Investing in the Work of the Kingdom~2011
Our core values of stewardship…
- All we possess belongs to God–we are but stewards
- We are motivated by our need to give, not the church’s need to receive
- We live from an attitude of abundance, not scarcity
- We pledge of our time, talents, and treasure
How the budget process works…
In the fall, the Session and Ministry Teams begin the process of prayerfully discerning the work to which God is calling this family of faith in the new year. Each Ministry Team forwards their budget request to the Stewardship Team which, in turn, assembles a projected budget. The Session reviews the budget to ensure that it represents their collective discernment of God’s calling and that it is in-line with our core values and Ministry Strategy. The goal is to step out in faith for the Kingdom while mindful of the responsibilities of sound, biblical stewardship. The budget is then presented to the congregation who are encouraged, as an expression of their understanding of stewardship as a way of life, to pledge prayerfully and faithfully of their time, talent, and treasure. It is understood that the budget and pledges are both fluid and may require adjusting over the course of the year.
Why both a narrative and line-item budget
The line-item budget provides a detailed listing of anticipated expenses. The narrative budget illustrates how those expenses are actually divided among our primary ministry areas (worship, education, mission, evangelism, and congregational care) which, in turn, allows the congregation to see the budget’s relative priorities. In 2010, for every dollar we receive, we anticipate 38 cents will be spent on worship-related expenses, 16.5 cents on mission-related expenses, 19 cents on congregational care-related expenses, 14 cents on evangelism-related expenses, and 12.5 cents on education-related expenses. This takes into account salaries, facilities and supplies costs, etc.
2011 Budget (Narrative Form)
Worship ~ $93,664.16 (38% of the budget)
Worship is the heart of our life together as a family of faith, a time when we give thanks to God, bear witness to the promise of the Gospel, and celebrate the love that binds us one to another as brothers and sisters in the Kingdom. Worship is also overtly evangelistic-for visitors it is the primary point of entry into this congregation. Worship ministries are provided by the Pastor, Director of Music, Organist, the Praise Band, and various instrumentalists and liturgists. This ministry is supported through the work of the Administrative Assistant, the Worship Ministry Team, and through our facilities.
Education ~ $30,810.58 (12.5% of the budget)
Our mission is to nurture disciples for Jesus Christ, and nurturing is very much a ministry of education. We offer a wide variety of education and small group experiences for children, youth, and adults. Education ministries are provided by the Pastor, numerous teachers, and the nursery staff, supported by the Children & Youth, Adult, and Inviting & Involving Ministry Teams, the Administrative Assistant, and through our facilities.
Mission ~ $40,669.96 (16.5% of the budget)
We strive to be missional in everything we do, a commitment reflected in the fact that nearly 17% of our spending is in support of mission, both locally and globally. Our budget supports ministries as diverse as the Presbyterian Childrens Home, Hays-Caldwell Womens Shelter, and the building of churches in Guatemala. But we’re as involved with our hands as our checkbooks: members of First are active in Meals on Wheels, CASA, Habitat for Humanity, and John Knox Ranch. This ministry is provided by the Pastor, virtually all of our ministry teams especially-of course-the Mission Ministry Team, Presbyterian Women, and supported by the Administrative Assistant, our youth, and countless volunteers, and through our facilities.
Evangelism ~ $34,507.85 (14% of the budget)
Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ is one of our core values. We are known as a welcoming, loving church where everyone is made to feel at home, and we have a particular heart for families and the unchurched. The depth of our commitment to Evangelism is reflected in the fact that last year the Session created a new ministry team, Inviting & Involving, charged with developing and coordinating all our evangelism efforts. Additionally, this ministry is provided by the Pastor, the Diaconate, the Hospitality Ministry Team, the Administrative Assistant, and through our facilities.
Congregational Care ~ $46,832.08 (19% of the budget)
As a loving congregation, pastoral care is a major part of what we do and who we are. This care is expressed in many ways: the ministry of our Deacons, the Prayer Chain, First Friends, the Sunshine Ladies, home and hospital visitation, taking communion to the homebound, caring for the bereaved, counseling, and being available to one another in time of need. And we give such care to the community as a whole as freely as we do to church members. These ministries are provided by the Pastor, the Diaconate, Presbyterian Women, our various ministry teams, the Administrative Assistant, and through our facilities.
A complete 2011 line item budget is available at the Information Table in the Fellowship Hall.
Endowment
As of January 1, 2011, our Endowment stood at about $2 million. Of that amount, about $1.75 million is from the estate of Mary Bonner, the corpus of which generates interest income that the Session utilizes in support of Mary’s wish that the primary use of the funds be help for the poor. The interest income is divided on a quarterly basis among three entities: Community Needs, which provides grants to area non-profits involved in working on behalf of the disadvantaged; Scholarships, which provides funding to help disadvantaged youth participate in endeavors to better themselves and the community; and Facilities, which provides funds for capital improvements for the church which, in turn, improves our ability to minister to individuals and groups in need. Detailed information concerning the Endowment, use of interest income, and planned giving is available from the church office at any time.