wfn.org | Foundation and GAC agreement of cooperation supported

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03-July-1996 
 
GA96058 
 
    Foundation and GAC agreement of cooperation supported 
 
ALBUQUERQUE - In two separate, but related actions, the Stewardship and 
Communications committee voted to support the recent agreement of 
cooperation between the Presbyterian Foundation and the General Assembly 
Council. 
 
    The first action dealt with an overture from the Presbytery of Grand 
Canyon.  This overture, (96-123), asked the General Assembly to restore 
$136,000 spent from the Jennie M. Wimer Fund to the Grand Canyon Presbytery 
for use at the Ganado Mission in Ganado, Arizona. 
 
     Questions were raised, by the Presbyterian Foundation and others, 
about the use of Wimer Fund money at Cook College, near Phoenix, Arizona. 
Cook College is a racial ethnic college related to the Presbyterian Church 
(U.S.A.) serving Native Americans.  The money was used to provide for a 
development officer at the school. 
 
    Earlier in the day, the committee heard several people speak on the 
issue. On Monday evening, and  after much debate, the committee passed a 
motion recommending that the General Assembly answer Overture 96-123 in the 
negative, to allow  the Foundation and the General Assembly Council to 
resolve this matter according to the process these two entities had 
established on the weeks leading up to the 208th General Assembly. 
 
    After the vote, a member of the committee expressed concern for the 
relationship between the Ganado Mission and the Grand Canyon Presbytery, 
that tensions might be resolved.  The overture advocate from Grand Canyon, 
Barrie Gray, expressed his personal concurrence with the action taken by 
the committee, since his presbytery's overture had been passed before the 
new agreement between the Foundation and the GAC. 
 
    Stone, of the Ganado Mission, rose to express his appreciation for the 
committee's attention to his concerns, as well as his trust in the 
Foundation and the GAC.  He also mentioned a process initiated by Grand 
Canyon to resolve problems in the relationship between his mission and the 
presbytery, a process he expected to bear fruit. 
 
    The second action dealt with three similar but distinct overtures and 
one GAC communication relating to the consultative process between 
governing bodies in the church in the administration of mission.  The 
debate was about partnership between levels within the church and about who 
has final "control"  when mission funds are left to the church through 
bequests.  The three overtures (96-104, 96-107, and 96-117) and 
communication 97-7, were considered in turn and in relationship with each 
other.  A small writing group was assigned the task of responding to them 
according to the terms of the debate of the full Committee. 
 
    The writing group presented a recommendation which would answer the 
overtures and communication by incorporating elements of them into a single 
document describing a somewhat simplified process.  Their action would 
instruct the GAC and the Foundation to make available as public information 
a listing of mission funds held by General Assembly entities, along with 
their balances and restrictions. 
 
    The recommended action would also establish a task force "charged with 
developing a process in which all governing bodies are parties to the 
allocation of restricted funds" given the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 
within the United States and Puerto Rico. 
 
 
Dee Wade 

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