After the Africa University Fund, the next largest apportioned amount goes to the Jurisdictional Conference Fund. Our apportioned amount for this is $154 and is used to support the Lydia Patterson Institute, cover administrative costs for the Missouri Annual Conference, and set money aside for reserve funds.

The most interesting of the three is bound to be the Lydia Patterson Institute. Established over 100 years ago, Lydia Patterson Institute, only minutes from the U.S-Mexico border (El Paso, TX) has been dedicated to building bridges between two countries, two cities, and two cultures. As the only United Methodist institution on the border, LPI is committed to forming bilingual and bicultural leaders for the church and the region. Excellence and outstanding achievement has been the trademark of LPI students. Graduation rates of students exceed 95% of those entering as freshmen and over 98% of the graduates continue their education at colleges across the United States. The graduation class of 2010, for example, earned 2.1 million dollars in competitive college scholarships. Of the amount given to the conference for this apportioned fund, 62% goes to LPI.

Next up is the Board of Ordained Ministry. This is part of our Missouri Conference Support as well, and the Board of Ordained Ministry is in charge of enlisting and recruiting ordained clergy into the process of education, training and ordination. They assess, assist and  evaluate candidates for the process. Before an individual even begins the process of being a pastor, there are certain qualifications and pre-requisites that are required. The Board of Ordained Ministry ensures all of these are met and then guides the candidate along the path to ordination. The amount due for this fund is $265. You can see a list of who serves on the Board of Ordained Ministry by clicking here.

Finally, we also pay an apportioned amount ($284) to the General Administration Fund. The General Administration Fund is one of the seven apportioned funds of The United Methodist Church. From the very beginning in Acts, the church’s ability to follow its mission depended on its ability to come together so that its many voices could be heard and their concerns addressed. Today the ability to come together every four years for General Conferences is what allows The United Methodist Church to continue its global mission and better serve its diverse membership. For some delegates, flying half-way across the world for a week-long meeting can be too expensive, but a person’s voice in the church should not come with a price tag. That’s why the General Administrative Fund pays for the travel and accommodations of general conference delegates, as well providing translators and other services. It also covers the United Methodist Archive Center at Drew University in New Jersey that includes over 50,000 books and is the official archival repository for the United Methodist Church.