Corporate body

Anglican Church of Canada. Diocese of New Westminster. Programme Committee

1967-1993

The Diocesan Programme Committee came into being under Article VII of the Constitution and Canons adopted at the 63rd session of Synod, December 9, 1967. It was created as a result of a diocesan- wide reorganization following recommendations presented by the Price-Waterhouse & Co Report (known as Netten Report) in December 1966. It was stated in the report that "a Diocesan Programme Committee should be created to assume and to integrate the policy recommendation, planning, guidance and review functions of the various existing program committees. The committee would operate under the umbrella of the Diocesan Council, from which it would derive its responsibilities". Following the same recommendations, the other existing committees concerned with programs, including the several sub-committees and divisions of the Board of Religious Education and the Social Service Committee, were either to be disbanded, or reconstituted as program units under the jurisdiction of the Director of Diocesan Program. The Director of Diocesan Program, together with the Director of Parish Affairs, had the primary responsibility for policy execution. The Coadjutor Bishop and the Director of Diocesan Program chaired the committee. The approximately 16 members included ex-officio the Bishop, the Dean, the Treasurer, the Director of Parish Affairs, the Diocese's representatives on each of these General Synod Boards: Religious Education, Council for Social Service and Missionary Society [MSCC], plus five or six other members appointed by the Diocesan Council. The Committee was to meet monthly. One of the aims of the Programme Committee was to integrate different work units into the general structure of the Diocese, to discourage the creation or the continuation of Diocesan planning groups organized separately for men, for women, for clergy or for laity. With this purpose in mind, several program units and related organizations reported to the Programme Committee, namely: Aging Ministry; Alcohol and Drug Dependency; Anglican Church Women; Camp Artaban; Criminal Justice; Christian Education; Evangelism; Hannah's Heritage (engaged in exploration of liturgical forms, biblical interpretation and theology from feminist perspective); Hospice; Justice and Peace; Leadership Development; Marriage and Related Matters; Native Indian Pastoral Ministry; Pornography; Retreat; Stewardship Education; Topic (diocesan newspaper); World Mission (Anglican Refugee Ministry, Partners in Mission); Young Adult Ministry; Youth Ministry. A chart of the units reporting to Diocesan Programme Committee is outlined in the Procedures Manual (1986) and Stewards in Action Program Book (1988-1990). At Synod in 1993, the committee's name was changed from Program Committee to Stewards in Action Ministry Committee.