I have been absent much of the last three weeks: first with illness and then with a death in my family. It is assuring and humbling to see that the church has gone about its business without me! Worship happened. The stewardship campaign is nearly complete. A major sale and removal of excess church "stuff" took place. A successful Craft Sale brought in many people. The All-Teams meeting accomplished a lot of planning and communication. Messy Church celebrated being the Light of God. And a musical production and brunch were set to launch this Saturday. We are all ministers with gifts and graces to share in the effort to make a difference in the lives of all God's people and upon the earth. This church family does have what it takes to pull together and accomplish the work we are called to do.

That said, it is time to have a proverbial "come to Jesus" conversation.

As many of you learned in the Stewardship meals, we are at a crucial time in the life of our congregation*. For many years we have leaned upon the gifts left to us from earlier generations in the form of an endowment. Drawing from the principle of these funds depleted the resource. In 2012 the congregation made the decision to stop this practice. We decided that we would wean ourselves from this spending over a three year cycle. This year, 2015, is the last year we can draw from our reserves to meet our expenses. Three approaches to closing the gap were approved by the congregation: staff reductions, creative income recommendations through sharing the building with non-profits and outside organizations, and increased member giving.

Staff Reductions: The staff was reduced and salaries cut; our personnel expenses are at the lowest possible amount without further reduction of staff. Currently, we have a full time pastor and an almost full time music director; the remaining staff members are part time. 

We have signed covenants with two groups who now share our space and we continue to seek both exclusive use and shared use possibilities. Our projected income from current space sharing covenants in 2016 is $42,500. Our estimate for one time use arrangements (weddings, meetings, venue events) is $3000. This can increase if we are able to share the remaining 2 office spaces and attract more weddings and onetime events to our space.

Here's the skinny: The cost of our ministry was $373,200. Approximately $45,500 will be funded by space sharing in 2016. That leaves $327,700 to be funded by the congregation. That works out to $6302 per week. The average attendance in our congregation is 119. That works out to $52.96 per person per week. Now, if all 283 households in the congregation were to participate financially, the average cost per household per week would be $22.27. Among our members, only 42% of households participate financially.   Let me be perfectly clear: our faith community is being funded primarily by fewer than 42% of the member households. Of the member households that participate financially, 59% do not contribute the cost of ministry if every household were participating and 76% do not contribute the cost per person attending worship. If we continue in this way, we can have a ministry, a staff, or a building; we cannot have all three.

In 2016, we cannot draw from our reserves to close the gap between member giving and the cost of doing ministry. This will leave a $37,000 difference of available income from our 2015 finances that must be made up by participants in our congregation. If we are to continue to be a progressive Christian presence in our community, each of us must participate fully in the ministry through prayer, activity, and finances.

I believe this congregation has a place and a future in this community. We have a viable and attractive vision and mission. We are each ministers with gifts and graces to share in the effort to make a difference in the lives of all God's people and upon the earth. This church family does have what it takes to pull together and accomplish the work we are called to do. Do we have the generosity to fund that work?

Please give generously; please complete your 2016 pledge card. Doing these will help us know what we can accomplish in the coming year.

Blessings,

Carly

*A copy of the narrative from the Stewardship Meals can be found on the church's website.