Title: Resolutions from General Convention 2003
Submitted by: Maryland Deputies to the 2003 General Convention
RESOLVED, that the Diocese of Maryland, meeting in Convention May 6-7, 2005, accept and affirm the following resolutions passed by the 2003 General Convention of our Church:
RESOLVED, That in recognition of the church's tradition of calling us to work, pray, and give for the spread of God's kingdom, all members of The Episcopal Church be encouraged to develop a personal spiritual discipline that includes, at a minimum, the holy habits of tithing, daily personal prayer and study, Sabbath time, and weekly corporate worship; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Bishops and Deputies of the 74th General Convention be given an opportunity to sign the following declaration:
As Christian stewards and leaders of The Episcopal Church, we affirm that we are tithing, or have adopted a plan to work toward tithing as a minimum standard for our giving; and that, if we are not already doing so, we are committed to give priority to corporate worship, personal daily prayer and study, and Sabbath time in our own lives; and we invite all members of The Episcopal Church to join us in these holy habits; and be it furtherRESOLVED, That we commit ourselves to present this declaration to our diocesan conventions for adoption and signature, and in turn to the vestries and people of our parishes, missions, and university centers; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Secretary publish a list of the General Convention signatories in the Journal of the 74th General Convention and provide the same to Episcopal Life for publication of the statement and the list of signatories.
RESOLVED, That the 74th General Convention endorse and embrace the achievement of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that pledge to:
RESOLVED, That the Convention, recognizing that funding for nutritional, education, health care, and development programs is essential to achieve not only the MDGs, but also for recognizing the dignity of all human beings, reaffirm the 73rd General Convention's Resolutions A001 and D033 challenging all dioceses and congregations to contribute 0.7% of their annual budgets to fund international development programs; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the appropriate offices and staff of the Episcopal Church Center, in cooperation with Episcopal Relief and Development, promote among dioceses and congregations education about and participation in the 0.7% contribution for international development; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Executive Council be directed to fulfill the 73rd General Convention's Resolution D033 requiring the Council to develop a process for an annual accounting of each diocese's progress toward living into the 0.7% contribution goal; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Executive Council in cooperation with the Communications Office at the Episcopal Church Center publish annually the annual accounting of all dioceses' level of participation in the 0.7% contribution goal; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Standing Commission on Anglican and International Peace with Justice present a full report to the 75th General Convention of the level of participation of all dioceses in the call to contribute 0.7% of their annual budgets to fund international development programs; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the United States government, as one of the 191 national signatories to the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, be encouraged to provide appropriate leadership and resources toward international efforts to implement these and other internationally agreed development goals and that the Episcopal Office of Government Relations actively advocate that the United States government fulfill its commitment to funding international development aid at 0.7% of the U.S. Gross National Product (GNP); and be it further
RESOLVED, That all Episcopalians contact their elected representatives, urging them to support the United States government's fulfillment of its commitment to funding international development aid at 0.7% of the U.S. GNP.
RESOLVED, That The Episcopal Church reaffirm its historic commitment to eradicate racial injustice in the Church and in secular society, and that the Executive Council continue the anti-racism program with appropriate staffing and budget, as approved by the 73rd General Convention (A047) and recommend the National Dialogues on Anti-Racism methodology; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the emerging provincial network of anti-racism trainers be recognized as an important resource, and its utilization commended to the several provinces, dioceses, and affiliated organizations of the Church; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the 74th General Convention extend its appreciation to the organizers and participants of the anti-racism hearings and call upon the anti-racism committee (Anti-Racism Advisory Committee of the Executive Council and the Office of Social Justice) to implement a program that responds to the issues raised at the hearings, as appropriate; and be it further
RESOLVED, That all persons seeking election or appointment to the several standing commissions, other committees of Executive Council, related boards and auxiliary organizations must have had anti-racism training as required by the 73rd General Convention (B049) or agree to have this training within a year of their appointment; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Office of Peace and Justice be commended for its "Stop the Hate" Campaign, and be encouraged to develop similar programs that address the issues of racial profiling and other abuses of the criminal justice system that have emerged in this post 9/11 environment; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Anti-Racism Committee of Executive Council be directed to prepare a report for the other standing committees and commissions of the Church that inform them of the several issues emerging from the anti-racism hearings, and specify what actions each might take to ameliorate the impact of racism in their area of concern.
RESOLVED, That the 74th General Convention recommend that diocesan conventions nominate candidates for deputations to General Convention that incorporate the next generations, and also the multilingual, multicultural character of our churches and communities, so that deputations reflect the vision we have for the church we are; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the 74th General Convention recommend that all dioceses and congregations engage this vision when presenting candidates for all representative boards, including, but not limited to, vestries, delegations to diocesan conventions, and Standing Committees.
RESOLVED, That the 74th General Convention call every Episcopalian to be able to articulate his or her faith story; and urge dioceses and congregations to create opportunities for these stories to be told.