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BY MELISSA LAUBER

Budgets are financial road maps that lead us to our goals, the Rev. Charles Harrell told the members of annual conference during the stewardship report Friday.

With that in mind, members of the Baltimore-Washington Conference continued their efforts to equip local churches as they make disciples for the transformation of the world.

Part of these efforts include practicing good stewardship to hold the increase in conference spending at a minimum and reducing the benevolence factor used to determine the amount of apportionments each church pays.

Conference members adopted a 2009 budget of $18,829,745, an increase of 2.97 percent over 2008.

Members also voted to decrease the benevolence factor a half of a percent from 22.5 to 22 percent.

Harrell also reported that during the past year a task force did a comprehensive study of the apportionment formula and determined that the local churches' and conference's best interests will be served if the expense-based formula for computing apportionments continues.

Their findings will be reported at an adjourned session of annual conference, which will be held later this year. An on-going connectional giving committee has been created, which will continue to explore the subject of apportionments.

The connectional giving committee was also instructed by annual conference members to explore the rising costs of utilities and how they affect apportionments. The committee will be led by Charles Moore.

In other actions the conference:

• Amended the budget to provide approximately $9,000 more for Deaf ministries, which was transferred from the "new church start" line item.
• Created a fund to care for abandoned cemeteries.
• Increased the equitable compensation base salary by 3.3 percent to $35,577.
• Received William Isberg, conference chief operating officer, as interim treasurer. The search for a new treasurer is expected to be complete in four months.
• Honored John Ditto, conference chancellor, for his 25 years of service upon his retirement.
• Celebrated the ministry of the Rev. Charles Harrell, who is stepping down as chairperson of CFA.

In addition, Frank Gould, chair of the conference Board of Pensions and Health Benefits, encouraged all clergy people to complete their Health Flex Quotient and have a wellness exam. If 70 percent of those enrolled in the Health Flex plan did so, the conference could save $181,000 in premium rebates, he reported.

Greg Davis of Cokesbury, the denomination's bookstore, presented the conference with a check for $13,571, which the conference members voted to pass along to assist with the pension funds for pastors in the Central Conferences.

Conference members also asked that the Board of Pensions consider additional ways to assist with pension funds in Central Conferences, where many clergy face uncertain financial futures upon their retirements.

Members of the conference also shared a number of things about the conference's stewardship efforts for which they are thankful.

Among the causes for gratitude were: loans and grants given to local churches, the HOPE Fund, the ministries of former treasurer Martha Knight, Trustee Chair the Rev. Debbie Scott, and the United Methodist Foundation; and the fact that this is the 11th year that the Baltimore-Washington Conference has paid its full apportionments to the General Church.

"God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance," Harrell told the conference members, "so that you may share abundantly in every good work."