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By Lonnie Chafin, Conference Treasurer
Brothers and Sisters:
The "Great Recession" continues
to strain our families, our churches and our world. 2009 has been
a very stressful year for everyone; and local church finance committee
chairs endure special pressures. The hard meetings and painful
budget choices take their toll. Finance chairs doing the right
thing, deftly managing the church to a new financial reality, experience
that odd feeling of unsatisfying accomplishment.
Guiding a church
through challenging economic times is a difficult job for which one
rarely receives accolades. In fact, most of us are happy to get
through it with some of our friendships still in place. Whether
your church ends the year in the red or in the black, I pray you will
let the message of advent that God's promise lies before us will warm
your soul and will refresh your spirit. Have faith that something
good will come; for we are not always aware of the miracles God realizes
when we do our best.
The financial pressures of the local
churches become the financial pressure of the annual conference.
Apportionment receipts are lower than they've been, but our gratitude
is even greater. We share the stories of heroic efforts by lay
people that have managed to maintain sufficient funding for both the
local church and their annual apportionment. We knew that during
these financial times we should expect less. Your Conference Treasurer
and Conference Council on Finance and Administration have worked with
everyone receiving conference support to hold down costs. We have
eliminated 2 staff positions, reduced others from full-time, delayed
some ministries, renegotiated leases, refinanced loans; everything we
could think of to ease some of the burden felt by our local churches.
The reduction has been so substantial that we will finish the year under
budget by around a half million dollars. And yet the ministry
goes on: new faith communities have started, the mission bus tour was
completed, mission support extended to local churches and to related
agencies, and on and on!
The only remaining expense is the general
church apportionments. We can say that every apportionment dollar
received by the conference in December and January will be forwarded
to the general church for missions around the globe. All apportionments
received in December and January will be supporting ministries like
these:
Africa
University: Political unrest in Zimbabwe has removed so much
farmland from production that famine and food shortages exist throughout
the country. For many, the gardens of Africa University, funded
by the Africa University Fund, are the only source of fresh vegetables.
Mission to Philippine children in
the "Smokies": The children living on the smoldering dumps
of Manila receive meals and education from the United Methodist mission
at the site.
Removing landmines: Through
the World Service apportionment, small dogs are trained to sniff-out
landmines for removal from good farming land in former war zones.
Solar ovens: In the poorest
communities of Haiti, the United Methodist Church distributes ovens
that cook with the sun's heat. Families are trained on their
use and some women start small food selling businesses with the resource.
Community
Development: General Church apportionment dollars support
the leadership at Humboldt Park UMC's ministry with homeless mothers
in Chicago. Women and children live in the former Sunday school
building until they restore stability in their life.
Finance committees across the conference
will meet at the end of the year to review their end of year financial
condition. We are grateful for whatever that financial condition
permits towards the apportionment. Whether that means 100% or
something less, please share with your congregation the knowledge of
the ministries and missions they make possible. Do not let disappointment
in not making 100% of the apportionment separate you from the spiritual
experience of sharing the love of Christ in unexpected places and with
the very poorest of the world.
In your economic challenges, find
community with those struggling daily for existence from the homeless
shelters in your community to the slums of Haiti and the Philippines.
Whatever you can give is appreciated and will be put to work immediately.
No matter the amount, help your people reap the spiritual richness of
the convicting, sustaining, fulfilling experience of vital mission.
It is right and good what God makes possible through those who believe.
Blessings to you and yours this Christmas,
Lonnie Chafin
Conference Treasurer
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