It’s November. That means it’s the month of Thanksgiving … of all-out blitzes of merchants pushing gifts … a time of striking holiday decorations and a breathless dash to complete all shopping by Christmas Eve. It’s time for reflection of everything we have to be thankful for, especially the birth of a Savior.
But November is time for one more thing. We’re working on Evergreen’s budget for 2010. God has some incredibly generous people here at ECC. In a year that has seen a decrease in attendance, and in the midst of a severe recession, our giving in 2009 has not diminished from 2008. That’s a miracle of sorts and a credit to those of you who faithfully support our church. But you need to understand that we, the leadership of this great church, are right now figuratively between ‘the rock and the hard place.’ Let me explain.
Last year we adopted a budget that took into account the slumping economy and the trends of the previous couple of years. It took a good deal of faith to project this year’s budget. Included in the budget voted on by the congregation last January were:
- bare bones departmental/ministry finances
- salary freezes
- cost-cutting endeavors throughout the church
In other words, what was presented was the leanest of budgets, short of cutting staff. As pastor, I am proud of the ministry team we have here. They have worked harder with less and done it with sterling attitudes. It has not been an easy year for any of them.
But here is what you need to know. Our ‘bare bones’ budget of $1.1 million needs $92,500 per month to work. If you paid attention to the last several bulletins you read that our September offerings came to $59,000. Now, while a 59K month would work quite well in any of our personal financial pictures, in the Evergreen scenario it produces a lot of pressure, hand-wringing and “What now, God?” questions.
What do we do as we prepare for next year? What are our options? What else can be cut? Do we eliminate programs that are ministering to people and helping accomplish our stated mission statement?
God blessed our church (through many of you) with some incredible year-end offerings several years ago. We have been living off that surplus for some time now. The trend cannot continue without severely affecting our calling to our community.
I’ve decided to do more than whine to God about the shortfall and turn to you who call this church ‘my church.’ It’s time to put our money where we sit and worship week by week. If you aren’t serious in your financial support of Evergreen, it’s time to make that decision.
Our future here is dependent on God’s promises AND the faithful support of his people. Let’s see a dramatic increase in our giving in the weeks ahead so that our budget matches God’s intentions for this great church.
This is a church worth supporting.
Pastor Paul