by Terry Barone

FRESNO - Adoption of a resolution endorsing Proposition 8 and a $12.2 million proposed budget for California Southern Baptist Convention were approved by the CSBC Executive Board during its fall meeting Sept. 11-12.

Proposition 8 is a constitutional amendment on the November election ballot that would define marriage in California as between "one man and one woman." The resolution acknowledges the Bible as the "Word of God" and is the "standard by which all human conduct and religious opinion should be measured" (click here for full text).

The resolution acknowledges: "The Bible also teaches that marriage was the first institution ordained by God at the beginning of creation when it was established between Adam, a male, and Eve, a female, as the pattern for all time."

The resolution calls on California Southern Baptists to pray about the issue and conduct voter registration drives through Oct. 20, the cutoff date for voter registration. The resolution urgesÿpastors toÿinform their congregations of issues related to the ballot measure and encourages them to participate in the grassroots effort.

Additionally, California Southern Baptists are encouraged to financially support Proposition 8 and church leaders are urged to avail themselves of Internet resources such as www.csbc.com/protectmarriage, www.ProtectMarriage.com and www.protectmarriageca.com.

In presenting the recommendation to the Board, Don Fugate, communications committee chairman and pastor of Foxworthy Baptist Church in San Jose, said the resolution is something all California Southern Baptists should support, and believes it is at the core of what Baptists believe about the family.

The resolution passed unanimously.

Likewise without opposition, members of the Board approved a proposed $12.2 million budget with a Cooperative Program objective of $8.3 million. Blake Withers, finance committee chairman and pastor of Las Brisas Bible Fellowship in Murrieta, told Board members "the Cooperative Program objective remains the same for 2009." He noted this is the third consecutive year with no increase in the CP objective.

The $12.2 million proposed budget is $550,932, or a 4.73 percent, increase over the 2008 budget of $11,647,222.

Withers explained the increases in the proposed budget, which must be approved by messengers at the CSBC annual meeting in November, are due to higher fees and anticipated increases in designated gifts such as the Annie Armstrong and Lottie Moon offerings for North American and international missions, respectively.

Withers also noted the percentage for worldwide missions to the Southern Baptist Convention was increased 1 percent in this budget, bringing the portion to SBC ministries to 30 percent overall. He explained the move restores the 30 percent funding rate that had previously been in place before a reduction to 27 percent in 2005 due to economic pressures.

Other percentage allocations for the proposed 2009 plan are 59 percent for CSBC Executive Board ministries, up 2 percent over 2008, and 10 percent for California Baptist University, down 3 percent from 2008 based on a resolution from its board of trustees in 2007 recommending a reduction in the allocation. California Baptist Founda-tion's allocation remains at 1 percent.

If the CP objective is met CSBC would receive $4,906,718; the SBC would receive $2,494,941; CBU would receive $831,647; and CBF would receive $83,165.

The challenge portion of the proposed financial plan calls for gifts exceeding the CP objective to be distributed equally between the SBC and the state convention.

For the second time in as many years, a bylaw change to address credentialing issues of new and/or existing congregations affiliating with CSBC failed to pass the Board. After 20 minutes of discussion and a number of amendments to the proposed change, Larry Dotson, pastor of Daybreak Baptist Church in Bakersfield, made a motion to table the recommendation, which was passed.

In other action, the Board adopted:

• "Love is Action: Give," based on I John 3:17-18 as the theme for the 2009 California Mission Offering;
• a recommendation that some $110,000 of accumulated earnings for 2008 from the Executive Board reserve and Cooperative Program endowment trusts be transferred to revenue as needed to meet budget requirements for 2008; and
• elected Withers as chairman and re-elected Dotson as vice chairman for 2009.