Proposed Presbyterian relief corporation delayed by council By John H. Adams The Layman Online Monday, February 13, 2006 LOUISVILLE, Va. – A hurry-up attempt to get the 217th General Assembly to create a new corporation – Presbyterian Relief and Development, Inc. – failed last week after a flurry of motions, turndowns, reconsiderations and a final postponement. Instead, the General Assembly Council decided to consider the proposal to establish the corporation at its meeting in April. That meant that the earliest the General Assembly could consider the proposal would be in 2008. The idea for the national corporation came from a subcommittee of the Worldwide Ministries Division. George Edwards, a member of the subcommittee and the chair-elect of the General Assembly's Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, presented the corporation plan. His arguments and those of other advocates were based on one of the few fundraising success stories in the Presbyterian Church (USA) this year. More than $13.5 million was raised in appeals to aid Hurricane Katrina victims in Gulf States. But more could have been raised, Edwards said, if the Presbyterian Church (USA) had a higher media profile. The media reporting about major relief organizations rarely mention Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. Furthermore, many businesses whose employees give to major relief organizations – such as the Red Cross – match their employees' contributions. But those corporations often will not match funds to religious organizations, Edwards said. "They're not concerned about passing on the faith, but concerned about helping people," he added. Under the control of an independent corporation, the PCUSA would gain greater visibility and meet the criteria for matching funds, Edwards said. Edwards noted that the General Assembly deadline for making a request for a new corporation to the 217th General Assembly would be six weeks before the national governing body convened on June 15. Postponing action of the proposal would be too late for this year's General Assembly. He did not address whether the corporation would eliminate religious ministry in order to qualify for matching funds, and no one questioned that aspect of the plan. Mostly, though, the council seemed reluctant to approve a fast-track corporation. After Edwards' comments, Charles Easley, the new nominee for vice chair of the General Assembly Council, called for referring the proposal to the April meeting. There were arguments on both sides. Council member Kenneth Newbold of Rose Hill, N.C., objected that postponement would "eliminate the opportunity to go to the 2006 General Assembly." General Assembly Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase said that even in an unfinished form, the proposal could be approved now and refined between now and the General Assembly. Another council member expressed concern that the creation of a new corporation focused only on disaster assistance would conflict with the ongoing work of the council's Mission Funding Task Force. John Bolt of Charleston, W.Va., wasn't in favor of trying to hurry to meet the deadline for the 217th General Assembly. "If this a good idea now, it will be a good idea in April and it will be a good idea two years from now." Bolt said that "some of the specific things and assumptions [in the plan for the corporation] are frankly inaccurate." A veteran journalist, Bolt said the media do not ignore organizations such as the current Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. There was some concern about who would serve on the independent board of directors. Ufford-Chase suggested that the General Assembly Council comprise the board. "My greatest concern," he said, "is the speed about which this proposal has come before us and the little amount of time we have had to focus on it." General Assembly Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick applauded Ufford-Chase's recommendation. "I keep being surprised at his brilliance," he said. "I'd like to say this is very important." But others were not so convinced. One member of the council pointed out that if the General Assembly Council became the board of directors for the independent relief corporation, it could expect three or more additional meetings a year – at significant cost to the denomination. Presently, the work of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is performed by the staff under the guidance of the General Assembly Council and staff management. Another council member said the General Assembly Council would be "too large, too unwieldy" to supervise a fast-paced relief effort. Several legal questions were raised about the proposed corporations. "Let's get the concept approved," urged Newbold. But Jim Collie, liaison to the council from the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly, warned against rushing the proposal through. "When you make this decision, you must ask this question: What door do we open to other corporations. This is a huge issue in mission funding." Eventually, the council voted to postpone its consideration of the proposal until April. Then it voted in favor of reconsideration, and the debate resumed. Frank Adams of Pensacola, Fla., vice chair of Mission Support Services, describing himself as a "checkbook kind of guy," expressed surprise that the proposal for the independent corporation did not include a business plan. "We may have to do this," added Paul Masquelier, vice chair of the General Assembly Council, "but we have to do it right." After a number of starts and stops, the council finally voted on a motion to postpone. It carried in a voice vote.

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