In August, we shared that we had unexpected expenses this year totaling almost $40,000, and our insurance costs more than doubled. This drained much of our contingency funds.
We had ways to alleviate some of these issues on a short-term basis because of safeguards and other approaches we put in place. But these short-term solutions are stop gaps that cannot answer the ongoing issues we are facing. Our giving this year has not kept up with our budget income expectations. Giving in the past three months has fallen well short of the regular monthly expenses we incur.
We are facing serious cash flow issues as we head into the final quarter of 2024. While we all can point to numerous reasons why this may be occurring, it clearly endangers our efforts to continue our ministries here at Grace. The coming shortfall threatens not only the quality of our experience as members of Grace, but the community work we are already doing, such as bus tickets, mission distribution and family ministries, as well as our promotion of music and the arts.
We have immediate financial needs now and ask you to consider bringing your pledge up to date if you have not, accelerate your giving if you can, or make an additional contribution if possible. Stewardship is not merely a matter of money, but of involvement and commitment. Those unable to contribute more financially can still make a contribution of time and talents.
Some may find it tempting to wait until our future is clearer, to play it safe, and to think about our own survival. That is not God’s call to us as the church; the church is the place God’s grace can be found, and we are compelled to share God’s grace with others. As the town hall process continues and the stewardship season approaches, this is the perfect time to reflect on what you can do to make your Grace Church experience more fulfilling.
Grace must be prepared to reach out in love and compassion as God directs us. We can only do this with the help of everyone here. God calls all of us to action, and we will be blessed and be a blessing as we respond to that call. Listen to God’s call for you and be a part of the great good God does through this church. Let’s all provide the resources, human and monetary, needed to fulfill God’s purpose for Grace in the world. Let us continue to be faithful stewards of all that God entrusts to us and give as we have received. Let’s open ourselves to God so that he can use us for his work in the world. As Rob Bell and Dan Golden wrote in Jesus Wants to Save Christians, “When we do this in remembrance of him, the world will never be the same; we will never be the same.” Be part of the difference God calls us to make in the world. Consider how you can help Grace meet the fiscal challenges we face today.
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