UCG Budget cuts

 As the money continues to drain from UCG's coffers, they have instituted the following budget cuts.  I still do not see any budget cuts for UCG executives, Council of Elders, Evangelists or ministers.  When will they set the example?

• Reduce mileage reimbursement by 20%;

• Reduce subsidies overall for U.S. congregations by 16%;

• Reduce subsidies overall for international areas by 16%;

• Use online ministerial training in lieu of a ministerial development conference

• Postpone area ministerial conferences;

• Conduct Senior Pastor & UYC Camp director conferences by video conference

• Reduce travel reimbursement by limiting travel outside of church circuits

• Reduce travel budget to international areas by 44%.

Media and Communications Services: ($1.4 million):

• Reduce The Good News (GN) magazine from 48 pages to 40;

• Renew GN subscriptions more often to reduce the print run and related costs (as well as consolidate the mailing list with more motivated subscribers)

• Curtail direct mail card packs and outside magazine print advertising for The Good News and our booklets;

• Drop World Harvest Network for televising the Beyond Today program while maintaining coverage on WGN America and the Word Network

• Suspend home office paid Internet advertising for our literature in all areas outside of the United States to reduce GN and booklet circulation costs to those areas;

• Publish United News six times a year instead of ten;

• Move Vertical Thought, our teen and young adult magazine, from print to a solely online production for the time being;

• Publish the United Youth Camps brochure in the February issue of United News rather than as a separate item;

• Reduce the Spanish and Portuguese publishing budgets;

• Reduce funding for bulk literature sent to our international offices.

Aaron Dean identified other ways to economize:

• Modify healthcare program, adding employee premiums, raising deductibles;

• Transfer funding of international ministers’ travel to the annual meeting of the General Conference of Elders from home office to each international region;

• Conduct at least one video conference for the Council of Elders each year, and more when appropriate, to save travel costs;

• Visiting ministers will stay with home office employees during conferences and be served economical lunches and dinners at the home office to save hotel and restaurant expenses.