Conference Benevolences - Overview

ANNUAL CONFERENCES COMMUNICATIONS

 Annual Conference Communicators List

ANNUAL CONFERENCES IN ACTION

Oklahoma Conference Churches fund 94% of their Apportionments

Giving to the Apportionment in 2009 totaled $2,754,935.33, according to Conference Treasurer Brian Bakeman. Also given were $94,047.61 in Special Sunday offerings and $4,740.87 to the Youth Service Fund.

“Apportioned funds enable United Methodists to do together what no church, district, or annual conference could do alone. By combining several smaller gifts into a larger amount, we can effect change across the world. Individual churches can minister to a small area; however, as a connectional church, we can do big things, all in the name of Jesus Christ,” declares to a statement on the denomination's Web site www.umc.org.

Special giving for denominational programs— amounts not considered for the Apportionment—was highest in 2009 for “One Great Hour of Sharing,” which supports UMCOR (the United Methodist Committee on Relief). Donations to that Special Sunday collection totaled $54,960.21. This year March 14 is designated for that offering.

Other special giving: Human Relations Sunday, $8,437.66; Peace With Justice Sunday, $4,118.50; Native American Ministries Sunday, $5,353.70; World Communion Sunday, $13,407.54; and United Methodist Student Day, $7,700.

News of an Oklahoma increase in Apportionment giving for the first quarter of 2010 brought a smile by Conference Treasurer Brian Bakeman.

"This is the first time since 2008 that we have approached our average giving levels," he reported in the April edition of Treasury Notes.

That’s a good sign for the Oklahoma Annual Conference, within the current national climate of economic scarcity.

Apportionments are the fuel that makes it possible for the Church to make a difference in the world, the news agency noted.

--excerpt from the OK AC website

 Apportionments are ministry

The money local churches pay in apportionments connects 9 million United Methodists in a worldwide mission to make disciples and transform the world.

“Apportionments are ministry,” said Baltimore-Washington Conference Interim Treasurer, the Rev. Wayne DeHart.

Ensuring that exemplary accounting and stewardship practices are applied to apportionments is a central task of the conference Council on Finance and Administration.

“The local church is the primary point of mission and we want to maintain as many of the resources in the local church for mission and ministry as possible,” said DeHart. “We are also connectional and, together through apportionments, we are engaged in important mission, which includes starting new churches, addressing justice issues, caring for the poor, educating seminarians and empowering The United Methodist Church to be a faithful witness in the world.”

In the Baltimore-Washington Conference apportionments are ministry. A portion of every dollar placed in the collection:

1. Trains and certifies 259 lay speakers in the Western region, and hundreds of others throughout the conference. 
2. ministers to victims of domestic violence 
3.  provides a prophetic voice and practical action to bring Hope to the city of Baltimore 
4.  gives grants and loans to local churches to strengthen their ministries 
5.  insures retired pastors and their spouses 
6.  reaches out to people with HIV/AIDS at Quality of Life retreats 
7. gives legal advice through the chancellor’s office 
8.  grow spiritual leaders 
9.  provides American Sign Language interpreting service for Deaf people 
10.  offers training to 2,097 students through the Discipleship Academy

--by Melissa Lauber, Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference

Churches increase apportionment giving 

Apportionment contributions in the Missouri Conference came in from 2009 at $11,346,092, or 86.75 percent of the asking. This is up .44 percent from 2008. There were 656 churches that paid 100 percent of their apportionments, and another 25 which paid more than 100 percent. “We thank everyone for their generosity, especially in a challenging economic year,” said Kendall Waller, director of financial and administrative ministries for the Missouri Conference. Waller was impressed that the apportionment percentage paid was up for the year. “That is exceptional in a year like this.”

This was the highest percentage of apportionments paid since 2001. This is possible because of the vast majority of churches that pay in full every year.

--excerpt from the MO AC website

 Apportioned giving was exceptional in 2009

Apportioned giving was exceptional in 2009, especially considering the economic climate. We began the year with the economic chaos of late 2008 still an active part of everyone’s lives. The first two months showed a continuing precipitous drop in the stock market. Everyone and every church had to look carefully at each dollar spent and each dollar given. The economy improved during the course of the year but remains weak even today.

Even during this time, giving to connectional causes in Southwest Texas Conference increased by $470,146 and 1.46 percent, bringing total giving to apportioned causes to $10,628,253.

Consistently, the message I have received from our pastors and lay people is that the times are hard, but our members remain faithful in their giving. Many Methodists were not able to give as much in 2009 as they had previously. Others were even more generous because of the obvious need. On a church level, some churches have had major difficulties because of job related membership loss. Virtually all of our churches struggled financially. Regardless, most of our churches are weathering the economic storm and have been able to continue in significant ministry to their members, their communities and the world.

The giving to apportioned causes in our conference is especially important this year because other parts of the country have been so hard hit by both the economy and the weather. Reports from other conferences are that many geographic areas were unable to have worship for the last one to three Sundays of the year, a time when giving is usually the highest. That makes the apportioned dollars from our conference even more important than ever. In essence, our conference has been able to step forward to give generously when other conferences are experiencing even more financial difficulty. Two thousand nine is a year when many individuals gave more generously than before and similarly, some churches gave more generously to connectional causes than previously.

--excerpt from the Southwest Texas AC website

Committed to the ministry of apportionments

Two North District churches struggled financially, in dissimilar environments, but drew upon the same strength to fulfill their commitment to apportionments. Community UMC of Blythe, California and Heritage UMC of Las Vegas, Nevada were not able to pay all of their 2008 assessed apportionments. However, 2009 proved to be a faith journey for both churches, and because of their commitment to support the Desert Southwest Conference of The United Methodist Church Outreach Ministry, they were able to fulfill their apportionment obligation that year.

Christ indeed made his teaching real. Both Community UMC and Heritage UMC struggled with the little they had and stepped out in faith and allowed God to multiply their resources.  

--excerpt from the Desert Southwest AC website

North Texas Conference apportionment payout

The North Texas Conference Treasurer's office proudly announces that the 2009 apportionment payout is 97.3%. Total apportionments paid were $12,011,682. Outh the 306 congregation in the conference 279 paid 100% of their apportionments.

Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe praised churches and district superintendents for this outstanding effort.

--excerpt from the North TX website

APPORTIONMENTS

Ninety-one (out of 128) congregations have paid 100% of their apportionments for the year 2009. On behalf of the Conference, I thank them for fulfilling their connectional commitment in full. While acknowledging, with a word of appreciation to all 128 congregations for their connectional commitment, I do encourage those who could not make 100% to continue their efforts with a gradual increase in the percentage. I strongly suggest you develop a strategy for making your apportionments 100% in the next few years. Paying your apportionments makes a difference in the lives of people and communities locally, nationally and globally by sharing our resources generously.

---excerpt of an e-mail from the Wisconsin AC

 

Bishop Susan Hassinger visits with Wilfredo Calderón at the Gaithersburg (Md.) Workers Center, where services are provided for area day laborers.  A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.

“Apportionments are the way we share in ministry with those beyond ourselves,” says Bishop Susan W. Hassinger, Albany [N.Y.] Area.

“The ministry shares come back to many congregations through resources for local churches, camping programs and spiritual formation opportunities for all ages, support for training clergy, support for retired clergy, superintendent support in times of difficulty in congregations, and the list goes on. [Apportionments are] a sign of the spiritual commitment of giving to others in the name of Christ.”

Each of United Methodism’s 63 annual conferences has a budget apportioned to local congregations. These conference apportionments are most commonly called “conference benevolences.”

Conference benevolences fund the mission and ministry of your annual conference. This often includes camping and outdoor programs, colleges and universities, campus outreach, retirement and health facilities, and urban ministry and town/country ministries.

Adds Brian Bakeman, treasurer, Oklahoma Conference: “Apportionment giving supports so many important ministries here and throughout our connection, . . . All this happens because people in our pew believe giving is an important part of our Christian faith.”

To learn about your conference benevolences, visit your annual conference Web site.

“Contribute to the needs of the saints, . . .”  --Romans 12:13a, NRSV