Sundays with General Church Offerings
The 1992 Book of Discipline designates six Special Sundays in connection with which offerings for general church purposes are to be received (¶¶ 274, 275). For the 1997-2000 quadrennium, six general church special Sunday offerings shall be received in accordance with the following provisions as directed by the 1996 General Conference.
1. Human Relations Day. Human Relations Day shall be observed with an offering, preferably on the Sunday before the observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. This Sunday occurs during Epiphany, the season of manifesting God's light to the world. Human Relations Day calls the Church to recognize the right of all God's children to realize their potential as human beings in relationship with each other. The purpose of the day is to further the development of better human relations.
The offering receipts will be allocated after payment of prior claims and administered as follows:
a) Community Developers Program: 57 percent (administered by the General Board of Global Ministries).
b) United Methodist Voluntary Services Program: 33 percent (administered by the General Board of Global Ministries).
c) Youth Offender Rehabilitation Program: 10 percent (administered by the General Board of Church and Society).
2. One Great Hour of Sharing. One Great Hour of Sharing shall be observed with an offering, preferably on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Lent is the season of repentance, self-examination, and awareness of the hurts of the peoples of the world. One Great Hour of Sharing calls the Church to share the goodness of life with those who hurt. The observance shall be under the general supervision of the General Commission on Communication. Insofar as possible, the planning and promotion of the One Great Hour of Sharing shall be done cooperatively with other denominations through the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. The United Methodist receipts shall be administered by the United Methodist Committee on Relief Department of the General Board of Global Ministries. Net receipts from the offering, after payment of prior claims, shall be remitted by the treasurer of the General Council on Finance and Administration to the General Board of Global Ministries.
3. Native American Awareness Sunday. Native American Awareness Sunday shall be observed with an offering, preferably on the third Sunday of Easter. This Sunday serves to remind the Church of the gifts and contributions made by Native Americans to our society. The observance of Native American Awareness Sunday will be under the general supervision of the General Board of Global Ministries.
a) The Annual Conference treasurer shall retain 50 percent of the receipts for the developing and strengthening of Native American ministries within the annual conference, to be administered by the annual conference Committee on Native American Ministry. Should there be no Native American Ministries within the annual conference, the annual conference treasurer shall remit this 50 percent to the General Council on Finance and Administration.
b) The annual conference treasurer shall report gross receipts and remit the remaining 50 or 100 percent of the receipts, as applicable, to the General Council on Finance and Administration.
c) After payment of prior claims, the treasurer of the General Council on Finance and Administration shall distribute the funds as follows: 1) 50 percent to the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry to provide supplementary scholarships for Native Americans attending United Methodist schools of theology, and 2) the remaining 50 percent to the General Board of Global Ministries to expand the number of target cities in their Native American Urban Initiative.
4. Peace with Justice Sunday. Peace with Justice Sunday shall be observed with an offering, preferably on the Second Sunday of Pentecost. Pentecost celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit calling for God's shalom. Peace with Justice witnesses to God's demand for a faithful, just, disarmed, and secure world. The observance of Peace with Justice Sunday shall be under the general supervision of the General Board of Church and Society.
a) The annual conference treasurer shall retain 50 percent of the receipts for Peace with Justice Ministries in the annual conference, to be administered by the annual conference Board of Church and Society or equivalent structure.
b) The annual conference treasurer shall remit the remaining 50 percent of the receipts to the General Council on Finance and Administration. Net receipts from the general church share of the offering, after payment of prior claims, shall be remitted by the treasurer of the General Council on Finance and Administration to the General Board of Church and Society.
5. World Communion Sunday. World Communion Sunday shall be observed with an offering, preferably on the first Sunday of October. World Communion Sunday calls the Church to be the catholic inclusive Church. In connection with World Communion Sunday there shall be a churchwide appeal conducted by the General Commission on Communication in accord with the following directives: Each local church shall be requested to remit as provided in ¶ 916.8 all the communion offering received on World Communion Sunday and such portion of the communion offering received at other observances of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper as the local church may designate.
Over one-half of the offering receipts must go to ministries beyond the United States of America. The receipts shall be divided after payment of prior claims as follows:
a) Fifty percent (50%) for Crusade Scholarships, to be administered by the Crusade Scholarship Committee of the General Board of Global Ministries;
b) Thirty-five percent (35%) for the Ethnic Scholarship Program; and
c) Fifteen percent (15%) for the Ethnic In-Service Training Program; the last two to be administered by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
6. United Methodist Student Day. United Methodist Student Day shall be observed with an offering, preferably on the last Sunday in November, or another Sunday appropriate to the local church. United Methodist Student Day calls the Church to support students as they prepare for life in uniting faith with knowledge. The offering receipts support the United Methodist Scholarships and the United Methodist Student Loan Fund. Net receipts from the offering, after payment of prior claims, shall be remitted by the treasurer of the General Council on Finance and Administration to the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
Directives
The following directives shall apply to each of the six general church special Sunday offerings:
1. Promotion of all authorized general church special Sunday offerings shall be by
United Methodist Communications in consultation with the administering agencies. Expenses of promotion for each offering shall be a prior claim in an amount determined in the manner described in section 8, Report No. 10.
2. Receipts from all authorized general church special Sunday offerings shall be remitted promptly by the local church treasurer to the annual conference treasurer, who shall remit monthly to the treasurer of the General Council on Finance and Administration. Local churches shall report the amount of the offerings in the manner indicated on the Local Church Report to the Annual Conference. In the case of Native American Awareness and Peace with Justice Sunday offerings, the annual conference treasurer shall divide the receipts as described in sections 3 and 4 (above) of this report.
Sundays with Offerings Authorized for Use
Within the Annual Conference
The 1992 Book of Discipline authorizes offerings in connection with three special Sundays for which the offering receipts are to be retained for use within the annual conference. The authorization for these offerings shall be continued in accordance with the following provisions:
1. Golden Cross Sunday. Golden Cross Sunday shall be observed annually on the first Sunday in May. If the annual conference so directs, an offering may be received for the work of health and welfare ministries in the annual conference. Local church treasurers shall remit the receipts of the offering to the annual conference treasurer, and receipts will be acknowledged in accordance with the procedure of the annual conference. Local churches shall report the amount of the offering in the manner indicated on the Local Church Report to the Annual Conference (¶ 277.2).
2. Christian Education Sunday. Christian Education Sunday will be observed annually on a date determined by the annual conference. If the annual conference so directs, an offering may be received for the work of Christian education within the annual conference. Local church treasurers shall remit the receipts of the offering to the annual conference treasurer, and receipts will be acknowledged in accordance with the procedure of the annual conference. Local churches shall report the amount of the offering in the manner indicated in the Local Church Report to the Annual Conference (¶ 277.1).
3. Rural Life Sunday. Rural Life Sunday shall be observed on a date to be determined by the annual conference. Rural Life Sunday shall call the Church to celebrate the rural heritage of The United Methodist Church and to recognize the ongoing crisis occurring in rural areas of the nation and world today. If the annual conference so directs, an offering may be received for the work of ministries in town and rural areas within the conference such as: rural chaplaincy, ministries with African-American farmers, development of cooperative parish ministries, and/or strengthening the nurture, outreach, and/or witness of congregations in town and rural areas. Local church treasurers shall remit the receipts of the offering to the annual conference treasurer, and receipts shall be acknowledged in accordance with the procedure of the annual conference. Local churches shall report the amount of the offering in the manner indicated on the Local Church Report to the Annual Conference (¶ 277.3).
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 21119-FA-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference