Dear Grace,
I write today to provide a broad overview of Grace's first quarter financial report. As many of you know, 2016 is the first year Grace is both debt-free and not responsible for costs related to the building (excepting a $600/month contribution towards utilities). Thanks be to God! It is a new financial frontier for Grace church and so your church council wants to share an update.
The news is good! For the first time in many years Grace is operating in the black. First we want to say thank you for your generous giving. It is because of you and your faithfulness that Grace is able to put so many resources toward mission and ministry. We are grateful.
January-March 2016:
Income: $81,612.12
Expenses: $74,220.67
Net Total: $7,391.45
Grace is on track to pay 100% of our conference apportionments, which is the church's first line of mission giving. Alleluia! We have paid monthly installments of $4,041 in Jan., Feb. and March, in order to reach our full payment of $48,492 by year end.
While our financial forecast is positive, especially compared to past years, there are opportunities for Grace to do more if we have more resources. Giving also typically decreases in the summer months when people are away. The church has been spending very conservatively (primarily on salary and apportionments) and thus, making budget, but we have dreams for putting our resources into more mission and ministry opportunities. Additionally, giving is down from last year.
Your financial giving is the primary source of Grace's income and it makes a huge impact on transforming lives in our church, community and world. If you are not already a regular financial giver, or feel God calling you to do more, I invite you to prayerfully consider what you can give faithfully to Grace church at this season in your life.
Here's where your gifts could go:
$10/month ($120/year) can provide: Bibles for confirmation students; gasoline for the church van to make bi-monthly trips to transport families of prisoners to Milledgeville; or banners for the front lawn.
$10/week ($520/year) can provide: New banners for the worship space; start-up funds for a community garden project; or PRIDE parade expenses.
$100/month ($1200/year) can provide: Music ministry budget; dinners for children in the after school program; or fair-trade coffee and eco-friendly products on Sundays.
Giving online is the easiest way to make your giving consistent. I use online giving as a spiritual discipline, because my gift comes out automatically every week, as a first fruit before I have the chance to spend it on something else and find I have nothing left to share.
You can setup a one-time or recurring gift on our
secure site:
www.graceonponce.org/donate. This way of giving is especially helpful if you know you will be traveling over the summer; so, the church can count on a consistent revenue stream as we seek to be faithful stewards of your resources.
As always, Grace's financial documents are open and available. If you would like to see detailed statements e-mail Grace's financial assistant, Nora Harris:
[email protected]. And if you have questions feel free to reach out to me or the Grace finance sub-team: Jennifer Newman, Willard Hurst, and Stephen Barwick.
Grace is in a remarkable and God-given position in 2016. I am personally grateful to all of you for your prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. The Spirit, through your faithfulness, has led us here and I'm excited to see what we can do with our resources now and in the future.
See you on Sunday and think about who you can invite!
Grace and Peace,
Kate