Daily Wrap-up: Budget items, nominations and a lot of spuds April 29, 2004 By Linda Bloom*  | A UMNS photo by Rasul Welch. Sandra Kelley Lackore illustrates the source of church revenue as she presents the financial state of the church. |
PITTSBURGH (UMNS) — When it comes to church finances, the buck stops — and starts — with each individual giver. That’s
why Sandra Kelly Lackore, the United Methodist Church’s chief financial
officer, reminded delegates to the denomination’s top legislative
gathering that their budget decisions are “not just about dollars” but
about gifts to God. In
her April 29 report, Lackore told delegates to use the $585 million
proposed quadrennial budget by the church’s General Council on Finance
and Administration as a starting point for their decision-making. She
advised them to look to the future and preserve what is worthwhile,
eliminate what isn’t and be “innovative” in the process. The
final budget, she said, must reflect what the delegates believe are the
missional and financial priorities of the church. “Do not think of it
as a budget of dollars, think of it as a sacred trust.”  | A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose. United Methodist Bishop Joel N. Martinez (right) honors Eunice Mathews during a session of General Conference. |
Action
items during the April 29 morning session included 24 nominations for
four openings on Judicial Council and 17 nominations for four posts on
the University Senate.The
nine-member Judicial Council is considered the supreme court of the
United Methodist Church. Two clergy and two lay members are elected for
eight-year terms. Voting is scheduled for May 3, after brief
biographical sketches of the 24 nominees are printed in the Daily
Christian Advocate. The
University Senate is a body of professionals in higher education that
determines which academic institutions meet the criteria to be
affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Four senate members will be
elected by General Conference on May 3; the remaining 21 members are
selected by other groups.  | A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose. Bishop Donald A. Ott (left) hands a sack of potatoes to Bishop Marshall L. (Jack) Meadors, Jr. during a Potato Drop. |
One
church member, Eunice Jones Mathews, was singled out during a 90th
birthday tribute. The wife of Bishop James K. Mathews, she is the
daughter of E. Stanley Jones and Mabel Lossing Jones, Methodism’s
premier missionary couple of the 20th century, and a longtime activist
for mission herself.The
day also included a hands-on demonstration of putting mission into
action as bishops and delegates transferred 50-pound bags of potatoes
from a tractor-trailer in the convention center loading zone to a
Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank truck. The “potato drop” was
sponsored by the Society of St. Andrew, an ecumenical nonprofit
organization, and United Methodist Men. The
salvaged potatoes were shipped from a company in Maine and are expected
to help feed 120,000 Pittsburgh-area residents served by the food bank.
General Conference participants were asked to fast for one meal and
donate money to help cover the shipping cost. *Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer. News media contact: (412) 325-6080 during General Conference, April 27-May 7. After May 10: (615) 742-5470.
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