The resolution was sponsored by activist layman Jeff Moretzsohn, a leader in the Concerned Pennsylvania Episcopalians movement (WWW.CONCERNEDPAEPISCOPALIANS.ORG) that seeks the restoration of the diocese and supports the Standing Committee in their call for Bishop Bennison's resignation. The resolution passed by an overwhelming majority. Moretzsohn is a diocesan delegate from The Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli.

Diocesan delegates were concerned about runaway diocesan costs heaped up by Bishop Charles Bennison. Because diocesan accounting is in such shambles, "we are unable to tell how many Unrestricted Net Assets might be available for these pledges," said a delegate.

The $550,000 deficit budget proposal was hobbled together by a coalition audit committee that reflected the broad theological spectrum of the diocese and was overwhelmingly approved of by the delegates. Also approved was a directive to Diocesan Council that they cannot amend the budget beyond what convention has approved without the express approval of the full convention.

Also included in Moretzsohn's amendment was a mandate for a special procedures audit to be funded by the diocese employing the accounting firm of Alan Segal at a cost of $28,000. The audit will cover all of the diocesan accounts and show not only how much money is there, but also how the money has been spent and show how each expenditure was approved. The audit will also show who has been spending the money.

Because the diocesan budget has been restricted to $550,000 the net effect was to make the biggest cut from the Camp Wapiti budget which was over $528,000 to less than $195,000 reducing the camp's operation to mere care-taking.

Up to this point, once a diocesan budget was passed, Bennison has used the Finance and Property Committee and Diocesan Council to manipulate and get whatever he wanted. Now he can't do that because of spending restrictions that have been placed on him and Diocesan Council.

In his sermon Bishop Bennison pleaded for the diocese to forgive his debts even as he promised to forgive those who "sinned against him". God will forgive us our sins and help us work together and come to a termination of the problems, he said.

The bishop pleaded for delegates to the Special Diocesan Convention not to cut the diocesan pledge to the national church. "Other dioceses are pulling out of their pledge to the national church, please don't do that here." However, under the approved budget, the diocese cut their pledge to the national church from $750,000 to $525,000.

One delegate tried to link the diocese's sick financial position with Bennison's running of the diocese, but was ruled out of order by the ousted former chancellor, William Bullitt.

"We are here today only to discuss the budget," said Bullitt. The new revised budget allowed for the restoration of all monies to congregations and mission parishes for 2006. The diocese wants a pay as you go approach. Effective April, 2006, The Pennsylvania Episcopalian will become a quarterly newspaper. The Millennium Development goal was eliminated. The diocesan staff was cut from 24 to nine.

It was also revealed that actual parish pledges to the diocese were down by 10 percent reflecting declining attendance and withholding by some orthodox parishes.

It was not a good day for Charles Bennison, with sources telling VirtueOnline that the push to get rid of Bennison still remains strong among the Standing Committee, Concerned Episcopalians and other persons.

Furthermore Bennison faces serious outstanding lawsuits against him which could ignite at any time. Delegates were told that some $320,000 in legal fees was spent on taking back the parish of St. James the Less from the Anglo-Catholic rector Fr. David Ousley.

The Diocese of Pennsylvania is the fifth largest diocese in the Episcopal Church.

END

Reflections on the Special Convention
From Concerned Pennsylvania Episcopalians

by Jeff Moretzsohn

In November of 2005, the people of the Diocese of Pennsylvania spoke loudly and said no to a budget proposal with deficit spending in excess of $1.2 million dollars. On Saturday, March 25th the people of the Diocese spoke clearly and said yes to a program budget which requires an independent auditor verify that the $550,000 of Unrestricted Net Assets, specified in the budget, are available for use in order to support the program budget. With an amended budget which requires a Special Audit to verify how Unrestricted, Temporarily Restricted and Permanently Restricted Net Assets have been spent or classified since 2003, we should celebrate this first step towards retuning the Diocese to fiscal accountability and responsibility.

In addition to the Special Audit, three programmatic shifts in the 2006 budget should be highlighted. First, the significant reduction in spending program dollars to support the Wapiti Retreat Center is a response to the voice of the people. The Retreat Center was ranked as the lowest programmatic priority in a recent diocesan wide survey. Secondly by funding the Development department with funds received for the Capital Campaign, the 2006 budget, passed by convention, will not use congregational giving to offset the associated costs of any capital campaign. In other words, the capital campaign will and must be self supporting so as to not drain resources necessary to fund the mission and ministry of the Diocese. Third is the acknowledgement and passage of specific language which prevents Diocesan Council from increasing expenditures without approval from Convention as well as a super-majority vote by Council itself.

While the new budget guarantees the level of support for congregational aide, programmatic development and the compensation for DCMM vicars, will not be eroded, there is still much to do to assist and protect those of our brothers and sisters within the Diocese who still remain at risk of not being able to fully realize their mission and ministry. The compelling plea from our brother from All Saints, Darby is a vivid reminder that significant challenges are before us. We must renew our efforts to develop a proactive strategy of Diocesan-wide stewardship in order to address the needs of all. While mandatory assessments are clearly not the answer, we must seek to develop creative funding strategies in order to meet the challenges before us.

Finally, while great strides have been made in returning the diocese to a measure of fiscal sanity, we must not forget that we are still subject to a diocesan leadership where examples of insensitivity, manipulation of finances, lack of trust, fear of retribution, and breaches of confidentiality are sadly still part of our daily life.

As such, we must be thankful for God's blessings this past Saturday, and bolstered by the clarity with which convention spoke. More importantly, we must be strengthened and remain vigilant in our call to seek and carry out His will as we continue to move forward.

---Jeff Moretzsohn is the lay delegate from the Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli, Pennsylvania