Decision Number 17

Digest

The expenses which may be paid from the General Administration Fund are strictly limited by the provisions of Paragraph 848, Discipline 1940, and therefore the General Commission on World Service and Finance is not thereby authorized to pay expenses incurred by a Jurisdictional Committee of Appeals acting under the provisions of Paragraph 694.

Statement of Facts

A member of the Central Pennsylvania Conference was tried by said Conference according to charges and specifications duly submitted. The trial court having found him guilty imposed a penalty, from which decree the defendant appealed to the Committee on Appeals of the Northeastern Jurisdiction, as provided for by Paragraph 694-697 of the Discipline of 1940.

In connection with the hearing of the appeal by said Committee, certain expenses were incurred. No provision having been made for the payment of the same by the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference, the Secretary of the latter Conference forwarded a bill for the complete amount of the expenses to the General Commission on World Service and Finance.

The General Commission on World Service and Finance, on the ground that Paragraph 848 of the Discipline provides only that the General Administration Fund shall pay the expenses of the Judicial Council, the sessions of the General Conference, such General Conference Commissions and Committees as may be appointed, and authorized inter-church activities, but made no provision for the payment of any expenses incurred by any Jurisdictional Conference, held that such payment could not be made from the General Administration Fund.

From this action of the General Commission on World Service and Finance the College of Bishops of the Northeastern Jurisdiction have appealed.

Decision

After carefully considering the briefs presented by, and hearing oral arguments of representatives both of the Northeastern Jurisdiction and the General Commission on World Service and Finance, the Judicial Council finds as follows:

1. There is no specific law of the Church governing this case. 2. The General Conference has made no provision for the payment of the costs of appeal of this character in the budget of the General Commission on World Service and Finance.

Therefore, there is no authority for the General Commission on World Service and Finance to pay such expense. The appeal is accordingly not sustained.