The purpose of these grants is to assist qualifying persons, as defined herein, with the basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, health care, and other needs, as determined by the Necessitous Grants Committee on an individual basis, when they are unable to provide those needs for themselves.

I. Qualified Persons

A. A clergy member of the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference who is an active participant in the Ministerial Pension Plan;
B. A local pastor of the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference under episcopal appointment to a charge and who is actively participating in the Ministerial Pension Plan;
C. Retired clergy and retired local pastors in the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference who are actively participating in the Ministerial Pension Plan;
D. All spouses, former spouses, surviving former spouses, or surviving dependent children (including adult dependent children) of qualified clergy;
E. The applicant must exhibit the required financial need for a Necessitous Grant.

II. Determination of Qualified Applicants

A. Application Process
1. Applicant awareness of Grant availability;
a. Communication with active pension participants (December mailing accompanying the pension check from Wesbury);
b. Notice of schedule for application procedure in Retired Clergy Association newsletter (summer);
c. Report of Necessitous Grants activity in Conference Journal;
d. Requests from the Cabinet of the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference;
e. Communication through District Newsletters.
2. Application obtained from the Chairperson of the Necessitous Grants Committee or the Executive Director of the Board of Pension and Health Benefits, hereafter called the Board. The completed form will be returned to the Chairperson of the Necessitous Grants Committee.
3. Contact (personal visit) by a committee member when feasible.
a. To explain the philosophy behind the Necessitous Grants pro- gram;
b. To assist with the application;
c. To evaluate overall assessment of applicant's needs.

B. Decision Process
1. Distribution of application to committee members, Executive Director and President of the Board along with a committee member's assessment;
2. Tentative recommendation prepared following initial consul- tation between committee chairperson and Executive Director;
3. Meeting of members of the Necessitous Grants Committee in per- son or by conference telephone call to arrive at a final recom- mendation;
4. Presentation of recommendations at November meeting of the Board for their action for the next calendar year;
5. Confidentiality of the applicant's personal and financial cir- cumstances shall be observed within the confines of the Board.

C. Emergency Situations
1. The Necessitous Grants Committee may approve grants of $500 or less in an emergency situation;
2. The committee may act by conference call to resolve an emergency situation.

D. Review
These Guidelines shall be reviewed by the Necessitous Grants Committee on at least a quadrennial basis, after reports have been received concerning the Board, from General Conference.

These Guidelines were approved by the full Board on June 24, 1993.