Support of Missionary Outreach Project in Venezuela Withdrawn
https://archives.anglican.ca/link/official5071
- Date
- 1970 June 22
- Source
- Anglican News Service
- Type
- Press release
- Text of motion
- With exploration of alternative projects already begun, The National Executive Council of the Anglican Church of Canada has decided to withdraw support of its Venezuela Project. This would occur no later than December 31, 1971.
- A ten member task force, chaired by George E. Davy recommended to the National Executive Council the withdrawal of support "because of difficulties encountered by staff members in Venezuela about the purposes of the Anglican Church of Canada involvement...the inability of the staff to plan and implement a full program of development resulting in low morale among personnel, lack of staff confidence, and lack of responsible administration of the Canadian program."
- Affected in the decision are six Canadians, plus Bishop Guy Marshall, Anglican Bishop of Venezuela, who will remain there.
- It was pointed out that the Canadian staff will be redeployed along with their financial assistance where ever they desire and where their goals are compatible with those established by the National Executive Council for work overseas.
- The Council has expressed optimism that the Church has been able to change direction when the feasibility and evaluation studies proved a particular project unwarranted.
- The Council has approved a resolution requesting the program committee to immediately establish a task force to review the overall goals, present objectives and all procedures for all overseas work undertaken by the Anglican Church of Canada. The findings will then be presented to the National Executive Council.
- The Venezuela project was a new form of missionary outreach and was to have concerned itself primarily with social action among Venezuelans. The project involved three years of work and expenditures of nearly three hundred thousand dollars in Canadian funds.
- Many see the withdrawal positively, saying the Church can profit greatly from "its unfortunate experience."
- Task Force Chairman George Davy says the withdrawal does not in any way imply that Venezuela is a country where this type of constructive development could not be undertaken.
- He said, "under different conditions, we could consider going back there."
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- Subjects
- Anglican Communion - Venezuela
- Venezuela - Religious aspects - Anglican Church of Canada
- Partnership in Mission - Anglican Church of Canada
- Church in the Province of the West Indies. Diocese of Trinidad
- Anglican Church of Canada - Finance
- Missions - Anglican Church of Canada
- Missionaries