Holston leaders respond to financial challenges

My dear sisters and brothers,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our blessed Lord!

I write this letter to address the stewardship and financial issues of Holston Conference.

First, I want you to know how grateful I am for the stewardship of our people. To date this year, our congregations have given $187,326 more through the Fair Share apportionments than a year ago! This is incredibly good news given the financial pressures felt since Sept. 11, 2001. But there is additional information I want you to have.

The 2002 conference budget, approved by the Annual Conference, is $15,100,804. This amount is divided among our 929 congregations as a "Fair Share" so every church can participate in our "connectional ministries" which are both local and global.

In past years, most of our churches have fulfilled 100 percent of their apportionments. But collectively we have averaged only 90 percent of the total conference Fair Share budget. We've been fortunate that the 10 percent shortfall has been funded by interest from invested conference monies and by our Reserve Fund. For instance, in the past a budget might look like this:

Conference budget
$14,000,000
90% Fair Share receipts from churches
$12,600,000

Shortfall funded from interest earnings/reserves $ 1,400,000

Here is our situation this year:
Conference budget
$15,100,804

90% Projected Fair Share receipts
$13,590,723

Shortfall
$ 1,510,081

As is the case with many other churches and organizations, this year we do not have the luxury of interest earnings nor ample enough reserves to cover the shortfall as we have in previous years.

I want you to know that this conference's leadership is responding magnificently to this challenge. Our conference Council on Finance and Administration and Discipleship Team, in consultation with other groups, concluded that there were two primary ways to solve this shortfall:

1. Raise collective giving to the Fair Share to the 100 percent level. This rise would fully fund our entire budget. 2. Make reductions in projected expenditures.

Thus, with all the various groups working together, some things have been deferred (such as testing of clergy candidates) and some have been reduced (such as grants to colleges) and others eliminated (including a staff position and funding for Strength for the Journey and ethnic camp scholarships) for this year. Obviously, some things in the budget must be funded 100 percent, such as utilities, rent, district superintendents support, etc. Initially the hope was that other areas of the budget could be funded at 70 percent, but to balance the budget, more drastic reductions are being made. Though this has been a painful process, the goodwill and cooperation have been exceptional. There is a firm commitment to hold expenditures to anticipated receipts. I also want you to know that Ron Matthews, our conference director of finance, is providing excellent data that allows Mai Bell Hurley, chair of the Council on Finance and Administration, and others to make informed and prudent decisions.

For every 1 percent increase in our collective Fair Share giving, approximately $145,000 will be used to restore ministries that have been deferred, reduced or eliminated. It will be at the end of this calendar year that we know the total percentage given to the Fair Share and which ministries can thus be funded. The increase to the Fair Share over last year is commendable. Our challenge is to close out 2002 with all our congregations supporting the Fair Share 100 percent. In addition, there may be congregations wishing to support the Fair Share by giving additional amounts.

In the midst of all this struggle, I heard from Jerry Russell, Bill Daugherty and others from Holston Conference who recently returned from Zimbabwe for the dedication of the school our Annual Conference offering made possible. Some 5,000 people gathered for a five-hour worship celebration of the new Ishe Anesu facility for more than 100 children, all of whom are orphaned by AIDS. In this act of mercy we are fulfilling the mandate of Christ to care for the most disadvantaged.

The Holston Conference is no more and no less than our 929 congregations. We are all in this together. We all rejoice in the new school in Zimbabwe and we all suffer that our support for the prison chaplaincy is reduced.

The Ishe Anesu school was built with funds given beyond the Fair Share our local congregations support. But we want to remember that through our Fair Share we are in ministry all over the world – feeding, housing, clothing, educating some of God's most precious and needy people. Our Fair Share also supports many ministries within the Holston Conference and provides for a compassionate and competent staff. It also is a source for funding the health insurance and pension for our clergy. It is crucial. It is the foundation on which all our other ministries are built.

It may be that these are the best of times and the worst of times. Yet, we know God is with us and is seeing us through. And to keep all this in perspective, the church in Cuba or Zimbabwe would be thrilled to have our "problem."

Thank you dear brothers and sisters for your faithfulness. It is such a privilege to be in ministry with you.

Restoring ministries

Unless we receive 100 percent of the Fair Share in 2003, Holston Conference will face the same financial situation we are experiencing in 2002. When Fair Share giving is reduced, many ministries receive reduced funding or are entirely eliminated from the budget. This is a partial listing of ministries/ programs that could be restored with increased giving to the Fair Share. – RWC

• Jonesborough new church start
  
• Grants to churches for building projects
  
• Bridge Refugee Service
  
• Bethlehem Center
  
• Wesley House
  
• Morgan-Scott Project
  
• Ethnic Minority Local Church Concerns
  
• Participation in Global Gathering
  
• All youth programs
  
• Conference colleges
  
• Strength for the Journey
  
• Prison ministries
  
• Accessibility grants
  
• Ethnic scholarships for Holston camps
  
• Igniting Ministry matching grant
  
• Virginia Council Refugee Sponsors
  
• Mission intern teams from Holston
  
• SEJ Native American Ministries
  
• CCYM's Spiritfire
  
• Older Adult Ministries
  
• Parish nurse training
  
• Any new ministries funded by Emerging Ministries line items
  
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Bishop Ray W. Chamberlain
Resident Bishop

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