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FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION WWW.BWCUMC.ORG

TEL. 410-309-3400 | 800-492-2525

January 2nd, 2017 Dear Friends in Christ, Thank you in advance for your help this year with the collection of the 2016 statistical data. Your diligence to ensure the correct numbers are reported to the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) is very much appreciated. This data helps us evaluate and understand discipleship in and through our congregations for the Baltimore-Washington Conference. The deadline for data entry this year is Friday, January 20th, 2017 – 12noon. Receiving all stats data by this date is extremely important to the setting of the 2018 budget that is initially reviewed by the Council on Finance and Administration (CFA) on the first week of February. Proper planning is essential for your church to meet the data entry deadline. Important: Per CFA policy, the inability of a church to meet the data entry deadline will result in an automatic 10% increase in their apportionment for 2018. There are several things that I would like to highlight: 

Statistical Reporting Resources. Be sure to take advantage of the numerous resources available on the Statistical Reporting page of our website.

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Mission and Community Outreach Expense Deductions. As a continued point of focus, please review the guidelines related to mission-oriented expenses. o NEW FOR 2016  Local churches must use the BWC Expense Calculator (located on our website) to record and calculate applicable expenses. Other tools developed or utilized by the local church must utilize the exact same scope and methodology.  Churches claiming utility expense deductions must fully complete the Line 48B worksheet in EZRA. See a sample of how the BWC Expense Calculator and the EZRA worksheet for Line 48B align on the preceding pages.

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Table 2 Data Validation. After your church submits the statistical data, the Table 2 statistics that impact the apportionment calculations for the local church will be validated through an online survey. A link to the survey will be emailed to the Church Pastor and the Finance Committee Chair. Please carefully review this notice and return by the specified deadline.

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Statistical data will be entered directly at the GCFA website. It is recommended that you print out and complete Tables 1-3 on paper prior to entering the data on the GCFA website. Once completed, you can print out a copy for your records.

Please contact your District Administrator if you have any questions during the process. We will also keep the website updated with any additional guidance. 11711 EAST MARKET PLACE, FULTON, MD 20759-2594

BECOMING FULLY ALIVE IN CHRIST AND MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN A DIVERSE AND EVER-CHANGING WORLD

Statistical Reporting – 2016 Page 2

Thank you for your service to your local church and the Baltimore-Washington Conference. Blessings,

Paul Eichelberger Paul Eichelberger CFO/Treasurer Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church