Mid-year results for aportionment collections were recently announced by John Tate, conference treasurer. The good news, he says, is that giving was up 7 percent at the end of July 2011 compared with giving in July 2010.
Two districts have 100 percent of paying churches: Morristown and Kingsport. Holston Conference is also "on track" for giving to the general church and the Southeastern Jurisdiction, a goal for this year, Tate told The Call.
Not-so-good news is the conference is behind 5.26 percent in giving to meet the $10.4 million budget. Forty-six churches (about 5 percent of the 894 total churches) haven't paid any apportionments at all this year.
"My hope is that we will continue to get more churches to pay their tithes," he said. (Download PDF with total collections by district.)
"For pension and health collections, we have received 92.08 percent of the amount billed," Tate said in a recent memo. "We are currently generating a list for each district to begin focusing on the large balances owed in each district."
See Holston.org for more finance info or this April 21 story in The Call.
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Bishop James Swanson went to Kampala, Uganda, for a Sudan Round Table on Aug. 19-20. The goal was to set priorities and connect United Methodists invested in the future of the world's youngest nation.
Sitting at the table, besides Swanson, was Holston's mission workers in Yei, Sudan, Fred and Libby Dearing and Steve and Diantha Hodges. Danny Howe and Anne Travis attended from Holston Conference. Bishop Daniel Wandabula of the East Africa Conference, Thomas Kemper of the General Board of Global Ministries, and others from the United Methodist Church of South Sudan and Ginghamsburg UMC in Ohio also participated.
"The most exciting component was that the Round Table included leaders from the UMC in South Sudan," said Howe, chair of Holston's Mission Ministry Team. "They were able to express their goals and concerns and engage in conversation that kept us focused on the life and future of the UMC in South Sudan."
Key topics included education, economic sustainability and agriculture, health and hygiene, leadership, and spiritual formation, Howe said. "There was a strong recognition that the young adults and youth were the future of this new nation and importance was placed on needs and opportunities to insure they are prepared for the future."
For more on Holston's work in South Sudan, see this Aug. 19 newsletter from Fred and Libby Dearing or this Feb. 11 story from United Methodist News Service.
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Need grant money? Sept. 1 is the application deadline for two grants offered by the Outreach/Advocacy Team: for Ethnic Local Church Concerns and HIV/AIDS Ministries.
The Witness Ministry Team has extended its application deadline for Church Evangelism Program grants to Oct. 15.
See Holston.org's Grants page or call the Connectional Ministries office at (866) 690-4080 for more information.
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