October 2000

NEAC Board Meets at 815

by Harriet Langfeldt, co-chair

A brief overview; full details will appear in the next issue.

The fall meeting of the NEAC board was held in New York City on Friday, October 6th, at the Episcopal Church Center and on Saturday, October 7th at The House of the Redeemer. It was a first visit to “815” for several board members; many expressed their appreciation to Canon Brian Grieves, who had made the arrangements for us. The Presiding Bishop welcomed us, sharing his understandings and appreciation of our role in keeping the issue of HIV/AIDS in front of the church (see his letter regarding the Day of Prayer for HIV/AIDS).

This meeting afforded an opportunity to review two major events for NEAC during 1999: the Forward in Faith Conference held in San Francisco in March and our 10-day presence in the Exhibit Hall at General Convention. Reports on both events were offered, with recommendations for the future; it was agreed that both had been well received. The following were also agreed:

  • The executive committee will be expanded to include two members-at-large to enable transitions to move more smoothly.

  • On January 1, 2001, day-to-day operation of NEAC will be moved from Washington to the parish of St. Luke and St. Matthew, Brooklyn, under the guidance of the Rev. Richard Brewer.

  • The General Convention resolutions related to HIV/AIDS will be added to the NEAC web site, which will be revised in the near future. We were reminded that “resolutions are only meaningful if acted upon.”

  • Under the leadership of the Rev. Fred Howard, the board reviewed its Mission Statement, made slight modifications, and proceeded to develop goals for the Triennium under the headings of Education, Advocacy, Pastoral Care and Networking. Much time was spent in looking at specific and measurable ways to attain the goals. Each board member agreed to facilitate an objective appropriate to the person’s interests and talents. More details on this will appear in the next issue of NEACtion.