November 2006
It’s covenant time! As you know, we renew our covenants annually. This gives us an opportunity to consider how we want to serve the church in the coming year, how much we can pledge financially, where we are on our spiritual journey, what we need or want from the church. This process by which we become members of the church and renew our commitment keeps us vital, dynamic, engaged and involved. You will be hearing more about covenants from our pastor and our church leaders in the weeks ahead. So I’ll put in my two cents here.
Over the past year, the board has had several discussions on how to meet the changing needs of the church resulting from our growth. We have talked about the increased number and variety of activities and projects, especially those in the area of community service and peace and justice. We have more groups using our church, and we are using the facility more. Our youth are involved in exciting activities, including musical fund-raisers and trips to
Mexico
. We have added staff, expanded staff hours, and made much needed salary adjustments. The increases in facility usage and utility rates have raised our utility costs significantly. We have maintenance and facility needs that should be addressed in the near future (parking lot resurfacing and lighting, etc.).
The “faith line item” of our budget has grown. This line item is actually our deficit spending. Covenanted amounts received for the current year are somewhat under the level expected and we are dipping into the reserves in order to pay the bills.
Now, talking about money in this church is always tricky. You may hear some people say, “We don’t talk about money in this church.” That can be a blessing. Who wants to hear a constant appeal for more money? But it can be a problem if it keeps information about our financial status from the people who are making the decisions about future budgets and spending levels – namely, you! You have voted to add two new part–time positions this year. In 2007, that will result in an increase in the budget of approximately $30,000. And you will determine how much income we receive by the amounts that you pledge. And so, I’ll be the bad guy and talk about money, but only this one time!
Our monetary needs next year are greater and so I ask you to take this into prayerful consideration as you decide how much you plan to give. For some of you, the decision is easy. You are limited in what you can give, but you give as much as you can. Others of you have mentioned to me that you don’t know how much is appropriate to give or what is needed. So I hope that knowing what our expenses are will help you in your decision making. The board is happy to provide more detailed budget information to you if you like. There are ways to give that don’t involve giving money but will help save money – helping in the church office, mowing the lawn, or sweeping the leaves from the drain gutters, for instance.
Under the competent leadership of Loring Fiske-Phillips, the Stewards are exploring many creative ways to ensure that we remain financially sound, but responsible stewardship ultimately lies with all of us.
Okay, no more of the “M” word this year. The rest is up to you.
