The Church of England issued this press release today:
Lambeth Conference: Funding
11 August 2008The Board of Governors of the Church Commissioners, and the Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England have both met within the past few days to discuss an approach from the Lambeth Conference Company* for financial help. The Board met this morning (August 11th) and the Council on Thursday August 7th.
The Company has assured the Board and the Council that it is continuing to make further approaches throughout the Anglican Communion to meet the full cost of this year’s Conference. It cannot, however, be confident that these will generate funds sufficiently quickly for it to meet all of its obligations as they fall due over the coming weeks and months.
The Board of Governors of the Church Commissioners and the Archbishops’ Council have therefore each agreed to make available to the Company up to £600k as required to enable the Company to honour its commitments while fundraising efforts continue. At this stage both bodies regard these amounts as interest free loan facilities.
They will be considering these matters again at their September meetings when they expect a further report from the Company about the progress of its fundraising efforts.
Notes
There has already been generous support from the Church of England for the Lambeth Conference. Parishes and dioceses have made donations towards the costs of overseas bishops attending and the Church Commissioners have met the fees of the English bishops and their wives attending the Lambeth Conference, the costs of some of the conference organising staff, and some of the hospitality offered by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
More information about the Lambeth Conference is available at www.lambethconference.org.
*The Lambeth Conference Company is the body given responsibility for managing the finances and administration of the Lambeth Conference 2008.
“The Company has assured the Board and the Council that it is continuing to make further approaches throughout the Anglican Communion to meet the full cost of this year’s Conference.”
Would those approaches be towards the same parts of the Communion that have departed from the Gospel and received deserved castigation for their evil imperialism by the orthodox bishops representing the “vast majority” of the world’s Anglicans, by any chance…?
“Yes, we don’t want any part of you–except for your cash.”
They might contact the Institute for Religious Development. It seems to be an organization with a lot of cash to spread around.
So the Archbishop who could not come to the US until the last minute is now going to come in haste to bail out the Conference which he organized to further the project of the Anglican Covenant which will in the end exclude those from whom he is asking money to pay for the Conference in which he pushed this project forward without debate or vote. And further, it is the same Archbishop who sacrifices his own understanding of the truth to yield to the fear and ignorance of others while asking those who have sustained abuse from the church… Read more »
Perhaps the Global South Cingency should be apporached for help. They might have some (Conservative American) cash left over from the GAFCON – that which was not able to be spent in the Jordan part of the Conference.
I have thirty pieces of silver to contribute to this fund. Does it go direct to Lambeth Palace, or is there a designated account I should send it to?
Tempting though it is to suggest that North America offer Rowan and the Lambeth Company a plugged nickel or thirty pieces of silver or whatever other symbolic and insulting donation, I think that would play badly. The “conservative” lynch mob would – rightly – spin it as the North Americans saying our way or the highway. The fact that the behaviour is no different than the “conservative” schismatics is beside the point.
Let North America be gracious and pony up a fair share of the 1.2 million quid – and offer no further ammunition to the schismatics.
But it will be spun no end anyway, Malcolm+, don’t you think?
The more venomous of the schismatics will attack regardless of what the legitimate North American provinces do.
That said, the charge of refusing to contributre because we didn;t get our was is more damaging that the charge of paying up in the hopes of buying future influence.
Sorry, Malcolm–I’m not “buying” it, and neither should you. We would not be refusing to give money for life-saving medical treatments, clean water, or food. We would be refusing to fund a conference where our GLBT brothers and sisters were excluded and treated as nothing more than problems to be solved, rather than the children of God that they are. I’d be fine with TEC giving a donation in the amount needed to Episcopal Relief and Development as a sign of what we are really all about—but I will lobby until my strength gives out to prevent the church from… Read more »
So why not save money and just abandon Lambeth. It doesn’t do any good and costs far too much money.
Y’know? That’s a thought.
Let the legitimate North American provinces come up with the full shortfall amount – and give it to something else.
Bloody brilliant.
I’m tempted to suggest sending a wooden nickel – but my diocese was the victim of the now neo-Africans holding their noses and giving nothing to the diocese because of their alleged consciences.
So I say pony up, but deduct from TEC’s share an estimated amount that will be spent defending TEC’s property from the neo-African would-be thieves.