EPA Strategic Direction

  1. What is a strategic direction and why do we need one?

Strategic direction is not a strategic plan. A strategic plan focuses on how things will be done. Most strategic plans are obsolete within a year. A strategic direction on the other hand is directional without being prescriptive. It has faith in the people who work on the direction to adjust to the changing environment to achieve the goals and outcomes. Jesus was directional rather than prescriptive. He taught principles rather than specific actions. He said love your neighbor and gave an illustration through a parable that opened people to possibilities. The strategic direction aligns our resources to achieve particular outcomes that EPA has said is important.

  1. We understand that EPA&GNJ will merge by 2024 and the strategic direction is a precursor to merger.

This is not true.  No merger can take place unless the conferences vote to merge. Our work as affiliated conferences is ground-breaking and forward-thinking.  You will be seeing more of this with other conferences. We have no plans to merge at this time.

This is not a step toward merger. It is aligning certain ministry functions so that the mission thrives and maximizes opportunities through shared resources.

  1. What is the difference between affiliation and merger?

In their affiliation, EPA and GNJ will remain distinct conferences with their own tax exempt and incorporation status. A merger is where two entities become one organization and merge all functions together. Most functions between the two conferences will remain distinct and separate, such as pension programs, finances, health insurance programs and property insurance programs. Affiliations ask, “What can we do better together for the mission?”

  1. Does the Leadership Academy training include education on how General Church agencies support local congregations and how through connectional giving, our churches can do more ministry together than they could do on their own?

With the new Leadership Academy, we look forward to partnering across the connection,  including with our General Church agencies, to help educate and empower our congregations for enhanced ministry through the connectional system.

  1. Will the Leadership Academy mean we will stop the Laity Academy and the Tools for Ministry?

No, these are important learning experiences. The Leadership Academy will have all training under the one banner, Leadership Academy. There you will find all the existing training experience, as well as new offerings and online learning opportunities. Our goal is to continue to grow and strengthen lay and clergy leadership.

  1. What is a HOPE Center?

A Hope Center is a robust community outreach ministry in which churches partner with community residents and organizations to develop their community and meet human needs. Presently EPA&GNJ have 27 Hope Centers. Hope Center models include the following,

  • Arch Street UMC has a daily drop-in center for at-risk neighbors.
  • Midtown Parish is working on family Hope Center that provides holistic parenting support and teen engagement through gaming and growth opportunities.
  • Camp Y.D.P., a licensed childcare, after-school enrichment program, and summer day camp, serves low-income families.
  • The Crisis Room provides food, clothing, emotional support, and rent and utility assistance to marginalized families.
  • Pathways to Prosperity works to eliminate generational poverty through job training and financial education.
  1. What is the Journey of Hope?

Journey of Hope is a plan and process to assist the EPA&GNJ and congregations to ACT (Aspire, Comprehend, Transform) to end the sin of racism. Presently 100 facilitators are trained in EPA&GNJ. Congregations are just beginning to develop plans.  Please note that formerly EPA used A Path towards Wholeness language, as approved at the 2022 Annual Conference Session and this plan is the foundation for A Journey of Hope.

  1. How many EPA congregations have met the vitality markers?

Presently 25% of EPA congregations have met the markers for vitality and 50% of GNJ congregations. Vital congregations cultivate a deeper relationship with God and meet people’s deepest need through five vitality ministries.

  • Worship cultivates a deeper relationship with God and births hope for living. Marker – grow by one worshiper over a 3-year period.
  • Small groups cultivate growth and deeper relationships with God and one another. Marker – 50% of worshipers in a small group experience.
  • Mission through hands-on justice and mercy ministries cultivates purpose. Marker – 60% of the worshipers participate in hands on mission in the community.
  • Witnessing and faith sharing demonstrate our meaning and significance through Jesus Christ. Marker – 1 new profession/reaffirmation of faith for every 20 worshipers in a given year.
  • Giving generously extends our purpose and significance by making a difference for God. Marker – 18% of a congregation’s budget is giving to mission.

Disaffiliation Legislation

  1. If we vote no on allowing churches to disaffiliate, what does that mean? Are they forced to remain part of the UMC and continue following UMC doctrines?

Churches may only leave The United Methodist Church and EPA through paragraph 2553 of The Book of Discipline if the annual conference approves their leaving, and they meet the full terms required for leaving.

  1. Will disaffiliations be voted on one congregation at a time?

The legislation is presented to vote on all five at once. If anyone wants to vote on them individually, they may ask to divide the question to vote on each one individually.

  1. Does Discipline para. 2549.7 apply to proceeds from disaffiliating congregations? This paragraph requires reinvesting proceeds from urban congregations back into urban transitional communities.

CFA will always follow the letter and heart of the Discipline to ensure proceeds are used appropriately for urban transitional communities. None of the five disaffiliating congregations  meet the disciplinary requirements for urban communities. The disaffiliating congregations are from rural, suburban and towns.

  1. Is the legislation requesting the EPA Board of Trustees to reconsider the terms in the term sheet out of order?

It is certainly redundant. Annual conference members, several congregations, and previous legislation all asked for different terms, process and dates for disaffiliations. The EPA Board of  Trustees has considered a number of options and proposals. The terms developed by the trustees in consultation with the Chancellor, Cabinet and CFO/Treasurer are terms that comply with The Book of Discipline and faithfully steward the resources of the conference.

Safe Sanctuaries & Vulnerable Adults

  1. Question/Confirmation: Safe Sanctuaries Resolution, page 91, line 23 - all files, training records, etc. must be retained for 30 years?

Yes.  This is correct.  The safe sanctuaries team will be glad to talk with you about ways this can be achieved. Please contact Rev. Jackie Daniszewski, Safe Sanctuaries chair: pastorjackiedd@gmail.com

  1. Can individual churches simply adopt the conference safe sanctuary policy?

Yes

  1. Can we please correct 2023-10 Page 3 Line 11. That would only apply for volunteers. Staff members MUST by PA State Law do the FBI clearance whether or not they have lived in PA for 10 years. And for volunteers it would have to have been in PA consecutively for 10 years

Yes, thank you for this correction. This correction has been noted and will be made and noted    by the Safe Sanctuaries Chair when the resolution is presented to the Annual Conference.

  1. Can we add a requirement for all staff to complete the Darkness to Light training that is an alternative sexual abuse prevention training and not just “legal” prevention?

The team would be glad to investigate this training and welcomes further information.

  1. For those of us who use the Conference Safe Sanctuaries policy as a basis for our local church policy, is there any way to highlight the specific changes in the new policy? Can you send those highlighted changes or post them to the website, so everyone has them, whether requested or not?

Please see the red-lined version here:

  1. Will we be required to get background checks on people who rent our facility for a birthday party should this resolution pass? If so, is this really realistic?

This decision should be made in consultation with your Board of Trustees.  The conference safe sanctuary policy provides guidance for long-term usages.  Short-term usage should include an agreement of usage created by your Board of Trustees. Non-church events sponsored by people who are or are not members should require that they sign a facility use agreement that clearly states that this is a non-church activity and is fully the responsibility of the group or individuals using the property, and that the church is held harmless if anyone is harmed during the event. All church events are to strictly follow the safe sanctuary policies.

Voting:

  1. I see that retired local pastors have voice but no vote. Is this something new?

This is not a change.  Those who are recognized as Retired Local Pastors may attend Annual Conference sessions with voice but not vote.  See BOD paragraph 320.5.

  1. What process will be used for voting? In past Annual Conferences when we were in person, we took the votes electronically, rather than raising hands. Will we be moving away from electronic voting?

EPA has used electronic voting when we are electing delegates to general and jurisdictional conference. We will not be using electronic voting this year.  We will follow our rules for raised-hand voting.  There can be a request for a standing vote or a paper ballot.

Misc.

  1. Have the Pre-Annual Conference documents been mailed yet?

Yes, if you do not receive the Preconference Workbook in your mail, know that copies will be available at the registration desk at Annual Conference (to the right of the front door when you enter).

  1. Will water and other refreshments be available throughout the conference, or should we plan to bring our own?

Lunches will be provided on Thursday and Friday.  A reception will follow the Ordination Service on Sat. Water stations will be available.

  1. What is the recommended dress code; i.e., coat and tie or casual?

It can be chilly in the Expo Center; we encourage you to be prepared and you may want to bring a sweater.  We welcome you to be comfortable throughout the 3 days – casual or business casual is fine.

  1. May I submit an oversight edit of United Women in Faith- page 39/line 2- Purpose- edit our former name, United Methodist Women to our new brand name "United Women in Faith". Thank you!

Yes, we welcome the edit to the name change as we celebrate the United Women in Faith.

To be included in link above (see yellow highlighting):

RESOLUTION TO 2023 ANNUAL CONFERENCE SESSION

Resolution To Update the Safe Sanctuaries Policy of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church

WHEREAS, Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church is committed to creating safe sanctuaries and

WHEREAS, the current policy having been approved in 2016, there have been changes since 2016 that justify the need to update the policy to meet current legal standards and

WHEREAS, due to COVID-19 and the disruption of face-to-face meetings that spawned virtual meetings, there is also justifiable concern that steps are needed to be taken that all are safe in the virtual space of ministry and the policy now includes application to virtual ministry

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Eastern PA Annual Conference update the safe sanctuary policy as follows below.

Person(s) Responsible for Presenting Resolution: Rev. Jacqueline D. Daniszewski

(Yellow highlights are additions and red strikethroughs are deletions.)

2024 Budget Legislation

  1. Is every Pastor going to be required to be in the health system?

No. The conference is working to ensure the composite rate – now called a blended rate (see how we come back around in our naming?!) covers the cost of healthcare and is a manageable system for appointment-making and billing. Only churches with enrolled clergy or laity will be charged per participant in 2024.

  1. I read in the materials about a change in how local churches would be assessed for health care - a change from a uniform assessment, regardless of the status of appointed clergy (single, couple, family.) But I do not understand exactly what the new formula for that is - or how that helps the appointment process.

Currently, churches are billed at a composite rate that is the same, regardless of family status. Each church is assessed this rate per enrolled participant based on their 3-year AGTP.  The present system is not working because of fewer clergy taking health insurance benefits and fewer large churches. While we will continue to use a composite rate formula for 2024, the Insurance Committee will investigate this process and return to the 2024 annual conference with a plan that best supports the current needs of our conference.

  1. Where will the Conference’s share of Special Sunday offerings go, such as the Native American Ministries Sunday offering? What will happen to the half of the offering that stays in the Conference? and how will it be administered?

Special general church offerings and apportionments are a pass-through in our budget. There is one general church apportioned fund and a couple of general church special offerings in which money stays within EPA and is administrated through grants and programs of EPA.  Specifically, the NAMS funds will be administered  through the NAMS committee.   

  1. Why should we be allowed, as per page 79, to borrow 20% from a designated (not restricted fund) fund for capital expenses, as that seemingly goes against the intended use of the designated fund?

The purpose of this feature is for extreme emergencies and requires more than a super-vote approval. It would allow for more than the normal 5% draw, and up to a 20% maximum for a short-term loan that would require repayment within 5 years. For example, a camp that needs to install a new water filtration system could apply for such a contingency after investigating all other available options. When funds are needed, they will be from the designated funds for that area, e.g. camping funds for camping, etc.

  1. On using the UMC’s Social Principles to guide investments: Is that the current Social Principles or the ones proposed for 2024? Or will our investment ethics simply follow as the Social Principles changes?

The conference will follow the current denominational Social Principles at any given time.

  1. Is the projected surplus based on the current apportionment giving or the projected increase in future years?

The budget surplus is for 2024 only and is based on the 2024 Budget’s 7.2% apportionment formula.

  1. Can you clarify if the amount given for the total EPA expenses and net surplus match the amounts on page 77.

An updated budget and accompanying schedules will be published.  The discrepancy is due to updating the Property tab to account for needed funds to repair a closing property.

  1. It seems that the camps have been rather tight with income and expenses. I see 1.25 million in income greater than expenses. Will the camps have access to that?

Camping funds are always used for camp and retreat ministries.  Please note that there is also a line item of $1.6 million listed under expenses for Camp and Retreat Ministry Personnel.

  1. 2024 forecasts a decrease in apportionment base and an increase in giving rate combined with the increase in apportionment rate. Given the environment we are in does CFA feel this is attainable? Is the fund distribution income for the 2024 (and future years) budget based on 5% of available designated funds? This income seems to currently represent a figure much higher than 5%.

CFA is confident, while still being conservative and strategic on their apportionments.  Be sure to look at the accompanying information showing the forecast.  If we don’t incorporate conservative draws on our investments to assist with balancing our budget, we will be operating at a deficit by 2025.

The fund distribution for 2024 is based on year-end balances from 2022. We will always have a two-year lag so that we can have the funds needed to create a balanced budget set.  The funds are to be drawn by the end of November and held in an interest-bearing account until after the annual conference approval of the budget for the following year.

  1. There is some concern about the possibility of camping revenues being used for non-camp purposes in the consolidated budget. Can we get clarity on that issue?

Camping funds will only be used for the Camping and Retreat Ministry needs.

Disaffiliation Legislation

  1. If we vote no on allowing churches to disaffiliate, what does that mean? Are they forced to remain part of the UMC and continue following UMC doctrines?

Churches may only leave The United Methodist Church and EPA through paragraph 2553 of The Book of Discipline if the annual conference approves their leaving, and they meet the full terms required for leaving.

  1. Will disaffiliations be voted on one congregation at a time?

The legislation is presented to vote on all five at once. If anyone wants to vote on them individually, they may ask to divide the question to vote on each one individually.

  1. Does Discipline para. 2549.7 apply to proceeds from disaffiliating congregations? This paragraph requires reinvesting proceeds from urban congregations back into urban transitional communities.

CFA will always follow the letter and heart of the Discipline to ensure proceeds are used appropriately for urban transitional communities. None of the five disaffiliating congregations  meet the disciplinary requirements for urban communities. The disaffiliating congregations are from rural, suburban and towns.

  1. Is the legislation requesting the EPA Board of Trustees to reconsider the terms in the term sheet out of order?

It is certainly redundant. Annual conference members, several congregations, and previous legislation all asked for different terms, process and dates for disaffiliations. The EPA Board of  Trustees has considered a number of options and proposals. The terms developed by the trustees in consultation with the Chancellor, Cabinet and CFO/Treasurer are terms that comply with The Book of Discipline and faithfully steward the resources of the conference.

Safe Sanctuaries & Vulnerable Adults

  1. Question/Confirmation: Safe Sanctuaries Resolution, page 91, line 23 - all files, training records, etc. must be retained for 30 years?

Yes.  This is correct.  The safe sanctuaries team will be glad to talk with you about ways this can be achieved. Please contact Rev. Jackie Daniszewski, Safe Sanctuaries chair: pastorjackiedd@gmail.com

  1. Can individual churches simply adopt the conference safe sanctuary policy?

Yes

  1. Can we please correct 2023-10 Page 3 Line 11. That would only apply for volunteers. Staff members MUST by PA State Law do the FBI clearance whether or not they have lived in PA for 10 years. And for volunteers it would have to have been in PA consecutively for 10 years

Yes, thank you for this correction. This correction has been noted and will be made and noted by the Safe Sanctuaries Chair when the resolution is presented to the Annual Conference.

  1. Can we add a requirement for all staff to complete the Darkness to Light training that is an alternative sexual abuse prevention training and not just “legal” prevention?

The team would be glad to investigate this training and welcomes further information.

  1. For those of us who use the Conference Safe Sanctuaries policy as a basis for our local church policy, is there any way to highlight the specific changes in the new policy? Can you send those highlighted changes or post them to the website, so everyone has them, whether requested or not?

Please see the red-lined version here:

  1. Will we be required to get background checks on people who rent our facility for a birthday party should this resolution pass? If so, is this really realistic?

This decision should be made in consultation with your Board of Trustees.  The conference safe sanctuary policy provides guidance for long-term usages.  Short-term usage should include an agreement of usage created by your Board of Trustees. Non-church events sponsored by people who are or are not members should require that they sign a facility use agreement that clearly states that this is a non-church activity and is fully the responsibility of the group or individuals using the property, and that the church is held harmless if anyone is harmed during the event. All church events are to strictly follow the safe sanctuary policies.

Voting:

  1. I see that retired local pastors have voice but no vote. Is this something new?

This is not a change.  Those who are recognized as Retired Local Pastors may attend Annual Conference sessions with voice but not vote.  See BOD paragraph 320.5.

  1. What process will be used for voting? In past Annual Conferences when we were in person, we took the votes electronically, rather than raising hands. Will we be moving away from electronic voting?

EPA has used electronic voting when we are electing delegates to general and jurisdictional conference.  We will not be using electronic voting this year.  We will follow our rules for raised-hand voting.  There can be a request for a standing vote or a paper ballot.

Misc.

  1. Have the Pre-Annual Conference documents been mailed yet?

Yes, if you do not receive the Preconference Workbook in your mail, know that copies will be available at the registration desk at Annual Conference (to the right of the front door when you enter).

  1. Will water and other refreshments be available throughout the conference, or should we plan to bring our own?

Lunches will be provided on Thursday and Friday.  A reception will follow the Ordination Service on Sat.   Water stations will be available.

  1. What is the recommended dress code; i.e., coat and tie or casual?

It can be chilly in the Expo Center; we encourage you to be prepared and you may want to bring a sweater.  We welcome you to be comfortable throughout the 3 days – casual or business casual is fine.

  1. May I submit an oversight edit of United Women in Faith- page 39/line 2- Purpose- edit our former name, United Methodist Women to our new brand name "United Women in Faith". Thank you!

Yes, we welcome the edit to the name change as we celebrate the United Women in Faith.

To be included in link above (see yellow highlighting):

RESOLUTION TO 2023 ANNUAL CONFERENCE SESSION

Resolution To Update the Safe Sanctuaries Policy of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church

WHEREAS, Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church is committed to creating safe sanctuaries and

WHEREAS, the current policy having been approved in 2016, there have been changes since 2016 that justify the need to update the policy to meet current legal standards and

WHEREAS, due to COVID-19 and the disruption of face-to-face meetings that spawned virtual meetings, there is also justifiable concern that steps are needed to be taken that all are safe in the virtual space of ministry and the policy now includes application to virtual ministry

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Eastern PA Annual Conference update the safe sanctuary policy as follows below.

Person(s) Responsible for Presenting Resolution: Rev. Jacqueline D. Daniszewski

(Yellow highlights are additions and red strikethroughs are deletions.)

EASTERN PA UNITED METHODIST CONFERENCE

SAFE SANCTUARIES

INTRODUCTION

It is the responsibility of every local church to take steps to protect the well-being of children, youth, and personnel who work with them in the ministries of the church, as well as to comply with all laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  All churches safe sanctuaries policies follow the policies established by the Eastern PA Annual Conference policy which quote extensively from the Pennsylvania Child Protective Services Law.  The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania periodically revises its child protective services law.  The conference’s revised policy removes quotations from sections of the law and instead requires that churches comply with law as it is force at any given time.  reference the Pennsylvania Child Protective Services Law which can be found currently at the time of the writing of this policy at https://www.dhs.pa.gov/KeepKidsSafe/About/Pages/CPS-Laws.aspx.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania periodically revises its child protective services law.  It is the responsibility of every church to keep up to date on any changes to the law. The conference’s policy does not quote from sections of the law but instead requires that churches comply with law as it is in force at any given time.  All churches will follow the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference in adopting the following as its Safe Sanctuaries: Reducing the Risk of Abuse in the Church Policy, which replaces all previous policies.

Additional information and resources may be found on the Eastern PA Conference website at www.epaumc.org or by contacting the Conference office at 800-828-9093.

SAFE SANCTUARIES

Reducing the Risk of Abuse in the Church Policy June 2016. Revised May 2023

PREAMBLE

God has called us to make our ministries safe, protecting our children from abuse and exploitation.  God has also called us to create communities of faith where children can be safe and grow strong.

Jesus taught “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me,” (Mark 9:37 NRSV) and “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones…it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6 NRSV).

The Social Principles of The United Methodist Church state “…children must be protected from economic, physical, and sexual exploitation and abuse.” (Par. 162(D) 2012 Book of Discipline)

At each child’s baptism, we affirm our responsibility to their safety by our congregational response, pledging:

“With God’s help, we will so order our lives after the example of Christ that this child, surrounded by steadfast love, may be established in the faith, and confirmed and strengthened in the way that leads to life eternal.”  (The Book of Worship, Baptismal Covenant, Congregational Pledge II)

Building on these foundations, we recognize that our faith calls us to offer hospitality and protection to all children, as well as those who are committed to ministering to them as volunteers and employees.  Every 15 seconds, a child is abused or neglected.  Often, abuse occurs in places where children feel safe – homes, schools, camps, and even churches.  In over three quarters of reported cases, the victim was related to or acquainted with the abuser.  In light of this, the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church has seen fit to establish this policy that can help to 1) prevent such abuse from happening in our churches; 2) make our churches places where children can feel safer in disclosing abuse; and 3) protect the volunteers and employees that minister to our children.

It is the policy of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference that every church in the conference adopt a Safe Sanctuaries policy that conforms to the standards set forth in this conference policy. It is the policy of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference that all conference and district ministries with children comply with the standards set forth in this policy.

Notwithstanding anything contained in this policy, it is the responsibility of every church in the conference to ensure that it is in compliance with all aspects of the Pennsylvania Child Protective Services Law (63 23 PA. C.S.A. 6301) which can be found at the time of this writing at https://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/LEGIS/LI/consCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&ttl=23&div=00.&chpt=063.&CFID=246217912&CFTOKEN=44782272. In the event that the law conflicts with this policy, the law shall control.

SCREENING AND SELECTION OF STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS:

Screening Standards:

All applicants for employment and/or volunteer service in which that applicant shall have contact with children in a manner which, under Pennsylvania law currently in force and as enacted and amended in the future from time to time, requires the person to obtain background clearances shall complete the following prior to start of service:

  1. Written Application: a written application that shall include at least the following, but not limited to, information:
    1. Name
    2. Address
    3. Phone Number (cell and/or home)
    4. Email Address
    5. Work/Volunteer History
    6. Experience and skills related to the position
    7. Two (2) personal, non-related references.
    8. Disclosure that they have been informed of and will comply with Pennsylvania law that requires them to inform the church in writing of any arrest, conviction or child abuse report that would prohibit them from working with children. (23 Pa.C.S.A. 6344.3(g)(1))
  2. Background Checks:

All background checks required by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania currently in force and as enacted and amended from time to time.  Every five years both PA criminal record background and Child Line check will be conducted for all employees and volunteers.

All background checks (PA criminal record background, Child Line check, and FBI clearance) required by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania currently in force and as enacted and amended from time to time which can be found at the time of this  writing at https://www.dhs.pa.gov/KeepKidsSafe/Clearances/Pages/default.aspx will be conducted for all employees and volunteers.  The current law at the time of this writing is that a minimum of every 60 months (5 years) clearances from the date the of the first clearance are required to be resubmitted. In the case of FBI clearances, an affidavit can be submitted if the person has been a resident of PA for at least 10 years. This can be found under Disclosure Statements at https://www.dhs.pa.gov/KeepKidsSafe/Clearances/Pages/default.aspx

(Every five years both will be conducted for all employees and volunteers.)

  1. Acceptance of Notice Requirement – complete the acceptance of notice requirement acknowledgment that they have been informed of and will comply with Pennsylvania law that requires them to inform the church in writing of any arrest, conviction or child abuse report that would prohibit them from working with children.
  2. References: at least two references from persons not related to the applicant shall be obtained and contacted for all new applicants for employment or volunteer service.
  3. Relationship with Church: all prospective volunteer workers with children shall have an active relationship with the local church for at least six months before being allowed to be in a supervisory role in activities for children; or twenty-four months of good standing at their previous church. (Documented by the Pastor with a letter from the previous church.)
  4. Records: all written records shall be confidential and shall be kept in a secure location with access restricted on a need to know basis, All files shall be maintained for three (3) years after service ends.
  5. to the Pastor, SPRC chair and/or Ministry Lead.  All files (clearances, reference checks, training attendance, letters of recommendations from prior church, etc.) shall be maintained for thirty (30) years after ministry ends with the individuals. Files can be digitized and kept in a permanent online secure environment.

TRAINING:

All persons who have direct contact with children shall participate in training as required under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania currently in force and as enacted and amended in the future from time to time which can be found at the time of this writing at https://www.dhs.pa.gov/KeepKidsSafe/Pages/Trainings.aspx. Grace church provides this training on a semi-annual basis to ensure all members are up to date with current rules and new Safe Sanctuary Committee policies amended.

Initial safe sanctuaries training for anyone new to working with children or youth shall occur and at a minimum covers reviewing and agreeing to this policy and the local church’s specific policy. This training should occur prior to a person working with children or youth. Every year, some type of review training shall occur.

Those working as ministry leads are to be fully trained and fully cleared before working with any children or youth. Assistants who are not ever placed in charge of the ministry can be in process for training but need to have all clearances before working with children and youth. Training must occur within the first month of working with children and youth for any assistant.

SUPERVISION:

Supervision procedures are designed to reduce the possibility of abuse or exploitation of children, and to protect staff persons and volunteers form unfounded accusations.

Supervision Standards:

Programs and ministries in the church that are licensed or accredited by a licensing or accreditation body or that have formally adopted supervision procedures, and that receive pre-approval from the conference Board of Trustees shall follow their established requirements for the supervision children.

All other programs and ministries of the church shall use the following standards for the supervision of children.

  1. The two-adult rule: regardless of the size group, there will always be at least two adults present. This may include the presence of an adult ‘roamer’ who moves in and out of rooms/ministry activities.  These adults are to be non-related.
  2. No child will be left unsupervised while participating in a ministry activity/event.
  3. All ministry activities should occur in open view. Each room or space where ministry activities/events occur must be open to public view.  For example:  enclosed spaces such as classrooms shall have a viewing window, a glass panel in the door, a ½ door configuration or an open door.
  4. No person shall supervise an age group unless he/she is at least 18 years of age or older and is at least 5 years older than the children being supervised.
  5. Ministry events involving transportation shall require a written consent form signed by the parent or guardian of the child. Grace UMC provides each parent with a set of forms to be completed listing any allergies, medical history and contact info, updated yearly for each minor participating in a program. (See attached)
  6. Registration forms shall be completed and maintained by the ministry lead that lists allergies, medical issues/medications, permission to use photos, etc.

Online Standards:

The current policies and procedures as outlined here are relevant for any physical distancing requirements or virtual ministry activities or events. But also realize the need for best practices and how to apply our current policies in the virtual environment. During times of swift change that are unprecedented it can be easy to forget standing policies and procedures when working with children and youth. During times like these, it is even more important to be diligent and follow all of the screening policies as they may be overlooked when someone offers help in the virtual space.

Unfortunately, those who seek to abuse use times of confusion and change to their advantage. Again, these guidelines are not meant to prevent virtual ministry from happening but to ensure ministry occurs in safe ways ensuring ministry occurs in safe ways in the virtual world.

Towards this end the following resources and guidance in applying safe sanctuaries policies to the virtual world are below. These resources and guidance do not replace legal advice, and are intended to be used in conjunction with this policy.

Three resources we recommend you review and utilize are:

Here are the top five best practices to apply our safe sanctuaries policy to the virtual world.

  1. Still use the two-adult rule so that there is NEVER one-on-one contact. At no time should one adult be holding any one-on-one conversations with any youth without other adults knowing there are conversations occurring. In addition, online meetings need to begin with two adults, not from the same family, and then allowing youth to join.
  2. Still use all selection, screening and training policies. In the virtual world and space, it may feel right to let new volunteers that are untrained and lack clearances to lead discussions. Any online discussion should be considered no different than a face-to-face meeting. Volunteers need to be screened and trained before taking on leadership roles.
  3. Use “ministry-based” on-line platform accounts instead of personal accounts. This means the local church should own the on-line account with access by several church leaders and/or staff so there is accountability of meetings.
  4. Maintain the same communication with parents and youth about meetings including times and links to access the meeting. This way everyone knows what is going on. With younger children, under sixth grade, syllabus and activities should be shared with parents or caretakers prior to online meetings so everyone is transparent as to what is occurring. For children sixth through twelfth grade, leaders should provide parents and caretakers with the same outlines of meetings and topics that are typical for your youth group with more transparency being utilized than less.
  5. If your current release forms do not give you permission for picture/video sharing either get them updated or do not share pictures/videos of virtual meetings. This includes tagging your youth in the virtual environment. If you do not have permission do not post and tag them.

REPORTING:

Reporting of any allegation of child abuse shall be done in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania currently in force and as enacted and amended in the future from time to time.

It is essential that all employees and volunteers who have contact with children in a manner which, under Pennsylvania law currently in force and as enacted and amended in the future define them as a mandated reporter have a legal responsibility under the law to make a report directly to public child welfare officials any time they have reasonable cause to suspect abuse has occurred. Failure to comply with this requirement can lead to civil and/or criminal penalties for the employee or volunteer.

The Pastor and District Superintendent shall be notified if the alleged perpetrator is a staff person or volunteer of the church. If the alleged perpetrator is the Pastor the Chair of SPRC should be notified immediately and will notify the District Superintendent.

In the event that a member of the clergy becomes aware of suspected child abuse as a result of confidential communication which is protected under 42 PA C.S. 5943 (relating to confidential communications to clergy), the conference legal counsel should immediately be consulted.

PASTORAL RESPONSES FOR REPORTS OF ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSE:

Any allegation of abuse requires a process to address responding to the victim, the alleged perpetrator, and the press.  The response must be quick, compassionate and unified.  All allegations will be taken seriously.

Pastoral response is NOT an investigation of the alleged abuse. The investigation is the responsibility of public officials (child welfare and/or law enforcement). In all cases of reported abuse, there shall be cooperation with all official investigating agencies.

Response to victims of abuse:

In the instance of any allegation of abuse, there shall be a reaching out to the victim and the victim’s family.  Pastoral resources shall be extended, and the conference I-Care Team can be contacted to assist in providing this service.  The care and safety of the victim shall be considered the first priority.  Response to the victim and the victim’s family shall be done in a positive and supportive manner.

The parents of the victim shall be notified, and steps shall be taken to address the safety and well being of the child until the parent(s) arrive.  However, if one or both of the parents is the alleged abuser, the direction of the child welfare authorities shall be followed concerning notification of others.

Response to all alleged perpetrators of abuse:

In the instance of an allegations of abuse there shall be a reaching out to the alleged perpetrator and the perpetrator's family.  Pastoral resources shall be extended, and the conference I-Care Team can be contacted to assist in providing this service. Response to the alleged perpetrator and the perpetrator's family shall be done in a supportive way.

The alleged perpetrator shall immediately, yet with dignity and respect for their sacred worth, be removed from further involvement with children and advised that there has been an allegation of abuse.  Details of the allegations of the abuse shall not be discussed with the alleged perpetrator at the time of removal.  In any removal of a staff member or volunteer from any activity/ministry, care shall be taken to handle the removal in a discreet manner.

When it has been alleged that a member of the church staff or a volunteer, has committed an act of abuse, the staff member or volunteer shall be required to refrain from all ministry activities/events with children until the incident has been fully resolved by the appropriate state authorities and/or in accordance with the Book of Discipline.

At that time, a meeting shall be held with the employee or volunteer to discuss the incident(s) that led to the report being made. Even if the public agency determines the report to be unfounded, the church has the right to prohibit the volunteer or employee from resuming working in ministries with children based on the facts and circumstances available at that time.

Response to the Media:

In consultation with the presiding bishop, the District Superintendent, the Conference Director of Communications and pastor shall decide on a single spokesperson for contact with the public/media.  All media requests for statements shall be directed to that spokesperson. 

Building Use Agreements

For any group that is a non-ministry group of the church that enters into a building use agreement with the church and/or trustees of the church and works with anyone under 18 that group needs to:

  1. Follow this safe sanctuary policy and complete all application, training and background checks before the building can be used and comply with the policy as the building is being used

or

  1. Provide a safe sanctuary policy of the group that meets the minimum of this policy and is approved by the church’s trustees and Pastor Staff.

With either option the building use agreement shall identify which option is chosen.

Resources of samples on the EPA website

Many samples of forms are provided by the conference Safe Sanctuaries Team and can be found at https://www.epaumc.org/safe-sanctuaries/.

Compliance: Compliance with this policy shall be a matter of record at each annual Charge Conference.

(below is the revised copy)

EASTERN PA UNITED METHODIST CONFERENCE

SAFE SANCTUARIES

INTRODUCTION

It is the responsibility of every local church to take steps to protect the well-being of children, youth, and personnel who work with them in the ministries of the church, as well as to comply with all laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  All churches safe sanctuaries policies follow the policies established by the Eastern PA Annual Conference policy which reference the Pennsylvania Child Protective Services Law which can be found currently at the time of the writing of this policy at https://www.dhs.pa.gov/KeepKidsSafe/About/Pages/CPS-Laws.aspx.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania periodically revises its child protective services law.  It is the responsibility of every church to keep up to date on any changes to the law. The conference’s policy does not quote from sections of the law but instead requires that churches comply with law as it is in force at any given time.  All churches will follow the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference in adopting the following as its Safe Sanctuaries: Reducing the Risk of Abuse in the Church Policy, which replaces all previous policies.

Additional information and resources may be found on the Eastern PA Conference website at www.epaumc.org or by contacting the Conference office at 800-828-9093.

SAFE SANCTUARIES

Reducing the Risk of Abuse in the Church Policy May 2023

PREAMBLE

God has called us to make our ministries safe, protecting our children from abuse and exploitation.  God has also called us to create communities of faith where children can be safe and grow strong.

Jesus taught “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me,” (Mark 9:37 NRSV) and “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones…it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6 NRSV).

The Social Principles of The United Methodist Church state “…children must be protected from economic, physical, and sexual exploitation and abuse.” (Par. 162(D) 2012 Book of Discipline)

At each child’s baptism, we affirm our responsibility to their safety by our congregational response, pledging:

“With God’s help, we will so order our lives after the example of Christ that this child, surrounded by steadfast love, may be established in the faith, and confirmed and strengthened in the way that leads to life eternal.”  (The Book of Worship, Baptismal Covenant, Congregational Pledge II)

Building on these foundations, we recognize that our faith calls us to offer hospitality and protection to all children, as well as those who are committed to ministering to them as volunteers and employees.  Every 15 seconds, a child is abused or neglected.  Often, abuse occurs in places where children feel safe – homes, schools, camps, and even churches.  In over three quarters of reported cases, the victim was related to or acquainted with the abuser.  In light of this, the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church has seen fit to establish this policy that can help to 1) prevent such abuse from happening in our churches; 2) make our churches places where children can feel safer in disclosing abuse; and 3) protect the volunteers and employees that minister to our children.

It is the policy of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference that every church in the conference adopt a Safe Sanctuaries policy that conforms to the standards set forth in this conference policy. It is the policy of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference that all conference and district ministries with children comply with the standards set forth in this policy.

Notwithstanding anything contained in this policy, it is the responsibility of every church in the conference to ensure that it is in compliance with all aspects of the Pennsylvania Child Protective Services Law (23 PA. C.S.A. 6301) which can be found at the time of this writing at https://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/LEGIS/LI/consCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&ttl=23&div=00.&chpt=063.&CFID=246217912&CFTOKEN=44782272. In the event that the law conflicts with this policy, the law shall control.

SCREENING AND SELECTION OF STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS:

Screening Standards:

All applicants for employment and/or volunteer service in which that applicant shall have contact with children in a manner which, under Pennsylvania law currently in force and as enacted and amended in the future from time to time, requires the person to obtain background clearances shall complete the following prior to start of service:

  1. Written Application: a written application that shall include at least the following, but not limited to, information:
    1. Name
    2. Address
    3. Phone Number (cell and/or home)
    4. Email Address
    5. Work/Volunteer History
    6. Experience and skills related to the position
    7. Two (2) personal, non-related references.
    8. Disclosure that they have been informed of and will comply with Pennsylvania law that requires them to inform the church in writing of any arrest, conviction or child abuse report that would prohibit them from working with children. (23 Pa.C.S.A. 6344.3(g)(1))
  2. Background Checks:

All background checks (PA criminal record background, Child Line check, and FBI clearance) required by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania currently in force and as enacted and amended from time to time which can be found at the time of this  writing at https://www.dhs.pa.gov/KeepKidsSafe/Clearances/Pages/default.aspx will be conducted for all employees and volunteers.  The current law at the time of this writing is that a minimum of every 60 months (5 years) clearances from the date the of the first clearance are required to be resubmitted. In the case of FBI clearances, an affidavit can be submitted if the person has been a resident of PA for at least 10 years. This can be found under Disclosure Statements at https://www.dhs.pa.gov/KeepKidsSafe/Clearances/Pages/default.aspx

(Every five years both will be conducted for all employees and volunteers.)

  1. References: at least two references from persons not related to the applicant shall be obtained and contacted for all new applicants for employment or volunteer service.
  2. Relationship with Church: all prospective volunteer workers with children shall have an active relationship with the local church for at least six months before being allowed to be in a supervisory role in activities for children; or twenty-four months of good standing at their previous church. (Documented by the Pastor with a letter from the previous church.)
  3. Records: all written records shall be confidential and shall be kept in a secure location with access restricted on a need to know basis, to the Pastor, SPRC chair and/or Ministry Lead. All files (clearances, reference checks, training attendance, letters of recommendations from prior church, etc.) shall be maintained for thirty (30) years after ministry ends with the individuals. Files can be digitized and kept in a permanent online secure environment.

TRAINING:

All persons who have direct contact with children shall participate in training as required under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania currently in force and as enacted and amended in the future from time to time which can be found at the time of this writing at https://www.dhs.pa.gov/KeepKidsSafe/Pages/Trainings.aspx.

Initial safe sanctuaries training for anyone new to working with children or youth shall occur and at a minimum covers reviewing and agreeing to this policy and the local church’s specific policy. This training should occur prior to a person working with children or youth. Every year, some type of review training shall occur.

Those working as ministry leads are to be fully trained and fully cleared before working with any children or youth. Assistants who are not ever placed in charge of the ministry can be in process for training but need to have all clearances before working with children and youth. Training must occur within the first month of working with children and youth for any assistant.

SUPERVISION:

Supervision procedures are designed to reduce the possibility of abuse or exploitation of children, and to protect staff persons and volunteers form unfounded accusations.

Supervision Standards:

Programs and ministries in the church that are licensed or accredited by a licensing or accreditation body or that have formally adopted supervision procedures, and that receive pre-approval from the conference Board of Trustees shall follow their established requirements for the supervision children.

All other programs and ministries of the church shall use the following standards for the supervision of children.

  1. The two-adult rule: regardless of the size group, there will always be at least two adults present. This may include the presence of an adult ‘roamer’ who moves in and out of rooms/ministry activities.  These adults are to be non-related.
  2. No child will be left unsupervised while participating in a ministry activity/event.
  3. All ministry activities should occur in open view. Each room or space where ministry activities/events occur must be open to public view.  For example:  enclosed spaces such as classrooms shall have a viewing window, a glass panel in the door, a ½ door configuration or an open door.
  4. No person shall supervise an age group unless he/she is at least 18 years of age or older and is at least 5 years older than the children being supervised.
  5. Ministry events involving transportation shall require a written consent form signed by the parent or guardian of the child.
  6. Registration forms shall be completed and maintained by the ministry lead that lists allergies, medical issues/medications, permission to use photos, etc.

Online Standards:

The current policies and procedures as outlined here are relevant for any physical distancing requirements or virtual ministry activities or events. But also realize the need for best practices and how to apply our current policies in the virtual environment. During times of swift change that are unprecedented it can be easy to forget standing policies and procedures when working with children and youth. During times like these, it is even more important to be diligent and follow all of the screening policies as they may be overlooked when someone offers help in the virtual space.

Unfortunately, those who seek to abuse use times of confusion and change to their advantage. Again, these guidelines are not meant to prevent virtual ministry from happening but to ensure ministry occurs in safe ways ensuring ministry occurs in safe ways in the virtual world.

Towards this end the following resources and guidance in applying safe sanctuaries policies to the virtual world are below. These resources and guidance do not replace legal advice, and are intended to be used in conjunction with this policy.

Three resources we recommend you review and utilize are:

Here are the top five best practices to apply our safe sanctuaries policy to the virtual world.

  1. Still use the two-adult rule so that there is NEVER one-on-one contact. At no time should one adult be holding any one-on-one conversations with any youth without other adults knowing there are conversations occurring. In addition, online meetings need to begin with two adults, not from the same family, and then allowing youth to join.
  2. Still use all selection, screening and training policies. In the virtual world and space, it may feel right to let new volunteers that are untrained and lack clearances to lead discussions. Any online discussion should be considered no different than a face-to-face meeting. Volunteers need to be screened and trained before taking on leadership roles.
  3. Use “ministry-based” on-line platform accounts instead of personal accounts. This means the local church should own the on-line account with access by several church leaders and/or staff so there is accountability of meetings.
  4. Maintain the same communication with parents and youth about meetings including times and links to access the meeting. This way everyone knows what is going on. With younger children, under sixth grade, syllabus and activities should be shared with parents or caretakers prior to online meetings so everyone is transparent as to what is occurring. For children sixth through twelfth grade, leaders should provide parents and caretakers with the same outlines of meetings and topics that are typical for your youth group with more transparency being utilized than less.
  5. If your current release forms do not give you permission for picture/video sharing either get them updated or do not share pictures/videos of virtual meetings. This includes tagging your youth in the virtual environment. If you do not have permission do not post and tag them.

REPORTING:

Reporting of any allegation of child abuse shall be done in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania currently in force and as enacted and amended in the future from time to time.

It is essential that all employees and volunteers who have contact with children in a manner which, under Pennsylvania law currently in force and as enacted and amended in the future define them as a mandated reporter have a legal responsibility under the law to make a report directly to public child welfare officials any time they have reasonable cause to suspect abuse has occurred. Failure to comply with this requirement can lead to civil and/or criminal penalties for the employee or volunteer.

The Pastor and District Superintendent shall be notified if the alleged perpetrator is a staff person or volunteer of the church. If the alleged perpetrator is the Pastor the Chair of SPRC should be notified immediately and will notify the District Superintendent.

In the event that a member of the clergy becomes aware of suspected child abuse as a result of confidential communication which is protected under 42 PA C.S. 5943 (relating to confidential communications to clergy), the conference legal counsel should immediately be consulted.

PASTORAL RESPONSES FOR REPORTS OF ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSE:

Any allegation of abuse requires a process to address responding to the victim, the alleged perpetrator, and the press.  The response must be quick, compassionate and unified.  All allegations will be taken seriously.

Pastoral response is NOT an investigation of the alleged abuse. The investigation is the responsibility of public officials (child welfare and/or law enforcement). In all cases of reported abuse, there shall be cooperation with all official investigating agencies.

Response to victims of abuse:

In the instance of any allegation of abuse, there shall be a reaching out to the victim and the victim’s family.  Pastoral resources shall be extended, and the conference I-Care Team can be contacted to assist in providing this service.  The care and safety of the victim shall be considered the first priority.  Response to the victim and the victim’s family shall be done in a positive and supportive manner.

The parents of the victim shall be notified, and steps shall be taken to address the safety and well being of the child until the parent(s) arrive.  However, if one or both of the parents is the alleged abuser, the direction of the child welfare authorities shall be followed concerning notification of others.

Response to all alleged perpetrators of abuse:

In the instance of an allegations of abuse there shall be a reaching out to the alleged perpetrator and the perpetrator's family.  Pastoral resources shall be extended, and the conference I-Care Team can be contacted to assist in providing this service. Response to the alleged perpetrator and the perpetrator's family shall be done in a supportive way.

The alleged perpetrator shall immediately, yet with dignity and respect for their sacred worth, be removed from further involvement with children and advised that there has been an allegation of abuse.  Details of the allegations of the abuse shall not be discussed with the alleged perpetrator at the time of removal.  In any removal of a staff member or volunteer from any activity/ministry, care shall be taken to handle the removal in a discreet manner.

When it has been alleged that a member of the church staff or a volunteer, has committed an act of abuse, the staff member or volunteer shall be required to refrain from all ministry activities/events with children until the incident has been fully resolved by the appropriate state authorities and/or in accordance with the Book of Discipline.

At that time, a meeting shall be held with the employee or volunteer to discuss the incident(s) that led to the report being made. Even if the public agency determines the report to be unfounded, the church has the right to prohibit the volunteer or employee from resuming working in ministries with children based on the facts and circumstances available at that time.

Response to the Media:

In consultation with the presiding bishop, the District Superintendent, the Conference Director of Communications and pastor shall decide on a single spokesperson for contact with the public/media.  All media requests for statements shall be directed to that spokesperson.

Building Use Agreements

For any group that is a non-ministry group of the church that enters into a building use agreement with the church and/or trustees of the church and works with anyone under 18 that group needs to:

  1. Follow this safe sanctuary policy and complete all application, training and background checks before the building can be used and comply with the policy as the building is being used

or

  1. Provide a safe sanctuary policy of the group that meets the minimum of this policy and is approved by the church’s trustees and Pastor Staff.

With either option the building use agreement shall identify which option is chosen.

Resources of samples on the EPA website

Many samples of forms are provided by the conference Safe Sanctuaries Team and can be found at https://www.epaumc.org/safe-sanctuaries/.

Compliance: Compliance with this policy shall be a matter of record at each annual Charge Conference.

Distribution Additional FAQs 5.16.23

Misc.

What restaurants are near Oaks Convention Center?

See this link for restaurant options near Oaks Convention Center.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/RestaurantsNear-g53371-d10497098-Greater_Philadelphia_Expo_Center-Oaks_Upper_Providence_Township_Pennsylvania.html

Strategic Plan

The Strategic Plan defines the goal for increasing the number if clergy but has no goals for the development of CSMs and CLMs or just the encouragement of laity to take self-growth training that may not equate to a leadership path.

Right now, EPA has a clergy shortage.  We anticipate 50% of our clergy retiring in the next 10 years, and if we don’t act now to turn this around, we will not have enough Pastors to serve our churches.   Our excellent CSM and CLM programs continue to be integral and essential to laity development, as well as Laity Academy, Tools for Ministry, Mission U, Small Church Network, CSM/CLM trainings.  These trainings will continue.  The Leadership Academy seeks to augment these trainings, by offering opportunities for certificates, tracks in lay visitation, worship leadership, serving in the congregation, leading outreach ministry and more.  We anticipate that the majority of the participants in the Leadership Academy will be laity.  We will continue to offer in-person, zoom and online trainings as we have always done in EPA.

How much input has the Laity had in the Strategic Plan?

Over 400 laity responded 1.5 years ago when asked what they wanted our staff and elected leadership to focus on.  The 5 priorities that were shared with us were:

1).  Help us to emerge from the pandemic with strength.

2).  Help the disaffiliation process to go well.

3).  Help our congregations grow.

4)  Help our congregation connect with the community

5).  Help us grow our leadership.

The focus of EPA over the past 1.5 years has been on the above 5 priorities as identified by EPA laity.  These are the goals that have shaped our strategic plan.  In addition, EPA Annual Conference elected leaders to serve the Annual Conference; our agencies and key leaders have been working together to continue to focus on these key priorities

Can you speak a little more about a Hope Center and who decides what community organizations qualify?

Hope Centers are not a cookie cutter approach – they are about loving our neighbors and being in relationship with our neighbors.

A Hope Center is a robust community outreach ministry in which churches partner with community residents and organizations to develop their community and meet human needs. Presently EPA&GNJ have 27 Hope Centers. Hope Center models include the following:

  • Arch Street UMC has a daily drop-in center for at-risk neighbors. 
  • Midtown Parish is working on family Hope Center that provides holistic parenting support and teen engagement through gaming and growth opportunities.

Affiliation

Are other annual conferences affiliating with one another or is EPA and GNJ unique?

Half of the Northeastern Jurisdiction is currently in an affiliated relationship.  Baltimore-Washington and Pen-Del are affiliated. Western PA, Susquehanna and West Virginia are working in an affiliated relationship.  Greater New Jersey and Eastern PA are working in an affiliated relationship.  In the NEJ, other conferences are the result of mergers (such as Upper New York and New England), but the process of merger has financial implications and is quite arduous.  Affiliations ask, “What can we do better together for the mission?” 

Budget

My question is regarding the budget and how we will be able to achieve an increase when many churches are already unable to meet their current apportionments?

This budget increase is mainly due to increases in the billed funds, over which we have little control.  We have not been billing out the true cost of these funds and will now add an uncollectable amount to mitigate this problem.  P&L costs are increasing dramatically.

The other addition to the budget is EPA’s share of the $30 million Boy Scouts of America settlement to a fund that will be utilized to compensate survivors of sexual abuse that may have occurred in congregation-sponsored Scouting programs.   To do this, we have increased the apportionment from 9.5% to 9.8%.  This averages out to about $400 per church – a little less for smaller churches and a little more for larger churches,

You can see in our proposed Fund and Investment policy that if we continue to improve our investments and work toward meeting those goals, in the future the distribution of funds will help to lessen the burden for operation, benefits, and administration costs to the local churches.