San Antonio District superintendent named to new Advance committee

A Southwest Texas Conference clergy member has been named to the new committee overseeing United Methodist “second mile” giving for the next four years.
The Rev. Vir-gilio Vasquez-Garza, San Antonio District superintendent, is one of six at-large representatives on the 18-member Advance for Christ and His Church Committee.
The new committee, a unit of the United Methodist mission board, is responsible for approving Advance Special causes and promoting second-mile giving. Second-mile gifts are made after all apportionments are paid.
The General Council on Ministries, the former denominational program coordinating agency, had administered The Advance. When that council was dissolved at the end of 2004, the new coordinating body, the Connectional Table, assigned the program to the General Board of Global Ministries.
Vasquez-Garza, a clergy delegate to the 2004 General Conference, previously served on the General Council on Finance and Administration. That agency continues to be fiscal agent for The Advance.
Cashar Evans, a layman from Kitty Hawk, N.C., is chairing The Advance Committee. He is an elected director of the mission board and chaired its finance committee from 2001 to 2004.
Bishop Larry M. Goodpaster of Montgomery, Ala., is the episcopal representative on the new committee.
One other committee member is from Texas: the Rev. Jan Davis of Plano in the North Texas Conference.
In 2004 United Methodists contributed more than $35 million to designated mission causes through The Advance. Some $20 million of those gifts went to the United Methodist Committee on Relief.
Another $6.9 million went to missionary support.
About half the 36,000 United Methodist congregations in the United States participated in The Advance during 2004.
Every penny of Advance money goes to the designated mission cause. Overhead costs are paid from other funds.