2007 apportionment giving sets record

Payment percentage
reaches highest rate
in at least 21 years

Support for apportionments in the Southwest Texas Conference reached a new high during 2007.
Congregations paid 96.33 percent of the last year’s $10.1 million asking for ministries across the state, nation and globe, the Office of Finance and Administration reported Jan. 16.
The $9.7 million total for 2007 was $410,484 more than Southwest Texas congregations had remitted for apportionments in 2006.
Both the apportionment payment amount and the percentage given were the highest since at least 1987, reported the Rev. David A. Seil-heimer, conference treasurer. The 2006 payment of $9.32 million had been the previous apportionment-support record. The percentage-of-payment record—95.96—had been set in 2002 and 2006.
Total giving to apportionments, special offerings and designated second-mile causes—such as Advance Specials—reached $11.24 million during 2007. That was nearly $290,000 higher than the sum given to all causes during 2006.
“I’m personally thrilled at the response of our people to the call of the Lord and particularly pleased that we came as close as we did to fulfilling the apportionments totally,” said Robert W. Woolsey, president of the Council on Finance and Administration. “That’s the lifeblood of the connectional ministry system. Without such generosity we could not do the ministries we do.”
Of the 340 Southwest Texas congregations with apportionments last year, 308—or 91 percent—paid their 2007 asking in full. That number was one less than in 2006 but up from 302 in 2005 and 301 in 2004.
All congregations in the Kerrville and San Angelo districts paid 100 percent of their 2007 apportionments.
At least three congregations sent in more than 100 percent of their apportionment share. Bethany UMC, San Antonio, paid 108 percent of its asking. Oak Meadow UMC, San Antonio, sent in 105 percent. First UMC, Aransas Pass, remitted 101 percent.

Thirty congregations submitted at least part of their share of conference and denominational ministry expenses. Partial contributions ranged from 5 to 97 percent.
Two congregations—First UMC, Bloomington, and Charlotte UMC—gave nothing.
Contributions to four of the six annual denominationwide special offerings were up in 2007 compared to 2006:
> Peace with Justice Sunday—$16,145, up from $9,239.
> Native Awareness Sunday—$10,013, up from $7,120.
> United Methodist Student Day—$9,401, up from $9,138.
> Human Relations Day—$6,547, up from $5,998.
Other denominationwide offering totals were:
> One Great Hour of Sharing—$63,716, down from $74,173.
> World Communion Sunday—$23,709, down from $24,329.
Support for the conferencewide Harvest Sunday anti-hunger offering in 2007 totaled $33,242, up from $31,964 in 2006.
Church members gave $190,936 last year to the special Easter offering for a mission training facility and disaster-response warehouse (Advance 2020). They contributed another $44,827—up from $2,705 in 2006—to the conference Disaster Response Fund (Advance 2050).