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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 May 23.

With that in mind, members of the Baltimore-Washington Conference continued their efforts to help local churches find the best paths to make disciples for the transformation of the world.

Part of these effective pathways 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 upon at an adjourned session of annual conference, which will be held later this year. An on-going connectional giving sub-committee has been created as part of CFA, which will continue to explore the subject of apportionments.

The sub-committee, led by Charles Moore, will begin its work by doing a financial analysis and researching 10-percent of the conference churches that have experienced significant swings in apportionment allocations between 2007 and 2008.

It is hoped that this research will allow conference leaders to gain an in-depth understanding of the challenges that some churches face in paying their apportionments.

Part of the sub-committee's job will deal with education and communication. An online survey in December 2007 sent to pastors and local church lay leadership showed that only 41 percent feel that members of their church are familiar with the apportionments system.

"It's not enough to just know that apportionments exist," Moore said. "We want our churches to have a solid understanding of the connectional system so when apportionments are to be paid, they are giving with the knowledge that they are helping ministries all over the world."

The survey also illustrated that 47 percent of survey responders feel that the current apportionment formula needs to be examined and revised to create a more equitable formula for all churches.

The connectional giving sub-committee will continue its study of the formula and will, at the request of annual conference members, begin to explore the rising cost of utilities and how they affect apportionments.

Strategies, like the formation of energy co-operatives will be examined.

In other actions on stewardship, 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.
• Heard about the establishment of a task force headed by the Rev. Byron Brought that will determine whether a new Conference Center will be leased or purchased and begin that relocation process.
• 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 medical insurance 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.

The Rev. Joan Carter Rimbach of First UMC in Hyattsville 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 retirement.

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, especially Bel Air UMC, which will be able to start and operate a new church for one year with funds from the conference; the HOPE Fund; the ministries of former treasurer Martha Knight, Trustee Chair Rev. Debbie Scott, and the United Methodist Foundation; and the fact that this is the 11^th 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."

Shaun Lane contributed to this report.