R1: ON CLERGY COMPENSATION - PASSEDResolved, that the minimum standard of full-time pension-based compensation (cash salary, utilities, housing, and Social Security tax reimbursement) for clergy serving congregations in the Diocese of Ohio during 2016 be established as follows:

• At least $48,645 for assisting clergy
• At least $58,885 for clergy in charge of congregations with an annual Normal Operating Income (NOI) of no more than $185,000
• At least $58,885+10% of NOI greater than $185,000 up to $370,000, for clergy in charge of congregations with an annual NOI greater than $185,000.
• At least $75,880 for clergy in charge of congregations with NOI greater than $370,000; and be it further

Resolved, that each congregation prayerfully consider adjusting the current compensation level of their employees to minimally account for the increase in thecost of living. Be it further

Resolved, that each employer of such clergy in the Diocese of Ohio shall pay a minimum of 97.5% of the health insurance premium of the least expensive plan provided as an option by the Diocese, for those clergy being paid less than $58,885 (or the pro-rated part-time equivalent) and their eligible dependents or 95% of the health insurance premium of the least expensive plan provided as an option by the Diocese, for the clergy being paid $58,885 (or the pro-rated part-time equivalent) or more and their eligible dependents. If an employee chooses a health insurance plan that is more expensive, the additional premium is the responsibility of the employee, unless the Vestry, Diocese or other participating Episcopal institution agrees to pay the additional premium for such coverage. The employer may choose to pay 100% of its clergy’s health care plan.

Resolved, that in addition to the above minimum standards, each employer of such clergy in the Diocese of Ohio shall:

• Make pension assessment payments as the Church Pension Fund shall determine;
• Provide appropriate reimbursement for expenses incurred in the course of fulfilling the responsibilities of the position, including the actual cost of the use of a personal automobile;
• Allow no fewer than four weeks of paid vacation annually;
• Allow no fewer than eight weeks of paid parental leave for the birth or adoption of a child for a member of the clergy designated “primary child-care parent”; and no fewer than two weeks of paid parental leave for the birth or adoption of a child for a member of the clergy designated “non-primary care parent”.
• Allow annual professional education/development leave of no fewer than two weeks, with a minimum allowance of $750; and be it further

Resolved, that each employer of clergy in the Diocese of Ohio be encouraged to:

• Offer additional benefits either fully funded, or on a pre-tax salary reduction basis (e.g., dental insurance, reimbursement for routine dental care, annual medical examination, child-care allowance, etc.);
• Provide for sabbatical and parental leave; and be it finally

Resolved, that the provisions of this resolution be applied on a pro-rata basis to the minimum compensation and benefits related to positions that are less than full-time and more than one-quarter time.

Rationale: The recommended levels of compensation represent a 0.40% Cost Of Living adjustment (COLA) based on the change in the Cleveland CPI-U rate for the year ending July 31, 2015. The Commission on Ministry recognizes that many in our diocese have not seen a COLA raise in their own paychecks, whether they be employed in the public or private sector, by profit or not-for-profit organizations. However, we recommend this increase for two reasons:

• Advocacy: the laborer is worthy of their hire and it is important that we affirm the importance of employment compensation that respects the dignity of each worker. We do this by example.
• Planning for the future: without small, manageable, incremental increases in compensation levels, churches run the risk of being unable to attract workers to their communities because they no longer offer a living wage or compensation consistent with those offered in other dioceses by congregations of a similar size.

Submitted by
The Commission on Ministry

R2: TO ADOPT POLICY ON SUBSTANCE ABUSE, ADDICTION AND RECOVERY - AMENDED RESOLUTION PASSEDRESOLVED, that the Diocese of Ohio adopt the following policy on Alcohol and Substance Misuse, which shall apply to Diocesan events, and encourages all congregations of the Diocese to adopt the same policy:

• The Church must provide a safe and welcoming environment for all people, including people in recovery.
• All applicable federal, state and local laws should be obeyed, including those governing the serving of alcoholic beverages to minors.
• The Diocese of Ohio and its parishes may decide not to serve alcohol at events or gatherings. They may decide to permit a limited use of alcoholic beverages at church-sponsored events.
• When alcohol is served, it must be monitored and those showing signs of intoxication must not be served. Whenever alcohol is served, the rector, vicar, priest-in-charge, or, where there is no clergy on site, the senior warden, must appoint an adult to oversee its serving. That adult must not drink alcoholic beverages during the time of his or her execution of his or her responsibilities
• If minors are present at a diocesan or congregational social event, alcohol must be served at a separate station that is monitored at all times to prevent underage drinking.
• Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages must be clearly labeled as such. Food prepared with alcohol should be so indicated.
• When alcohol is served, non-alcoholic alternatives must always be offered with equal prominence and accessibility.
• Ministries inside or outside of congregations will make certain that alcohol consumption is not the focus of the ministry and that drinking alcohol will not be expected at parish social functions.
• Food must be served when alcohol is present.
• Congregations should have policies in place regarding the use by outside groups of parish facilities, which policies should designate an approval process involving the clergy, or in the absence of clergy, the vestry or parish manager for the groups or organizations sponsoring the activity or event at which alcoholic beverages are served. Such policies should also provide that any sponsoring groups or organizations must also assume responsibility for those persons who might become intoxicated, including making arrangements for alternative transportation for anyone whose capacity to drive may be impaired.
• Recognizing the effects of alcohol as a mood-altering drug, alcoholic beverages shall not be served while the business of the Church is being conducted.
• Clergy shall consecrate an appropriate amount of wine when celebrating the Eucharist and perform ablutions in a way that does not foster or model misuse.
• Clergy are encouraged to acknowledge the efficacy of receiving the sacrament in one kind (namely the bread only).

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the staff of the Diocese shall provide education to clergy and lay leaders regarding implementation of this policy at appropriate forums;
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the undersigned Task Force solicit feedback on the implementation of this policy and provide a report to the 200th Convention of the Diocese of Ohio.

Rationale:
In July, 2015, the 78th General Convention approved Resolution A158 and “acknowledged The Episcopal Church’s long-standing tolerance for the use of alcohol, that in some cases, has contributed to its misuse, and has undermined a climate of wholeness and holiness for all; that our Church culture too often avoids hard conversations about alcohol use, and the role of forgiveness and compassion in healing and recovery; and that The Episcopal Church now commits to create a new normal in our relationship with alcohol. We aspire to be a place in which conversations about alcohol, substance misuse, or addiction are not simply about treatment but about renewal, justice, wholeness, and healing. We affirm that Recovery Ministries of The Episcopal Church has long been and continues to be a valuable resource for this work;”

The 78th General Convention also adopted a policy on alcohol and other substance misuse, from which this policy is substantially derived, and encouraged dioceses, congregations, seminaries, schools, young adult ministries, and affiliated institutions to update their policies on the use of alcohol and other substances with the potential for misuse.

Submitted by:
Task Force on Alcohol and Other Substance Misuse
The Rev. David M. Bargetzi
The Rev. Debra Q. Bennett
The Rev. Vincent E. Black
Jane R. Freeman
Elizabeth M. Moosbrugger
William A. Powel, III, Canon to the Ordinary (Staff)

R3: IN CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF THE RIGHT REVEREND DAVID C. BOWMAN - PASSED

Resolved, the people of the Diocese of Ohio celebrate the life of the Rt. Rev. David Charles Bowman, and sharing the burden of their grief for his death on July 10, 2015, extend deepest sympathies to Nancy Bowman and her family; and be it further

Resolved, the 199th Convention of the Diocese of Ohio express its profound gratitude to God for Bishop Bowman’s 55 years of ordained ministry and the many gifts that he brought to the Diocese of Ohio, The Episcopal Church, and his countless colleagues and friends: wise counsel, pastoral companionship, sound teaching, genuine humility, and wry sense of humor.

The Right Reverend David C. Bowman was born in Oil City, Pennsylvania on November 15, 1932 to Robert C. and Ella Bowman, and grew up in Canton, Ohio, attending Canton Lincoln High School. A graduate of Ohio University in 1955, he earned the Master of Divinity at Virginia Theological Seminary in 1960, after voluntary service in the U. S. Army. He was ordained to the diaconate on June 14, 1960 by the Rt. Rev. Beverley Dandridge Tucker, Jr., and to the priesthood on December 14, 1960 by the Rt. Rev. Nelson Marigold Burroughs.

Bishop Bowman served from 1960 to 1963 as Assistant Rector of the Church of the Epiphany, Euclid, where he met his wife, Nancy, and as Vicar of St. Andrew’s Church in North Grafton, Massachusetts from 1963 to 1966.

He returned to the Diocese of Ohio to serve as Rector of St. Andrew’s Church in Canfield, Ohio from 1967 to 1973; Rector of St. James, Painesville from 1973 to 1980; and Rector of Trinity, Toledo from 1980 to 1986, from where he was elected Bishop Coadjutor of Western New York, becoming Bishop Diocesan the following year.

Following the Bowmans’ return to Shaker Heights upon his retirement in 1999, he served as Interim Dean of Trinity Cathedral, then as Interim Bishop of Central New York. After serving a year as Assisting Bishop of Ohio, he was the Interim Dean and President of Seabury Western Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. For the past ten years, he served actively as one of the Assisting Bishops of the Diocese of Ohio.

R4: IN APPRECIATION FOR THE MINISTRY OF THE MOST REVEREND KATHARINE JEFFERTS SCHORI, 26TH PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND PRIMATE - PASSED

The Diocese of Ohio, meeting in its 199th Convention in Warrensville Heights, Ohio, extends our deep gratitude to the Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori, thanking her for her steadfast leadership over the last nine years and for calling us as a church to rise above our own divisions and engage more sacrificially in God’s mission. We send our great thanks as well to her husband, Dick, and pray that, as they begin a new season of ministry together, their vocation to be Christian may continue to deepen and flourish.

R5: TO RECOGNIZE THE ELECTION AND INSTALLATION OF THE 27TH PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND PRIMATE

Resolved that, the 199th Convention of the Diocese of Ohio rejoices in the Election and Installation of the Most Reverend Michael Bruce Curry as Twenty-Seventh Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church. We send him our greetings and pledge both our prayers and our enthusiastic companionship, now and throughout the next nine years of his leadership in the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement.