What can I say?No doubt about it, the biggest thing on my plate has been money issues.Both, what we gratefully receive and grudgingly expend, as well as how to craft the next annual budget.The first is simple.Our 2010 budget reflects the strengths of last year’s Stewardship commitments.If we are able to complete those commitments, we are doing just fine.If we cannot complete them we will need to reduce what we are able to do, perhaps to the point of discomfort.
The 2011 budget proposal is in a draft format at this point.Until we have a reasonable idea of what our expected income will be, we have nothing to base our budget on.
My hope this year is to be able to support stronger family ministries, with some emphasis on the families with children in the house. We have been blessed with strong, good quality members in the 20-40 age group and they want to be involved.These families are the next leadership groups and their children are the core of the future ministries for Our Saviour’s.That translates into children and youth programs, nursery and child care support, parenting bible studies, pre-marriage and marriage programs, grieving and caring ministries, etc.As exciting as this may be, we cannot do any of these if we cannot cover the ongoing cost of having and maintaining the facilities, covering the monthly mortgage payment, property and liability insurance, and electricity.
I am a ten-percenter and encourage everyone to give this concept deep prayerful thought as we walk through the 2011 Stewardship program in the next few weeks.The first couple months of giving 10% might put a little strain on the family budget.But, time and again others have learned that after about three months it just all works out.Check out Dave Ramsey’s thought on 10% giving on his web page.
Perhaps the next activity on my plate has been the room swap - moving the youth/children into the new Youth education wing and the adults into the Christian Education Building.Thanks to all the many hands that were able to do their part to make the move run smoothly.The adult bible studies and Sunday school classes and possibly the committees should now find space in the Christian Ed Building.The rooms with the chairs and tables set up in them are for general use.The large corner room (Capernaum) on the north side of the Great Room will serve as the Council meeting room.The large room just off the Kitchen area (Bethany) is set up as our college classroom for our Institute of Lutheran Theology distant learning center.The Women of the Word, our women’s group, will have a work and storage room in the Bethlehem room and the Gideon ministry and classroom will be the Sea of Galilee room.
As of this time we have not completed the selection process of a youth director, but this is likely to take place before the end of August. Representatives of the Youth Parent’s Board and student leaders will have a chance to visit with the final candidates before the Staff Support Committee completes their decision process.This has been a lengthy process and has provided some very good candidates.Now we await the final results.
