Church immersed in spirit of giving
With this month’s focus on connectional giving, it comes at a good time for me to introduce myself as the new treasurer for the Baltimore-Washington Conference. I am grateful to Rev. Wayne DeHart for his service as the interim treasurer and the assistance he provided me during my transition. We all wish Wayne the best during his retirement as he continues to be a tremendous resource for ministry in our conference.
As I start this next chapter of my life, I am amazed to realize how God has blessed my previous engineering and manufacturing careers in preparation for serving the church. I am humbled by the warm reception I have received from everyone I have met within the Conference and I truly look forward to serving with you as we continue to focus our sights on making disciples for Jesus Christ.
One of the primary goals of the annual conference is to provide a connection for ministry beyond the local church. Coming from one of the smaller churches in the Conference, I understand the importance our combined resources play in allowing us all to participate in boldly proclaiming the mystery of the Gospel. Our apportionments enable every church to proudly take on the challenge of evangelism and mission throughout the world. The articles in this issue of the UMConnection provide examples of the activities and missions that bring us all together towards this common objective.
In my support of the Council on Finance and Administration, I am pleased to report that our apportionment giving for the first half of 2010 is $25,000 or 0.2 percent ahead of budget. The individual efforts by many of our local churches can be tied directly to our overall ability to stay on budget. As our families continue to monitor the economy’s impact on their pocketbooks, we offer a special prayer for our local churches as they approach their connectional giving commitments in the second half of this year.
I thank the local churches for their steadfast devotion to making disciples and spreading the love of Christ through missions. I pray the missions discussed in this month’s articles will strengthen everyone’s understanding and commitment that we collectively share.
Blessings to all,
Paul Eichelberger
CFO/Treasurer
