It's the time of year when churches across each conference are accepting their apportionments, the funds they are to send in to Conference to provide the necessary support for "World Service, conference benevolences and other general Church, jurisdictional, and annual conference funds" (paragraph 246.13 Book of Discipline). The Annual Conference receives a statement of the amounts apportioned to the conference for the several general funds. The Annual Conference then "apportions" the amount required to the several districts, charges or churches by whatever method the Conference may direct, "but without reduction" (paragraph 613.1).

On Nov. 10 I had the privilege of participating in a "Cluster Charge Conference" in the Lexington District. At the invitation of the District Superintendent, eight churches, representing five charges, came to Hopewell United Methodist Church in Trinity. They gathered together for the Charge Conference, to share in a service of worship and to participate in a congregational reaffirmation of the baptismal covenant. It was a very inspiring gathering of "people called Methodists."

At the appointed time, District Superintendent Mike Leatherwood asked the members of the eight churches to respond to the question, "Do you accept your 2003 Conference Apportionments?" The response of all was, "We do." It's an interesting way for the church to raise the funds needed to carry out the work of the church. It is a time-tested and approved means. How did this system get started?

By the 1761 Conference, held in London in September, the beginnings of the current apportionment system employed by the United Methodist Church (and others) had begun. "Several special funds, at the circuit and connectional level, supported Kingswood School, provided for emergency expenses of needy societies, helped with building costs and paid for preacher travel expenses." In 1761 a "General Fund" was instigated by the Conference "to which every Methodist in England" was "to contribute something [with a reminder about the widow's two mites]." It was costing about 4,000 pounds a year to build preaching houses, and this fund was established primarily to pay that debt.

The apportionments serve the church in very similar ways today. They are our means of reaching beyond the local church to the work of the church in the world.