Duke Memorial | Church Council
News & Updates
2019 Financials & 2020 Pledges | Finance Committee
January 2020
With God’s good Grace, DMUMC ended 2019 with a $38,153.77 surplus! We were at 101.1% of our budget for Total Revenue with $810,578.89. Pledged Income was up $21,499.09 over 2018’s total and was 2.13% over 2019’s budget. Unpledged contributions were $28,357.75 over total received in 2018, but was $2,220.87 under a very aggressive 2019 budget. Unpledged Contributions is the “plug number” used to balance the budget and in 2019 required extraordinary faith that we would reach our goal.
On the expense side of the ledger, we paid all $119,739 of our Mission payments (Apportionments). We had $29,338.88 is cost savings with almost all of that coming in Staff Compensation from positions unfilled for part of the year. This makes up the bulk of our surplus.
As we enter into the 2020 budget year, we are still trailing 2019’s regular pledges and don’t anticipate having any savings from Staff Compensation to help balance the budget this year. If you have not made your 2020 Pledge, please consider making one soon.
Steed Rollins, Chair, Finance committee
On the expense side of the ledger, we paid all $119,739 of our Mission payments (Apportionments). We had $29,338.88 is cost savings with almost all of that coming in Staff Compensation from positions unfilled for part of the year. This makes up the bulk of our surplus.
As we enter into the 2020 budget year, we are still trailing 2019’s regular pledges and don’t anticipate having any savings from Staff Compensation to help balance the budget this year. If you have not made your 2020 Pledge, please consider making one soon.
Steed Rollins, Chair, Finance committee
2019 Apportionments | Church Council
January 2020
Grace and peace to you from our all-inclusive God.
As your incoming chair of Church Council, I wish to update you on some actions the Church Council initiated last summer. The results of last summer’s survey on LGBTQ+ inclusion revealed that a large majority (81%) of our congregation viewed the current policies of the UMC as contained in the Book of Discipline as harmful to LGBTQ+ persons and thus in conflict with our baptismal vows.
In protest of these discriminatory practices, the Church Council voted to delay quarterly apportionment payments and only make one payment at the final due date for apportionments. Interest gleaned by withholding apportionments will be used here locally in support of initiatives benefiting LGBTQ+ persons.These actions are being implemented this month, including full payment of 2019’s apportionments.
As part of council’s decision, we are sending a letter with our apportionment payment outlining our commitment to inclusion of and justice for LGBTQ+ persons among us.
Finally, we ARE a United Methodist congregation. We have no plans to leave the United Methodist church. However, as a United Methodist church, we are committed through our baptismal vows to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves - and this is one measure to that end. In total, Council voted in eight measures towards full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons.
Frank Brown - Chair, Church Council 2020
Stuart Harrell - Chair, Full Inclusion Task Force
Heather Rodrigues - Lead Pastor
As your incoming chair of Church Council, I wish to update you on some actions the Church Council initiated last summer. The results of last summer’s survey on LGBTQ+ inclusion revealed that a large majority (81%) of our congregation viewed the current policies of the UMC as contained in the Book of Discipline as harmful to LGBTQ+ persons and thus in conflict with our baptismal vows.
In protest of these discriminatory practices, the Church Council voted to delay quarterly apportionment payments and only make one payment at the final due date for apportionments. Interest gleaned by withholding apportionments will be used here locally in support of initiatives benefiting LGBTQ+ persons.These actions are being implemented this month, including full payment of 2019’s apportionments.
As part of council’s decision, we are sending a letter with our apportionment payment outlining our commitment to inclusion of and justice for LGBTQ+ persons among us.
Finally, we ARE a United Methodist congregation. We have no plans to leave the United Methodist church. However, as a United Methodist church, we are committed through our baptismal vows to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves - and this is one measure to that end. In total, Council voted in eight measures towards full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons.
Frank Brown - Chair, Church Council 2020
Stuart Harrell - Chair, Full Inclusion Task Force
Heather Rodrigues - Lead Pastor