Thursday, April 29, 2004
Daily Wrap-up: Budget items, nominations and a lot of spuds
By Linda Bloom*

PITTSBURGH (UMNS) - When it comes to church finances, the buck stops -
and starts - with each individual giver.

That's why Sandra Kelly Lackore, the United Methodist Church's chief
financial officer, reminded delegates to the denomination's top
legislative gathering that their budget decisions are "not just about
dollars" but about gifts to God.

In her April 29 report, Lackore told delegates to use the $585
million proposed quadrennial budget by the church's General Council
on Finance and Administration as a starting point for their decision-
making. She advised them to look to the future and preserve what is
worthwhile, eliminate what isn't and be "innovative" in the process.

The final budget, she said, must reflect what the delegates believe
are the missional and financial priorities of the church. "Do not
think of it as a budget of dollars, think of it as a sacred trust."

Action items during the April 29 morning session included 24
nominations for four openings on Judicial Council and 17 nominations
for four posts on the University Senate.

The nine-member Judicial Council is considered the supreme court of
the United Methodist Church. Two clergy and two lay members are
elected for eight-year terms. Voting is scheduled for May 3, after
brief biographical sketches of the 24 nominees are printed in the
Daily Christian Advocate.

The University Senate is a body of professionals in higher education
that determines which academic institutions meet the criteria to be
affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Four senate members will
be elected by General Conference on May 3; the remaining 21 members
are selected by other groups.

One church member, Eunice Jones Mathews, was singled out during a
90th birthday tribute. The wife of Bishop James K. Mathews, she is
the daughter of E. Stanley Jones and Mabel Lossing Jones,
Methodism's premier missionary couple of the 20th century, and a
longtime activist for mission herself.

The day also included a hands-on demonstration of putting mission
into action as bishops and delegates transferred 50-pound bags of
potatoes from a tractor-trailer in the convention center loading zone
to a Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank truck. The "potato drop"
was sponsored by the Society of St. Andrew, an ecumenical nonprofit
organization, and United Methodist Men.

The salvaged potatoes were shipped from a company in Maine and are
expected to help feed 120,000 Pittsburgh-area residents served by the
food bank. General Conference participants were asked to fast for one
meal and donate money to help cover the shipping cost.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer.