Last week we completed the series of messages from the book of James. Advent is one week from today, and on that day, I will begin a series of messages with an Advent theme. Because today is Consecration Sunday, and the beginning of Thanksgiving week, I want to combine a theme of gratitude with a presentation of the finances of the church, specifically, where your money goes once it is given. We don’t speak much about money, and that is by design. Churches are sometimes stereotyped as always having their hands out, which is not universally true; it is certainly not true in the case of this church. The result of not speaking often about money is that we can easily arrive at the point that people are unaware of the way in which the church handles money, and we do not want that to be the case. We want you to know how we manage the money that is entrusted to us.
The Scripture text this morning is Luke 17:11-19, and I invite you to follow along as I read –
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.
12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance
13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.
16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?
18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”
19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
It never hurts to be reminded of the many reasons we have to give thanks. Most mornings this week, for example, I grumbled quite a bit about the weather. I go outside on weekdays at 6:30 a.m. to walk, and I’ll be honest and say that I do not enjoy those early morning walks this time of year. At 6:30 it is dark and has been quite chilly in the past few weeks, so I grumbled and complained. I continued to grumble and complain throughout the rest of most days, sharing with anyone who would listen – and some who probably did not want to listen – about my dislike for the grey, dreary days we have this time of year in Kentucky. What I did not say, and should have said, was the blessings I enjoy of having a home that shields my family and me from the cold, damp weather. I did not speak about the blessing of having warm clothes to wear when I go outside. I did not speak about the blessing of good health that allows me to go outside early in the morning and exercise.
This morning’s Scripture text story tells the story of ten men who had leprosy, a much-dreaded disease in that day and age. Anyone who had the misfortune of contracting leprosy was cut off from their family and the rest of society, as they were forced to live away from others because of the danger of spreading the disease. The lepers cried out in desperation to Jesus that he would heal them, and he did. As only one of the ten returned to thank Jesus it became, obviously, a lesson in gratitude. It’s hard for me to avoid thinking the other nine lepers were nothing but a bunch of ungrateful jerks for not taking a few minutes and thanking Jesus for the gift of healing. It is at that moment, however, that I realize I am not always a good example of expressing gratitude. I often take for granted the good gifts I have in my life, and I too often think I have earned those gifts through my hard work. The reality is, however, that I was blessed to be raised in a family that could provide me with a great many advantages in life and those advantages gave me a big boost that continues to bring blessings into my life. I can have, unfortunately, a sense of entitlement about my blessings, believing they are a result of my hard work and my efforts, when the truth is, those blessings are very much a result of the grace of God and the advantages into which I was born.
Gratitude is the primary reason for which we give. We might give out of obligation, duty, commitment, and other reasons, but gratitude, I believe, is thereason why we give. Gratitude is a selfless act, not seeking any measure of return and not seeking any reward. Gratitude is the prompting of God’s Spirit to move us to give because we have received from God many blessings. I am very grateful for what you, as a congregation do. Churches are about 99% volunteer driven, and in the day and age in which we live, when there are so many demands on your time, you continue to generously offer your time. I know there are also times when you sit at your kitchen table to pay your bills that you wonder how you will be able to meet all your financial obligations. In spite of this, you continue to give generously and sacrificially to the church. Thank you so much for what you do to keep our church and its ministry healthy and growing.
Now I want to speak to you about the finances of the church – our budget, what ministries we support, and other matters pertaining to the way the church uses the money it receives.
THE WAY WE HANDLE YOUR GIFTS -
- We are extremely grateful for the gifts given to the church.
- We do not take lightly that people give both generously and sacrificially.
- We work hard to be good stewards of the gifts we receive.
- Money is used only for the purposes to which it is given.
As I have said, we are grateful for your generous giving. We do not take lightly that people give both generously and sacrificially. I want to emphasize that we are very careful with every dollar given to the church, seeking to be the best stewards we can be of those gifts. Our Administration Committee meets the second Thursday of each month and we take great care in managing the church’s finances. This is the longest meeting I attend each month, and that is okay, because it is a group that is very careful as we review our expenses and obligations, being very careful to manage your gifts in the best possible way.
You also need to know that we use your gifts only for the purposes to which they are given. If you wrote a check this morning to give a poinsettia in memory or in honor of someone, that money will be used only for that purpose. We do not take money given for one purpose and use it for another. To do so is wrong and unethical, so please rest assured that your gifts are used only for the purpose for which they are given.
Also, I want you to know that I have no knowledge of what you give. I will not see the amount of your pledge that you offer today. I do not see the giving records. I have no way to access those records and have no interest in seeing them. I do not believe it is the business of the minister to know the amount you give. I also have no access to the church’s financial accounts, I am not able to sign checks, and I have no access to cash, as we do not keep any on-hand at the church. I do not handle, in any way, the church’s money or any money that is given to the church (I should add, however, that on rare occasions someone will ask if I can take their check and give it to the church. I do not feel comfortable with this, and generally ask them to either put it in a sealed envelope or walk with me while we give it to our financial person).
2019 CHURCH BUDGET - $299,606.00
- Personnel - $207,350.00
- Office Administration - $10,860.00
- Youth - $900.00
- Welcoming - $4,200.00
- Worship - $4,800.00
- Membership -$3,600.00
- Property - $67,171.00
- Stewardship - $725.00
This slide shows our 2019 church budget. As you look at the categories and amounts, I want to emphasize something important, and that is that our budget is primarily an operational budget. What this means is that our missions and ministry expenditures are not included in this budget, and I will speak more about that in a few minutes (you will note, for instance, that Youth receives $900.00. That covers materials and incidentals. Camp, Vacation Bible School, etc. is covered outside of the operational budget).
It takes a good deal of money to meet our operational expenses. Personnel expenses, obviously, are a big part of our budget. The church has seven staff members – a combination of full and part time – and we have a large facility that needs care, maintenance, and upkeep. Our building is somewhere in the neighborhood of 25,000 – 28,000 square feet and we own about 16 acres of land, all of which is expensive to keep in good condition.
WHERE OUR MONEY COMES FROM
- Tithes, offerings, and pledges.
- Designated giving.
- The Legacy Fund.
- Building Fund.
It might seem obvious where our money comes from. Well Dave, the church gets its money from the offering plate. That is true, but we actually receive money from several sources. The primary source is, of course, through the tithes and offerings that we receive. These come not only through the Sunday morning offerings but also through the electronic giving, which brings in gifts throughout the week, and we also receive financial gifts in the mail. Some giving is designated to particular causes. Some people, for instance, will designate a gift to go to Habitat for Humanity, Operation Care, or other ministries or other purposes. When we receive designated gifts those gifts are used only for that specified purpose. We also receive gifts that are specifically for the upkeep of our facility and grounds. Those gifts allow us to maintain the facility and grounds and to also care for the equipment that we use in our facility. We have, for instance, a lot of technology that we use in the office and in worship, and that technology is expensive not only to purchase and install, but also to use and maintain.
THE LEGACY FUND
- The Legacy Fund is an investment with the Christian Church Foundation that comes from designated gifts to the church, often from, but not limited to, estate gifts.
- Each year we receive a distribution from the Legacy Fund that is equal to 3 - 4% of the income from the fund.
Another source of income for the church is our Legacy Fund. You may remember that two years ago we had a series of gatherings to provide information about the Legacy Fund and how it helps to fund the ministry of our church. The money in the Legacy Fund comes from gifts designated to that fund. Many of those gifts come from estate bequests, but the Legacy Fund is open to receiving any gifts of any size. The Legacy Fund is invested with the Christian Church Foundation, which is based in Indianapolis along with our denominational offices, and each year we are able to receive a distribution from that fund. In recent years we have received a distribution that is equal to about 3 or 4% of the income from the Legacy Fund. The next slide shows how that money is distributed.
THE LEGACY FUND DISTRIBUTION
- In recent years, the Legacy Fund distribution amounts to about $22,000.00.
- The income is distributed by a predetermined formula -
- Outreach receives 40%
- Debt/Building receives 30%
- General Fund receives 20%
- New Ministries receive 10%
As you can see, the income from the Legacy Fund has been about $22,000.00 in the past few years, which is an amount that provides some very helpful funding. The largest percentage of that money – 40% – goes to the Outreach Committee to help them in their work. The next portion – 30% – is designated to debt retirement. As we do not have any indebtedness – thankfully – that amount goes toward the maintenance and upkeep of our facility. A 20% portion goes to our General Fund and 10% is to provide seed money for new ministries. These percentages were formulated when the Legacy Fund was established and they do not change. The blessing of the Legacy Fund is that it guarantees a continued stream of income – in perpetuity – from the gifts that are given. This means that a gift of $500.00, for instance, as it is combined with the other gifts, will eventually provide well beyond the initial $500.00 gift.
SPECIAL OFFERINGS
- Week of Compassion
- Fifth Sunday Offering
- Easter Offering
- Reconciliation Offering
- Thanksgiving Offering
- Christmas Offering
Next, we have our special offerings. Our special offerings offer support to various denominational mission and ministry work and remind us of the power of joining together in what we do. In our modern day and age there is a lessening of commitment to all manner of institutions, which is very unfortunate. Institutions – such as denominations and their offices – are able to gather gifts from many different individuals and churches, combine them together, and thereby increase what they are able to accomplish. Together, obviously, we can accomplish much more than we can manage to accomplish on our own.
Each year we receive seven special offerings (which actually totals ten offerings, as the Fifth Sunday offerings are received four times a year).
WEEK OF COMPASSION
- Week of Compassion is the relief, refugee, and development fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
- Week of Compassion works to alleviate suffering throughout the world.
- Usually received in February.
The first special offering we receive each year is the Week of Compassion offering. Week of Compassion, as you can see from the slide, is the relief, refugee, and development fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Week of Compassion is our largest joint effort as Disciples churches, and you can be assured that the WOC is busy all around the world, assisting where people are suffering. When there has been flooding, fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and other disasters, Week of Compassion is there. The Week of Compassion offering is usually received in February.
FIFTH SUNDAY OFFERING
- Supports the Christian Care Communities, Kentucky's largest faith-based senior living and long-term care homes.
- Our CWF (Christian Women's Fellowship) supports the CCC with the Brown Bags at Christmas and monthly work in Louisville.
The Fifth Sunday offering, obviously, is one we receive each fifth Sunday of the year. This offering goes to the Christian Care Communities, which is the largest faith-based elder care network of facilities in Kentucky. Our CWF (Christian Women’s Fellowship) travels every week to the Christian Care Community facility in Louisville, where they minister to the residents in various ways. Many of you are filling the Brown Bags with gifts that will be delivered to the residents on December 4th.
EASTER OFFERING
Supports General Ministries of the Disciples of Christ, such as -
- Hispanic Ministries
- Board of Publication
- Council on Christian Unity
- Extension Fund
- Home Missions
- Disciples Women
- Historical Society
- Overseas Ministries/Global Ministries
- National Benevolent Association
- North American Pacific/Asian Disciples.
- Pension Fund
The Easter Offering, as you can see, supports a large number of ministries, some of which you may be familiar with and some you may not. The special offerings show us the remarkable depth and breadth of the ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
PENTECOST OFFERING
- Supports new church development, along with the effort to begin 1,000 new churches by 2020.
- Received on Pentecost Sunday
- Our CWF gives $4,000.00 each year to the Disciples Mission Fund
The Pentecost Offering helps to support new churches, which are very important to the growth of all of our congregations. While many people believe the number of churches in the United States in declining, that is not at all the case. Because we hear regularly about churches closing their doors, it is often assumed the number of churches is declining. New church starts, however, more than offset the number of churches that close their doors each year and, as a result, there are more churches in the U.S. than ever before.
I also want to point out that our CWF group gives $4,000.00 per year to the Disciples Mission Fund, which receives the money collected from the Pentecost Offering. Much of the $4,000.00 is raised through their table sales, which will take place next on Sunday, December 15th. Thank you, CWF ladies, for your great example of commitment to missions and ministry!
RECONCILIATION OFFERING
- Supports the pro-reconciliation/anti-racism work of the Disciples of Christ.
- Usually received in late September/early October
The Reconciliation Offering is received in late September and/or early October. You may nor may not know that one of the stated goals of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is to be a church that promotes racial reconciliation and reconciliation of all types. In our divided world, this is a much-needed ministry.
THANKSGIVING OFFERING
- Supports Disciples colleges, universities and theological institutions.
- In Kentucky, we have three - Lexington Theological Seminary, Midway College, and Transylvania University.
The Thanksgiving Offering, which we received the past two weeks, goes to the higher educational institutions of the Disciples, three of which are in Kentucky - Lexington Theological Seminary, Midway College, and Transylvania University. One of the very fine Disciples institutions is Bethany College, in my home county in West Virginia. Bethany was founded by Alexander Campbell and is just outside of my hometown.
THE CHRISTMAS OFFERING
- The Christmas Offering supports the 32 Regions across the United States and Canada in these primary ministries -
- Camps and Conferences
- Ministerial Ordination
- Calling Ministers
- Leadership Development
The Christmas Offering supports the various Regions of the Disciples of Christ. Our Region is the state of Kentucky and its ministries are very important and ones that we see directly in the life of our congregation. Our Region, for instance, operates our church camps, at Wakon’Da-Ho and Kum-Ba-Ya. Our young people attend Wakon’Da-Ho, in Casey County, outside of Liberty, Kentucky. Church camp is an incredibly important ministry for all the young people – and adults – who attend. It was at church camp – Elkhorn Valley Christian Service Camp, in Bergholz, Ohio (http://www.elkhornvalley.com) – that played a very important role in helping me to formulate my own call to ministry.
Our Region also oversees ordination and aids local congregations in the calling of ministers. It was the Search and Call process, a part of our Region’s ministry, that connected me to this church.
OTHER MINISTRIES WE SUPPORT
- Awake Ministries, which includes -
- Serenity Center
- A Place to Sleep
- Backpack Program
- Celebrate Recovery
- Open Door of Hope Men's Shelter
- Veteran's Counseling and Assistance
- Grief CounselingWe are very blessed in Shelbyville to have community ministries that do great work. Awake Ministries, which works in all the areas listed above – and more – is probably most well known in our congregation for the Serenity Center, where a number of our congregation volunteers in several ways. On Wednesday afternoons the Serenity Center distributes food to hundreds of people, from about 250 on a slower week to 500 or more on a busy week. We also provide meals for the Open Door of Hope Men’s Shelter and help with the Backpack Ministry. Celebrate Recovery is a faith-based recovery program. Awake Ministries has a large Celebrate Recovery program and there are other ones that meet in locations around the county.
Habitat for HumanityOperation Care - Transitional housing emergencyassistance, Encore Thrift Shop, Mercy Medical Clinic
Habitat for Humanity has been a long-time presence in our community, and our church was one of the founders of the local chapter. Many of you helped a year and a half ago when we had a large build in our parking lot for a Habitat house, in which we were heavily involved.
Operation Care is another community ministry that has had a number of volunteers over the years. Its presence is mostly noticed in Shelbyville at the Encore thrift store and the Mercy Medical Clinic.
I mentioned earlier that our church budget is mostly an operational budget. For a number of years we have funded our mission and ministry work mostly off-budget. I try to calculate each year the amount of money given through our church. Admittedly, it involves some guesswork, but my best estimate is that, beyond our giving to the operational budget we give somewhere between and additional $40,000.00 – $50,000.00 for missions and ministry. Adding together all of the giving – the operational budget, mission and ministry giving, the Legacy Fund, and designated gifts – it is a lot of money given to our church on an annual basis (I should also note that these totals reflect financial giving. It is impossible to calculate volunteer hours that are donated throughout the course of a year, but those numbers are very substantial).
I like this quote from Helen Keller – Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. I believe in working together. Individualism is fine, up to a point, but we can do so much more when we work together. Imagine where our community would be if our church had not existed. Imagine how history would be different without the presence of the church over the ages. It is hard to find a hospital, educational institution, social program, and so much more that does not have its roots in the church. Churches, through their call to outreach and ministry, have made an indispensable difference in humanity, and on behalf of all those who benefit from your sacrificial and generous giving, thank you!
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