This Week in Texas Methodist History  February 12

West Texas Conference Holds Emergency Offering for Salaries February 12, 1939

Last week's post highlighted the problem of minimum salaries in the years leading up to the 1939 unification.    One indication of how bad the situation was the emergency offering held on Feb. 12, 1939, in the West Texas Conference of the MECS (currently the Rio Texas Conference of the UMC) .

Conference had just met which meant that reports had been submitted.  Those reports revealed that the many preachers had not received the minimum salary of $1200 per year.  That's right the salary was $100 per month and many churches could not pay that amount.  For several years the conference had tried to meet the difference by asking all pastors receiving the minimum salary or above to contribute 1% of their salaries to make up the difference.  

Even that wasn't enough, so the week of Feb. 12 was chosen for a major fundraising effort.  Three possibilities were suggested for the local church.  The first was dedicating a communion offering to the cause.  A second was adding salary support to the regular budget.  A third was a mail appeal.  Beeville and Robstown had tried this method the previous year with great results.  Beeville had raised $135 and Robstown $136.  

This was the third year for such an appeal.  The results were mixed.  The first effort brough in $3600 but then the second was only $1600.  The third was a little better at $2300.     The goal for 1939 was $5000.  

Today the UMC still has minimum salary provisions, and those provisions still include help from the conference.  A big difference between then and now is that there is a time limit on how many years a church can receive such support.