Funding for Indigenous people’s ministry

4. Mr Richard Lambert asked -

Having regard to resolution 25/02, by which the Synod urges each parish of the diocese to generously support indigenous ministry in the diocese any way it can, for example by giving a percentage of any land sales to the Indigenous Peoples’ Ministry Trust Fund or by giving 1% of their income to the fund, can the President please inform the Synod for the period 1 October 2004 to 30 September 2005 -

1. How many parishes are in the Diocese?
2. How many ordinances for the sale of property held in trust for a parish were made by Standing Committee?
3. How many such ordinances contained a provision for a percentage of the land sale to be paid to the trust fund?
4. How many such ordinances did not contain such a provision as urged by Synod?
5. How many parishes have made donations to the trust fund?

To which the President replied -

I am advised that the answers are as follows -

1. there are 267 parochial units
2. 5
3. 0
4. 5
5. 2

In 2003 the Standing Committee reported to the Synod that it had considered the recommendation in resolution 25/02, but had judged that apportioning a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of church trust property would not provide a regular source of funding to the Indigenous People’s Ministry Fund. Furthermore the Standing Committee considered that to take funds from such a source was neither equitable nor wise. The Standing Committee recommended instead that 1% of the total income proposed to be appropriated by the Synod in each year from 2006 onwards be applied as a capital addition to the Fund.

The Standing Committee’s recommendation was reported to and endorsed by Synod in 2004 by resolution 34/04 thereby effectively superseding resolution 25/02. A special appropriation has been incorporated into the Schedule to Synod Appropriations and Allocations Ordinance 2005 to give effect to that request.