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So, we find ourselves in a place, we don’t want to be. One of our leaders pointed out that we just need to be straight and up front about it so here we go. 

Since our fiscal year began April 1, we have fallen short of our budget needs by $1500/week. We have taken steps along the way, praying, cutting spending, hoping things would turn around, frozen our budget, and using our reserves. Now we are reaching a point where we need to take bigger steps. So, we are sharing this with you here and in an email out to our church family. 

And I really don’t like talking or writing about money. I think it is because I hear so often people say, “all churches talk about is money” or something like that. So, we have been very cautious about that over the years. We don’t want people to get the wrong idea. 

But yet, money is needed for ministry to happen. 

Jesus talked more about money than most other subjects. He knew the effect money has on people and also the connection between money and faith. When He said, “Give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you use will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38) He was teaching us to give by faith and see what He will do. I think that is where we are now. 

We have always tried to practice this ourselves. 10% of our budget goes to groups and individuals around the world sharing the Gospel. Our ministries are focused on helping people of all ages to follow Jesus. We want to honor Jesus in all we do as we lead people to “love God, love others and serve the world” – that is who we are. 

One of our team members said that perhaps God is calling us to “prune” our budget and cut back in areas or perhaps He is calling us to greater giving and greater sacrifice, or both at the same time. He will show us. 

We have been in situations like this before. I was asked to share a story of what happened in one of those times, and the funny thing is that when we have been in this type of situation before, there have not been very dramatic stories, just anonymous people stepping up in faith to give, and it is not limited to one or two. There have been some very large gifts come in at times, but mostly it is everyone together, responding to what Jesus called them to do. Not very dramatic, but very encouraging. God has always provided through His people. 

Soon we will need to come to some decisions if this trend continues, so we are sharing this with you, our church family. Over the next few weeks, we are asking you to…

  1.  We ask you to pray. Pray for God’s provision, His wisdom and discernment in all matters, and encouragement to the staff and leadership as we continue to work this out and lead. 
  2. We ask you to join us in a church wide day of fasting and prayer, seeking God together – Thursday, June 29. Look for more details to come. 
  3. We ask you to give as God leads you and challenges you, as we are challenging ourselves, to give sacrificially. 

We’ll keep everyone informed on what happens next, and we’ll trust God together. He will always be faithful. He always has been. 

Thanks for reading to the end. It’s not easy to write about this, but it is necessary. Perhaps we are at this point “… that the works of God might be displayed…” as we read in John 9:3 last week. He is Jehovah Jireh, the God who Provides.