Asbury First Monday Reader – Stories and Reflections on the life of Asbury First

ASBURY FIRST MONDAY READER | JUNE 2, 2025

CONTENTS: ASBURY FIRST FINANCE COMMITTEE UPDATE

ASBURY FIRST'S MINISTRY IN NICARAGUA

To effectively manage Asbury’s financial resources and improve communication and

coordination with other committees and work areas, Finance Committee membership has recently been updated:

• Fred Aten (Investment Committee & Legacy Giving Team representative)

• Valerie Benjamin (PPRC representative)

• Michelle Bogue-Trost (Senior Minister)

• Angie Burch (member at-large)

• Paul Campbell (Property Stewardship Committee representative)

• Jim Connell (member at-large)

• Tim Mahan (Chair, Financial Sustainability Task Force)

• John Ormsbee (Staff)

• Dawn Riedy (Chair and Outreach Committee representative)

• Ken Slater (member-at-large)

• Joe Stankaitis (Giving Team representative)

• David Strong (Staff)

• Scott Turner (member at-large and Audit Team liaison)

• Ellen Williams (member at-large)

• Mark Wright (member at-large and past Chair)

We have also updated the Finance Committee Charter (view here) and formed an Audit Team to work on the 2023 and 2024 annual financial audits.

Likewise, February 26 and April 7 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes are now available for your review (view here).

We will be sharing a 2025 budget update with the congregation at the Town Hall meeting scheduled for June 22. This committee is working on your behalf to support the mission and ministries of Asbury First. If you have any budget or finances related questions or concerns, please feel free to email finance@asburyfirst.org.

Mark your calendars! Join Asbury First's next Town Hall meeting on June 22 in the Sanctuary after the 11 am service. Our Governing Board wants to hear from you on important topics affecting the church's daily operations. Attend in-person in the Sanctuary or join via livestream.

AN UPDATE ON OUR MINISTRY IN NICARAGUA

Since 2008, Asbury First has supported the people of Nicaragua with prayers, visits, sponsorships and more. That relationship, while still a blessing, became much more challenging in 2022 when the Ortega regime closed thousands of non-profits including Project Chacocente. Thankfully, the families who previously lived in the Managua city dump and started a new life at Chacocente retained their homes and farmland on the Chacocente campus. But the government claimed all other property on the campus,

including the well and Chacocente Christian School.

We are grateful that the beautiful school campus—built over the years by the Chacocente Families alongside hundreds of North American visitors (including dozens from Asbury First)—now operates solely under the Ministry of Education, still enrolling children from not only Chacocente but also the surrounding neighborhood. The community well continues to provide safe drinking water for the school and the Families.

Because Project Chacocente remains a 501(c)3 in the United States, we continue to support eight Nicaraguan students through our Chacocente Scholars Program. Currently, the program provides tuition assistance for one high school student and seven in university programs. Areas of study include nursing, civil engineering, medicine, graphic design, computer science, and marketing. Education will provide them with the best means for obtaining meaningful employment and a better way of life.

God calls us to "Make disciples of all nations," and the board of directors of Project Chacocente hopes to continue serving not only the people of Nicaragua but also others living in Central America seeking relief from poverty.

If you would like more information, please contact Robyn Gage at robynegage@gmail.com or Larry Gage at lgage2@icloud.com.

Asbury First United Methodist Church

1050 East Avenue, Rochester NY, 14607

(585) 271-1050