2010 Southern District Pastors’ Conference

Professional Church Workers Encouraging One Another

Through Conversation and Worship in the Name of Jesus

Holiday Inn Trustmark Park + Jackson (Pearl), MS

Tuesday through Thursday, April 13-15, 2010




Monday, February 1, 2010


Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Serving as Congregation Treasurers,

 

Thank you for your partnership in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, risen from the dead for us sinners!


We are grateful for the generous ways in which you surround and uphold your pastor(s) as we face together the challenges of 21st century mission and ministry, and grateful for the faithful financial support of the great majority of our Southern District congregations, which together make excellent annual pastors’ conferences possible.


The theme of our Tuesday through Thursday, April 13-15, 2010 conference in Jackson (Pearl), MS is Faithful Pastors + Missional Churches. Faithfulness to Christ means that missional outreach in Jesus’ name is job one. This is God’s exciting, urgent mission to the whole world through us, brothers and sisters in Christ!


This year we made a decision to shorten our pastors’ conference by one night’s stay. This will allow us to maintain the same rate of assessment and fees as the previous two years, while saving approximately $7000 in hotel costs. We’ve negotiated very competitive rates for our housing and have chosen an easily accessible location near the geographic center of the District.


Please recall the role and importance of our Southern District Pastors’ Conferences:

“Days off to attend required District pastoral conferences, Circuit conferences, and meetings, and attendance at professional seminars and workshops are not vacation time and congregations are discouraged from considering these required meetings and professional growth conferences as days off or part of the allotted vacation time. In fact, congregations are required to pay for the cost of the District pastoral conferences and should make every effort to see that their pastor participates regularly in these District and Circuit conferences. These provide a place where the pastor is both accountable to and responsible for his peers in the ministry.” (Southern District 2010 Salary Guidelines, p.12)


It is now time to remit your congregation’s 2010 Pastors’ Conference assessment. Please note that Pastors’ Conference assessments are completely independent of your congregation’s Southern District Mission Support. Both are an important part of our walk together.


Your congregation’s assessment should be calculated and remitted with the form that is the third page of this communication. We have delayed this request for payment to allow congregations to complete their 2009 Statistical Report, which is requested to be returned to the national and district offices by February 28th.


We are confident that the present system of assessment and fees is equitable and has the support of the great majority of our professional church workers in attendance at our conferences. We know that some congregations are experiencing a time of significant transition. We ask that all congregations use numbers that are fair, honest, and accurately reflect their ministry at this time. To do otherwise seems to shift the shared burden to others and betray the loving relationship in which we are called to live in Jesus’ name.


We know that congregations want to support and encourage their pastors’ ministry and family. We believe that the annual pastors’ conference is a great way to accomplish this. When planning each conference, the conference officers take care to select a relaxing location, to choose an engaging topic and dynamic main speaker, and to build plenty of free time into the schedule. Because we know that Lent and Holy Week are times of extra effort, we choose the best date available after Easter, when a time for recharging seems greatly needed.


Thanks for your support of your pastor(s) and family. Your encouragement means the world to them!


Please enclose the remittance form with your congregation’s check and mail to our conference treasurer by February 28, 2010.


 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit! (Romans 15:13)


 

Rev. John E. Karle                                                    Rev. Stewart A. Marshall

Pastors’ Conference Chair                                         Pastors’ Conference Treasurer

pastor@celebratingjesus.net                                   sdpastorsconf@charter.net

318.332.3352                                                              334.774.6758






2010 Southern District Pastors’ Conference

Remittance Form

 

Congregation Name:     _______________________________________________

 

            Street Address:   _______________________________________________


            City, State, Zip:  _______________________________________________


Congregational Assessment: $1.25 per communicant member.


Professional Fee: $50.00 for each active Southern District pastor and attending vicar.

(A professional fee is required for each active Southern District pastor. Because a vicar’s attendance is at the discretion of his supervising pastor, a professional fee is only required for those vicars in actual attendance. When a pastor serves more than one congregation, only one professional fee is required, which cost may be split between congregations as they see fit. The professional fee for retired, non-active pastors not serving a congregation is paid by the Pastors’ Conference.)


Please make checks payable to Southern District Pastors’ Conference.


Please return this entire remittance form and your check at your earliest convenience before the February 28, 2010 to:

Southern District Pastors’ Conference

c/o Prince of Peace Lutheran Church

2454 Andrews Ave

Ozark AL 36360-2743


Conference registration and hotel reservations require separate actions by participants. Information will be forthcoming later in February.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Congregational Assessment

      Our reported December 31, 2009 communicant membership is ______.

 

                  $1.25 x ______ communicants =          $ ____________


Professional Fee(s)

      Please list active pastor(s), attending vicars, and other attending church workers:


      __________________________________________________________________________

 

                  $50.00 x ______ professional(s) =        $ ____________

 

Total Amount Enclosed                                         $ ____________


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

For Office Use Only:

 

Date Received: ______________       Check #: ______________     Amount: ______________