First, a little April Fool's Day humor:
Q: Who was the greatest male financier in the Bible?
A: Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.
Q: Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?
A: Pharoah's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a little prophet.
UGGH. (I know, right?). Since there is a shortfall of good church finance jokes out there, and yesterday marked the end of the 1st quarter of our church's operating year, it seems like a good time to point out some factors in the church budget.
Our church's operating budget of $1.7 million provides for the regular operations of the church. This does not include capital improvements and special projects & appeals (for those projects, funds are raised and spent separately).
Operating Fund Income comes from:
Pledge Payments: 78%.
2014 pledge commitments to date are at 95% of the campaign's goal. We will need to hear back from the 63 families that have yet to renew their pledge from last year to maintain our current budget commitments.
Non-Pledge Donations: 11%.
Although contributions to special funds (such as last week's Deacon's Fund and Youth Mission Trip Garage Sale) are as high as ever, we noticed that direct contributions to the church's operations were 2/3 of budget in the first 3 months.
Facility Rental: 6%.
We are right on track with this funding source. It is most satisfying to know that our tenants are like extended partners in mission.
Endowment Distribution: 5%.
The Montview Foundation is an independent not-for-profit organization. The work it does is similar to the work of the church's former endowment and memorials committee. We recently received the annual contribution from the Foundation. Anyone who wants to support the church generally, or one of its ministries specifically, are invited to name the Montview Foundation, or the church itself, as a beneficiary in their will or estate plan.
Operating Fund Expenses are happily below budget. We were able to pay our annual per capita contribution of $43,571 to the Denver Presbytery earlier than usual.
Please feel free to ask me, Finance Committee Chair Doug Wiley, or Director of Finance Dan Gasser any questions concerning the church's finances.
May God's Blessings continue to flow to - and through - you and your family,
Tilman K. Adair
Executive Director
P.S. OK, one more... A mother was teaching her three-year-old daughter the Lord's Prayer. For several evenings at bedtime, she repeated it to her mother. One night she said she was ready to try it on her own. Mother glowed with pride and listened to each word right up to the end. "And lead us not into temptation," she prayed, "but deliver us from E-mail. Amen." Amen, indeed!
--The World's Greatest Collection of Church Jokes
