The following is a true copy of a Resolution adopted by the Executive Council at its meeting on October 7-10, 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada, at which a quorum was present and voting.

Resolved, that the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada October 7-10, 2005, expresses the profound gratitude of the Council for the work of Episcopal Relief and Development, Episcopal Migration Ministries, the Office of the Suffragan Bishop for Chaplaincies, the Presiding Bishop, Episcopal service providers, dioceses, parishes and lay and clergy of the Church in responding generously with prayer, financial assistance and direct service to the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and be it further

Resolved, that the Executive Council acknowledges that responding to our neighbors and those in need is rooted in our Baptismal Covenant and the example of Christ who called on all believers to care for the least among us, and be it further

Resolved, that The Episcopal Church reaffirms our commitment to serving the working poor, victims of disasters, children and the aged recognizing that neither The Episcopal Church nor other communities of faith or non-profit organizations can solely meet the needs to be faced, but must do so with federal, state and local governments, and be it further

Resolved, that those involved in the process of healing, rebuilding and renewal must remain mindful that the effects of poverty, racism and difference in class exist not only in the areas that were devastated by the hurricanes but in nearly every community in the United States, and be it further

Resolved, that the Executive Council calls on The Episcopal Church to be a force for justice calling on Episcopalians to actively engage their governmental representatives as they consider steps to take following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita by:

• Urging Congress to put forward a budget for fiscal year ’06 that reflects our values of caring for the least among us, remembering that one group of Americans in need must not be helped at the expense of another group;

• Urging the federal, state and local governments, based on learning from other disasters, to take actions that will support short- and long-term relief and reconstruction by allowing increased flexibility for programs to accommodate the many unusual circumstances resulting from the hurricanes, including allowing access to health care through Medicaid, relaxing residence requirements for existing programs and access for legal immigrants to assistance from programs for which they are not normally eligible, temporary relief from the new bankruptcy reform legislation, and not to make changes, such as suspending Davis Bacon prevailing wage requirements in the Gulf Region, that are counterproductive to reconstruction and rebuilding of communities.

• Urging Congress and the President, in light of what we have learned about poverty in recent months, to increase the funds available to undertake the shared responsibility of the nation in providing the essentials of nutrition, shelter, health care, and education for its most vulnerable residents, and be it further

Resolved, that the Executive Council calls upon the Church at all levels to continue its prayers for the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and all who suffer from disaster, injustice, inequality and division, and its commitment to share in their suffering in the Name of Christ by whom all people are reconciled to God and to one another; and be it further

Resolved, that the Episcopal Church undertake theological reflection on such issues as Christ’s preferential option for the poor and issues of race and class in the United States of America as these issues have been raised by the response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The Reverend Dr. Gregory S. Straub

Secretary of the Executive Council and

the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society

of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America