• We-your board and staff--- are all local church people and we know that many local churches are nearly always struggling with financial challenges and more so in these economic times.  We are keenly aware that layoffs, the stock and real estate market and other forces may impact many individuals and congregations in 2009.  Please know that your Conference leadership understands and respects that.  Nevertheless the expectations for Conference ministry continue, even in challenging financial times.  We want you to be informed and to be part of discerning how to move into the future based on these realities.
• It is important that you know that the dilemma of the Conference's finances is not primarily because of the current national economic crisis.  The realities and implications we are sharing with you would all have taken place eventually---the real estate crisis has only hastened the arrival of what was at first a more distant reality on the horizon. The Conference fiscal situation has a multi-year history, will have long range impact and will require a long range plan for resolution.
• Finally, we want you to know that it has taken the full year of the interim for your current staff and Board of Directors to reach full clarity about the financial situation.   The Conference has had a very intricate, complex financial management history.  Many decisions have been made in the assumption of endless abundance.  There has been great and blessed abundance in resources for this Conference. Much has been achieved with that abundance, most notably in new church development. It has taken time and deep examination of the complex systems here to reveal that the abundance of 'extra' resources is far from 'endless' and, in fact, is nearly at an end.

You can find the actual budget online here. This budget includes expenditures for:

a. Compensation and professional expenses for your basic Conference staff, currently Interim Conference Minister and Interim Associate Conference Minister, Administrative Assistant, Business Manager, and part of the Youth and Young Adult Ministries Coordinator)

 b. Facilities (our Conference office building) and materials for operations (office supplies, technology, etc.);

c.  Insurance, legal fees, etc.

d. Meeting costs, including General Synod delegates

e. Mission Partners support.

f.   SCNC support of national UCC (40% of OCWM income)

g.  Conference edition of United Church News

a. The 2009 Basic Conference Functions budget will be reduced by $41,625.00 from the budget approved at the June 08 Annual Gathering including these actions:

 

• No salary increases for staff
• Elimination of some and reduction of other amounts to Mission Partners (see detail budget here)
• Discontinuation of the SCNC United Church News section and elimination of the editor position.
• Reduction of Youth Young Adult staff funding from half-time compensation package to one-quarter package.
• Elimination of the Ministry Team retreat and meeting costs.
• Deferment of Search expenses until 2010 (interview, moving costs). This reflects a better estimation of when these funds will be spent. The search will continue to move forward.

b. The Conference Board has established a new Financial Development team to address development of giving to Our Church's Wider Mission, per capita and individual contributions.  The minimal goal for this growth in 2009 will be a total of $15,000.  Below you will see that you are being invited to share in this effort.

c. A 2010 budget will be developed by the May Board meeting and brought to the 2009 Annual Gathering that will further decrease or fully eliminate the deficit dependence on funds received from sale of properties.  As the primary expenses of the Basic Conference Functions Budget are primarily staff related, further staff reductions may be required.

a. Support of Basic Conference Functions: covering the Conference Basic Functions budget deficit (originally in 09 budgeted for the $154,351 mentioned above). 

b. 'Core Programs' of the Conference, which included

1. Compensation for the half time Administrator for Search and Call and Special Projects; compensation for the 4 part time Conference Ministry Assistants
2. Modest funds for stewardship programming, etc.

c. Church Development, including:

1. New church projects-salaries for pastors, facilities and program support, etc.
2. Salary of the Associate for Church Development and Renewal

d. Youth Young Adult.  Includes portion of salary for Youth Young Adult Ministry coordinator and funds for some youth/young adult programming

e. The Romero Center.  A joint project of the Conference and national UCC Justice Witness Ministries project in San Ysidro for which the Conference supports the facilities costs.

f. Community in Diversity.  This has largely been for compensation of a staff person to focus on this priority.

a. Reduction of the Church Development budget (to 8 projects; no salary increases for Church Development Associate, etc) from $922,602 to $574,702.

b. Hiring freeze (freeze of budget lines, may be some adjustment within budget amounts) saves $63,000.00.

c. Elimination of the following positions paid from the Five Funds (these individuals will conclude their ministry with us on April 30):

• Administrator for Search and Call and Special Projects (half time position)
• Four Conference Ministry Assistant positions (part time)
• Reduces Core Program budget from $83,518 to $36,518.
  

So WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN to you, in our local churches?  There may be yet unknown implications of these necessary but difficult decisions but definitely there are these consequences:

 

 Elected, appointed and volunteer leaders will need to step up and help identify the essential ministries of the Conference, assisting your remaining staff in prioritizing their work

 

Your remaining staff will be unable to 'do more with less,' thus expectations from local churches will have to adapt.

 

Elected, appointed and volunteer leaders will need to take greater  responsibility in carrying out the essential ministries of the Conference

 

You, the members of the Conference, will need to join us in finding creative solutions to the challenges for the future.

And finally:  WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?  There may be many things that we cannot yet name, but here are some we have identified:

PRAY for your Conference Board of Directors and the Conference staff, and both the continuing and no-longer-continuing staff.

 

SUPPORT the identity of this multicultural-multiracial, open and affirming, just peace Conference and its powerful vision for Church Development, Building Community in Diversity, supporting Youth and Young Adult Ministry and ecumenical and global mission.

 

VOLUNTEER to serve on the Financial Development Team.  To do so, contact the Conference office at Arroyo@scncucc.org and she will send your contact information to the co-chairs, Scott Landis and Ann Feaver.

 

INFORM YOUR CONGREGATION about the ministries of the Conference and educate them about the goal of congregational giving at the level of 10% of the local church operating budget to Our Church's Wider Mission.  (For a basic primer about Our Church's Wider Mission and per capita giving go here

 

BE A 'FRIEND OF THE CONFERENCE' by going online at scncucc.org or sending your contribution to the Conference office.

 

 

VOLUNTEER to help in the Conference office (answering phones, assembling materials, etc)

 

ATTEND THE JUNE 5-6 ANNUAL GATHERING in Claremont to be part of the decision making for the life of the Conference and to join in celebrating the ministries of the staff who will no longer be serving with us.