EPF's National Exec. Council
Meets in Chicago, April 24-26
NEC began Friday afternoon hearing about all the actions EPF has sponsored and participated in over the past six months. We heard inspiring reports about Urban Pilgrimage from Maryann Philbrook, our new Executive Site Director for Urban Pilgrimage, a position funded by a generous grant from the Episcopal Foundation of Texas. Michael Kurth, the EPF Young Adult Network convener, reported a full calendar of events for the YA Network over the coming months, including our General Convention YA Delegation, presence at Wild Goose Festival and an upcoming retreat EPF is planning with Episcopal Service Corps.
Shannon M. Berndt and Bill Exner, our liasons to The Consultation, shared news from the most recent Urban Caucus and Consultation meeting in Connecticut. Next year's Urban Caucus is in Wilmington, DE and Shannon is already planning on publicity actions to ensure all EPF east coast members are invited. And finally, we celebrated the four events held in honor of EPF's 75th anniversary that took place in Denver, Los Angeles, Alexandria, VA and Columbus, OH.
Our primary foci during this spring meeting were he Sustainability of Episcopal Peace Fellowship and General Convention in Salt Lake City. Shannon M. Berndt, EPF Membership Services Coordinator, provided a broad picture of EPF's financial end of year status for the past 7 years that more often than not included a deficit. We examined the job descriptions of EPF's employee's Shannon who works 18 hours a week for EPF and 2 hours for PIN, and Allison Liles, EPF's Executive Director, who works 15 hours a week. With these two part-time employees and streamlined, bare bones budget, EPF is actually doing more than ever before. Gary Commins, the Director of EPF's Sustainability Task Force, charged NEC members with the task of recruiting two new EPF members, two new monthly EPF pledgers and two new Peace Partner Parishes over the next 30 days. These successful "asks" will put EPF in a far more comfortable financial position. So, get ready, EPF members. EPF NEC members will be in touch with you soon!
Saturday afternoon we turned our attention toward Salt Lake City. This year EPF and PIN will each have tables in the Consultation section of the exhibit hall. The Consultation will once again offer Stump Speakers every day of Convention, sometimes even twice a day. Maryann Philbrook and TJ Geiger will lead our Young Adult Delegation, which has already begun preparations through conference calls. The EPF Reception will take place at St Mark's Cathedral on Wednesday, June 24 from 5:00 - 6:30 pm. This year the John Nevin Sayre Award will be presented to EPF member Newland Smith for his life-long dedication working for peace and justice. This year's reception will feature a Wall of Injustice along with a litany naming the populations and individuals who continue to suffer oppression in our country and the world. EPF will sponsor resolutions pertaining to gun violence prevention, death penalty abolition and justice for Palestine, and will also support all the resolutions of the Consultation Platform which may be read HERE Shannon is creating a spread sheet for all EPF members who are traveling to General Convention and wish to volunteer at the EPF exhibit. If you plain to join us in Salt Lake City, please email Shannon at [email protected]
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