Below is a summary of what was shared with the congregation on June 16. Each month our elders communicate notable updates for each of the following categories in the life of our church.
Finances
The giving was up in May (still under what’s budgeted, but up a significant amount.)
Currently, we are working on the next fiscal year budget that starts in July.
Increased Mission Allocation
We have made the decision to raise the Mission Allocation from 19 percent to 20 percent for the next fiscal year.
Each time you give, 19% (20% starting in July) of that contribution goes to our mission fund to support our local and global mission partners and also provide one-time gifts that further the mission.
Our mission team recently had an opportunity to provide Scholarships for Wyldlife Camp through Younglife.
Because of your giving, we provided $4,200 (six 700 dollar scholarships) for 6 middle school students to go to Wyldlife Camp through YoungLife. This is the first time ever that these students have had the opportunity to go to this camp. Many of these students were involved in Bridge Ministry (another one of our mission local partners) as elementary students.
Note about the “Elder Fund.”
When you give online you have an opportunity to contribute to the Elder fund. This isn’t to fund our elders! ;) It’s a fund the elders use at their discretion to meet special needs within the church body.
Gathering Church Feedback on 1st Service Children’s Ministry
We want to invite the church into a decision process and we want to do that with the congregation's feedback. What we want to discern is how and what do to with Childcare/Children’s Ministry during the first service, but we want to make decisions by God-given convictions. To understand this better, we need to understand the why, what, and how behind this decision.
The Why? (Our God-given convictions) As of now both services steadily growing. But our first service is predominantly empty nesters while the second service is multi-generational. This is a beautiful picture of the body of Christ coming together, spanning multiple generations, life stages, and situations. The unity of Christ always overcomes our differences.
It’s this biblical picture of a gathered church that has led us to begin discerning “what” and “how” we might offer Childcare or Children's Ministry for younger families with younger kids during the first service.
The What? (Our God-given discernment) We haven’t decided what to do. Today we are starting the process of discernment, and inviting our church body to be a part of the plurality of wise people, praying together. The elders will be in the lobby for the next two Sundays to get specific feedback from you related to attendance and family demographics that will be helpful in considering “what” it is we’ll plan next.
Please, stop by the lobby fill out the information, and commit to praying with us as we make decisions moving forward.
The How? (Our God-given provision) Once we have decided what it is we’ll do we will trust God to provide the resources.
Buildings
As we have mentioned months prior, the buildings in the back are aging and their maintenance costs are increasing. We are considering options and plans to replace the buildings. We will keep the congregation updated as we evaluate the situation, and look for the best solution.
