With the synod convention just three weeks away, we want to encourage congregations as they struggle to fulfill their commitments to support our collective ministry through their Congregation Mission Offerings (CMO). The Synodical Council has crafted its proposed budget options based in a large part on those commitments. If actual offerings from congregations fall short, the synod's budget will need to be reduced even further than the painful reductions already outlined in the proposed budget options. We pray that congregations and their leaders will keep this situation before their members so that additional reductions will not need to be made later in the year.
Amid the disheartening word of ministry cutbacks, there is some encouraging news—CMO has shown improvement. At the end of May, CMO since January were 7.5 percent ($580,000) less than in the same period a year earlier, but by the end of June, CMO improved so that now offerings for the year are only 3.6 percent ($337,000) lower than the previous year. While we realize the recent improvement does not represent a trend, we can be very thankful that God has enabled congregations to achieve this in these difficult economic times.
The Schwan Foundation has indicated that it may need to reduce its financial support for the synod even beyond the reductions previously announced. However, under the SC's budget proposal, the Schwan gift is not to be placed in the 2009-10 operating budget, but rather in a new Financial Stability Fund. That means the additional reductions will not have an impact until the second year of the biennium, which begins in July of 2010. This delayed impact will provide valuable time—either for careful planning to address the shortfall or for the economic situation to improve and make additional reductions unnecessary.
Graduates assigned
Of the 12 graduates from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary who did not receive an assignment in May, we can report that seven have now been assigned to congregations, either in permanent or one-year calls. Twenty-two graduates of Martin Luther College were not assigned; 18 of those are still waiting for assignment.
We pray that all of these willing and trained workers will be able to be assigned in the coming months.
Status of workers whose positions were eliminated
As of the end of June, there are 11 pastor-trained and nine teacher-trained synodical workers whose positions were eliminated. Of those, three are currently holding calls. Please keep these faithful workers and their families in your prayers, asking God to care for them in this difficult time and, in his wisdom and time, to call them to new fields of service.
While it's encouraging that the number of workers without calls is lower than what was expected (due to the acceptance of other calls or alternate plans in mission fields), the total is likely to increase once the synod convention adopts a final budget.
Serving in Christ,
Mark Schroeder
