Statistician's Corner
Note: It is now after the deadline for entering data. In order to
enter data now, you must contact Rev. Maxwell, at bruce@rmcumc.com
or at First UMC Longmont, 303-776-3523,
Eagle takes flight for the 2007 statistical reporting period. Once
again I am asking each church to submit Table I, Table II, and
Table III data online via the Internet. The difference this year
is data
are entered directly on Eagle, a General Council on Finance and
Administration (GCFA) web site. GCFA has created an excellent
tool allowing each
church to enter yearly statistical data as well as conduct their
own analysis of past years.
To All Church Pastors and Staff:
There’s been a change in our plans for your use of GCFA’s
Eagle statistical gathering site. On January the 1st we passed a
safety checkpoint and all of you were locked out of using the system
as a test for 2006 stats.
GCFA has now loaded our submitted stats for 2006, and I’ve
created space for your 2007 entries. The site is now open for your
use.
A small number of you have created your login and passwords; the
rest of you need to get started. I’ve mailed you work paper
for use in gathering your stats. You may print, online, additional
copies. Log to the site, choose “Reports” from the main
menu and select the option to print blank report forms. NOTE: You’ll
have to disable popup blocking to do this.
Remember, deadline for submission is January the 31st, 2008. I have
established some leeway for you--because I’m such a nice guy!--and
established February 15th as the final day. After that date the system
will lock
you out and you must contact me in order to get into the system.
Please give this your utmost attention.
Dr. Bruce Maxwell, Statistician
bruce@rmcumc.com
How to Get Started
The appointed senior pastor is responsible for reporting statistical
data for that appointment; however, some pastors delegate the
task. I have allowed each church two users, the pastor and one
other.
Begin by logging onto Eagle by accessing
http://eagle.gcfa.org
Username is your church’s six-digit GCFA number plus the
letter ‘p’ for
Pastor or ‘o’ for Other, for example, “555555p.” The
password is just the word password,
all lowercase. You will be taken
to a User Information screen. Please complete the form
and click on the Update button. Logon using your newly created
Username
and Password.
Obviously, it is not necessary to register two users, but please
register the pastor.
NOTE: Eagle is browser dependent,
working best with Microsoft’s
Internet Explorer. I have tested it with Firefox with good results,
but some formats may be off. I suggest you use IE 6.0 or
7.0.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
As we gain experience with Eagle, I intend to compile
a FAQ list here. A short document, Church
Users Guide, is available,
designed to answer your initial questions. I trust all of you understand
how
to view a .pdf file. (Get the free reader here.)
Let me hear from you. I will attempt to respond to your questions
in a timely manner. The best way to contact me is through
e-mail. Please use bruce@rmcumc.com.
grace and peace,
Dr. G. Bruce Maxwell, Statistician
Rocky Mountain Annual Conference
Statistical Tables: paper worksheets, instructions
Instructions before completing worksheets: Please use the following
forms as worksheets. Use them to gather the data before going to
the Internet site. Once you have all required data, log on to Eagle
at
eagle.gcfa.org
and complete the process.
TABLE I
Line 1 -- This must be the same as the final number from last year's
report Line 9. Eagle checks for this.
Line 9a and 9b -- Ethnic and gender identification of church membership.
Please do your best to complete these accurately.
TABLE II
DO NOT COMPLETE LINES 38-50, 52-57, AND 59-61 ON THE WORKSHEET.
Eagle does not display these lines. Our conference treasurer
already has this data.
Line 51 -- Report all funds sent directly to other charitable organizations.
Do not include any funds sent through the conference office.
Line 63 -- Report all HealthFlex premiums for Elders
and Local Pastors on this line. HealthFlex
premiums for Deacons and lay employees must be included on lines
69 and 70, not on this line.
Lines 64-68 -- These amounts are defined the same way as the conference
clergy compensation report used to report the clergy compensation
each year.
Line 69-70 -- Be sure to include all of the cosst of benefits such
as health insurance, pension funding, Social Security (FICA) payments,
etc. for Deacons, Diaconals and lay employees.
TABLE III
There are no hints for this worksheet. Please follow the sheet's
directions.
Further clarification of all lines is found on the individual worksheets.
If you need assistance, please contact Nancy Cox, events@rmcumc.com,
800-536-3736 ext. 155 or 303-389-9455 or Dr. Bruce Maxwell, bruce@rmcumc.com,
303-776-3523.
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