Calvin Synod Herald, 1986 (86. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)
1986 / 5-6. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 11 — REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA PANORAMA Relief in sight for small conference Help may be on the way for small conferences which, because of geographical size and/ or small membership, may experience operating difficulties. In October the Executive Council is to receive a proposal setting up a process for review of a conference's needs and recommendations for action, including financial help. For the past several years conference executives and national church leaders have been discussing the struggles of some conferences to maintain services. Often these are stretched to the limit because few churches cover vast areas, particularly in the West. General Synod 15 addressed the issue by asking the Executive Council to work out a program of support. At the most recent Small Conference Consultation, held April 30-May 1 in St. Paul, MN, a proposalfor an “early warning system ” was adopted to be considered by the Executive Council. Conferences needing help can ask the Executive Council to set up a “findings consultation” to explore ways to alleviate the problem. A ny recommendations would have to be approved by the conference 's board of directors. Help could come from a variety of sources. If the need is financial, specific instrumentalities could be asked to make grants or money could be allocated from funds administered by Executive Council. Sometimes, conferences face a more immediate financial emergency, says Charles W. Cooper, assistant to the president and consultation convenor. Under the proposal, such conferences could apply directly to the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries for a grant, which the Board would make on behalf of the whole church. The UCBHM directorate recently voted to make $50,000 in nonprogram grants available for such purposes. United Church News Malpractice Coverage Offered Clergy malpractice suits are on the increase, warn insurance officials. A few sensational suits have made banner headlines, and a number of insurers have jumped into the business in recent years. But Paul Hammet, vice president of Hefferman, Keiler & Doble, one of the nation’s largest church insurance brokers, says UCC pastors have not been faced with a barrage of lawsuits. “I know of only two cases,” he says, adding that most suits are either thrown out of court or settled privately. Clergy malpractice coverage is a standard component of the insurance package offered to member churches and conferences, reports the Conferences of the United Church of Christ Insurance Advisory Board. Typical of cases that make headlines are instances of alleged faulty pastoral counseling. A recent case involved the parents of a young man who committed suicide after seeking help from his minister. They sued, but the case has been dismissed twice. Such cases are a judgment of professional competency, explains Reuben A. Sheares 11, executive director of the UCC’s Office for Church Life and Leadership. Traditionally, he adds, such misconduct has been “adjudicated by ecclesiastical bodies and not the state.” But lawyers and insurance representatives point out that in an increasingly litigious society, it is inevitable that clergy will be sued. And it costs money to defend oneself, even if the case is dismissed, notes Kenneth Stewart, prominent Wichita attorney and General Synod 16 moderator. The UCC coverage, called “pastoral professional liability,” pays for civil suits but not criminal cases. What can pastors do to protect themselves? “Good record-keeping is a must,” advises Mr. Hammer. Another possibility is enrolling in the UCC insurance plan. Currently participating are 31 conferences and over 1,600 churches. Write UCC/INS, 50 Woodside Ave., San Francisco, CA 94127. (Keeping You Posted) Church World Service Assists in relief NEW YORK, September 9 — Church World Service has appealed to its member denominations for funds for relief in India and Pakistan following floods in those two countries. Extensive floods in India have affected several states. Press reports indicate serious deterioration by flooding in the central and southern regions. In Andhra Pradesh State, 90 persons are reported dead, 100,000 are homeless and there are 500 marooned villages, reported Major Michael, executive director of the Churches Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) in India. The World Council of Churches has issued an appeal for SI50,000 to assist CASA in its relief program in seven states. CWS has forwarded $5,000 from the CWS executive director’s emergency fund, and has appealed for an additional $50,000 to be forwarded to the WCC for the CASA relief program. In Pakistan, heavy monsoon rains have caused extensive damage in the Gujranwala-Sialkot and Muzaffargarh areas of the Punjab, reported Bruce Rogers, CWS regional representative in Southern Asia. Additionally, rain damage and floods have affected hundreds of small villages, ruining standing crops and washing away homes, he said. Rogers reported that the government of Pakistan has provided some immediate relief with evacuation and temporaty living shelters, but that there still are many areas that are isolated and in need. He said the greatest need will become evident in the next few months at harvest time, when people who get paid in kind will have no food. CWS has advanced $5,000 from the CWS executive director’s emergency fund for relief efforts in Pakistan, and has appealed for an additional $15,000 to provide much-needed assistance. The NCC and CWS have 31 Orthodox, Protestant and Anglican member denominations,with a combined membership of 42 million. •T* -F 5K Christian education for the 21st century What will Christian education look like in the coming decades? National UCC officials are trying to answer that question in several ways. Education specialists at the UCC’s Homeland Board have the following items on their fall agenda: * Five select UCC people active in Christian education will convene in New York in December to begin work as consultants to the Homeland Board, as it starts to reenvision the UCC’s teaching ministries. * A group of people who have tried lectionary-based curricula will gather with Homeland Board staffers in December to discuss what works and what doesn’t. * The entire staff of the division will brainstorm about fresh approaches to the teaching ministry at a retreat in September, led by education experts. Readers with questions or ideas about education in the UCC can write to Ansley Coe Throckmorton, General Secretary, Division of Education and Publication, United Church Board for Homeland Ministries, 132 W. 31st St., New York, N.Y. 10001. (United Church News)
