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From Our Senior Warden
Happy Advent!
As we have heard recently from Alice Mohor, Chair of the Stewardship Committee, we have received nearly all of the pledges that we expected to for the 2024 year. And the result is a real good news/bad news situation.
The good news: More pledges have come in, 119 as of last count!
The bad news: More pledges are needed: the amount pledged does not yet cover our anticipated budget.
The good news: The amount already pledged exceeds $356,000!
The bad news: This amount only accounts for 72% of the proposed budget. For context, the first 81% of the budget goes to payroll, administrative, and Diocese line items, expenses that cannot be reasonably deferred or reduced. As of right now, we haven't even begun to fund any programming.
Good news: We've been down this road before. This happens practically every year, and we always end up okay.
Bad news: The way we end up okay includes scaling back programming, reducing the Outreach line item, minimizing cost of living adjustments for staff, and receiving special gifts from congregation members and bequests.
Good news: We were able to stay in the black and withstand several major emergency expenses in 2023.
Bad news: We were only able to absorb these expenses by using a bequest given to us in 2022.
Good news: The Capital Improvements Campaign will be kicking off in 2024 for the purpose of fundraising.
However: The money raised by Capital Improvement will not be used to pay routine expenses--those funds will be used for specific and predetermined projects.
Good news: Current and anticipated vacancies in our staff create a small financial cushion.
Bad news: We can't be fully operational unless we are completely staffed, and it's not right to ask our current staff to absorb extra (unpaid) work during the vacancies.
So the ask is threefold at this point:
1- Please pray for our congregation. Pray for our staff and leadership who work so hard to keep things running smoothly, and pray for our shared mission to God and neighbor.
2- If you are in the habit of donating goods/supplies as an in kind gift, we ask that you estimate the cost of those anticipated donations and increase your planned giving accordingly instead of making in-kind gifts. The result to your household will be the same, but it will make bookkeeping easier and more accurate for the church.
3- If you were planning to raise your pledge or make a one time gift at any time during the year, please go ahead and adjust your pledge at this time. The more accurate our anticipated income is, the more appropriate our decisions about cutting the budget will be. Please remember that your pledge is what you feel you can do. Even if it is small, it will mean a lot to our community if you do make a giving estimate.
Our congregation's annual meeting will take place on Sunday, January 21, and we will be presenting the proposed budget at that time.
If you have any questions, I am available at your convenience, as is our Finance Committee Chair Jeff Welch, Treasurer Les House, and Junior Warden Mark Richardson.
With love,
LeeAnne Krause
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