| 2005 budget numbers don’t tell the whole story  by BYRON P. BROUGHT | As I look at the proposed 2005 budget for the Baltimore-Washington Conference, there is much information to absorb and many questions that need answering.But first, I begin with thanksgiving. Because of the dedication, faithfulness and support of the churches in the Baltimore-Washington Conference, millions of dollars are contributed and countless lives are changed through the saving power of Jesus Christ. When looking at the conference budget, I pray that you come to it with the realization that these numbers mean more than just dollars and cents. The numbers represent mission and ministry. Through them lives are touched, healed and transformed. The numbers don’t tell you, but I will, about the 20 new church starts, new worship services and new faith communities being created in existing congregations throughout the conference in recent years. One example is 'Exit 146' in Berkeley Springs, W. Va., a youth-led worship service started by First UMC, which has also acquired 25 acres from another church on which to build a $2 million facility for youth ministry. Nor do the numbers talk about the continuation of Saving Stations held in and around Washington and Baltimore in recent years, where men and women find release from the captivity of drugs and alcohol abuse.  Nor do the numbers reflect the youth whose lives will be changed through the ministry of ROCK. Last January, more than 4,000 youth and youth leaders gathered in Ocean City for the ROCK weekend retreat. We expect even more next year. There is no way to put into plain numbers the impact this event has on our conference.
Nor do the numbers speak aloud about FaithFest, the Hesed House ministry in Baltimore, United Methodist advocacy in Annapolis on issues ranging from health care to slot machines, or the 'Funding Future Ministry' Capital Campaign underway in the Frederick District. I could go on. But you get the idea. Mission and ministry in the Baltimore-Washington Conference is as varied and vital as the people we serve and the people who do the serving. Recent challenges have placed the Baltimore-Washington Conference in a difficult financial position. These challenges have forced us to curtail spending on administrative and program needs and to vigorously seek ways to replenish our contingency reserves. At the same time, we are trying to limit increases in the apportioned funds being asked of local churches to support conference wide ministries and benevolences. One challenge has been that, in at least the past several years, we have been reluctant to pass along the full cost of the medical insurance plan increases and replenish reserves in that area. This, I believe, was done in a genuine effort to keep costs to local churches as low as possible at a time when conference operating reserves were high and investment interest income was high. Then came the downturn in the stock market. The economy negatively affected our investments and the level of giving to and by churches in our conference. These and other factors forced us to draw heavily upon our contingency reserves to continue to pay bills and to support our growing array of vital ministries. We also paid a price to terminate the lease of the former conference center, to discard much of the contaminated furnishings and materials there, and to lease, build out and furnish the new conference center for the benefit of not only staff but also of many church and conference members who use that facility for meetings and events. So far, the cost for our ongoing recovery from the mold, including the healing and relocation of our staff, has exceeded $1 million. Another factor: the financial consequences of the debilitating toxic mold contamination that struck the former conference center and our staff in late 2002. That contamination precipitated serious, bewildering, chronic health problems among our personnel. The conference, eager to help its staff find answers and healing, paid medical bills for testing and treatment rather than force them to shoulder that burden on their own and wait for the lengthy Worker’s Compensation process to run its course for their reimbursement. While these unexpected events have been significant and draining, to say the least, we believe that the worst of the expenses are behind us. The proposed 2005 spending budget, adopted by the Council on Finance and Administration, is $16,935,806. This budget will be presented for discussion and approval at the annual conference session in May. The numbers in the 2005 budget represent the people of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, their passions, their interests and their callings. The budget represents our pledge to be the people of God in this place, doing ministry in Jesus’ name. | 
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