General Convention - Day 9 In The Depths

Pray for the members of the Episcopal Church Center Staff.

Today the joint committee on Program, Budget, and Finance (PB&F) presented their proposed budget to a joint session of General Convention. Although we knew things were bad, it was still devastating. As a result of the drastically reduced budget, 30 staff positions have been cut. Most of the affected employees who are here in Anaheim were told before we saw printed copies of the budget. One employee found out her job was being eliminated when a deputy asked a question after the main budget presentation.

The Presiding Bishop met with the staff at 2:00 this afternoon before the joint session. She pulled no punches. She thanked us all for our hard work and told us that the improved atmosphere at this Convention was largely due to our work over the current triennium. Then she told us that cuts would be deep, and that they would probably affect every department at the Church Center. She told us at least twice that any cuts were not a reflection of our work nor something we should take personally. She took care to look as many people as possible in the eye as she spoke. It could not have been easy, and it was clear that she was close to tears as she talked to us.

The joint session began at 2:30, and we had the choice of going down to the House of Deputies to watch, or to watch the live feed in the staff office. A number of us stayed in the staff office. I did not want to be in the gallery of the House when this news came, so I stayed in the office. After the presentation and a short question and answer session, Pan Adams, the chair, and Bishop Drew Smith, the vice chair, of PB&F came to talk to us. It was clear that they were also in a lot of pain over the cuts. They, too, said that it was not personal, that all of us had done good work.

As of today, my job is secure, and in fact, they increased my budget by 10%. What will happen as the Church Center is reorganized yet again, I don't know. Valued colleagues have lost their jobs. Important programs have been cut entirely. It still isn't over. Staff who did not come to Convention still have not been informed as to the status of their jobs. It is likely that they will have to stew over the weekend, as all of the Directors are here in Anaheim, and it would be wrong to give the affected employees the news over the phone. Some departments still have to make the decisions about which staff positions will be cut. And the Presiding Bishop was quite clear that the layoffs would be before the end of the year, even though the budget is for the next triennium.

About halfway through this evening I thought, "And after we put all that work into the web site, we still aren't going to be able to finish it. And I don't give a g** d****."

Those of us who still have jobs are shell shocked, experiencing survivor's guilt, and are upset and angry. There are still two days of Convention left, and we have to present as positive a face as possible to Convention. Anything less would be disrespectful to our colleagues' work, the work of PB&F, and of the bishops and deputies who still have to pass the budget and complete the other legislative work of Convention.

No pictures or other Convention news tonight.

Pray for those who have lost their jobs, and for those of us still employed.

Peace,
Jeff