"A PORTION MEANT FOR. . . "

This comes directly from the Treasurery Notes.  A publication of the treasurers office of the Iowa Annual conference of the United Methodist Church.  Charles Smith- Treasurer.

In this issue of the Treasury Notes, I will brieflydescribe the section that we call General ChurchApportionments. The amount owed comes to theIowa Annual Conference from the General (World)Church, and as a Conference we are required toinclude them in the Conference budget and pass thisamount on to the local congregations withoutreductions. The funds supported by this amount are:

The World Service Fund, as the name suggests, is the way congregations give their share andparticipate in God’s work around the world. This fundhas been described as the “heart of the Church’sministry together.” For the 2009-2012 quadrennium,the General Church program agencies havecollaborated in an effort to place an emphasis onareas of ministry for the church. They consist of thefollowing: (1) leadership development which helpsenable our clergy and laity to develop the skillsneeded for ministry in the 21st century; (2) churchgrowth which is extending the outreach of thechurch’s ministry by starting new congregations andhelping existing congregations develop ways forgrowth within their community; (3) ministry with thepoor by partnering with the poor to seek justice andaddress the causes of human suffering that resultfrom poverty; and (4) global health by helping bringhealth initiatives and health and wholeness through aconcerted effort to end preventable diseases.The 2010 total apportionment for this fund is$82,611,000 with Iowa’s share being $1,158,519.

The Ministerial Education Fund was established bythe l968 General Conference as a means of engagingthe total membership of the church in an effort to trainand recruit clergy. The fund provides support for thethirteen United Methodist seminaries within theUnited States, local pastors’ Course of Study, andcontinuing education of active clergy and initiatives ofthe General Board of Higher Education and Ministrythroughout the world. Twenty five percent of thisapportionment stays within the Iowa AnnualConference to provide support for ministerialeducation.The 2010 total apportionment for this fund is$28,280,000 with Iowa’s share being $396,593.

The Black College Fund was established by the1972 General Conference. The objective of the fundis to provide financial support for institutions of highereducation that have historically served theeducational needs of black students. Most of the 12colleges supported by this fund were founded afterthe Civil War. For many years, the Iowa Conferencehas kept a special relationship with one of thecolleges. Many individuals and local congregations inIowa besides supporting the Black College fund alsoprovides special gifts to Rust College which is locatedin Holly Springs, Mississippi.The 2010 total apportionment for this fund is$11,282,000 with Iowa’s share being $158,216.

The Africa University Fund was established by the1988 General Conference. This fund supports AfricaUniversity which opened in Zimbabwe on March 23,1993. The student body has now reached aneconomically sustainable enrollment level of around1,200 students. Capital improvements are now beingfunded by grants from governments, foundations,annual conferences and individuals. The apportionedfunds are used to support the operating budget.The 2010 total apportionment for this fund is$2,525,000 with Iowa’s share being $35,410.

The Episcopal Fund provides support for all activeand retired Bishops in all parts of the world. The fundpays the following items for each Bishop: salary,health and pension benefits, travel expense, movingcosts, a portion of the office expense, some officeequipment for the Bishop’s office, a grant to theAnnual Conference for a share of the Episcopalhousing fund, some support for renewal leave,continuing education, and a sabbatical leave. Thefund includes a provision for emergency evacuationexpenses and other expenses if the safety andwelfare of the Bishop and his or her family is at stake.The 2010 total apportionment for this fund is$21,210,000 with Iowa’s share being $318,662.

The General Administration Fund financesgeneral church activities that are specificallyadministrative in nature. The specific budget itemsinclude interpretation resources that are used by theUM Communications to promote these funds.Support for the General Church Treasurer andAdministration offices, which provides for legal needs,maintaining the UM trademark and propertyinsurance fund. The cost of holding the GeneralConference every four years is in this fund,maintaining the General Commission on Archivesand History, historic sites, heritage landmarks, andthe cost of the Judicial Council.The 2010 total apportionment for this fund is$8,951,000 with Iowa’s share being $125,527.

The Interdenominational Cooperation Fundprovides basic support for ecumenical agenciesthrough which the United Methodist Churchparticipates in God’s mission with other Christiancommunions. This fund supports the National Councilof Churches/Regional Ecumenical Organizations,World Councils of Churches/ InternationalEcumenical Organizations, Christian WorldCommunions/Methodist Unity, the World MethodistCouncil, Pan-Methodist Commissions including theCommission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation, andUnion and Churches Uniting in Christ.The 2010 total apportionment for this fund is$2,201,000 with Iowa’s share being $30,866.

The Iowa Annual Conference also includes the NorthCentral Jurisdictional Fund in this apportionmenttotal. The Jurisdictional fund primarily supports theJurisdictional Conference which meets every fouryears, and the committees that are needed toorganize and hold this event.Iowa’s share of this fund for each year ofthe quadrennium will be $25,036.

Iowa’s share of the 2010 apportionment for theGeneral Church is $2,248,829. In 2007, lay andclergy members of the Annual Conference voted topay the General Church apportionments at 100%even if all local congregations had not paid this fundat 100%. Therefore, a Contingency fund in theamount of $355,000 is included in this apportionmentto cover a shortfall in local church payments. Asmore and more local congregations reach the goal ofpaying this fund at 100%, the Contingency Fund canbe adjusted which helps all of us.

Stewardship of your days

WOW

8/5/2009

Is it time yet?  That is the question of an impatient people.  Is it time yet, is it over yet, are we there yet?  I’ve been there. Haven’t you?

On the other hand the question of the stressed person is can’t I have another hour, day or week?  There’s never enough time- there are never enough hours in a day or days in a week.  I’ve been there too.  We all have haven’t we?

I want you to look at a number 17,279.. . . that‘s how many days I have been alive. 17,279 counting today which is not over yet.    That’s 414 696 hours. 25 million Minutes or get this almost 1.5 billion seconds.

Let’s stick with 17,279 days.   

At the age of 1,965 days I started school.  I remember standing out on the curb in front of our apartment in Lakewood Colorado with my little rug and box of crayons waiting for the bus.

At 5,966 days I was called into the ministry, or I began to recognize that call anyway.

At 6,622 days I graduated from High School.

At 7546 days I got married to Robyn on a cold December day in LeMars Iowa.

8,239    9,472 and 16,249: these are days I’ll never forget.  Some of the best days , when Amber, Richie and then Noah were born.

At almost 12,000 days I left the ministry and the church and at about 16,500 I returned as pastor here.

I could go on listing important days, but how many do you suppose I would be able to identify.  Out of over 17,000 days God has given me how many do you suppose I can identify as an important day.  Maybe a hundred or a couple hundred.  That would be about 1%

Well, think about it- how many dates can you identify in your life of thousands of days.  You probably can’t identify more than 1% either.

Of 17, 000 days, or 18 thousand or 19,000 or 20,000 days does the fact that we can only remember a few of them mean that the others weren’t important? No, not necessarily.    It means they have slipped from the front of our conscious memory to the back.  But what of today? As today draws to an end will today be one of those days that sticks out in your memory, or will it be one that slides to the back of the conscious mind and into the dusty, forgotten, foggy obscurity of eternity?

Now I am not saying that we have to remember every single day and every single minute of our lives.  You probably know me well enough by now that you know that my memory is poor enough that I actually worry about it sometimes.  Mercifully I soon forget what I was worrying about and go on my merry little pathetic way.

That’s why I live with my pocket brain.

That’s not the point though.  It is not remembering I want to talk about today.

Listen to the 12th verse of the 90th Psalm again.  “Teach us to number our days aright,
       that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”  That’s the New international version.

The Contemporary English version says, “Teach us to use wisely  all the time we have.”  I think that clarifies it for me.  “Teach us to use wisely all the time we have.”

This becomes a stewardship passage then.  God has given us a certain number of days.  Mine so far is 17,279.  Yours is different, but whatever it is the question from Psalm 90 becomes an issue of stewardship. What does it mean to use wisely the days we have. 

First we have to be clear that it would be a tremendous waste of time for us to read all the books available on time management.  Not that we can’t lean some things.  I try to read one every few years just to make sure I am doing the best I can with the time I have.  But that is very different from Stewardship of time.

Second, let’s be clear that I am not saying as some do, that any time not spent in the Bible and prayer is wasted time.  God placed us in this world and surrounded us with both people to love and people who have needs.  So I think that narrow type of thinking is ridiculous.

What I am saying is there are a few principles God has given us for the use of our days, and that we would do well to remember them.

First, you may know that the first tool of time management is doing the important things first.  This last week I heard a teacher talk about doing first things first and second things not at all.  Now that’s a little black and white, but the first principle is Christian time management is like that. 

Seek God first, last and in between.  Matthew 6:33 says seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.  Here is where Bible reading and prayer does come into the picture.  And so does worship and service and meditation, and any other disciple building activity.

Seeking God first is not a chronological command.  It does not mean get up, do your devotions and the rest of the day is yours.  This is not a chronological command but a prioritizing command.   Keep first things first.  When we commit to being a disciple of Jesus Christ we commit to putting God first in our lives.  We commit to making God the most important things in our lives. When we become a disciple we commit to loving God and others as we love ourselves.

 Put God first when you get up in the morning.  Put God first at breakfast.  Put God first when you go to work or school or play.  Put God first at lunch.  Put God first when you do your chores, or homework, or relax.  Put God first when you lay down for the night.  Put God first in all things.  God should be first, last and in the middle of all we do, all we think, all we say, and all we want.  So seek God first- at all times make God the first and most important relationship in your life and you will be on your way to Christian time management- or stewardship.

The second principle is from that same chapter of Matthew.  If the first principle is put first things first- the second is like it put last things nowhere.

Jesus says “why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them”

In other words, if you can’t do anything about it.  Don’t do anything about it.   Do you know the serenity prayer? 

God grant me the serenity 
to accept the things I cannot change; 
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

As Jesus asks, “does worry add one day to the length f your life?”  Does worry add any more money to your thin bank account?  Does worry make the medicine work better?  Does worry make your marriage or your relationship with your children more loving?  Has worry ever kept any bad thing from happening?  NO.  So why do we do it.  And I include myself in that question. 

When I say “put last things nowhere”  I mean don’t do the things that won’t do any good like worry . . . or guilt.   Guilt has never made anyone a better person.  It has never fed anyone unless you count someone making a donation out of guilt.  But there are better reasons to give.  Guilt does not bring us closer to God in fact it pushes us away because we feel as though we aren’t’ good enough to be in relationship.  Well, we are right, we don’t deserve to be loved by God, but God loves us anyway.  Guilt drives us away from other people.  Guilt even drives us into not loving ourselves.  None of those things are helpful.  So our time is much better spent confessing and receiving forgiveness “Confess our sins to one another and he will be faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

There are other things that are last and ought not be done at all.

Anger for instance: Don’t let the sun go down on your anger (Eph 4:26)

Jesus talks about do not be angry, do not lust, do not waste your time in unproductive ministry - just wipe the dust from your feet and move on.  Learn to say no to those unproductive activities and move on to things that are productive.

In summary don’t waste your time on things that don’t show fruit. Jesus said “Any branch that does not bear fruit is pruned.”  If it doesn’t show love to God, others, or yourself cut it off.

So, make loving God and God’s children first. Second, prune anything that doesn’t show love for God or others.

Finally, you know that life is a constant series of ups and downs.  You know that everything that lives, is born, lives and dies.  You know that there are years of bountiful harvest and years of slim harvest.  You know that there are times of Joy and times of sadness.  Ecclesiastes chapter 3- made famous by the Byrd’s in 1965- song “Turn, Turn Turn,” says there is a season for everything under heaven.  They are God’s seasons and it is our job to embrace those seasons.  When times are good, we thank God.  When times are bad we thank God, look for a lesson to learn and move on.  When we are well, we thank God.  When we are ill we thank God for life and practice patience while we heal.  When we are successful we thank God.  When we fail, we seek comfort from God and try again.

This is not a fatalistic “what will be, will be” attitude.  This is part of our Christian stewardship of time.  Understanding that there are seasons, and ups and downs, there are good times and bad, there is summer and fall and spring and winter and we must embrace the whole breadth of God’s time.   It is affirming that when our lives are good, God is there.  When our lives are hard, God is there.  When we succeed God is there, and when we fail, God is there.  When we feel close to God, God is there, and when we feel far away God is there.  It is our job to embrace every moment, every day, every hour, every minute, every second because they come to us from God.

Have I embraced every one of those 17, 279 days?  No.  I can’t honestly say I have.  But I am seeking to embrace today.  And tomorrow and the day after that.  I might not remember each of them when I have lived another 17,000 days, but I hope to be able to look back and say “I might not remember them, but I know deep inside of me that God was there.  God and I were there together.

How do you use your time?  What kind of steward are you. 

The nature of time is that we can’t go back and do better on yesterday or the day before.

The nature of time is that tomorrow is always just out of reach.

The nature of time is that the only time you can control- the only time you can use wisely- the only time that you can do anything about is right here, right now, this very moment.

Let us pray.

July 12 Sermon- Worship: better than dancing with the stars

"Worship: better than 'dancing with the stars'"

RUMC

July 19, 2009 and WOW July 22, 2009

 

I have to admit it . . .  it has become something of a national phenomenon that I don't understand it.  I have tried to watch 'Dancing with the stars,' but it doesn't do a thing for me.

But the same was true for Dance Dance Revolution when I first saw it.  If you don't know DDR it is a video game in which you dance competitively by following the on screen dance instructions.  It was very popular among my youth group in Bettendorf.  Well, I didn't understand it either until I tried it.  Well, actually I am not sure I ever REALLY understood it, but I understood its attraction better.

I don't know what it is, but dancing has just never really been my "thing."  Ask Robyn.

So you can lay aside all you fears that because king David danced before the Ark of God into Jerusalem I am going to ask you to dance this morning.  I am too afraid that I would look like a big freckled fish flipping and flopping around on the bottom of the boat if I tried to lead you in dance.

 

B UT--- and there's always a "but" isn't there.  BUT I think we can learn a little about worship if we think about it as a dance.

First, some history.  This story comes from very early in David's reign as king.  He has taken over the throne from Saul, beat back the Philistines and consolidated the Northern Kingdom (known as Israel) and the Southern kingdom (known as Judah).  He chose a new capital city which was right on the border between the north and the south (probably a pretty smart political move).  That city was Jerusalem.   The war with the Philistines had united the kingdoms militarily against a common enemy.  The character and leadership of David was bringing them together politically and economically.  The one thing left was a religious unification.  So David sent for the Ark of the Covenant.

Now, most of you know the Ark of the Covenant from Indiana Jones movies.  What you might not remember is that the ark was given to the people of Israel by God while they were wondering in the wilderness.  It was the throne of God.  It was the seat of the divine.  It was as close to God as you could get.  And therefore it became the central symbol for worship of God.  And it had powers.  When the Philistines captured it they discovered that no matter what city they used to hide the Ark, that city was overrun with rats and the people were covered with boils.  They finally added 2 + 2 decided to get rid of the ark.  They sent it back to Israel.  But whenever someone touched it and they were not ritually clean- they died.  The Israelites finally stashed it away in Kerith Jeram and apparently somehow forgot about it.

That was 20 years ago.  20 years without the most important symbol of the faith.  Can you imagine 20 years without our beautiful cross?  It would be pretty hard.  And when we got it back we would have a big old celebration wouldn't we?  We'd pull out all the stops and plan the biggest, most beautiful worship celebration we have ever had.

And that's what David did. 

There were 30,000 men in attendance that day.

Musicians and artists.

Priests and dignitaries. And YES DANCERS.

And when they saw the Ark of the Covenant round the last corner they couldn't contain their joy.  They broke out in worship.  They Played and prayed.  They sang and the bells rang.  They offered sacrifices and praises and . . . well they danced.  Have you ever had dancers in worship?    Maybe liturgical dancers?  Or maybe you have been to a church where Dancing in the spirit is more common?

Now I would like to think that if someone broke out in dance during worship, you might be surprised, but not upset.  Surprised, because it is just not a regular part of our worship tradition here in Reinbeck.  About the time this church was started though, the Holy Rollers were popular; they were people who were very emotive in their worship.  Dancing in down the aisles was part of that tradition. And in many churches today it would not be anything unusual to see people spontaneously dancing as part of regular worship.

 

As I said earlier, I am not going to try to convince you to get up and dance.  If you are like me, you are way to self conscience to do that unless God just takes my hands and feet and makes them move completely independently of my awkward and ill at ease body.

I do believe, however, that this story and an examination of dance as a paradigm for worship will open new doors and new understandings as we seek to worship God in spirit and in truth.

 

 

The very first thing we need to talk about is whose dance is it.  Well, let's put it this way.  God owns the dance hall, the DJ, the music, the decorations, the food, the electricity and the air.  Whose dance do you think it is?

In the Biblical story, the people don't dance because David won a military victory.  They don't dance because they have a new king.  They don't dance because they are reunited with their long lost brothers to the south.  They dance for one reason and one reason only.  The Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of God.  The Throne of the almighty- and therefore the almighty Himself- has returned to its rightful place.  God is present in the Ark and that is the only reason they need to celebrate.  That is the only reason they need to dance.  The chorus of God's almighty love and infinite grace begins to play and their hearts are filled with the music, and their toes begin to tap.  And they can hardly contain themselves. 

When you come to worship what is your attitude?  Do you come with an anticipation that God is already here and you are ready to party with God?  Do you come with your dancing shoes polished and ready to dance?  Or do you come daring the preacher to say something that will make you smile?  Do you come to a divine celebration or do you come determined to tolerate another hour of church.  Do you come because your heart is overflowing with the need and desire to offer yourself to the almighty, or do you come to sit down and wait, hoping that a drop of joy will soak through your fancy clothes and your tough skin- or should I say sin?

I'll tell you, our attitude when we walk in the door makes all the difference in the world.  You can see it in the face of the people sitting next to you.  I can see it from up here.  So I am absolutely sure that God is not fooled

Worship is a dance planned and offered by God.  And we need to come to worship with an attitude of anticipation and joy- that our will hearts will beat and our toes will tap.

 

Second we need to talk about is who is our partner?  On dancing with the stars, the stars are each paired with a professional dance partner.  In worship we have to look at it two ways. 

First, from an individual perspective, we are each paired with the only partner who knows our every step before we take it.  We are paired with the only partner in the universe who can truly anticipate our each and every need and desire.  In an individual sense God is our perfect dance partner.  And God is always inviting us to dance the dance of faith. There is an individual aspect to worship.  You come with your own needs and hurts and feelings. You come with the rhythm of your own heart to add to the rhythm of God's music.  Individually we can worship God at any time, in any context, at home, in the hospital, in school or work, in jail, under the stars or beside a babbling brook.  That is certainly worship.  But that is different from corporate worship.

Corporate worship is more than that.  So second, in addition to your one on one dance with God, on Sunday morning or Wednesday night we are also engaged in  . . . well you might imagine a line dance or a circle dance. I hesitate to say the "hokey pokey" because someone might think I am making fun of corporate worship. 

I can't say hokey pokey without taking a minute to remember the creator of the hokey pokey whom they tried to burry recently.  I say tried because they had a terrible time at his funeral.   It was really a problem with the casket.  You see they'd put his right hand in, he'd put his right hand out, they'd put his right hand in and . . .  well never mind.

But I use the hokey pokey because everyone has done it and knows what I am talking about.  Everyone is doing the same thing whether it is the hokey pokey, the Macarena, or the chicken dance- everyone dancing to the same music--- everyone doing the same dance steps creates community and unity both with each other and with God.

Technically, we might say that God invites each of to the dance, but asks us all to dance together. We sit together, stand together, sing together and pray together.  We laugh together and cry together, and we grow closer to God together.   Although in our individualistic society many people think of worship in terms of what I get out of it.  In terms of how it makes ME feel.  The truth is that corporate worship is far from an individual event.  It is a WE event.  Us and God.  God and us.

When you come to worship what is your focus.  Is your focus on yourself, or is it on the one who asks us to dance together as the people of God.

 

SO, First, we know it is God's dance, God owns everything from the dance hall to the DJ.

Second we know that God is the one who asks us to dance- not just individually, but corporately.

Third we need to be very clear about who is leading.  You know what happens if both people on the dance floor try to lead.  Picture 3 stooges, stepping on each other's feet, slapping each other up side the head and pulling on each other's noses.  That's what it looks like when both partners try to lead.

If I were to ask you who leads worship, most of you would probably look at me cross-eyed and say "You do silly."  But as the preacher I am keenly aware that I am not really in charge. I am a lowly choreographer; and if we aren't all stepping together; if our steps don't fit God's rhythm including mine we look more like the three stooges than the body of Christ.

There are times when as a preacher I come over to practice on Saturday night what I wrote on Friday, and I just know it isn't right.  It is either out of step with you or out of step with God.  That isn't as frightening as finding out on Sunday morning that I am out of step.  Those of you who follow the large print texts know when that happens don't you? Every good preacher will tell you that no how prepared they are when he/or she stands up to preach they don't want to be in control.  They want to give the lead to God.

So I ask you today, whose lead are you following in worship?  Who is leading you in the dance?  I don't want it to be me.  And I hope you don't want it to be you.

 

Finally, when we are clear who owns the ball room, who invites us to dance, and who is leading; we are finally ready to address the goal of the dance.    The goal of the dance is to get the partners dancing as one.  Absolutely synchronized, absolutely perfectly mirroring each other, absolutely perfectly in tune and moving as one.

 And hearing that, do you see? That is what we are about in worship too?  Synchronizing out lives with God.  Matching our attitudes with God's.  Making our movement one, our hearts one, our desires one, our hopes one, our decisions one with God.  If I'm out of step, you help get me in line. If you're out of step I help get you in line.  That's what we are about in the dance of worship.

 

God owns the hall

God invites us to the dance

God leads us in the dance

And finally God shapes us and moulds us in the dance of worship to live our lives choreographed by his love, his grace and his plan.

 

Isn't that cool?  I'll tell you Dancing with the stars is nothing compared to dancing with the divine!  It is nothing compared to the dance of worship

God has provide the hall

The invitation is extended

God 's hand is out ready to lead- and shape our lives. . .  if only we will let him.

 

Every song we sing- ever word we say- every move we make is part of the great dance of Worship.  Let's stand and sing Every move we make.

 

 

--
Terry Plocher
Reinbeck UMC

2009 Iowa Annual conference

166^th Iowa Annual Conference Highlights

June 4-7, 2009

Thursday

Annual Conference to Celebrate, Worship, Elect, Holy Conference and Make Decisions

• Laity and clergy members from the 820 congregations of the Conference joined in an opening Worship Celebration of Baptism and Holy Communion on Thursday, June 4. Visiting choirs – from Rust College and the Hope for Africa Children’s Choir. Rev. J. Robert
• In his sermon entitled, “No Longer A Stranger,” Bishop Trimble called on the Conference to “live up to our advertising…live up to Radical Hospitality.” He said that “we need to be authentic in our welcome, living a willingness to change and to be changed.” The Bishop noted that “God said, ‘I’ll give you more people.’ To reach them we might have to move, to learn to speak a new language, to redefine our parish boundaries, to think more globally and act more locally, to pay attention to other communities. Some might be poor, might not have all the proper documents that some think they need to have, might have been bruised by other communities.” He advised that “When the Bishop comes to your church he might be coming to see if the sign of welcome on the outside matches with what’s being lived out on the inside.”

Friday

Treasurer Focuses on “More Important Question” in Annual Report

• Out of every dollar given in the local congregations; 84.1 cents was used to support that local congregation’s ministry, 10.9 cents was used to support Annual Conference Ministries and Mission and 5 cents was used for either General Conference apportionments or other causes which includes the advance specials and special offerings.
• In 2008, 583 congregations paid 100% of their apportionments and 113 congregations gave a higher percentage than in 2007.
• In 2008, 225 congregations grew in membership. The largest membership church was 2,556 and the smallest was two. The average membership size for congregations in Iowa was 225 and the medium, meaning as many churches larger and smaller was 130. In 2008, our congregations received 3,027 members by profession of faith a 7% increase from 2007. 3,155 members left our relationship to a greater existence through death. This is a 5% increase. However, it should be noted that 240 congregations had more baptisms than deaths in 2008; with 2,557 baptized reported for a 6% increase.
• As of June 1, 2009, the financial position of the Conference remains strong. When we factor in prior year apportionments paid, our receipts are down only 0.74% from the previous year. These percentages translate into $4,959 less in 2009 than in 2008.

Bishop Issues FIT Challenge in His Episcopal Address

• [Website audio and video links to the Episcopal Address are found at:
• http://tinyurl.com/l6cqhw]

Laity Address Offers “Hope in the Midst of Muck”

• [Website text, audio and video links to the Laity Address found at: http://tinyurl.com/l6cqhw ]

Rev. Karen Nichols Dungan Preaches at the Memorial Service

• [Website video link for the Memorial Service is found at: http://tinyurl.com/l6cqhw ]

Conference Votes to Move to Hy-Vee Hall DesMoines

Saturday

Two Camps to be Sold

• Action Item 202, proposed by the Conference Board of Camp and Retreat Ministries, called for the sale of the Aldersgate and the Golden Valley Camp and Retreat centers. The Action Item called for the “proceeds to be utilized for capitol improvements at the remaining Camp and Retreat Centers.” Following discussion during the morning and afternoon sessions, including the consideration of several amendments that called for allocation of the sale proceeds and referral to the 2010 Annual Conference for action, Action Item 202 was approved.

Recommendations of Bishop’s Task Group on Mission Congregations Approved

• Following the call of the Cabinet and the Administrative Coordinating Council a Bishop’s Task Group was created to give definition to the term “mission congregation” (par. 260, Book of Discipline, 2008). From the work of the Task Group, a mission congregation: (a) is a congregation with a specific missional focus that is in partnership with the annual conference…and must be assisted by the resources of the annual conference to fulfill the shared vision for ministry; (b) is designated annually by the Bishop and Cabinet after the recommendation of several groups; (c) will require subsidy for an extended period of time for a variety of reasons: serving a low income population with an active program of community service and outreach, a low income ethnic-minority community or a special population or specific territory where a continuing United Methodist presence is vital to the goals of the annual conference. Missional congregations require specialized leadership…stronger leadership than they can afford.

Conference Endorses Recommendation for Human Resources Director

2010 District Askings Set

• Askings for District Ministries were set when Action Item 503 was discussed and voted by the members of the Annual Conference. The 2010 Askings are: Northeast - $2.75 per member ($63,256)

Basis for District Superintendents’ Salary Designated

• The basis for determining the salary of the District Superintendents will be changed for 2010. Beginning what that year, a District Superintendent will be compensated at 135% of the Conference Average Compensation. That amount, for 2010, will be $78,045.

Minimum Base Compensation Held the same as 2009

Sunday

2010 Budget Reflects Slight Decrease

• The revised budget for 2010 reflects a slight decrease from 2009. The -0.58% change includes a 4.2% decrease in General Church apportionments, a .7% decrease in Conference Ministries and administration, and a 2.6% increase in Conference Missions. Overall, the total approved budget for the three categories is: $16,251,151.

Bishop Calls Conference to Move “One Step Beyond Caution” in Ordination

Sermon

• [Website link to the sermon is posted at: http://tinyurl.com/nfov5g ]

Eighteen Ordained During Sunday Afternoon Service

Special Offerings Raise Over $25,000

Constitutional Amendments Votes

The most important votes in the 2009 IAC were on the proposed Amendments to the Constitution of The United Methodist Church.

A total of 32 Amendments were proposed by the 2008 UMC General Conference, but the Annual Conferences decide. To ratify any UMC Constitutional Amendment, it must receive two-thirds of the combined total votes in the 135 UMC Annual Conferences around the world.

Fifteen Annual Conferences, including Iowa, have now reported their votes. The results are even better than we had hoped for:

· Amendment #1 (Trojan Horse) received only 51% Yes votes in those 15 Annual Conferences, far short of the required 66.67%. This is the most dangerous Amendment. It would remove all standards for Church membership, overrule our UMC Book of Discipline and our UMC stand on sexual morality, divide our Church, and endanger children and youth.

· The 23 World Church Structure Amendments received only 36% to 38% Yes votes in those 15 Annual Conferences. We call them the Segregation Amendments. They would create a new layer of Regional Conference structures, dividing our global Church and partially separating USA and African United Methodists.

· Amendment #19, giving voting rights to Local Pastors, received 80% Yes votes in those 15 Annual Conferences. This Amendment is simple justice. It will allow most Local Pastors, provisional clergy members, and associate clergy members to vote in Annual Conference elections of clergy delegates to the General and Jurisdictional Conferences. (Now they can’t vote for either clergy or lay delegates.)

Respectfuly Submitted to the Reinbeck UMC

Rev. Terry Plocher