 south. In 2010, 39 percent of churches saw giving decline, according to the annual "State of the Plate" survey of 1,500 churches nationwide, co-sponsored by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
"Never before have so many churches seen giving flatline or decline," said Kluth.
But even so, 43 percent of churches reported an increase in giving. Those churches often cite the Bible when sermonizing about the importance of giving, Kluth said.
For example, Proverbs 11:24-25: "One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered."
Some churches also try to help congregants manage their finances by offering financial workshops, Kluth said.
At Substance Church, Haas said he has put a renewed emphasis on citing the Bible when encouraging congregants to give to the church and its mission work to help the less fortunate. The idea is that blessings will be bestowed on family and loved ones when the faithful put God first in their giving.
Haas said the church does not use a "heavy-handed approach" when asking for financial support. He tries to impart the idea that "giving is not an obligation, it's an opportunity." He said the church is helping build orphanages in Pakistan and has given significant amounts of money to earthquake victims in Haiti and Japan.
About 70 percent of Substance's congregants are younger than 30, and many are still saddled with college debt. Nearly two years ago, the church began offering Dave Ramsey Financial Peace courses on DVD to help members navigate the tough economic times, Haas said.
Skip Johnson, 26, of Maplewood, said he and his wife started attending Substance about two years ago. They have been moved to give regularly to the church -- in part due to Haas' message of making God and the church financial priorities in their lives.
Johnson, who works as an estate planner, said he and his wife live within their means and don't have much debt. But in a month that their car broke down and other unexpected expenses came up, Johnson said he considered not giving to the church. He decided to donate $350 anyway: "It was really tough for us," he said. "That doesn't sound like a lot, but at that moment, it was a lot."
The next month, he made $30,000 through his accounts: "I've just accepted the idea that when you give, it comes back to you."
Eagle Brook Church -- the largest in Minnesota with close to 15,000 members -- also continues to grow despite the economy. This month, it opened a new campus in Woodbury, where it's leasing space for worship in a school. The church, however, has purchased 40 acres near the intersection of Manning Avenue and Interstate 94 for a permanent campus to be built in the future.
With five campuses in the Twin Cities area -- including a 40,000-square-foot, 800-seat church building that opened in Blaine last fall -- attendance and monetary giving at Eagle Brook have steadily increased.
The church finished its fiscal year in June, and contributions were up about 17 percent; attendance was up 14 percent, largely fueled by the opening of a Blaine campus last fall. The church's general fund contributions were $12 million, compared to $10.3 million the previous fiscal year.
Scott Anderson, executive pastor for Eagle Brook, said the church has continued to stress the gospel of generosity but has also cut costs in programs and staff.
"We've been able to continue to grow... but it's not been without increased challenges and the need to creatively solve problems," Anderson said.
The nearly 3,700 congregants at Westwood Community Church in Chanhassen rewarded their church leaders for taking a risk.
Even though the future looked uncertain, members voted several years ago to build an addition to the church to be used for education purposes, said Tim Remington, communications director for the church. The new space opened last September.
"We've really had flat giving in the last several years, but this fiscal year we did see an increase," Remington said. "Our attendance is up 5 percent this fiscal year, too. I think the fact that the church has stepped out in faith and built a building in trying times shows that we're committed to this community. Without it we were going to strain our ability to accomplish our mission."
Remington said one goal over the next year is to "cultivate a culture of generosity at Westwood. That's a tough one to measure; it isn't just about finances but what we do with our talents. We're just trying to be faithful to our mission."#ifndef TASKCONTROLLER_H
#define TASKCONTROLLER_H

#include "taskrepository.h"

class TaskController
{
private:
    /*
     * Get repository
    */
    TaskRepository* repository;

public:
    /*
     * Controller constructor
     * @param TaskRepository repository
    */
    TaskController(TaskRepository* repository);

    /*
     * Check if the id exists in the repository
     * @param int id
     *
     * @return bool
    */
    bool existsId(int id);

    /*
     * Add a tasks to the repository
     *
     * @param int id the task id
     * @param QString name the task name
     * @param int hours the hours
     *
     * @return bool
    */
    void addTask(int id, QString name, int hours);

    /*
     * Get all the tasks from the repository
     *
     * @return QVector<Task *> *
    */
    QVector<Task*>* getTasks();

    /*
     * Get all the tasks from the repository which are <= hour_max
     *
     * @param int hour_max
     *
     * @return QVector<Task *>
    */
    QVector<Task*> getTasksByHour(int hour_max);
};

#endif // TASKCONTROLLER_H
This is the second report submitted by Australia in accordance with the Economic and Social Council resolution No. 1988 concerning rights covered by articles 6 to 9 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It is a curious document, to say the least. It deals with issues ranging from Aboriginal employment to ethics in medical research, family planning, various pensions, subsidies and so on. It is a report presumably made pursuant to that international resolution. There are a number of aspects on which I wish to focus but, in view of the time limit, I shall focus on only one aspect this evening. It is contained in page 49 of the report and deals with ethics in medical research. Under the heading `Ethics in Medical Research', without any explanation, the report launches into a statement that in October 1982 the National Health and Medical Research Council adopted the first report of the working party it set up on ethics in medical research. The NHMRC is a body which is able to set guidelines only in respect of those projects which are funded through it. For the report to indicate to the international body that that is the be all and end all of ethics in medical research in Australia is, to say the least, somewhat curious.
I do not wish at present to detail the valid objections made to the Council's guidelines on medical research and experimentation on human subjects, nor do I wish to deal extensively with its current attempt to review certain ethics committees' procedures. But I do wish to say that there have been fundamental problems as a result of the Council's efforts in the past. It has approved human embryo experimentation projects which have been applied for by, for example, the senior lecturer of the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at Melbourne University. They have been approved by Dr Roger Pepperell, the head of that department, who then wrote to the ethics committee of the Royal Women's Hospital. And who was the chairman of that ethics committee? None other than Dr Roger Pepperell. He then wrote to the NHMRC saying that that committee gave its unqualified approval to that sort of human embryo experimentation, and the Council approved it. I believe that was an improper exercise of its function. My time has run out, but I shall have more to say about that matter and other matters at a later stage. I seek leave to continue my remarks later.I hope you're all enjoying your summer so far! I've been having a very busy and productive summer since becoming a BCBA.... I'm still in the process of applying to be an insurance provider and will update you on the status as soon as I know more. I have also been added to the BACB online registry, so feel free to look me up and contact me directly through the BACB website, especially if you're looking for a supervisor for certification.I looove Halloween, and every year I enjoy the challenge of trying to find affordable, easy, and unique decorations. This is especially important for parties where you want the scene your setting to have a big impact. While you can buy what you need, I like to do a combination of BUY + DIY. I think it makes a good balance between cost and effort.
So what’s up for this season?
Most craft stores (Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, etc.) and some big box stores (Target, Walmart, etc.) carry foam pumpkins, which are cheap and come in assorted sizes. I like to do a variety of shapes and styles to keep visual interest, but you can certainly go for a bunch