The Record - Fall 2018

The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan | edomi.org

CELEBRATE EDUCATE CREATE

THE

RECORD Fall 2018

J O U R N E Y S Jane’s Walk, St. Michael’s Grosse Pointe Woods

You teach me the way of life.

In your presence is total celebration.

Beautiful things are always in your right hand.

Psalm 16:11

The Record is an official publication of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. Our mission is to celebrate, educate, and create community within our diocese.

EDITOR: Anna Schroen PUBLISHER: The Rt. Rev. Wendell N. Gibbs, Jr. The Record is published by the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan, 4800 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48201.

Address changes may be emailed to TheRecord@edomi.org.

Image permissions and copyright: Cover: Jane’s Walk, St. Michael’s, Grosse Pointe, Woods, inside cover: Gabriel Jimenez, p. 1: Radek Procyk, hatza, Kim Pratt, p. 2 Randall Honold, Mechelle Sieglitz Castelli, p. 4-5: Snehit Photography, p. 6-7: Samaritas, p. 9: Vasilis Ververidis, p. 12-13: Sasi Ponchaisang, p. 14-15 Judith Schellhammer, p. 16: hatza, p. 19: Deon Johnson, p. 20-21: Kim Pratt, back cover: Eric Travis

CONTENTS Fall 2018

02 04 Letter From The Bishop Letter From The Editor

Anna Schroen, Director of Communications

The Rt. Rev. Wendell N. Gibbs, Jr.

06 The Path Home Exploring Inward 12 Michelle Haskell, Samaritas

The Rev. Judith Schellhammer, St. Michael and All Angels, Cambridge Junction

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Who Are The Trustees?

Michael B. Stewart, Esq., Trustee and Member of St. James, Birmingham

20 Episcopalooza 2018 August 18, Inkster

Fall ‘18 | 01

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Reader, Thank you so much for picking up this issue of The Record.

This magazine is a deep dive into the joys and the hardships of journeys. We will explore the intense journeys of child refugees who come to the United States for asylum, the inward journeying of our Exploring Your Spiritual Journey (EYSJ) program, and the financial path taken by the trustees of our diocese.

I invite you to reflect on the many journeys you are currently on and consider their meaning and purpose.

Thank you so much for a year of learning, laughing and sharing. Please stay involved with us both in person and online, and continue sharing your lives, lessons, and blessings with us.

Sincerely,

Anna Schroen Director of Communications Episcopal Diocese of Michigan

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Anna Schroen

Winter Wint Wi nter er ‘17 17 | 003 3

LETTER FROM THE BISHOP

BY THE RT. REV. WENDELL N. GIBBS, JR.

“It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.”

Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness

I have come to appreciate that life is a journey.

I have had, and continue to have, all sorts of “arrival points” throughout the journey; and, each time I feel as though I have arrived in whatever way that is manifested, I realize that the true fulfillment was in navigating the space and time between the last stop and the new target spot. Having come to a place where I can actually embrace this notion of journey, it is so much easier to accept that the various twists and turns along way haven’t been a series of right or wrong turns. Rather, they have been roads of exploration that have led to the next road along the way.

When I was young lad, I set out on a goal of becoming a doctor. Many of my parent’s friends thought I was ideally suited to be a surgeon because I had “surgeon’s hands,” whatever that meant! I was convinced that becoming a doctor was the most important thing I could do. Eventually, I came to realize that what I wanted most was to help people and that there was a myriad of ways to do that.

Along the way, medicine and hospitals became a distant dream and I discovered the road of faith and the church.

At a young age, I became very involved in my home church, Tabor United Presbyterian Church, even volunteering to be the preacher on Youth Sunday.

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The memories of the Sunday I made my personal commitment as a member of the church remain vivid when I recall points along my journey that were highlights that helped lead me to ordained ministry.

At some point, the idea of becoming some type of minister in the church began to blossom and that’s when the twists and turns began to happen with somewhat alarming frequency.

Somewhere along the way, I experienced a “May Procession” and worship service in a pre-Vatican II Roman Catholic parish church. I remember the chanting, the Latin and the captivating aroma of incense. That experience sparked a longing within me to embrace those symbols as important parts of my religious expression. A number of years passed before I actually acted on that desire to embrace, and came only after a High School conversion experience when I verbally expressed my desire to become a Roman Catholic to my very Protestant family. Here, too, it was the journey that was important. While my father objected and worked to dissuade my decision, my grandparents revealed themselves as my defenders and supporters making it possible for me to truly embrace a personal faith and become part of a church that meant something to me. It was a pivotal moment in my faith journey, and one that I soon realized was less about the moment of becoming Roman Catholic and very much about the journey.

By the time I was ready to graduate from High School, my desire to immerse myself in the church was strong. Three weeks after graduation, I entered the monastery, presenting myself as a postulant in the Religious Order that operated the High School I had attended. I lived and worked and ultimately grew up – spiritually – as I continued to journey toward what I thought (assumed?) was to be a simple vowed life embracing poverty, chastity and obedience. However, after three years of monastic formation, I returned to life in the secular world; and, for a while, believed I had failed. I had not yet come to fully appreciate that all of the station stops along the way – stations that I had seen as final stops – were actually additions to the foundation that was supporting my journey: a life journey. Once again, it was really about the journey.

During the time that followed the monastery, life happened. I worked hard, I played hard; I argued internally and externally with the church and my own sense of faith; I even left the church, vowing never to set foot in another church again. I set my sights on new goals, new destinations while life continued – the journey proceeded to unfold.

After a year or two of what felt like mindless journeying, one Sunday, against all my protestations, I found myself in church again.

During that worship experience I began to realize that I had been focusing too much on goals and final destinations rather than on paying attention to and embracing the journey – embracing life.

During that liturgy, I clearly heard the invitation to let God journey with me rather than assuming (pretending?) I could journey alone.

The ‘yes’ that I uttered at that moment opened a window that has allowed me to appreciate that it “is the journey that matters in the end”. Over the years since that moment, I have come to realize that as we journey, it is not about whether we choose right or wrong roads, but how we travel the roads we choose. Each road on the journey leads to another. And, while on that road, the people we meet, the experiences we have all contribute to the foundation that supports our journey. I still set destinations for myself; and, I work hard to glean the many gifts offered to me by virtue of being on the journey, even if the original destination is really a station stop that allows me time to choose the next path.

Someone once shared with me an image of life as traversing a fast flowing river. As we leave one shore aiming for the other, we carefully step from stone to stone, always looking carefully to determine which stone is the best one to step to next to “get to the other side.” None of the stones are the destination, yet some of the stones may be feel more secure and offer amazing views of all that is around us. None of the stones are intended for us to stay there forever; we must move on. Everything we learn moving from stone to stone makes the crossing “easier,” “better,” “safer,” “doable.” Ultimately, it’s not about reaching the other side. Rather, we are called to embrace the journey.

The path Home Unaccompanied Refugee minors in Michigan

By Michelle Haskell, Samaritas

To fulfill our mission of serving people as an expression of the love of Christ, Samaritas has created a variety of programs to meet a number of needs around Michigan.

Samaritas is perhaps best known for our work in elder care, foster care, and refugee adult and family resettlement. In addition to these and other services, Samaritas is one of only a handful of organizations in the country that provides specialized services to refugee and immigrant children who have no family to look after them.

These youth, known officially as unaccompanied refugee minors or unaccompanied children, come from around the world—most commonly from Central America, the horn of Africa, and Burma.

Some have been orphaned, some have lost their families, and some have been forced to leave their families behind. Many have journeyed completely alone; others have lived for years crowded in camps or shelters. Some have even been victims of modern-day slavery. Quite a few have waited in refugee camps or shelters for years before being placed into a safe, loving home. They come from a variety of backgrounds, but have all endured tremendous loss and trauma while fleeing their home countries.

Our refugee foster care programs serve these youth by placing them with loving, caring foster homes around Michigan and providing services to help them adjust to a new country and begin healing from their past trauma. Once in a foster home, they are able to obtain support and encouragement as they pursue the bright and safe future that they could never have imagined, but should be every child’s right. They receive love, safety, counseling, and educational support, as well as learn valuable life skills that will help them thrive into adulthood in the United States. Youth must enter our program before they turn 18, but once with us, are eligible for services until their 21st birthday. Youth in our refugee programs are rarely able to be adopted for a variety of reasons, but often, the foster family becomes their unofficial family in the United States.

Globally, the world is in the midst of the worst humanitarian crisis it has ever seen. There are more than 50 million refugees and 2.8 million

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asylum seekers; half of these are children under the age of 18. All are humans, fleeing their homes for a chance at survival.

The path to resettlement for a refugee is long and challenging, and even more arduous for children on their own. It typically begins with war, violence, or persecution. Maybe the person has been threatened by an opposing force in their home country for political views, or because they practice a different religion than the majority. Perhaps they belong to a cultural group that is being forced out of the country by the dominant group, and they are at risk of being brutally murdered for not leaving fast enough. A refugee flees their home country to stay alive. They often trek on foot for hundreds of miles with little more than the clothing on their backs.

When they reach a neighboring country hoping for aid, they are usually ushered into a refugee camp, which is little more than an outdoor cage for humans in distress. Camps are usually under-resourced and overcrowded. Food rations often do not meet full nutritional needs and clean water can be hard to find.

Healthcare is often only accessible for the critically ill and is rarely sufficient for those extreme circumstances. Sanitation and shelter are subpar.

Women and children are particularly vulnerable to theft and violent crime.

Once refugees register in a camp, they can begin the process to resettle to another country. The process is long, usually 18 to 24 months, and intense. Despite the challenges of navigating the resettlement process alone, unaccompanied refugee minors are not granted any exceptions—they must successfully complete each step of the process or they will not be approved to resettle.

Razmin, a young artist from Afghanistan, is one of the lucky ones. He remembers his mother drawing horses for him on cardboard boxes when he was little; she sparked his love of art. Before he was 16 years old, Razmin had his own little art workshop where he would teach other kids to draw and paint. He drew anything that inspiredhim: animals, scenery, people he saw on the street. Portraits are his favorite.

Then one day, a man walked into his shop and told him he needed to stop what he was doing.

“It is not acceptable,” the man told him.

The man belonged to the Taliban, and this wasn’t a false threat. Razmin knew people who had been killed by the Taliban and because of his art, he was going to be added to the list.

birthday. He had access to more than three years of resettlement and foster care support. In this program, he learned about living in the United States, developed independence skills, and was encouraged and free to practice his art. He was able to graduate high school through the Global Institute of Lansing, a nonprofit devoted to helping refugees earn a high school diploma.

His uncle helped him escape, arranging for transport to Kabul, then India, through Malaysia, and finally, to an Now he attends college in California to fulfill his dream Indonesian refugee camp. He waited for over a year as of becoming a visual artist. Razmin was one of the his refugee resettlement application lucky ones. Less than one percent of was processed, his fingerprints and “I couldn’t believe I refugees are ever able to resettle personal data run through more could go to America,” to a third country. His than half a dozen security checks, he said. “It was resettlement was approved just in and every detail of his story indescribable. I cannot time for him to join a program checked and checked again for put it into words.” for minors; if he had resettled as consistency and authenticity. an adult, his services would have been severely limited. He knows how lucky he was, and he is How did he respond when he finally got the good news making the most of every opportunity. that he was going to be resettled?

“It is not enough just to come to America, but to bring “I couldn’t believe I could go to America,” he said. “It your dream to reality.” indescribable. I cannot put it into words.”

This all seems daunting. How can we, as individuals or Razmin was able to enter Samaritas’ Unaccompanied congregations, do more than make a single drop in the Refugee Minor program a few months before his 18th bucket—especially in the midst of the largest

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refugee crisis the world has ever seen, and when there is a great deal of misinformation about what refugees really experience, including the fact that they are victims of terror and not terrorists? How can we help our fellow humans who are suffering?

involved in their development and growth without legal responsibility. If you donate or rent a vacant home to our program, your contribution could help us to maintain that role in the long term.

For those called to financially support this mission, our program needs funding to support independence more than ever. Each year, we have a small budget allotted to our program by the State of Michigan to cover, among other things, first and last month’s rent and goods like furniture and higher-cost school Our biggest need is for safe and loving foster homes supplies for youth transitioning to our independent who are willing to welcome a stranger into their living program. Over the last several years, the hearts and lives. You do not need to be married, own number of children transitioning to independence in your home, or speak another language to be a our program has increased significantly, but the foster parent. The biggest qualifications are the ability amount of money in this fund has decreased. As of to care for youth, pass background checks, May 31, 2018, all of our previously allotted funds have and be willing to work with our licensing staff to been used, and we continue to search in earnest for evaluate your living space. Youth in our program are new ways to help support these young people. typically 16 years and While a gift of $3,000 can older, and they usually cover all the costs for a “All it takes is the drop of begin their lives in the refugee child beginning a new, a single rock to start the United States with a exciting chapter transitioning ripple of positive change. foster family as they to independent living, every How can you, your family, little bit helps make a difference. learn English and acclimate to a new your small group, or your You can donate by visiting country. Often, the congregation be one of www.samaritas.org. foster family becomes an those rocks?” unofficial family for the youth, If you are not called to any of the above who continues to communicate with them and ideas, perhaps the simplest—but still returns to the home on breaks from college and for immensely meaningful—thing you can do is to holidays. help us fight misinformation and xenophobia by sharing facts about refugees and immigrants and Another equally powerful way to help refugee foster positive experiences you may have had with someone children is by renting a room to a child, or by from another culture. And of course, please join us in donating or renting a vacant home to our program. prayers for peace, love, and understanding for our Perhaps your congregation even has a rectory or refugee neighbors. parsonage available that you have been discerning how to best use for transformational ministry.

For more information on how you, your family, your small group, or your congregation could forever As youth develop the life skills they need to be on change a life for the better, please contact Michelle their own, they transition from foster care into our Haskell, our outreach team lead for refugee foster independent living program. Here, they may rent a care at (517) 827-5170 or mhask@samaritas.org. To room from a community member who acts as a learn more about all the services offered by live-in mentor or live in an apartment or house with Samaritas, go to www.samaritas.org. other youth from ourprogram. At this stage, they still receive agency support and guidance, but do not require the daily supervision that a child living in a foster home would need. By renting a room in your home to one of these youth, you can be personally

At Samaritas, we firmly believe that all it takes is the drop of a single rock to start the ripple of positive change. How can you, your family, your small group, or your congregation be one of those rocks?

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EXPLORING

INWARD

By The Rev. Judith Schellhammer, St. Michael and All Angels, Cambridge Junction

One old adage I’ve heard too often is “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Thankfully, this just isn’t true, and many in our diocese are living examples of this every year as they participate in the classes offered by the Whitaker Institute. Our catechism found in the back of the Book of Common Prayer reminds us that the ministers of the church are “laypersons, bishops, priests, and deacons,” which seems to include all of us. That being the case, we are fortunate to have in Bishop Gibbs, a diocese that encourages lifelong Christian formation so that we all can develop the gifts for ministry God has given each of us. I have been privileged to serve as one of the facilitators for Exploring Your Spiritual Journey (EYSJ), an academic yearlong course designed for all Christians who are seeking to explore God’s purpose for their lives.

During the year of EYSJ, we look to see how God called people in the Hebrew scriptures and how God continues that call in the Christian scriptures through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. As a group of pilgrims traveling together on this journey, we look for answers to questions like: What might it mean to be “called” by God? What tools or gifts might I need to answer that call? What obstacles will I face, and how might I overcome them? How can I support the ministry of my fellow pilgrims?

While much of the work is done individually at home between sessions, our group time helps to build a strong, nurturing community of fellow travelers. I could go on but I think there is more to gain from hearing from a couple of last year’s participants, Felicity Thompson from St. Andrew’s, Ann Arbor, and Tom Benson from St. James, Grosse Ile. From Felicity: Exploring Your Spiritual Journey means transformation, growth, enlightenment, and favor. The journey showed me that ministry falls into my life, no matter what I have planned. It showed me that God has some tasks for me that I cannot ignore. This year’s journey as a pilgrim has given me the tools to stop, listen, and recognize what God has called me to do. Our classes on Saturdays started with worship. We spent time getting to know each other through storytelling, learning more about our calling, and spending time on self-reflection and prayer. This process allowed me to learn how to live intentionally—always discerning, paying attention to God working in my life, and listening to the Spirit.

EYSJ sharpened my “spiritual antenna.” My favorite exercise taught us to recognize our spiritual gifts and that these gifts are not just for us, they are also for those around us. I have grown to recognize and identify my spiritual gifts. They are not to be hidden away; they were given to be used.

Through the entire experience I saw that God is supernatural; God opens doors that no one else can open and leads me down paths that challenge and prepare me for these incredible tasks. God knows what I need and provides it when I need it.

God created the world. He created us. What God made is simple yet magnificent. Mankind has made the world complex and fragmented. Growing in Christianity and living as a member of the faith community seems difficult. We have so many expectations of each other and put up unnecessary barriers. EYSJ helped me stop trying to find out why and have faith instead—and be satisfied with the answers to questions that start with “how.”

Learning to document my spiritual journey has gotten easier with time, but it remains sometimes jarring and gut wrenching. It requires me, it seems, to reach deep into my soul and lay it bare. This is often a disconcerting and time-consuming experience that requires the kind of self-reflection that I sometimes wish to avoid. I was hoping that it would be a simple story, until I started writing things down. When it got complicated, I would take a break that wouldn’t last long; the Spirit nudged me, and that nudge could not be ignored. The process was like a literary baptism.

There were many drafts, as I realized there were people and events that I had to include because they formed who I am today.

After my year as a pilgrim, I see clearly that the church has a need for transformational leaders. Some say that it doesn’t matter how we share God’s Word and how we live God’s gospel, as long as we are true to the Word. Our leaders come in many shapes and sizes. Leaders are humble and not always obvious.

Leaders in the church don’t choose who they lead; they take care of all people. Daniel Thambyrajah Niles, a Sri Lankan Methodist minister said,

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“Christianity is one beggar telling another beggar where he found bread.” Part of my ministry will include telling others where to find bread. One of my church mentors sternly reminded us to take good care of those collection funds for they are sacred, given by not just the rich but the poor too.

Through our numerous Bible readings and book reflections, I have asked myself this question, as did Reverend Tracy Malone of the United Methodist Bishop of Ohio East Conference: “How will my ministry transform lives rooted in humility, passion, and courage?” I have learned to be brave and stand up for what I believe in, gently show others how to be spiritual warriors, and spread God’s promise of eternal life, amen.

God has given us his grace to share; it is not ours to give or confer majestically. EYSJ gave me the opportunity to worship, share stories, reflect, and pray with fellow pilgrims who are now friends. Our time together was transformational. It has been incredible and life changing, opening the way to future opportunities to grow in the Lord.

From Tom: Recently I was privileged to participate in the Exploring Your Spiritual Journey course offered through the Whitaker Institute. It was a meaningful and worthwhile experience.

For nine months, we gathered about every other week. We were guided by the excellent facilitators

Rev. Judith Schellhammer and Mr. Kevin McLogan through a series of assignments, guided discussions, and classroom exercises aimed at helping each of us to better discern God’s calling in our lives. The coursework was not academically difficult, but it did require a level of introspection and contemplation that could be challenging at times.

The course began with a weekend retreat where we, new pilgrims on this journey, got to know one another through group sessions and one-on-one team-ups. Even from this first weekend, we began to develop a sense of camaraderie and community.

Though we came from diverse backgrounds with different visions and levels of certainty about what God was calling us to, we soon found many things in common, not the least of which was a persistent calling to participate more deeply in ministry, be that ordained or lay ministry.

I personally went into the program with only a vague but persistent sense that I had been providentially blessed with skills, interests, and inclinations that might make me well suited to doing ministry of some sort. I had felt called to a pastoral ministry many decades ago, but had failed to answer that calling, and although I feared that the opportunity to serve God’s Kingdom in that way had long since passed, I felt certain there was some way I could do more to serve the community and world.

tour of what it means to be called, and what ways a person can answer that calling. A participant must work hard to use the EYSJ framework to explore their own personal journey and calling. The more one puts into each exercise or assignment, the greater the benefit of said work. The personal and introspective nature of EYSJ means that no two participants have the same experience, nor do we all come to the same conclusion at the end of the class.

If you have felt called to a deeper involvement in ministry—be that more intentional lay ministry or ordained ministry, an organized, clearly defined vocation, or just an urgency to better serve God and your fellow humans in whatever way you can—then EYSJ may very well be a resource to you. The value is hard to state, as you get from it what you put in, but the framework is well designed and the facilitators work hard to mentor and guide as you explore ways to minister and serve. I recommend it to any person who feels that desire to serve.

From Judith: I think Tom summed it up well: EYSJ is for all of us.

We’ve had participants from 20 to 84 years of age, from all walks of life, demographics, and backgrounds, all seeking to grow in our relationship with God. Won’t you consider joining us? You won’t be sorry!

Ultimately that is EYSJ’s greatest strength. Far from being a laser-focused course load aimed at people with a specific goal or vision in mind, EYSJ is a facilitated Fall ‘18 | 15

WHO ARE THE TRUSTEES? Who

By Michael B. Stewart, Esq., Trustee and Member of St. James, Birmingham

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Do you belong to the St. Anne’s Mead Senior Community, or do you have a friend or family member who does? Do you have a child who participated in a diocesan-supported summer church program? Are you a member of the congregation of St. Paul’s Brighton, St. Paul’s Lansing, or St. David’s Southfield, each of which have experienced recent significant construction projects? Are you a beneficiary as a clergy member or through having your minister receive a theological education within the diocese? Does your congregation receive a quarterly dividend from money invested directly or indirectly with the diocese? What about emergency church repairs needed to keep your fellow parishioners safe and warm in the middle of winter?

If so, you have most likely interacted with the Trustees and may not have even known it.

To the surprise of many within the diocese, the Trustees are one of the three governing bodies, with the other two being the Standing Committee and the Diocesan Council. The president of the Trustees is the bishop.

The other 15 members consist of three clergy and 12 laypersons. The elected members each serve a four-year term. The treasurer of the diocese serves as an ex officio member.

According to the canons for the Diocese of Michigan, the Trustees “shall have jurisdiction and power to administer all property devised, conveyed or transferred to the diocese for one or more express purposes and to manage investments of the diocese and of those recognized congregations that elect to have the Trustees provide such services.”

The diocese is blessed to have many of its good works supported by funds established by donors. One example of the latter is a fund resulting from the Combined Episcopal Services Appeal, created in 1962 by the action of the 129th Annual Convention.

The thinking had been that a single large fundraising effort would be more successful than multiple small efforts by dozens of agencies. Today, the money from this 1962 appeal is still used to support Episcopal nonprofit agencies. Other sources of income include monies received from funds controlled by third parties for which the diocese is a beneficiary, such as the Tretheway-Downs General Fund and the R.J. McElroy Trust.

The Trustees have a fiduciary obligation to carry out the wishes of its donors, such as making sure that the principal originally donated is maintained. Thus, the fund remains available to provide aid in perpetuity through the distribution of money in the form of dividends. In some cases, the Trustees make the distribution decisions. In other cases, someone else within the diocese is charged to make the distribution decision for a particular fund.

Several of the funds that the Trustees manage are unrestricted in scope; they can be used for any good work. Other funds specify the purpose for which they may be used.

For example, a group of funds is directed to assisting clergy. These include the Aged and Infirm Clergy Assistance Fund (established 1855), the Henry P. Baldwin Legacy Fund (established 1894), the Francis H. Tetu Fund (established 1972), the Edward Butler Bequest (established 1929), and the Henry P. Baldwin Fund (established 2001). The largest of the clergy assistance funds is the Peter E. DeMille Memorial Fund (established 1947). The donor, Katherine, was Peter’s daughter. Her first cousin was Cecil B. Demille, the famous Hollywood director, and her husband was Daniel J. Campau, of local fame.

Other funds provide clergy-based education assistance.

These include the Theological Education Fund (established 1951), the Clara Belle Wolf Legacy (established 1947), the Dean Laurence Bequest (established 1958), and the Delia Warriner Fund for Theological Education (established 1961). In the last year alone, for instance, the Trustees have contributed almost $260,000 to theological education.

Another group of funds is devoted to benefiting youth.

These include The Tretheway-Downs Children’s Fund (established 1966) and the Batchelder Fund (established 1924). Almost $42,000 has been contributed to summer youth programs within the diocese in the past five years.

A further example is The Sylvia Thomas Fund (established 2007), which is directed toward senior citizen housing. By way of such funds, the Trustees have contributed $150,000 in the form of a matching grant for the construction of the St. Anne’s Mead Memory Care Unit, $100,000 for its fire suppression system, and $75,000 for an earlier refurbishment.

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Many of the gifts that the Trustees manage were donated as early as 1855 and extended into the 1900s. With the exception of more recent gifts, such as the Sylvia Thomas Fund and the Henry P. Baldwin Fund, the Trustees have not received any significant bequests in the past 20 years. One such underfunded reserve is the Grace and Gratitude Trust Fund, which was established to help ensure the legacy of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan.

Bishop Gibbs noted in a recent brochure: “The Grace and Gratitude Trust Fund is one way each participant (donor) can embrace the responsibility of helping to manage the affairs of the diocese, to take care of those traveling on this faith journey with us, and plan for the long-term sustainability of the mission to which this diocese has been called.”

expectation that monies provided to the diocese will be available in perpetuity.

Members of the diocese should be pleased by the care with which the Trustees manage their money, considering both the desire for ongoing growth and the need to distribute regular income in the form of dividends for the benefit of our community. As part of its fiduciary obligations, the Trustees also maintain a very strong commitment to social responsibility, investing only in companies that uphold the tenets of the Episcopal Church. Despite the restrictions placed on investing by this social responsibility commitment, the Investment Fund returned an average of 5.98 percent (45 months annualized) at the end of June 2018, while its less socially responsible benchmark had an average return of 5.5 percent for the same period.

The annual expense ratio for investing in the Investment Fund is only 0.29 percent, including the outside management fee related to the assets.

In addition to properties that have been transferred to the diocese as discussed above, the Trustees also hold investments for the benefit of other institutions within the On its own behalf, the Trustees “Trustees also manage diocese. Examples include had net assets of nearly money at the request of the Blanch Henry Memorial $13,000,000 at the end of 2017 Fund (established 1971), which and made distributions of over congregations and pays income to St. John’s, $600,000 for the benefit of the organizations throughout Alma; the Madelyn and diocese for the 12 months ending the diocese.”

Dominic Blend Endowment this past June. The total of all grants Fund (established 1995) for the benefit of Trinity and distributions for the past five years made through Episcopal Church of Belleville; and the Wihla the Trustees is over $3,000,000. The total assets of Hutson Fund (est. 1969), which pays money out the Investment Fund, which holds all the assets of the to Church of the Redeemer, Southfield and St. Trustees and participating organizations, was nearly Anne’s Mead. $37,000,000 at the end of 2017. Significant contributions to the Investment Fund by participating Moreover, the Trustees hold investments for the organizations, as well as a strong financial market, benefit of the Bishop’s Fund, Diocesan Council, contributed to a net increase in the value of the and other diocesan institutions. Funds in this Investment Fund by more than $5,000,000 over the category range from the Centennial Fund past year. Finally, we are pleased to inform you that (established 1927) to the Maslen Tuberculosis the diocesan auditors have given the Trustees and its Fund (established 1940).

Investment Fund a completely clean bill of health yet again for 2017.

Finally, through its Growth and Income Fund (also known as the Investment Fund), which holds all of In addition to its role as a potential source of financial the actual money for the disparate purposes aid, the Trustees are available to provide non-monetary discussed above, the Trustees also manage money support, such as education. For example, infrastructure at the request of congregations and organizations challenges exist throughout the diocese and working throughout the diocese. The Trustees then pay out to identify and plan for them is an opportunity that dividends based on a multiyear rolling average so benefits everyone. that the Investment Fund is insulated from significant financial events, such as the recession Three new layperson members and one clergy that began in 2008. This fund is managed with the member of the Trustees will be elected by the voting

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Summer Camp at St. Paul’s, Brighton. Funded in part by a Tretheway Downs Children’s Fund grant delegates to the Diocesan Convention in October. The diocese benefits from having a diversity of Trustee representatives. Not all of us have financial acumen, but we are able contribute in other ways to the ongoing success of the diocese. Thus, if you are interested in learning more and serving as a Trustee, please reach out.

Additionally, we are always looking for members in various committees; being a Trustee is not a requirement, but it is an excellent introduction to the work that we do.

By leveraging a variety of resources within the diocese to provide market power and the acumen of very talented financial professionals who donate their time, the Trustees have been able to achieve enhanced returns over an extended period at a very modest expense ratio.

If you have any questions, concerns, or observations, please reach out to the Trustees at trustees@edomi.org or through the diocesan office.

Despite the contributions that the Trustees make to the diocese every year from its existing resources, the requests received often exceed the ability to provide financial assistance. Moreover, the need for assistance continues to grow. Thus, please consider the Grace and Gratitude Trust Fund in your legacy planning. As the examples above indicate, there is a lot of flexibility in directing bequests if that is your desire, and named contributors from 150 years ago are still making a significant positive impact on the diocese today!

Finally, if your congregation has money it would like to invest in return for a stable and regular dividend, please consider contributing to the Growth and Income Fund.

Fall ‘18 | 19

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The Record

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