As happens every year around this time, we as a congregation are making plans and preparations for the coming year, and part of those plans involve adopting a budget for 2015.  The Board of Finance, along with senior staff, has been hard at work gathering ministry plans (and corresponding expenses), crunching data from our Running the Race annual fund pledge campaign, and putting together other income information.

The reality as we look at the information available is that some challenging discernments will need to be made to arrive at a final, balanced budget proposal to be presented at the December 7th annual budget meeting.  As Finance chair Tina Huey and Senior Minister Matt Emery write in their cover letter to the info packet, “a gap of [the size shown in the packet] cannot be overcome without significant impact to programs, personnel, outreach giving, facilities maintenance, or likely all of these.”

So, especially this year, please take a look at the prepared materials in in the info packet. In it, you will find:

• A Cover Letter from Finance Chair Tina Huey and Senior Minister Matt Emery discussing the developing realities for 2015
• The Working Budget Draft
• A Page of Commentary providing background information or rationale for certain expense items

As Tina and Matt discuss in their cover letter, due to the impactful nature of the situation, the Finance Board plans to work with the Church Council at their December 2nd meeting to arrive at a final budget plan for proposal to the congregation that is endorsed by both bodies.

We would like to hear your opinions, suggestions,  recommendations, and other input… Finance Board members will be available for “easel chat” type conversation following worship this next Sunday, November 30th.  Your input to Church Council members in advance of their December 2nd meeting is also important.

Please carefully and prayerfully take a look at the prepared information… Consider whether there is anything you might feel called to do to reduce the “gap” that needs to be closed by December 7th… and pray for insight into where how our congregations priorities in staffing, mission-outreach, programs, facilities-maintenance, and more might be shaped in the coming year for greatest faithfulness to God’s call upon us.