Transcript South Carolina Conference 2009

South Carolina
Conference 2009
Orientation for Lay and Clergy
Members
South Carolina Annual Conference
SC Conference Orientation 09
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Agenda
 General Information
 Special Events
 Great Day of Service
 Worship at Annual Conference
 Constitutional Amendments
 Resolutions
 Nominations Report
 Standing Rules Report
 Pensions and Insurance
 The Proposed Conference Budget
General Information
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General Information
Dates – May 31-June 3, 2009
Registration begins at 1:00 pm
Place – Florence Civic Center
Host Church – Cumberland UMC
Lunch Breaks – try to get back on time (we will
start on time)
Consider on-site food (Menu's are found in the
Hospitality Section)
Special Events
Special Events (pp iii-v)
Sunday, May 31(5:00 pm)
Lay Orientation – Arena
Clergy Session – Exhibit Hall
Great Day of Service
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Don’t Forget to Register
Tuesday, June 2
2:00 to 5:00 pm
To register go to the conference website at umcsc.org
To help groups gather, eat, and depart together, lunch will
be available at the Civic Center. The cost for lunch is $10.
You will meet with your group for lunch and leave together
after lunch for you site.
Members are being asked to invite your congregation to
send items of need. You will receive a letter listing the
items to bring. You may also find the items on the website.
Worship at Annual Conference
Worship at Annual Conference
 Sunday, May 31
Ordination Service – Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor, Preacher –
(Offering Bethlehem Bible College)
 Monday, June 1
Memorial Service – Rev. Mel Arant, Preacher
Evening Worship – Rev. Jennifer William, Preacher
(Offering Conference Related Homes)
 Tuesday, June 2
Recognition of Retiring Ministers – “Passing the Mantle”
Evening Worship – Rev. George Ashford, Preacher
(Offering Esperanza UMC, Greenville District)
 Wednesday, June 3
Sending Forth Service – Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor, Preacher
Constitutional Amendments
Constitutional Amendments
Section C – Preregistration Packet
General Instructions
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Materials
1. General Instructions (page C-1)
2. Proposed Constitutional Amendments (pages C-2 to C-20)
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Two Groups
Nine amendments
Twenty-three amendments related to Worldwide church
Four paragraphs have two amendments each
Constitutional Amendments
Constitutional Amendments
Section C – Preregistration Packet
General Instructions
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Materials
3. Amendments with Additions and Deletions
(pages C-21 to C-34)
4. Rational Provided by the Secretary of the
General Conference (pages C-35 – C-37)
5. Worksheet (Designed to help delegates plan for
their votes) (pages C-38 – C-41)
Constitutional Amendments
Constitutional Amendments
General Instructions
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How and When will debate be conducted?
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After the Mid-morning break – Monday
In the order they are printed
Debate on all amendments will be one block
A single ballot (all 32 amendments)
Constitutional Amendments
Constitutional Amendments
General Instructions
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No Amendments May be Offered
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Who may vote?
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Lay members
Clergy members in Full Connection
How will voting be conducted?
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Eligible members (stand & show credentials)
Tellers distribute ballots to eligible members (at
their seat)
Constitutional Amendments
Constitutional Amendments
General Instructions
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How are Constitutional Amendments Proposed and
Approved?
Book of Discipline (¶ 59 Article I)
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2/3 Vote of General Conference
2/3 Affirmative Vote of Aggregate votes of the Annual
Conferences
When will the Results be Known?
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The Conference vote (at the end of conference)
General vote will be known in 2010
Constitutional Amendments
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The Amendments dealing with the Worldwide Church
Amendments 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20,
21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32
More than a name change “central” to “regional”
Currently Annual Conferences, Jurisdictional, and
Central Conferences – can change the BOD on a limited
basis
Central Conferences Outside the US – can change
anything in the BOD
Passage of the amendments could create US regional
conferences who could change the BOD the same way
Constitutional Amendments
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Possible results (World Wide Church)
1. Negative – diminish connectionalism
Regionalize like the Anglican Communion
2. Positive – let U.S. to make own decisions about
concerns related to U.S. church
It will allow overseas conferences to avoid U.S.
dominance
3. A Further Matter
A study committee has been appointed to study
our worldwide structure to present findings 2012.
Approval would preempt their work
Constitutional Amendments
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Other Amendments
Amendment One - ¶4 BOD – Inclusiveness of
all in membership and ministry of the church
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Consequences – may effect a pastor’s discretion
for church membership and participate in the
ministries of the church
Amendment Two - ¶5 BOD – Ethics and
Conflict of Interest Policies for church groups
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Consequences – every church group will be
required to write policies on ethics, conflict of
interest and fiduciary accountability
Constitutional Amendments
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Amendment Six - ¶ 15 BOD – Proportional
representation at General Conference – This
amendment would allow transitional
conferences to have at least two delegates to
general conference (currently a conference
must have 225,000 members and 25 clergy.
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Consequence – takes away delegates from
other conferences
Amendment Eight - ¶ 16 BOD – Adds the words
“gender” to the responsibility of General Boards
and Agencies (for inclusiveness sake)
Constitutional Amendments
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Amendment Nine – ¶ 23 BOD – Representation
to General Conference – No jurisdiction shall
have fewer than 100 delegates to General
Conference – Protects declining jurisdictions
from going below 100 representatives to
General Conference (protects the ability to elect
Bishops)
Amendment Fifteen - ¶ 32 – Shortens the list of
who (for inclusiveness sake) will be members of
the Annual Conference and shortens the
requirement that a person must be a member of
the UMC to one year (from two years)
Constitutional Amendments
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Amendment Seventeen - ¶ 33 BOD – Allows lay
persons to be members of the committee on
investigation (currently only clergy persons are
allowed)
Amendment Nineteen - ¶ 35 BOD – Allows
provisional members and local pastors (who
have served two consecutive years and have
completed the course of study or an MDiv) to
vote on delegates to General and Jurisdictional
Conference. They will still not be eligible to be
elected.
Constitutional Amendments
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Amendment Twenty-Two - ¶ 37 BOD – Adds
Bermuda to the Northeast Jurisdiction.
Resolutions
Resolutions
 Board of Church and Society (page 14) –
presentation Wednesday Morning
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A Resolution to Begin Combating Human
Trafficking
Resolutions and Appeals – presentation – First
presentation Monday Afternoon – approval
Wednesday Morning (dealing with resolutions
brought directly to Annual Conference)
Nominations Report
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Nominations Report (Registration Packet)
The report will be presented on Monday
afternoon and approved on Wednesday morning
Consent Calendar
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Consent Calendar (pages 79-80)
Items may be removed from the consent
calendar by filling out the “Petition to Remove”
found on page 81
Standing Rules
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Standing Rules
Changes of standing rules are presented by the
Committee on Standing Rules Monday Morning
The Report will be found in the Registration
Packet
Report of Board of
Pension and Health
Benefits
Pension
And
Health Insurance
(pages 37-48)
Purpose
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To provide for financial stability in
retirement for South Carolina Annual
Conference Clergy
To provide health care for all eligible active
and retired clergy of the South Carolina
Annual Conference
Protection for people who have given their
lives in service to God and God’s people
Pension
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Clergy Retirement Security Plan (Pensions)
Made of three parts
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Defined Benefit = Pension benefit defined as 1.25% of the
Denominational Average Compensation at Retirement per year of
service after January 1, 2007.
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Defined Contribution = 3 % contribution and interest
earned during work determines benefit.
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Comprehensive Protection Plan – Death benefit and
disability
Pension Costs
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Defined Benefit = $535/month for each full
time clergy (part time is prorated by
quarters)
Defined Contribution = 3 % of total
compensation (Cash + value of housing or
allowance)
CPP = 3% of total compensation
Health Insurance
Medicare Companion Benefits Changes
(for Retirees)
Current
$250
2010
$250
Coinsurance
80%
80%
Out of Pocket
Maximum
$1,250
$1,500
Deductible
All Health Benefits Plans
Pharmacy Plan Changes
2010 Plan
Retail (30 day)
Generic
Formulary
Non Formulary
Retail
Deductible
Out of Pocket
Maximum
$10
$20
$35
$ 50/$ 100
Mail Order
(90 Day)
$20
$50
$88
N/A
$2,000/$4,000
$2,000/$4,000
Health Insurance 2010
Rates
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Active Premiums will increase 9% for the
year 2010.
Retiree Premiums will increase 10% for the
year 2010.
Health Insurance 2010Rates
Coverage
Participant
Participant
(30%)
$185
Church Share
(70%)
$429
Part & Spouse $387
$901
Part & Child
$258
$602
Part/Children
$350
$818
Full Family
$516
$1,204
Medicare Part
$122
$284
Med Part/Sp
$244
$568
Retiree Health Liability Funding Plan
(General Conference Mandate)
1.The Annual Conference is required by
Accounting Rule changes adopted by the
General Conference (§1506.25 Book of
Discipline 2008.
2.The original estimate of the Accumulated Liability
was $63,275,000.
3.Subsequent actions by Annual Conference
reduced this to $44,512,000.
4.SC BOPHB identified $8,500,00 to fund part of
this liability.
Retiree Health Liability Funding Plan
(cont)
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6.
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Reduce retiree subsidy capping maximum at
$5,000 per year beginning in 2012. Each year
following reducing by 5% until 2015 which will
reduce the subsidy to 50%.
Funding the remaining liability with a surcharge on
premium to be phased in beginning in 2011 over
five years fully funding the liability in 2030.
What this means:
Premiums will increase in order to keep the
retiree health benefits solvent.
Proposed Conference Budget
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The Proposed Conference Budget
Found on Pages 1-10
Report Number One
Two Types of Funds In the Budget
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Funds we have control over (Items 1-12)
Apportioned by Annual Conference Action
Funds we do not have control over (Items 13-20)
Apportioned by General Conference Action
Proposed Conference Budget
Important to Know
General and Jurisdictional Apportionments
Are passed on to our Annual Conference
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Items 13-20
World Service Fund
Episcopal Fund
General Conference Administration Fund
Ministerial Education
Interdenominational Cooperation Fund
Black College Fund
Africa University Fund
Jurisdictional Mission/Ministry Fund
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The Annual Conference cannot change these items
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Those items are rising 2.5% overall
Proposed Conference Budget
Approved by Annual Conference Action
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Line Item #3 – District Superintendents Salary
District Superintendents voluntarily requested 2% decrease
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Line Item #5 – District Administration Approved
as requested
District Administration has been drawing down reserves for
two years
Expenses are being held down as much as possible
DS will try to reduce travel as a cost cutting matter
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Rest are lower than requested
Proposed Conference Budget
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Line Item #1
Detail of Conference Benevolences (Report #2)
Page 2 – Reduction 6.7%
Cuts come from Connectional Ministries
$164,128 in reductions
Will come from program and staff reductions
Other decreases in budget come from drawing down
reserves
Proposed Conference Budget
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Item # 2 Retiree Health/Transition/Contingency
Significant increase due to retiree premiums
An increase was granted but only ½ of what
was requested
Item # 4 Equitable Compensation requested an
increase
Grant requests will increase
CF&A is asking the draw down its reserves
Proposed Conference Budget
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Item Seven
Conference Administration has also been drawing
down reserves
However, the Reserve is necessary
Some funds are guaranteed 100% payment
(salaries)
Conference Journal Committee is being asked to
use digital options
Proposed Conference Budget
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(Item Seven) Camps & Retreats
(Item Nine) Senior College Scholarships
(Item Ten) Spartanburg Methodist College
(Item Twelve) Methodist Homes Residents
Assistance
While important
Have other sources of income for support
(See Report #7)
Proposed Conference Budget
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Item Eight Congregational Development
Being asked to drawn down reserves
Item Eleven Campus Ministry
Employs clergy whose salary is below the
conference median
Could not reduce request
But increase was denied
Proposed Conference Budget
Top 12 items = 5.1% Decrease
(Conference Approved Funds)
Bottom 8 Items = 2.5% Increase
(General and Jurisdictional Approved Funds)
Total budget = 3.3% decrease
Proposed Conference Budget
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Report #7 is new
Asking to make up for reductions for
Senior College
Spartanburg Methodist College
Completely voluntary
Will be noted as a apportionment remittance with
Lake Junaluska Dam asking