Ken Barun Sr., vice president of communications and development at the Charlotte-based BGEA, said most of the cuts will come in areas such as grounds keeping and food service, important areas but not essential to the core mission of evangelism.

Six employees at The Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove in Swannanoa will be effected by the layoffs.

Barun said about a year and a half ago BGEA President Franklin Graham, Billy Graham's son, “asked us to see how we could do a much more efficient job of proclaiming the word of Jesus Christ around the world.”

The layoffs are particularly painful because the employees are “family and friends,” Barun said. He noted that most of the jobs will be outsourced, and BGEA employees will have a good chance of working for those companies.

The laid-off employees will be given 30 days of notice with pay, plus a severance package based on years of service. They also will receive outplacement and spiritual counseling, Barun said.

Barun said probably 75-85 percent of the BGEA's funding comes from donations, which have remained flat this year. Barun said he expects donations to increase as people realize the BGEA is focusing even more intently on its main mission of evangelism.

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