OKLAHOMA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
TREASURY NOTES
January 4, 2012
Editor: Brian Bakeman, 1501 NW 24th St, Oklahoma City OK 73106
Phone: (405) 530-2067; Email: bbakeman@okumc.org; Website: www.okumc.org
CONTENTS
2012 Health and Pension Payments
IRS Announces 2012 Mileage rates
Post Office Announces New Postal Rates
Important 2012 Deadlines
End-of-Year Statistical Reports
2012 Local Church Leaders Workshops
Crib regulations effective December 28, 2012
Amazing Faithfulness
2012 Health and Pension Payments
The new billing system is off and running. It is important to note that the new online payment system is not ready yet and you can still make payments through Vanco. Please be sure to check on the Conference web site for any new information about benefit plans at www.okumc.org/benefits.
Post Office Announces New Postage Rates
Don’t forget that postage rates are increasing this month. New rates are effective Jan. 22, 2012, and include:
• Letters (1 oz.) – 1-cent increase to 45 cents
• Letters additional ounces – unchanged at 20 cents
• Postcards – 3-cent increase to 32 cents
• Letters to Canada or Mexico (1 oz.) – 5-cent increase to 85 cents.
• Letters to other international destinations – 7-cent increase to $1.05
IRS Announces 2012 Mileage Rates
Effective January 1, 2012, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car, van, or pickup will be as follows:
55.5¢ per mile for business miles driven
23¢ per mile for medical or moving purposes
14¢ per mile driven in service of a charitable organization
People frequently ask why the charitable rate has not increased in years and the simple answer is that the rate is set by Congress and they have not addressed that issue. The other two rates are set by the IRS where they have the flexibility to make changes as they occur.
Important 2012 Deadlines
January 6th – last day for receiving apportionment payments in the Conference office (if mailing checks in please use our street address instead of the PO Box number as it will get here faster)
January 20th – deadline for submitting 2013 Conference budget proposals to the Treasurer’s office.
January 27th – deadline for completing local church end-of-year Statistical Reports.
End-of-Year Statistical Reports
Your church’s end-of-year report is now accessible online through the Brick River dashboard. Go to our website www.okumc.org and click on the “Brick River Church Login” link located on the left side of the screen. Enter the username and password for your church. Once you are logged in, click on the link “Access Your Year End Statistical Report”. This will bring up the form for your church.
The following are aids for some of the problem areas we encounter each year:
Line 38
Enter the amount of debt, as of December 31, 2011, currently held by the church that is secured by church property and assets, such as mortgages.
Line 39
Enter the total of all debt currently held by the church, as of December 31, 2011, that is NOT secured by church property and assets. Examples of this type of debt are: credit cards, lines of credit, lease-to-purchase agreements, etc. (The sum of line 38 and line 39 should equal the total debt currently held by the church.)
Line 51
Amount paid to the Conference Treasurer for CRSP (Retirement) and CPP for all elders, local pastors, and deacons.
Line 52
This should be zero unless your church is purchasing health insurance outside the Conference plan.
Line 53
Enter the amount of the senior pastor’s W-2, plus amount for Flexible Spending Accounts (cafeteria plan - including health insurance premiums) and UMPIP (personal retirement contributions).
Line 54a
Same as 53 for any elders and local pastors appointed to serve as associate pastors.
Line 55a
Amount paid to senior pastor and any elders and local pastors appointed to serve as associate pastors for housing allowance.
Line 56a
Amount paid to senior pastor and any elders and local pastors appointed to serve as associate pastors for accountable reimbursement plan.
Line 57
This should be zero in most cases as cash given to the pastor generally should appear on the W-2.
Line 58
Amount paid to deacons under appointment by the bishop for all items included in lines 53-57 for Elders and Local Pastors. Amount paid to the Conference Treasurer for CRSP (Retirement) and CPP for deacons is included in line 51.
Line 63
Enter the total amount paid on debt that existed as of December 31, 2010 (the total of lines 38 and 39 on the 2010 report). This number must be equal to or greater than the amount that the debt decreased in 2011.
If you have any questions, please call your district statistician. In most cases, this is the Administrative Assistant at the district office.
2012 Local Church Leaders Workshops
The schedule for the Workshops has been published and once again we have a team to help present the workshops for finance at every location this year. This year we will focus on financial leadership in the local church. As always, there will be plenty of time available for you to ask the questions you have been dying to ask all year long. I always look forward to seeing everyone and meeting the new financial leaders in our churches.
The schedule is as follows:
January 14th – Clinton District
January 21st – Tulsa District and Woodward District
January 22nd – Muskogee District
January 28th – North and South Oklahoma City Districts and McAlester District
January 29th – Lawton District and Enid District
February 4th – Bartlesville District
February 11th – Ardmore District
February 26th – Stillwater District
Crib Regulations effective December 28, 2012
I was asked last month to mention the new regulations about baby cribs for churches. The new law goes into effect this year on December 28, 2012 and prohibits the use of drop-side cribs. It is extremely important if you have a nursery in your church with traditional drop-side cribs that you eliminate them this year. Churches are not exempt from this regulation and if you have any questions I suggest you contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission at www.cpsc.gov.
Amazing Faithfulness
It will be another week before we know how giving for December will play out, but from the phone calls and conversations that I have had the past couple of weeks with pastors, finance chairs, and treasurers, I just want to say thank you for your faithfulness to the ministry and mission of the church across our state. In the midst of difficult times in the lives of so many people, the church still stands for those who are struggling and who need to be touched by the loving hand of God. Thank you, everyone, for being the church in 2011.
