February 1997

Board Meets in Dallas

NEAC Board Elects Officers and Members; Sets Agenda for Final year of 95–97 Triennium

Meeting in Dallas, Texas during the January 31-February 2 weekend, the NEAC Board of Directors elected five new members. They are Richard Brewer, Brooklyn, NY; Hart Roussel, Washington, DC; Peter Lee, Columbia, SC; Elizabethe Payne, Houston, TX; Drucilla Ferguson, Dallas, TX, and John Steward, Palo Alto, CA. The meeting was held at Church of Transfiguration, Dallas, which was recently featured in the Anglican World magazine for its AIDS ministries.

Other Board members re-elected to second terms were: Thomas McCusker, Springfield, VA; Gordon Chastain, Indianapolis, IN, and Gilberto “Tony” Hinds, Rego Park, NY. Leaving the Board was Elizabeth Cole of Flagstaff, AZ, who completed her term.

Re-elected to the Executive Committee were: Jesse Milan, Philadelphia, PA, President; Langfeldt, Vice President; Chastain, Secretary, and McCusker, Treasurer. Roussel was added as Assistant Treasurer.

The Board also approved a $180,000 balanced annual budget. The highlights of this year’s budget include: on-going training for trainers in using the Episcopal Guide to Teens for AIDS Prevention, and completion of the AIDS and Cure of Souls book and resource guide project. The treasurer reported NEAC expended $184,000 in 1996, and that all bills were paid.

While the number attending the national retreat last October, “In Returning and Rest,” was considerably below the expected attendance, the treasurer noted that there was sufficient funding remaining in the conference budget to begin the planning process for the San Francisco 14th anniversary conference. The conference, which will commemorate the first ever religious conference on AIDS held in 1986, will be held in mid-Lent in March, 2000, at Grace Cathedral.

Reporting to the Board, the Reverend Ted Karpf, executive director, announced that all goals in the strategic work plan had been reached in 1996. He said, “We set forth an extensive agenda in 1994, and to date we have met all of our expectations.” The full strategic plan and report of activity is on the NEAC Home Page on the World Wide Web at www.neac.org.

During the meeting, the Board began work on 1998-2000 triennium program. Increased interest in supporting the development of AIDS ministries at the local level and continued support for on-going adolescent AIDS prevention education took center stage.

Seeing the continued devastation wrought by the epidemic, the Board committed itself to supporting the Executive Council AIDS/HIV Commission Report. The Report and resolution calls for consultation and collaboration with communities of color to prevent the spread of AIDS and support AIDS ministries of care and compassion for the next triennium (1998–2000).

The Board met in joint session with the AIDS/HIV Commission to discuss proposed legislative recommendations to the General Convention. The Board adopted a $17,000 General Convention budget to finance the costs of a booth and resources at the 72nd General Convention. All NEAC members and supporters will receive requests for support in late March and early April.

NEAC Board members committed themselves to attending the General Convention to work for increased AIDS education and the program proposed by the Commission. The Board is also seeking NEAC volunteers to come to Philadelphia and support the legislative and AIDS awareness efforts. A team of volunteers came forward and promised their participation from the Church of the Transfiguration, Dallas.

Additionally, John Simpson, chair of the AIDS Task Force for the Diocese of Pennsylvania, host diocese of the convention, announced that the AIDS Healing Service will be held on Tuesday, July 22, during General Convention. Simpson explained some of the logistics of meeting in Philadelphia and the arrangements already made by the Diocese of Pennsylvania AIDS Task Force.