I am here today to talk to you about our Stewardship Initiative and to ask for your commitment to help us achieve our giving goal for 2019. Many of you have already submitted your pledge cards with your financial commitment for our new calendar year and we are extremely grateful for your support. We need everyone’s help, financially and spiritually.
As you know, the theme of our Stewardship Initiative this year is: I Trust. I Give. We pray that our church family will grow in its trust of God and the more we trust God the more we will experience the joy of sharing our lives and resources with others for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Our revenue budget this year is $4.5 million. That is modestly lower than our revenue budget for 2018. The change we made in 2018 and will continue in future years is to prepare a combined budget that includes all ministries and our General Fund. That is why this budget number may seem higher than some of you might remember from previous years.
We have 4 Pillars supporting 28 Ministries in our Church such as worship services, our children and youth programs, our missions and outreach initiatives and 118 employees. We are financially strong and we want to continue to grow the Kingdom of God in every way we can, spreading our ministry locally and abroad. We have two outstanding preschools and we are excited about having a new Director of Family Ministries with us now. Also, we look forward to expanding some of our ministries, specifically to the Reeves Community to welcome many new neighbors.
We have also been able to make substantial improvements to our campus this year and we want to continue with that program. This has been an outstanding year and we have accomplished a great deal.
One of our goals for 2019 is to have 300 giving units who have made a financial commitment. This year we had 260 giving units so we want to increase that by 15% or 40 more giving units. A giving unit is a family or an individual. If we can do that, it will be a big day in the life of our Church!
So, next Sunday, November 11, is Commitment Sunday, when we hope to collect the final pledge cards and close out the Stewardship Initiative for 2019. Now that does not mean you can’t turn in your pledge card before next Sunday. We have a number of ways to give. Use the pledge card and drop it in the offering plate, go through Realm, text Vibrant Family or go on our website. We have also received offerings of securities. The ushers here today have blank cards if you need one.
So, please prayerfully consider your gift for 2019. We are indeed grateful for your generosity this year and our upcoming year.
Ray L. Sandhagen
Chairman, Finance Committee