This is a time of possibility!
The church is at a crossroads. For years, we lived not by depending on the
Lord, but by the generosity of an old-time member. But now is the time when we must depend on
our Lord Jesus afresh. Shortly before I
arrived at the church, Veronica Smith passed away and left the church a bequest
of a million dollars. That became the
‘go to’ for church operations. And for
many years, it was wonderful.
Instead of having to worry about church budgets year in and
year out, we had deep pockets left to us by the loving memory of one of our
own. But the reality is that these funds
do not last forever. We are now at a
place where most churches find themselves.
We have expenses and it is by the tithes and offerings of our membership
that we meet those expenses.
We are in a very rough period of adjustment. Our operating expenses got ahead of us over
the last quarter. Summer attendance-and
giving-is always the lightest season in the church, but it hit us when we were
already at a difficult time in paying for everything. With a substantial fund transfer from what
investments we have left, we have caught up, for now. But the bills keep coming…
We are also at a place where there are significant
maintenance issues in the church, issues of roof repair and a newer problem of
water leakage into the Auditorium.
Tackling those problems has become secondary to balancing our
finances.
But now is the season of our Recovery. As good people are working to recovery from
Harvey and Irma and Maria and whatever else nature chooses to throw at our
nation, so too, this is what we are doing.
Session sat together last night and began this work. Laying out the reality for the whole
congregation is our next step. Then,
together, in the Lord’s power, we shall recover, overcome, and carry forth His
work in our city.
