United Methodist giving declines in 2002
2/3/2003 By United Methodist News Service The
United Methodist Church's U.S. members gave more than $154 million to
the churchwide work of their denomination in 2002. That is the good
news. The bad news is that most of the apportioned funds and special
offerings declined a bit from last year.
No one knows yet if
this means giving to local churches also declined or if increasing fixed
costs, like insurance and utilities, have reduced the portion of
collection plate contributions that have reached the churchwide coffers.
For the last several years, about four cents of each dollar contributed
at the congregational level has been available for churchwide ministry.
The
seven apportioned funds, which support the basic budget of the general
church, dropped more than $1.5 million in 2002. Receipts for the seven
funds totaled almost $113.1 million, a 1.4 percent decrease from 2001
levels, according to the church's General Council on Finance and
Administration in Evanston, Ill. The apportioned funds are paid by the
denomination's annual (regional) conferences in the United States.
Gifts
to these funds were 88.5 percent of the amount asked for 2002, whereas
90.1 percent of the apportionment was contributed the preceding year.
Twenty-four,
more than one-third, of the church's 65 U.S. annual conferences gave
more to the apportioned funds than they had the previous year, and nine
contributed 100 percent of their apportionment. Lower giving by eight
conferences significantly impacted the 2002 receipts, according to the
finance agency.
"We are all conscious of the current economic
environment across the U.S.," said Sandra Lackore, denomination
treasurer and council staff head. She expressed gratitude for the
congregations and conferences that have supported of the work of the
church.
"Our dialogue with annual conference and agency leaders
in November reported that the declines in short- and long-term
investment income, unemployment, drought conditions, and the challenges
of escalating health insurance all combined to make this a particularly
financially challenging economic environment," she explained.
Lackore also acknowledged the diligent stewardship of the agencies during these difficult times.
World
Service, the largest apportioned fund and the one that supports basic
churchwide mission and ministry through the church's agencies, received
$61.7 million. This figure is a decrease of $771,000, or 1.2 percent,
from the previous year and is 89.2 percent of the annual apportionment.
Among
the three administrative funds, only General Administration received an
increase in giving - 4.3 percent from 2001. That fund, which includes
support for the quadrennial legislative gathering called General
Conference, received more than $5.1 million in 2002.
Other
administrative funds declined, with the Episcopal Fund down 2.6 percent
and the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund down 4.4 percent.
The
remaining three apportioned funds, the designated outreach funds,
declined slightly. Giving to Africa University almost reached $2.3
million, showing a 0.6 percent dip. The Black College Fund received $9.6
million, a drop of 2 percent; and Ministerial Education decreased 1.8
percent to $18.1 million.
Giving to the denomination's six
special Sunday offerings totaled nearly $6.3 million, a decrease of 6
percent overall. Only Native American Ministries Sunday increased. It
received $363,233, up 7.5 percent. Declines varied from a 1 percent drop
for Peace with Justice Sunday, the smallest of these offerings, to a
9.7 percent drop in One Great Hour of Sharing, the largest of the six.
World Communion Day and Human Relations Day each decreased 2.2 percent,
and United Methodist Student Day declined 4.2 percent.
Nine
annual conferences reached 100 percent in their support of all
apportioned funds in both 2001 and 2002. They were Detroit, West
Michigan, Wisconsin, Baltimore-Washington, Central Pennsylvania,
Peninsula-Delaware, Oklahoma Indian Missionary, Red Bird Missionary and
Desert Southwest.
Five conferences gave 100 percent of their
World Service apportionment: Minnesota, West Ohio, Troy, Wyoming and Rio
Grande. Iglesia Metodista de Puerto Rico also paid 100 percent of its
voluntary participation in the apportioned funds of the United Methodist
Church.
A total of $34 million was given to bishops' appeals,
United Methodist Committee on Relief and general Advance Specials - all
forms of designated giving in which the total gift goes to the specified
program and administrative costs are paid by other church bodies.
Other outreach funds received $861,635.
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