SILVER SPRING, Md. (ABP) — Directors of the Alliance of Baptists have authorized the next step in appealing a proposed $34,000 fine for alleged violations of the federal government's economic embargo on Cuba.
Meeting in suburban Washington Sept. 14-16, the progressive Baptist group's leaders also gave preliminary approval to a new staffing plan, established an endowment fund, and heard of retirement plans for the Alliance's longtime associate director.
Directors heard that Jeannette Holt, who has worked for the Alliance for most of its existence, will retire in May 2007. She is the group's associate director. Holt and Executive Director Stan Hastey have been the group's only full-time staff for several years.
But, at the meeting, directors gave preliminary approval to reorganizing the group's staffing structure to create three full-time positions. The change will be implemented over the next year, Hastey said.
The board, which generally makes decisions by consensus, agreed to give Hastey the authority to ask for an administrative hearing with Treasury Department officials on the Cuba matter, should it become necessary.
The authorization was a pre-emptive move, as the organization is still waiting to hear back from Treasury Department officials on the Alliance's first formal response to the fine proposal.
Alliance officials sent the response Aug. 31 to the department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC. That agency monitors violations of the Cuba embargo.
Earlier, OFAC officials informed Hastey they would propose the fine for violations of the terms of the organization's travel license to Cuba. The agency alleged that members of five Alliance-affiliated church mission teams, traveling under the license between 2003 and 2005, violated the embargo by engaging in tourist activities while in Cuba. The Alliance disputes those allegations.
The Alliance, a fellowship of 117 moderate-to-progressive churches, has a longstanding missions partnership with the Fraternity of Baptist Churches in Cuba. The partnership pairs local Alliance congregations with counterpart Cuban churches.
Due to the U.S. embargo on Cuba's communist regime, religious groups must use renewable travel permits to travel to the island nation for religious activities. The permits are granted through OFAC.
The Alliance's response, available on the group's website, includes affidavits from leaders of each of the five mission teams accused of travel violations and other explanations of why Alliance officials believe they have not violated the travel ban.
If OFAC does not back away from the fine threat after processing the Alliance's initial response, then Hastey will ask for an “administrative hearing” before a Treasury Department magistrate. If that fails, the Alliance's next step would be to bring the matter before a federal judge. The organization has not yet decided whether to take that step, should it become necessary.
Hastey said Alliance directors authorized the appeal for an internal hearing, if needed, “unanimously and with great enthusiasm,” noting that they have shown strong resolve to fight the threatened fine.
“Frankly, at this meeting, we have spent far more time than anything discussing the future staffing of the Alliance,” he said.
The three positions will be:
— a “minister of ecumenical relations and mission partnerships,” the position to be filled by Hastey;
— a “minister of stewardship,” which will manage the organization's Washington headquarters and other financial and administrative affairs; and,
— a “minister of leadership development and congregational life,” which will work with the congregations and ministers affiliated with the Alliance.
Hastey said the group approved the positions and staffing plan but has not yet given approval to “specific job descriptions.”
The group also agreed to establish an endowment fund, the first in the Alliance's nearly 20-year history. Directors appointed the board's communications and development workgroup to “work out the parameters” of the endowment.
The fund already has a pledge for an initial $10,000 gift from chaplains endorsed by the Alliance. Board member Ann Charles-Craft, chairperson of the committee that endorses military and civilian chaplains for the Alliance, said chaplains had already committed $3,000 of that gift goal. “It is something we wanted to do for the Alliance,” she said. Charles-Craft is a minister in Richmond, Va.
The directors adopted a 2007 budget of $442,848 and a 2007 missions offering goal of $125,000. The budget proposal reflects an increase of nearly $50,000, or 13 percent, over the Alliance's 2006 budget.
In addition, the group's directors heard a report from the planning team for its annual convocation that the 2007 meeting venue had been moved from Philadelphia to Washington. The team determined that the proposed Philadelphia location — that city's First Baptist Church — did not have adequate facilities to host the meeting. Instead, the meeting will be held April 13-17 at Washington's Calvary Baptist Church.
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Read more:
Alliance's Cuba travel license pulled pending investigation (7/7/2005)
Alliance of Baptists fined $34,000 for 'tourist' activities in Cuba (8/7/2006)
Alliance challenges $34,000 fine for alleged Cuba violations (9/8/2006)
Alliance's response to the Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control fine notice