My shoulders sagged the week of July 4th, not because of the holiday, but because school supplies were already in the seasonal aisles of the stores. Summer had only officially begun two weeks earlier, June 21. I hadn't even been in a pool or lake yet and already, summer was being pushed out the door at 50% off to make room for the fall investment that people were already making for their kids. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised; for the shoppers it's about making an investment in a top priority regardless of season.
Already, we are giving serious thought about ministry for our children, small and large in 2019. That planning turns on the money we spend now for that seemingly distant future. Right now, as Finance Chair Rick Billings reported, we are doing extraordinarily well in the Our Home Campaign but lagging in our giving for the baseline ministry success we all want to see continue growing.
- Strong staff leadership means competitive compensation and merit raises for jobs well done.
- Expanded outreach to more people means expanded costs in supplies, utilities and maintenance.
- Ramped up communications and advertising means more visible investment.
We are doing an excellent job at cost controlling. Our new AC units are helping with those savings. But the difference-making in our planning for 2019 is our baseline "tithes (10%), gifts and offerings" that we give now, even though summer is not even a month and a half old.
Thank you for shopping and investing now for your church's next season. You can give right now HERE or text "FUMCPLANO" and the amount to 73256.
Breathe peace,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor