news article

Budget listening sessions begin in Upper New York

March 7, 2017 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

 At the 2016 Annual Conference, after much deliberation, the 2017 Conference budget passed with an added motion for the Conference Council of Finance & Administration (CF&A) to lead the production of a narrative budget that includes one paragraph describing the ministry and priorities of each line item in our 2018 ministry share budget for the 2017 Annual Conference to be posted on the UNYAC website at least two weeks prior to the 2017 resolutions and petitions deadline of February 1, 2017. This task has been completed and has been further updated once Conference leadership had the opportunity to review it —click here for the 2018 narrative budget booklet, which includes graphics and FAQs.

The motion was further amended that through March of 2017, there be regional listening and interpretation gatherings for the entire Conference.  These listening sessions are intended to help CF&A to further improve the narrative budget so that the budget can be presented at the Annual Conference with little confusion over the ministries that the dollars support and how the budget numbers are calculated.

The first listening session was held for the Oneonta District on Saturday March 5 at Worchester UMC. Susan Ranous was the CF&A Rep and Oneonta District Superintendent Rev. Everett Bassett was the facilitator. They showed a video about the narrative budget produced by the UNY Conference Communications Team, provided narrative budget booklets to all attendees and opened the floor for feedback and questions.

The feedback about the narrative budget was positive. One attendee stated, “This booklet is a great gift.” Another attendee said, “This booklet is wonderful and contains good explanation with details and results.” Attendees expressed that they want to have the narrative budget and listening sessions again next year, which is what the Conference plans to do.

The narrative budget is a work in progress—the response and questions raised at the listening sessions will greatly help to make the narrative budget an effective tool year after year.

Listening sessions will continue to take place through March 26. Click here to find a listing of listening sessions along with corresponding dates, times, and locations.