Wood said that Bishop Charles E. Bennison has continued to refuse to resign or retire and "that he has the canonical right to refuse". He also said that Bennison has not agreed to "mediation" as no one has asked him, but he only wants to talk about "reconciliation." Laney said, "we don't want to demonize anyone"(which means no presentment). However issues of trust were again raised about Bennison's running of the diocese and his dealings with people. Wood chimed in, saying it is good advice not to try and get rid of Bennison.

Wood said the diocese considered three options in the past, but not now: "We could call in the state Attorney General; ask the deans to call the Presiding Bishop's office or ask, again, for Bennison's retirement/resignation."

The Attorney General idea was quickly ruled out as it could rebound on the Standing Committee and the Diocesan Committee as to why they were not dong their fiduciary duty in watching how the money was being spent in the first place.

The second idea was calling the Presiding Bishop. At first this was ruled out, and then they did it.

One clergyman said he had been a rector in the Diocese of NJ when Bishop Jo Mo Doss was dumped and it took five years to get rid of him at a cost of over $1 million dollars, in addition to which they had to wait four more years without a bishop till he had technically retired. It was expensive and time consuming, he said. The message was clear, 'don't try to get rid of Bennison.' Wood chimed in "We will follow your advice". Then why was this meeting called? Bennison has a right to refuse to resign. The inmates are clearly running the asylum.

The final chapter in this Mad Hatter's Tea Party will be revealed when the $28,000 audit reveals how the Unrestricted Net Assets of millions of dollars has been spent by Bennison and what the impact of that will be on the diocese's future. It was not available at the open forum.

Glenn Matis told the crowd that the Standing Committee tried to slow things down like the purchase of Camp Wapiti, but they were not listened too.

Mary Laney: "There was no capital campaign that ever got off the ground. There was no possibility of ever raising $4 million let alone $40 million thus the Unrestricted Net Assets were being eroded. There was a tremendous flow of money going out, but the money coming in was very small."

Joe Suprenuk, interim financial controller in Church House in 2004, outlined two broad categories. "Camp Wapiti is burning over $500,000 a year while $20 to $30 million was being spent with $13 million on a campsite two hours away from the diocese with no transportation for urban kids. A Capital campaign survey showed we did not have the capacity to raise the required funds. While the books were kept to strict accounting principles it was false to say that wise financial decisions were being made. An organization can be on the edge of bankruptcy even while the books look good."

Suprenuk said that appraisal values of Camp Wapiti were also false. "We do not know the current market value the price a buyer who had the funding would pay. No one has offered to purchase the camp for $13 million with a certified check in their hands. We can all speculate at what Wapiti might be worth, but we really don't know. If the $13 million invested in Wapiti had been invested by the Church Foundation it would have been worth $19.2 million today... based on compound interest. The investment in Wapiti should be reduced. The interest and dividends could easily have provided $1 million in cash per year, an opportunity that has now been squandered." Suprenuk said the diocese was paying $500,000 in cash "till we can figure out what we do with the Wapiti venture. We have put ourselves in a $1.5 million cash flow deficit. We have a world class conference center with a liquor license. When we embarked on the Wapiti Venture we did now know the cost. When pressed the administration estimates the Camp Wapiti will cost $27 million to complete. Whether you are for or against the process it is going to leave a bad taste in our mouthsw. We must cap the funds now."

Suprenuk then blasted a condo/office/parking lot being built on Chestnut Street. "This is unsustainable. The administration is seeking a $1 million line of credit for operations. The administration has been less than transparent. We do not have the visibility we had last year." Asked if the deficits had been paid back, Suprenuk said no. "None have been paid back. Only 4% of church pledges have come in from administrative initiatives. Over 25% should have paid through April. The diocese has paid $1million and borrowed money from the endowments and they have not been repaid. The diocese cannot live within its fiscal means."

Suprenuk condemned Camp Wapiti's bloated staff levels. "We simply cannot staff the place. Total personal (diocesan) reductions are at their lowest levels. Wapiti has staff while we have let the communications director of the diocese go."

Bill Powell former diocesan stewardship manager and a former bank trust officer said that 2002 saw the budget started to expand while pledges started to flatten out. "The Program Budget and Finance Committee continued to use the accumulated income from the trust funds that had faithfully built up over many years. Parish pledges did not grow and the accumulated income was gone. Trust income had been allowed to accumulate and now it has disappeared. The revolving loan fund of the bishop went out of existence. We went into UNA's (formerly the trusts of Zion and St. Andrews) and they became part of a pool called UNA. They were used for anything at all. Spending went up especially on Camp Wapiti while parishes giving went down along with the assets. This is where we are today. We are looking for a line of credit to provide cash to get through day to day. Shame on us for using the principle for that purpose. We are in a real bind as to where we go in the future."

Another member of the Standing Committee, the Rev. Isaac Miller, Church of the Advocate, said "it is a disgusting situation that brings us together. It disproportionately involves money. The other issue we struggle with is an issue of trust that binds us together... that binds us together in the Body of Christ."

Deacon Jane Cosby stood up and said she was the vice president of the union and had tried to build closer ties between the Black Clericus and the Deacons program. She told a horror story about how Bennison had invited the Black clergy to Wapiti but had not allowed them to address the real issues in the diocese. "What we learned and heard is that the communication between the organization and structure around the black urban parishes had vanished. Salaries of aided parishes and clergy were being paid from Diocesan funds. When the black clergy got back from Wapiti (where they hoped to address with Bennison the issues they, but never were,) within hours of their return each received an e-mail from the bishop saying that there would be a different formula for parish asking. When one of the black clergy asked if it meant their salaries would be included in this new formula, the answer was yes. "There lives were about to change. Bennison could have told them all this at Wapiti, but he didn't. The pain, anguish and anger in that room was palpable. Mary Laney and I went home and sent a letter to Bennison and told him not to do this. These aided parishes have no clergy advocate. They had lost their archdeacon. The letter asked Bishop Bennison to reconsider and allow the old system to be retained. How can these people lead, feed, clothe, house, preach and teach and make disciples, and do it all struggle with less money, and with only partial salaries. The concern was broader and wider than black or aided parishes; "What is happening to the money," she cried.

Philadelphia attorney David Langfitt said that one option that should be considered was intervention by the Commonwealth's Attorney General. "Not at this time, we need to wait for the audit. We should not revisit that without advice of counsel," said Wood.

Another questioner asked how, if the diocese is in such dire straits and people are contributing less and old people whose income is diminishing, how the diocese was going to be managed?

"What we need to do is get some resolution on Wapiti, it is burning a $1.5 million a year hole. We need to control spending and live within our means," said Suprenuk.

A parishioner from St. David's asked if a number of positions have been eliminated that would bring things a little closer. "What has changed since the March special convention? If the banks will not give us loans and we get forced into bankruptcy, what are the implications for the parishes and their assets?

The problem requires a legal answer said Wood. "We need to stay clear of that. We will get back to you."

Questions were raised about how children were going to get Wapiti this summer. Wood said they would try and open up a collaborative ministry in the diocese. "There are no plans to side track summer efforts in the camp."

Another questioner asked if the diocesan vision amounted to anything. "You might as well go play golf...do what you like. The rest of the year will be about you. The thing that the parishes voted by a huge majority was to see Bennison go. If the small parishes are being closed and starved we won't be going to Wapiti if there is no church to go too, if the bishop doesn't resign we are all finished. We need to seek very clearly if the bishop is going to retire or resign. We need to move forward promptly."

"The diocese is in a deep hole," said another parishioner. "What is the role of the Diocesan Council? The council has voted for the four C's, how do we get ourselves out of it. We had a hand in it."

Another questioner asked if the Episcopate budget should be examined and if the bishop's salary should be tightened. "We are very concerned with the episcopate budget as well. We are not going to let that grow but shrink. We are going to put the brakes on re-allocating funds this year," said Wood.

"How can you engender trust if the bishop stays in his leadership role," asked another inquirer.

Asked what the next step was after the audit, no clear answer was offered. There was more discussion about the need to "come to trust...talk and listen to each other. Concerns were expressed about how trust could be recovered if it gets disrupted hierarchically. "Why is it that no one has insisted on more effective financial procedures?" asked another concerned lay person.

"We asked for financial reports but we were continually put off. Hopefully things will work out; things have gone on way too long."

We should not embark on a Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) path if Bennison chooses not to resign. Getting a bishop to resign is a long and agonizing process, said another priest. "It took four years of agony before Bishop Jo Mo Doss (New Jersey) agreed to resign. It took over a $1 million settlement and three years of interim bishops for healing. We are looking at seven years of ministry effectively stopped. Bennison would be 69 years old. This is a pathway of mutually assured destruction."

"Let us heed that advice," said Wood.

Said one attorney, "it is back to litigation, we go."

END