News

February 3, 2023   This is a friendly reminder that your local church’s statistical reports are due by Tuesday, February 28, 2023. As of February 2, there are 398 out of 729 churches who have not started their report.    Please visit the Statistics page on the conference website at http://www.iaumc.org/stats to read through the User Guide which has instructions including the Username and Password. (If your church is disaffiliating in June 2023, your report is due by February 15, 2023.)   If you ...

As you get ready for another year of worship and giving planning, don't forget to publicize The United Methodist Church Special Sundays. Here is a list of resources for your church. A video to share during worship or on social media. UMC Giving partnered with UM Communications to create a simple video all about giving and Special Sundays in The United Methodist Church. "Together, we do more." A PDF calendar of Special Sunday Dates. This calendar includes short descriptions of each of the ...

Submitted by Wespath In a new video, Wespath's Martin Bauer and Dale Jones offer easy-to-understand answers to the complex, multi-layered questions related to pension plan funding and the withdrawal liability payment. Understanding the nuances of long-term pension funding is critical as some local churches and UMC clergy consider disaffiliation. We encourage you to watch this video and share it with others in your conference. This 18-minute video addresses these and other questions: Are the ...

The Internal Revenue Service issued an increase for the remainder of 2022 in the optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.   Beginning on July 1, 2022, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be: 62.5 cents per mile for business miles driven 22 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes 14 cents per mile driven for charitable ...

The Foundation is once again offering the ground-breaking financial management course Saving Grace: A Guide to Financial Well-Being. We have posted all ten classes on our website. Pastors, you can watch these pre-recorded lectures at your convenience to earn 1 CEU credit. Hurry - we have extended the deadline but the lectures will only be available through May! The class is also available to anyone hoping to learn successful money management strategies - it's a great tool for Finance Committees ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 3, 2021 Contact:  Sharon Dean 615-369-2336 sdean@gcfa.org   Nashville, Tennessee – The 2021 fourth quarter meeting of the Board of Directors for the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) was held Wednesday, December 1 by Zoom.    In its actions: The Board approved the certification of twenty-four persons from the certification class of the Professional Association of the United Methodist Connectional Structure (PAUMCS). This virtual class is larger ...

The calculations for the 2022 Iowa Annual Conference Apportionments have been completed and the information has been published on the Iowa Conference website under the Finance and Administration, Apportionment Resources page (https://www.iaumc.org/ApportionmentResources) This includes the 2022 Apportionments by Church, 2022 Apportionment Calculation Report by Church (Includes Districk Asking), and 2022 Apportionment Fund Breakdown (with Pie Charts). The 2022 Apportionment Budget for the Iowa ...

Four Conversations on Local Church and Conference Finances were held via livestream the last two weekends. About 365 people tuned in total on Vimeo and Facebook Live and questions were answered after the presentation. As a follow up, a Q&A list has been created and the full presentation is available for download to share with your local churches. The team has also made available the apportionment witness statements from laity and clergy in the conference. If you have questions about these ...

Monday, February 15, 2021, 10:00 AM Clergy face unique challenges related to Social Security payments, estimated tax payments, housing allowances or exclusions, and reimbursed expenses. Clergy may have questions about the implications of the pandemic on the 2020 tax situation. Your corner tax preparer may not understand the unique situation of clergy. Finding a preparer who does understand clergy needs can save you substantially in money and aggravation. Join us as the Rev. Don ...

As a follow-up to Bishop Laurie’s Epiphany Address, there will be Conversations on Local Church and Conference Finances. Bishop Laurie has prepared an opening devotion, “Sowing Seeds of Generosity” in which she describes her personal journey of faith relating to financial stewardship. Conference Treasurer Maggie Biggs and the Conference Council on Finance and Administration Chairperson Norlan Hinke will also present reports on the status of the giving of our local churches to Apportionments. ...

Epiphany Address Transcript: WATCHING OVER ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE   January 4, 2021, Bishop Laurie Haller Epiphany Address  Iowa Annual Conference Bishop Laurie Haller:   Good evening, friends. Grace and peace in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am deeply grateful that you have chosen to participate in this time of reflection and celebration of where we have been as United Methodists in Iowa and how God is leading us into a future with hope. This is a very tender time in the life ...

All clergy and laypersons in the Iowa Conference are invited to Bishop Laurie’s Epiphany Address: Watching Over One Another in Love, Livestreamed on Monday evening, January 4, 2021, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. The address will be recorded for future viewing.   The address is based upon the Gospel Lesson for the Epiphany of Jesus Christ, Matthew 2:1-12. She intends to offer both a word of hope for the New Year and share reports on the formation of Circuit Ministry, church finances, a process for ...

GBHEM’s Office of Loans and Scholarships provides millions of dollars in scholarships to students every year. Finances should never be a barrier to answering your calling in life. GBHEM is here to help as you follow the educational path that’s right for you.     Scholarship Application Opens: December 15th – March 24th Explore the Scholarships page to find more information on: Eligibility List of available scholarships How to apply Grants and fellowships Frequently asked scholarship questions

Rev. Ron Carlson, Northwest District Superintendent hosted the fourth episode of the Good Idea Webinars on April 2, 2020. The guest speaker was Rev. Dr. Katharine Yarnell the Executive Director of the Iowa United Methodist Foundation. She shared her insights and ideas around faith and finances during difficult times.    Yarnell shared three main points:  ·       Start with following Jesus. ·       Why do we give?   ·       How should we give?   Start with Following Jesus “As we turn to our faith...

The Iowa Annual Conference (IAC) received $600,101 in total apportionments for the month of March from local churches; that is a total of $1,694,434 for the year 2020.  Based on past receipts as of March 31, we project to receive 63.7% of the total 2020 budget of $13,127,917.  That would be over $4.7M less than budgeted.   The IAC has taken a number of steps to continue reducing the expenses of the IAC, and CF&A instituted the Contingency Plan which puts in place restrictions on the types of ...

IMPORTANT YEAR END INFORMATION FOR APPORTIONMENT AND MISSION GIVING The last day to have your 2019 apportionment and mission giving reported to 2019 is January 8, 2020. After this date, apportionment payments can still be applied to 2019 balances, but they will not show on your December 2019 statement. They would instead show on your January 2020 statement. Once we have everything recorded through January 8, we will send a notification that the preliminary statement is available on our website. ...

A New Way to Support Camping Iowa United Methodist Camps are excited to launch the Kindling Club, a new way to ensure the sustainability of camping across the state for the next generation of youth and adults. Okoboji, Pictured Rocks and Wesley Woods United Methodist Camps have impacted hundreds of thousands of lives over the past 100+ years. Many people, myself included, look at their time at camp as the single most formational faith experience of their lives. If you weren’t already aware,...

The status of Pictured Rocks United Methodist Camp has been a topic of conversation at the Pre-District Conferences around the state. To help provide clarity on the current status, answers to the following Frequently Asked Questions are provided below. Q: What is the status of Pictured Rocks United Methodist Camp? A: The Board of Camps has voted to recommend a sale of Pictured Rocks United Methodist Camp to Camp Courageous. The Board of Camps cannot execute a sale as it is the property of the ...

The Budget Team has completed its work. According to the Rev. Bill Poland, Budget Team Chair and Director of New Communities of Faith, several recommendations have been reviewed and approved by the Bishop’s Operational Team, the Cabinet Operational Team, the Conference Connectional Ministries Council and the Council on Finance and Administration. Poland notes that one of the questions that the Budget Team continued to ask all the way through its meetings was how to become a better-connected ...

Iowa Conference boards and agencies had the opportunity to come and offer suggestions to the Budget Review Team on the newly released recommendations to cut approximately $1.3 million from the 2020 budget. About 16 members from various boards and agencies came to the Conference Office for the discussion." "We've been entrusted by Jesus with a mission to make disciples throughout the world," said Rev. Bill Poland, chairperson of the Budget Team, "so that we - us, in our congregations, and around...

“…for I was hungry and you gave me food…” – Matthew 25:35 Carma Mohler Grant is NOW open!   Carma Mohler was passionate about helping and feeding those in need. She decided to establish this fund to make an impact on hunger issues presented every day. The Iowa United Methodist Foundation is seeking applicants from United Methodist-affiliated groups or non-profit organizations based in Iowa that are creating projects to relieve hunger. Such projects could be community gardening, food or cooking ...

An expressed desire to be able to interact with Conference leaders and people in mission and being partners in ministry marked the conversation at the second of the fall 2015 “town hall” meetings.   A modest sized group of more than a dozen lay and clergy gathered at Eldridge United Methodist Church for the Thursday evening “town hall,” which was the second in the series of 10 scheduled for November. Conference Treasurer Terry Montgomery and Director of Communications Dr. Art McClanahan, lay and...

Conference moves to replace Bishop’s residence   Within the next two months the Conference will replace the Bishop’s residence.  The collaborative efforts of the conference Board of Trustees, Committee on the Episcopacy, and Council on Finance and Administration will secure a different home for our episcopal family.   The current residence, in Norwalk, has experienced repeated water problems over the years – it was built and occupied in 2007 – and the difficulties have escalated in recent ...

An audit can be a scary thing.  At the very least, an audit is a huge piece of work.   The Finance team of the Iowa Conference is out to help with that!   Terry Montgomery, Conference Treasurer, and Emily Graber, Senior Staff Accountant, will be presenting a webinar on Tuesday, February 24 aimed at presenting a strategy to help congregations to De-Scarify Audits for the Local Church. Click here to learn more about the webinar and register   The Book of Discipline requires every church,, to have...