wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] GAC unanimously adopts revised 2004 mission budget

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Note #7652 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

GAC unanimously adopts revised 2004 mission budget
03177
April 4, 2003

GAC unanimously adopts revised 2004 mission budget

$3.14 million is trimmed; new budget totals $126.9 million

by Jerry L. Van Marter

LOUISVILLE - With little discussion and no debate, the General Assembly
Council this morning unanimously adopted a revised 2004 General Assembly
mission budget of $126.9 million, a reduction of $3.14 million from the
original budget adopted by last year's General Assembly.
	
The budget was balanced by making $1.47 million in program and staff cuts and
taking $1.67 from various reserves. 
	
Nineteen staff positions at the Presbyterian Center were affected - nine
vacant positions were eliminated and 10 employees were laid off. No overseas
missionary jobs were affected.
	
The budget reductions included $600,000 from the Executive Director's
Office/Mission Support Services. Those cuts included a decision to eliminate
hard copy publication of THE NEWS at the end of 2003. Deputy GAC executive
director Kathy Lueckert said most churches prefer to get Presbyterian News
Service stories either via the PCUSA website (www.pcusa.org/pcnews) or by
email from the PNS listserv service. In response to a concern by former PNS
director Marj Carpenter that many small churches don't have access to the
Internet, Lueckert said hard copy of THE NEWS will still be made available to
those without computers.
	
Congregational Ministries Division cuts totaled $380,000. GAC discussion
focused on a decision to eliminate a coordinator position in the
high-priority Spiritual Formation Office. The Rev. Joe Small, associate
director for theology, worship and discipleship, explained that "spiritual
formation is not a little box unto itself-there are significant spiritual
formation activities going on throughout the division." The cut is in an
administrative position, not a programmatic one, he added, "and what we want
to do is integrate and coordinate our efforts so the Spiritual Formation
staff are involved in all our theology and worship work."
	
CMD also saved $100,000 when the Stony Point and Ghost Ranch conference
centers agreed to pick up a larger share of their insurance premium costs.
	
The National Ministries Division cut $300,000 from its budget, the most
controversial decision being to eliminate the Higher Education Program Area
and transfer its work to other areas of the division - racial ethnic schools
and colleges to the Racial Ethnic Ministries office and the rest of the
PC(USA)'s higher education ministries to Women's Ministries. The Rev. Curtis
Kearns, the division's director, said he doesn't believe the reassignment
will diminish the denomination's higher education ministries. "We have always
sought to work collaboratively, and that will continue regardless of the
structural lines (of higher education ministries). He noted that one
component of higher education ministry - the Association of Presbyterian
Colleges and Universities - is now an autonomous organization with its own
full-time president, former associate director for communication Gary Luhr,
whose office is at the Presbyterian Center.
	
Worldwide Ministies Division cuts totaled $190,000, most through
administrative efficiencies, which allowed for a number of staff cuts.
	
The use of reserves included $130,000 in carryover funds by WMD, which cut
more than needed last year in anticipation of this year's cuts; $250,000 in
"board-designated" funds in NMD that were applied to offset that division's
cuts; a $900,000 bequest that will be used to offset administrative costs for
the Mission Initiative, a five-year, $40 million campaign to raise funds for
overseas mission personnel and church development, particularly racial ethnic
and immigrant congregations; and $390,000 from the Presbyterian Mission
Program Fund, the denomination's cash reserve account.
	
The revised mission budget will now go to the 215th General Assembly in
Denver next month for its endorsement.

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