Financial Report

In accordance with paragraph 14 of the WCRC Europe by-laws, I would like to present the financial report to the Warsaw WCRC Europe Council.

This report will be very unusual compared to the ones you received in the last years.

You all know that the WCRC office relocated to Hannover at the beginning of this year. This has resulted in many organisational and personnel changes. Some staff stayed in Geneva and left the WCRC; others had to move to Germany.

Beside some other new positions, the World Communion now has a new Assistant for Finance and Communications: Anna Krüger. She has worked in the offices of the Leer Church before. The former finance coordinator, left the Geneva office a few months before the relocation. The transition to Hannover has made it impossible for the new finance department to deliver valid numbers for 2013. The General Treasurer Johann Weusmann asks for our understanding of this unsatisfying situation. I have asked for and received assurances that all WCRC Europe funds are safe.

Because of this I cannot provide you with last year’s income at all.

When it comes to the expenditure the main positions are known. Beside the expenses for the Council meeting in Athens, which were around CHF 6000, we spent CHF 2400 for consultations referring to the Heidelberg Catechism Jubilee. The known expense at the moment comes to about CHF 13,000.

WCRC Europe funds stood at CHF 263,000 in the beginning of 2013. The Steering Committee discussed how to spend parts of this money in a meaningful way to build and foster communion in and among the European member churches of WCRC. Themes of projects or programmes to be supported have to be in line with the purposes of WCRC Europe according to its constitution. It was agreed to prioritise support of young people in participation in meetings and networks. For specific projects, collaboration or partnership between churches should be involved. Each application will have to include a budget. The Steering Committee will decide a possible support on a case-by-case basis. A report will have to be presented afterwards.

For this year, it is already planned to support the upcoming Global Institute for Theology (GIT) which will take place in Costa Rica. The last GITs have turned out to be very successful. Douwe Visser will join us in Warsaw and can give details.

Regarding the situation in the finance department I cannot give a view on the WCRC global finances in this report. Setri Nyomi may be able to provide that in his report.

Kerstin Koch
WCRC Europe Treasurer
16 March, 2014