Petition Text: 22474-FA-NonDis-O$

Understanding Petition Numbers

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The budget being officially proposed to General Conference by the General Council on Finance and Administration is of deep concern, for it will require an acceleration through the next quadrennium of program cutbacks already made by the United Methodist church-wide agencies. The proposal calls for a 0% increase for 1997 and 1998 and 2% increases for 1999 and 2000, sometimes called a "0-0-2-2" budget.

Because inflation is very likely to run well above these increases, this proposal constitutes a very significant cut. Should, for instance, inflation average 3.5% per year from 1997 to 2000, this proposal will entail a 10% cut in funding for our Church's general program and mission.

This official proposal would undermine our Church's mission and connectional witness. Further, it represents a lack of confidence in the generosity of United Methodists. We believe that our people would be willing to fund the denomination at approximately the same level of real dollars as over the last quadrennium.

Therefore, we urge, instead, the adoption of a "3-3-3-3" budget, meaning an annual increase of 3% in current dollars.

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Petition Text: 22474-FA-NonDis-O$
1996 United Methodist General Conference