Midyear churchwide giving totals resemble last year's
7/19/2001 By United Methodist News Service Giving to the churchwide mission and ministries of the United Methodist Church during the first six months of this year is about the same as donations for the comparable period last year.
According to figures released by the denomination's financial administration agency, contributions to the seven funds through apportionments paid by the annual (regional) conferences are running on a par with June 30 figures last year. Combined donations to these outreach and administrative funds totaled a little under $38.4 million so far in 2001 - less than $6,000 under their total at this time last year.
Giving to Special Sunday offerings was up 6.9 percent this year, so total churchwide giving for apportioned funds and the special offerings during the first six months was up half of 1 percent to almost $41.5 million.
Additional donations in the form of Advance Specials, given without any administrative costs, added more than $15 million in designated money for bishops' appeals, mission programs, and relief and development work. Giving to two other outreach funds added almost $250,000.
Total giving beyond the local church and annual conference was $56.9 million at the end of June.
Among the seven churchwide apportioned funds, World Service, the largest single fund, showed a 1.8 percent increase in income for the first six months of this year. Giving to World Service totaled $20.5 million at the end of June.
Donations for the smallest apportioned fund, the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund, grew 12 percent - a greater percentage increase than any of the other funds. At the midyear point, this fund had received $644,989 as opposed to last year's comparable amount of $575,838.
Receipts for some of the six Special Sunday offerings showed substantial increases over the six-month period, and some are down. Peace With Justice, traditionally the smallest of the special offerings, received $25,504 so far this year, an increase of 44.2 percent over last year's $17,692. One Great Hour of Sharing, which supports the church's relief and development agency, grew 10 percent or about $210,000 from $2.1 million last year to $2.3 million this year.
Bishop Alfred Norris, president of the church's General Council on Finance and Administration, and Sandra Kelley Lackore, treasurer of the denomination, co-signed a letter stating that the 2001 budget projects "the largest increase in missional giving in 10 years" and changes in the apportionment formula - both authorized by the church's highest legislative assembly last year.
"The bulk of the increase in apportionments goes to Igniting Ministry, a new and exciting initiative aimed at putting an inviting public face on the denomination," they said in the letter, which was released with statistics relating to giving. Igniting Ministry is a four-year national media campaign for the church. The letter urged church leaders to support the church's financial mission and to join in declaring September as United Methodist "Open House Month."
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