One significant category of the annual church budget is apportionments.  The term “apportionments” refers to Suncreek UMC paying its share to support the larger United Methodist Church and its ministry and missions around the world.   The organization of the United Methodist Church is complex.  The basic organization structure was formed around the time of the American Revolution and has many similarities to the United States government.   Similarities include an executive branch (e.g., bishops) that is elected democratically, legislative bodies that include clergy and non-clergy (e.g., Annual Conference, Jurisdictional Conference, General Conference), and a judicial body (e.g., Judicial Council).   The church’s legislative bodies make decisions about apportionments.  This includes determining the financial priorities of the church and a formula for how much each church will be asked to contribute. 

For the budget year 2008, our apportionments total $97,289.  The amount is based on a formula our conference uses that is calculated using number of church members and the church's annual budget. The cost is about $26.22 per member and about 11.23 cents for each dollar of staff salaries and other general operating expenses.    Building improvements and loan payments for buildings are not included. 

Suncreek UMC is asked to contribute to 22 different apportionment funds this year. Click the headings below for detailed information about each fund including the amount Suncreek UMC will contribute to each fund in 2008.

District and Conference Apportionments 

Education Related Apportionments 

The following list focuses on the seven funds that are related to education.  The United Methodist Church has a rich history of establishing and supporting education institutions.  For example, Bishops Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury established a college in June 1785 at Abingdon, Maryland, only six months after the denomination was born.  We value the opportunity for all persons to fully develop their God given capacity to communicate effectively, think creatively, learn from the past, and solve future problems. 

Lydia Paterson Institute
$421
This fund supports a 90-year-old United Methodist school that is located in El Paso, Texas.  It serves students from both sides of the U.S. - Mexico border.  Many students from extremely impoverished families in Juarez, Mexico are provided with a life transforming education at this school.  An amazing 90% of the students go on to pursue a college education.  Participants in our Mission Trips to Juarez often visit this school and encounter some of the school’s students.   

Ministerial Education Fund
$4,466
This fund provides support to persons who are attending the 13 United Methodist seminaries in the U.S.   This support is critical in assisting persons who are pursing the extended graduate education that is required for ordained ministry.  Seventy-five percent of the money we give to this fund is administered by the General church and twenty-five percent is administered by our Annual Conference. Our local seminary is Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University.  

Texas Methodist Colleges
$738
This fund provides support for students attending United Methodist Colleges in the State of Texas.  These schools include SMU in Dallas, Texas Wesleyan in Fort Worth, Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Huston-Tillotson College in Austin, Southwestern University in Georgetown, Wiley College in Marshall, and McMurry University in Abilene.

Black College Fund
$1,778
This fund was established in 1972 to meet pressing needs for upgrading the facilities and supporting the operating expenses of 11 United Methodist Colleges that have historically served African-American students.  These schools include Huston-Tillotson College in Austin, Texas and Wiley College in Marshall, Texas.  Huston-Tillotson College grew in part from a school for African-American youth that was started in 1876 at St. Paul’s Methodist Church of Dallas by a Methodist minister. (St. Paul’s UMC is located in the Arts District near the Meyerson.)  Wiley College was founded in 1873 and is the first historically Black college west of the Mississippi.

Africa University Fund
$393
Prior to 1992, there were no private universities in sub-Sahara Africa.  The United Methodist church responded by establishing a university in Zimbabwe.  The university has grown from 40 students attending classes in a farm building to a university campus of red-brick buildings that serves over 1300 students.  For more details, sneak a peek at the university’s web site: www.africau.edu.

Campus Ministries
$3,158
The United Methodist church supports over 700 campus ministries.   Check the list at:  www.gbhem.org/asp/campusMin.asp.

SMU Campus Ministry
$54
This fund supports the Wesley Foundation at SMU.   Its activities include social gatherings, small group bible studies, retreats, mission trips, and chapel services.

District and Conference Apportionments 

Suncreek UMC is in the Dallas-Northeast District and the North Texas Conference.  The work of District personnel and committees is tightly integrated with that of the Annual Conference.   

Our District Superintendent is responsible for over 50 churches.  (churches in our district) One of the District Superintendent’s major tasks is to get to know all the churches and ordained ministers in their district and to share this knowledge with the Cabinet (Bishop and District Superintendents of the Conference).  This facilitates an effective appointment process.  Churches and ministers sometimes go through rough times.  District Superintendents are there to provide a supportive presence in times of need.  

The North Texas Conference includes more than 300 churches.  The Conference has a major gathering once a year.  All clergy members of the Conference are delegates to the meeting.  An equal number of lay persons represent their churches as delegates to the meeting.  Our Conference staff includes persons that facilitate specific ministries including youth, missions, communications, and camping.                                                                                                                                     

District Administration Fund
$2,893
This funds the administration expenses of the six districts in the North Texas Conference.  Suncreek UMC is in the Dallas-Northeast District.  This includes housing costs for District Superintendents (parsonage maintenance or housing allowance). (The parsonage for our district is located very close to Suncreek UMC, just southwest of the intersection of Custer Rd. and McDermott Dr.) 

District Superintendent
$5,050
This funds the salary of the six District Superintendents.  Our District Superintendent is Rev. Pat Beghtel-Mahle.  

Area and Conference Administration
$9,547
This funds the administration expenses of the North Texas Conference and the Dallas Episcopal Area. 

Conference Benevolences
$12,146
Funds support the mission of the annual conference which includes Creating Congregations, Equipping Disciples, Sending Servants, and Conference Communications. 

Camping and Retreat
$2,482
Provides funds for the operation of the Conference’s two camping and retreat centers at Lake Bridgeport and Lake Texoma. 

Equitable Compensation
$812
This fund permits the Conference to supplement the salary of a pastor when a church requires a pastor, but it is unable to meet the minimum salary needs of a pastor. 

Moving Fund
$886
In the United Methodist Church, the Bishop assigns Ordained Elders to church appointments. Since ministers move at the direction of the church, the church seeks to help with some of the moving expenses of ordained ministers and their families. 

Jurisdictional and General Apportionments 

The North Texas Conference is part of the South Central Jurisdiction.  One of the essential roles of the Jurisdiction is to hold a large meeting every four years that includes delegates electing Bishops to fill vacancies.  Our Jurisdiction has a small number of administrative personnel at their office in Dallas.  (Beyond the local church level, one typically finds that most of the staffing and funding for the ministries of the United Methodist church are concentrated at the Annual Conference and General Church levels rather than the District and Jurisdictional levels.) 

South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church

(The Rio Grande and Oklahoma Indian Missionary
Conferences overlay the boundaries of other conferences.)

Jurisdictional Administration
$206
This fund supports administration of the South Central Jurisdiction.  A significant portion of the funding supports missions activities like the Jurisdiction’s VIM (Volunteers-in-Mission) Coordinator. 

Mt. Sequoya
$86
Mt. Sequoyah is located in the Ozark Mountains, on the highest point overlooking Fayetteville and Northwest Arkansas.  It is operated by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church.  It is a special place that displays majestic beauty.  Some of the most renowned events held at the center are conferences for church leaders that focus on specific programming areas like singles and older adults ministries.  Many noted spiritual life retreats are also offered at the center.   

World Service Fund
$12,978
This vital fund underwrites Christian Mission in the U.S. and around the world.  Through this fund, we reach out with love and compassion in the name of Christ.  In the Book of Discipline, this fund is cited as our “first benevolent responsibility.”  The dominant focus of the fund is to undergird missionaries that serve through the General Board of Global Ministries.  Funding also goes to organizations like United Methodist Communications.  It maintains the official United Methodist website, provides media resources for local churches, and coordinates media campaigns to encourage persons to visit United Methodist Churches. 

General Administration Fund
$1,122
This fund finances general church activities that are administrative in nature rather than missional, programmatic, or ecumenical.  It funds General Conference (held every 4 years), the Judicial Council, the General Council on Finance and Administration, and the General Commission on Archives and History.  It supports the compiling and publishing of denominational records and safeguards the denomination’s legal interests and rights. 

Interdenominational Cooperation Fund
$346
Our denomination honors our theological and ecclesiological differences with other denominations.  Yet, the United Methodist church also seeks unity and understanding with other denominations and Christian groups.  We welcome the opportunity to be part of a chorus of Christian communities proclaiming our common faith in Christ.  We enthusiastically join with other Christian communities to meet the needs of our neighbors around the world. 

Episcopal Fund
$3,337
This fund pays the salaries, housing, office expenses and official travel of our bishops, as well as pensions for retired bishops and spouses, and minor children of deceased bishops.  Bishops are elected by lay and clergy delegates to Jurisdictional Conferences.  Our Conference is served by Bishop Alfred Norris.