by Erik Alsgaard
UMConnection Staff The Baltimore-Washington Conference's Stewardship Center and Foundation will undergo some modifications in the near future to better serve churches and the conference mission, according to a director of the organization, the Rev. Charles Parker. The moves will involve a refocusing of its mission and a reduction and realignment of staff, while at the same time, aiming for a long-term expansion of its scope and mission. One of the factors behind the changes is the Cabinet decision last fall to put the conferencewide capital campaign ? better known as Funding Future Ministries ? on hiatus. 
Parker |
'We had concerns, on a conferencewide level, on how the capital campaign was progressing in the Frederick District,' said Parker, speaking about the first district to enter the planning phase for the campaign. Parker, who with the Rev. Maynard Moore serves as co-director for the Stewardship Center and Foundation, said that in addition to the flow progress and interest, one concern had to do with how much a comprehensive capital campaign would detract from the visioning process the conference is currently undertaking. The campaign sought to raise money on a conferencewide level for new church development and camping ministries. At the same time, local churches and districts that participated in the campaign would be raising money for local church and district projects of their own choosing. 
Moore |
'The decision was easy to refocus energy because we had not yet reached the point of campaign solicitation,' said Moore. 'In a desire to be responsive to local churches, the decision was made to reorganize the work of the Stewardship Center and Foundation,' Parker said. Moore, for example, has been concentrating on assisting local churches with their own capital campaigns since Jan. 1, and the response has been overwhelming.' Two of the current professional positions will end as of June 30, Parker said. Those positions include Moore's and that of the Rev. Terry Leckrone, director of Investments and Planned-Giving. A new position is being crafted, said Parker, and will be advertised in the near future. All the structural changes will be brought to the annual conference session in May for approval. The United Methodist Foundation itself, as an investment entity, will maintain its independent corporate status from the annual conference, Parker said. Speaking of all the changes, he said, 'It's an attempt to better integrate our work here, and to coordinate better with the service mission of the conference.' In the meantime, Parker is excited about new opportunities for expanding the role of the Stewardship Center and Foundation in the local churches. 'We are planning an expansion of investment opportunities for churches,' said Parker. These include offering churches choices to invest in large cap stocks, small and mid-cap stocks, minority-owned businesses, international investments and to invest in church and community development. 'Our goal is to provide a broader spectrum of investment opportunities,' said Parker, 'and to better be a resource for local churches.' 
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