SYNOD BLOWS OPPORTUNITY TO SOLVE FINANCIAL AND TRUST CRISIS

A resolution that would have given each church which provided $1 per member to OCWM a voting delegate at Synod for each 400 members, was squashed. Amended to remove all of the concrete provisions it was referred to Executive Council as a weak encouragement to relate better to local congregations. At a time when the denomination struggles financially and large numbers of UCC congregations do not support OCWM at all, the move to re-enfranchise local churches seemed very wise. Instead the decision was made to perpetuate the present detachment crisis between Synod and the local churches. Apparently the financial crisis in Cleveland is not sufficiently serious to mandate real change.