indicating that your gift has been received and will be used for the purpose intended.

So, that's ECOs.

 

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