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Secretaries' Page
Contents:
Professional Association
Tasks and Expectations
- Advisory Forms are mailed out the first week of January and due the first week in February. The forms and instructions will be on this website's Forms page. Beside the link to the form will be the due date when these need to be received by the district office.
- Year-end Statistical Reports are completed and submitted online in January. (Login here.)
- Local Church Charge Conference Forms are done sometime September - December. See this website's Forms page each year for the forms, instructions, and the date when your church's charge conference will meet.
- Clergy Evaluation Forms will not be mailed out in the fall of 2010. Instead, this will wait until 2011, closer to the appointment-making season. Check our Forms page for downloads. Beside the link will be the due date when these need to be received by the district office.
- Quarterly Membership Reports (also called Evangelism Report) are no longer required. If this is reinstated an announcement will be made and posted on this website.
- Conference Database - Local churches are expected to keep their database information up-to-date year 'round. This includes elected officers and committees with full contact information, as well as details about the local church itself, such as address, website, e-mail, directions, worship times, etc. (Login here.)
- Support Connectional Events - The District and Conference need your support regarding the planning and announcing of events. Most people will not be aware of events outside their local church unless the events are publicized by their local church. When putting items on your church calendar and in your bulletins and newsletters, please refer to district and conference calendars and help us publicize events. In turn, we would also like to know about and help you publicize YOUR special events that would interest other Methodists outside your local church. You can submit items for the District Message Board by e-mailing the details to the district office, office@umcpensacoladistrict.org. You can put events on the Conference calendar by entering the information into the Conference database. (Login here.)
- Keep "Find-a-Church" profile updated. Click here to find out how.
Pastors and Secretaries, remember to update your church’s “Find-a-Church” profile that is at http://UMC.org. UMC.org’s Find-a-Church feature helps visitors find your church all through the year; however, what visitors see when they view your church’s self-updatable profile is up to you. Find-a-Church does more than simply list your church’s address and phone number. Newly enhanced, it now offers the opportunity to list all of your church’s ministries, including event schedules, locations, and special notes. With easy-to-use templates that make entering and updating information a breeze, it’s never been easier to highlight your church’s programs and unique points of entry – from daycare to basketball leagues. Also available are opportunities to personally welcome visitors to your congregation, introduce your members, add details about your worship schedule, and link to your church’s Web site. More than 35,000 United Methodist churches are listed in Find-a-Church, and it directs almost 300,000 people to local churches every month. Even more people will soon access Find-a-Church, as it is a key component of a new Web site featured in nationwide advertising for Rethink Church – the next evolution of The United Methodist Church’s Open Hearts advertising and welcoming campaign. Click here to find out how to update and enhance your church’s Find-a-Church profile. If you have questions about updating your Find-a-Church information, contact United Methodist Communications at FAC@umc.org or 1-800-251-8140.
Whatever report you send to the district office, keep a copy for your own file!!
Resources to Help Those in Need
- Street Survival Guide (for Santa Rosa and Escambia Counties in Florida) is an excellent directory of organizations and services for folks that need help. It is a product of the EscaRosa Coalition on the Homeless and may be copied, printed, and distributed as widely as possible to assist any homeless or other person in need. EscaRosa asks only that it be distributed with credits and free of charge. The materials presented in the guide are for informational purposes only and do not represent endorsements of any agency or service.
- The First Call for Help website serves several counties. In the "Service Finder" box type-in what help you need, and the site will show you agencies to contact.
Forms, Documents, and Event Brochures
If you need event brochures. . . .
- Go to http://awfumc.org/calendar.
- Click on the Local Church Events tab, District Events tab, or Conference Events tab.
- Find the event.
- Click on the name of the event to open its page.
- Look for the word "File" at the top of the page.
- If a brochure is available, there will be a link beside the word "File." Just click on the link. If you have problems opening pdf files, remember to download the latest pdf reader!
Having Advance Special status is important in that it enables churches to remit special offerings through the Conference Fiscal Office. (For the remittance form click here. For a list of Conference Advance Specials click here.) Since these offerings will be processed through Conference bookkeeping, they will be included on Connectional Mission Giving (apportionments) reports as "non-apportionment" gifts.
Example: The Advance Special number for Pensacola United Methodist Community Ministries is 0109-2. Because this ministry has an Advance Special number, the local church can send donations to the Alabama-West Florida Conference Fiscal Office with the same remittance form that is used for sending Connectional Mission givings (apportionments). On the form, write/type in the Advance number (which in this case would be 0109-2) and the donation amount. Keep a copy of the remittance form for your records and mail a copy with your donation to the Conference Fiscal Office, 100 Interstate Drive Suite 106, Montgomery, AL 36109. If an individual would like to make a donation through a local church (which sends this to the Conference Fiscal Office), the check would be payable to the local church and designation made on the check as to the intended recipient/Advance number. If an individual makes a donation to an Advance Special through a local church, the amount and recipient will be shown on the church's Conference Connectional Giving reports as a non-apportionment donation.
Local Church Membership Records
Local Church Membership Report: The quarterly membership/evangelism report is no longer required. Those added to and subtracted from the roll are listed on the annual charge conference Report of the Pastor form.
Conference Database
(The Pensacola District is not responsible for anything posted on these websites.)
Postal Regulation Special Report for Churches
from Communication Resources:
"It’s official: The United States Postal Service has changed regulations affecting how you send church newsletters and other mailings to your members. You can’t afford to ignore these changes. Noncompliance can mean extra postage charges, delivery delays and even rejection of your mailings. Unfortunately, these new regulations cause new confusion for postal workers and postal users alike. You could try to reach someone at your busy local post office who might explain the changes to you, but times of reform can be disconcerting for postal employees. Or you could attempt to read the USPS manuals yourself, but you’d have to interpret the confounding government “legalese.” But here’s a better way: Order Postal Regulation Special Report for Churches. This special report has been written with church staffs in mind. Its comprehensive, easy-to-understand information comes directly from a reporter on exclusive assignment to monitor USPS changes and how they affect churches. The special report explains the new regulations in everyday language. Its user-friendly presentation will help you save money and avoid a lot of needless hassle." You can order online at www.ComResources.com or call toll-free # (800) 992-2144. >>>
Secretaries/Administrative Assistants, this page is especially for you!
If you have suggestions for other helps
Copyright © 2010 Pensacola District. All rights reserved.
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