Serving God through our United Methodist Connectional Giving

Purposes of this presentation:

• Explore the foundations for the way we give,

• Celebrate how connectional giving makes a difference in lives, and transforms the world,

• Review the opportunities for Connectional Giving, including Apportioned Funds, and making the distinction between “First Mile” and “Second Mile” giving,

• Look at some of the resources available for leading congregations into full support of connectional giving.

JERUSALEM MACEDONIA

Biblical Foundations…

“At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem in ministry tothe saints; for Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to share their resources with the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. They were pleased to do this, for if [they] have come to share the spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material things.”

Romans 15:25-27 (NRSV)

• Wesley urged those in connection with him to “earn all you can and save all you can, so that you can give all you can.

• Wesley modeled modest living and sacrificial giving.

• He also told his followers, “There is no holiness but social holiness.”

• Class offering s in Wesley’s day were taken for outreach.

• This practice was repeated in the United States.

Our Wesleyan Heritage

Purple Street Church is not just any church,

It’s a United Methodist Church…

What is this connectional thing?

…and it’s part of theAurora District…

What is this connectional thing?

…which is part of the Northern Illinois Annual Conference…

What is this connectional thing?

…which is part of the North Central Jurisdiction…

What is this connectional thing?

…which is part of the United Methodist Church, which is really…

…a global church, with conferences and members in Africa, Europe, and the Philippines.

What is this connectional thing?

But at the heart of it all is the mission of the local church and all United Methodist s; To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the

transformation of the world.

Purple St. UMC cannot do that alone. We must be connected to transform.

What is this connectional thing?

• We United Methodists believe that each of us is called to participate in the ministry of Jesus Christ.

• We do this in connection globally with• Approx. 42,000 local churches

• 11.5 million members

• From the 2008 General Minutes

Our Ministry is Shared Ministry

Today, through the United Methodist connection, we share a ministry• In 100 different countries

• With over 900 supported mission personnel

• With more than 112,000 Volunteer-in-Mission placements

• Through more than 1,000 approved Advance projects.

• 2007 GBGM figures

Our Ministry is Shared Ministry

Within the Jurisdictional Conferences through

• 225 retirement homes and long-term care facilities

• 70 hospitals and health-care facilities

• 50 children’s homes

• 30 ministries for persons with disabilities

• 113 colleges, universities and seminaries

• Day-to-day witness and outreach from over 45,000 clergy members and 1,200 deacons, and not to mention 8,000,000 lay members.

Our Ministry is Shared Ministry

In a United Methodist School in Zimbabwe a child eats this simple lunch because in Shared Ministry we reached him together.

Does it make a difference?

Could your local congregation do that every day, for all of these children, on your own?

Does it make a difference?

Before we can increase giving to funds and appeals people must be convinced that participating in connectional giving does make a difference.

Does it make a difference?

Some local churches face tremendous financial pressures because of economic instability.• Increased fuel and utility costs…

• Decreased return on capital investments…

• Decreased giving because of financial worries…

Connectional giving requirements can be very difficult to meet, and yet…

Some local churches face tremendous financial pressures because of economic instability.• Increased fuel and utility costs…

• Decreased return on capital investments…

• Decreased giving because of financial worries…

Connectional giving requirements can be very difficult to meet, and yet…

Pressures & Realities

When our people were confronted with the human suffering caused by the Tsunami in Indonesia…

Pressures & Realities

Or the devastation inflicted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita…

Pressures & Realities

United Methodist Churches gave over $100 million, plus thousands of flood buckets and health kits, to help ease the suffering.

Pressures & Realities

Q: So why this incredible response, even in the midst of other financial pressures?

A: United Methodists are generous and compassionate people.

Pressures & Realities

• While the tsunami and hurricanes visited us so dramatically on our TV screens…

• We need to both hear and tell the rest of the story: that our connectional giving is at work every day healing hundreds and hundreds of smaller, “silent tsunamis” that affect people’s lives.

– Poverty, injustice, racism,

– Illiteracy, hunger, disease,

– loneliness, alienation, marginalization

Pressures & Realities

Of colleges and hospitals across this country that bear testimony to the commitment of United Methodists to education and healing.

This is Our Story

..is a church which has never been afraid to make a witness for justice, peace, tolerance, and for the dignity of every human being.

At Work Every Day

…for children who dream of a chance to learn, to grow up safe from the brutalities of war and the threat of diseases which ravage their countries.

Who, thanks to the generous connectional giving of United Methodists, may in fact grow up and become…

At Work Every Day

…students at Africa University, finding the answers that might save lives, and becoming the global leaders who will bring hope for the future.

At Work Every Day

…in places where we go to reach out to people who are hungry, sick or in need, regardless of their religion or the politics of their government.

At Work Every Day

…our church reaches beyond simply helping the poor, but works side by side with people in many different lands to help them raise themselves from poverty.

At Work Every Day

At Work Every Day

…are courageous women and men who work to make the love of Christ real to a hurting world, and who count on us for their support, as they do ministry in our name.

…we are able to be present with people in their time of crisis, on the other side of the world…

At Work Every Day

…or right here in our own back yard. We are able to be there because of the commitment of United Methodists to live and give connectionally.

At Work Every Day

Where are apportionments born?

1. Every four years, lay and clergy delegates to the General Conference envision what the UMC will do in mission and ministry during the next four years, and approve a budget to support that vision.

2. This budget is divided into “fair share portions” for each annual conference.

3. The Northern Illinois Conference receives its “fair share portion” and includes it in the annual conference budget proposal.

General Church Apportionments

General Church Apportioned Funds

General Administration

Fund

Where are apportionments born?

1. Every year, Northern Illinois Conference committees envision what the conference will do in mission and ministry, and submit budget requests to the Conference Finance and Administration Committee (CCFA).

2. These requests are reviewed and, as appropriate, are included in the annual conference budget which is reviewed and approved by lay and clergy members of the Annual Conference.

Northern Illinois Conference Apportionments

Where are apportionments born?

Conference Apportionments

General Church and Northern Illinois Conference apportionments

are combined in the budget, and then divided into “fair share

portions” for each local church/charge, based on elements

of the local church budget.

General Church Apportionments

So these apportionments represent the way we “put our money where our mouths are” and support the mission and ministry that we have collectively accepted!

Where are apportionments born?

How are Apportionments Calculated?

Each local church’s apportionments (which include both General church and Northern Illinois Conference apportionments) are made up of three parts, and each part is based on the local church’s expenditures.

16% of your local church’s spending on pastoral

leadership is apportioned for Support for Ordained

Leadership, which includes District Superintendent

services and the Ministerial Education Fund

How are Apportionments Calculated?

Each local church’s apportionments (which include both General church and Northern Illinois Conference apportionments) are made up of three parts, and each part is based on the local church’s expenditures.

14% of your local church’s spending on programs, other

staff, and operations supports Conference mission

and evangelism, as well as the general church World

Service Fund, Black College Fund, and Africa University.

How are Apportionments Calculated?

Each local church’s apportionments (which include both General church and Northern Illinois Conference apportionments) are made up of three parts, and each part is based on the local church’s expenditures.

1% of the local church’s total budget (minus capital

improvements) strengthens the United Methodist Connection with funding for the Annual

Conference sessions, Treasurer’s office, the Episcopal Fund,

General Administration Fund, and Interdenominational

Cooperation Fund.

100% of your giving to the Advance goes to the ministry you designate.

• Advance administrative costs are funded from World Service and other sources.

• Advance giving is completely voluntary and is in addition to apportioned funds support.

• Advance giving is called “second mile” giving because the “first mile” is for local churches to pay 100% of World Service and conference benevolences.

The Advance for Christ and his Church

Improving Connectional Giving Improving Connectional Giving 1. Utilize trained lay speakers to help you tell the

story to your local congregation.2. Start a regular feature in your bulletin or

newsletter celebrating connectional giving.3. Dedicate a bulletin board celebrating connectional

giving with stories and pictures from the Report or other denominational resources.

4. Plan a mission trip, or join up with a VIM team. Invite a VIM team participant from the conference to give a talk at your church.

5. Ask your District Superintendent to share some examples of how apportioned giving is helping churches in your district.

Improving Connectional Giving Improving Connectional Giving 6. Visit one of the United Methodist Historically

Black Colleges.7. Visit one of the 13 United Methodist Seminaries,

or invite a student, professor, or alumnus to speak at your church.

8. Promote the website www.umcgiving.org, and utilize its countless resources.

9. Establish a Covenant Relationship with a United Methodist missionary, or request a visit from the NIC Mission Interpreter in Residence.

10. Incorporate connectional giving in your stewardship campaigns and special fundraisers, or plan a special fundraising event with proceeds benefiting your church’s fair share of one of the apportioned funds.

Improving Connectional Giving Improving Connectional Giving 11. Include the connectional ministries of the

Northern Illinois Conference in worship service by utilizing worship resources that are “coming soon!” to the new conference website.www.umcnic.org

THANK YOU!For all you’ve done,

For all you are doing,

For all you will do in the days and years to come,

To make the love of Christ real to a hurting world.

You do make a difference!