| Capital campaign expands to Annapolis By Erik Alsgaard
UMCONNECTION STAFF The Funding Future Ministry program, a local church-driven capital funds campaign, will expand next to the Annapolis District, according to the Rev. Maynard Moore, a director with the conference's Stewardship Center and Foundation who is leading the program. 
Williams | 'My hope and prayer is that this stewardship campaign will enhance our payment of apportionments on the district,' said the Rev. Mamie Williams, superintendent of the Annapolis District, 'and I pray that it enhances our support of our Zimbabwe mission project and other projects we identify on the district.' The Funding Future Ministry program is an 18-month program designed primarily to help churches with stewardship education and training. Churches that opt in to all three six-month segments will manage their own campaigns with conference support. | Any church in the Baltimore-Washington Conference can utilize the services of The Stewardship Center and Foundation for any financial campaign. The Center’s mandate is to serve the churches of the conference. Churches are encouraged to call (800) 492-2525, Ext. 480, to find out the services that are available, often at less cost than outside organizations. | Williams appointed a small task force of clergy to look at the question of whether the churches on the Annapolis District were ready to move into the capital campaign. That task force met in April and May, and returned an affirmative decision in early June. The first job for the Annapolis District after that, said Moore, will be for the task force and others in leadership positions in the district to map out a strategy for implementing the program. ' Once that happens in mid-July, we will then formally invite all the churches in the district to make a decision to participate, and that will happen when the clergy present the opportunity to their church council meetings … in August or September,' said Moore in an interview. As it has been in the Frederick District, local church participation is voluntary, said Moore. Churches may join for the first two segments of the campaign, dealing with stewardship education and training, and then decide that now is not the right time for the actual raising of dollars. 'It is just very, very important for a local church to set its own timetable,' said Moore. Having a vision for future ministry is critical, he added. 'We don’t want any church to undertake a capital campaign or any kind of special fund raising campaign if they don’t have a vision for future ministry,' said Moore. 'It's just absolutely critical for any church to struggle through the process of forging a vision for ministry before they begin to raise money for anything, because many churches have the capability of raising money, but the question is, for what?' The campaign received a symbolic boost during annual conference when it officially received its first gift. Middleway UMC in Middleway, W.Va., received a bequest, Moore said. The pastor, Jim Embrey, and the congregation were already familiar with the practice of tithing and sent one-tenth of the bequest to the campaign. 'It's truly a widow's mite,' said Moore. 'It's not a huge amount (of money), but it's a wonderful example of how local people can affirm their connectional obligations with other United Methodists toward the common goals of funding retreat and camping ministries and new church starts.' In the Funding Future Ministry campaign, part of the money raised by local churches supports district and conference projects. The conference has identified its projects as new church starts and camping and retreat ministries. Each district will choose its own projects. The Frederick District is concluding the first six-month trimester, said Moore. The district's task force and the district council on ministries, under the leadership of the Rev. Ed Grove, pastor of Trinity UMC in Martinsburg, W.Va., were expected to meet to map out the second segment as this issue went to press. This phase will look different, said Moore. 'Heretofore, we’ve been meeting with the 40 or so participating churches, in meetings once a month,' he said, 'doing intensive presentations and discussions. During stage two, we will be working with all the churches in the district, even those that are not now participating, because all the churches in the district, in one way or another, have expressed the need for stewardship education and training.' The remaining seven districts in the conference will join the campaign at dates yet to be determined. | 
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