2024 Financial Update

Our giving in January and February was good, but the giving in March and April was down substantially, and donated giving for the year is running below any of the last five years’ totals. Jacob’s Learning Ladder and the food ministry are each running positive numbers and contributing to our totals. But Grace is using a substantial amount of the cash forward that we budgeted for this year. As of the end of April we have used a little more than $50,000 of the $85,000 cash forward from last year. Please see the accompanying graph for 2024. The Blue Bar represents our Regular Income for this year that includes donations and the net food and Jacob’s income. The Red Bar shows our Operating Expenses for 2024. The Green Bar includes the Cash Forward we carried from 2023.

We have had some unexpected expenses this year. We had to spend about $9,000 to put in a new fire monitor system, because the system from 1998 was not functioning properly. We spent $1,100 dollars to replace power equipment that was stolen out of the garage during a recent break in, and the state has initiated some new inspection protocols that will double what we normally spend on inspection fees for the facility. We have not used any of the Endowment or Long-Term Maintenance funds that we allocated in the budget for this year. So, clearly, we are not in a desperate situation yet. We don’t want to reach a challenging financial situation, so we do need your help now as Grace answers the call to serve God’s people. Help us support and sustain our ministries to the community and beyond. Your gifts of financial support, time, and talent are crucial to us as we move forward through the rest of this year. Thank you for your support and participation in God’s ministries through Grace.

Pentecost Offering: May 19

Psalm 71 testifies that a foundation of faith established during childhood helps ensure lifelong faith and service. The patterns and lessons established during these formative years continue to bear fruit throughout a person’s life. By receiving the Pentecost Offering, you are nurturing the faith of those who are the church to come—children, youth, and young adults. A gift to the Pentecost Offering helps the church to encourage, develop, and support its young people, and also address the needs of at-risk children.

Forty percent of the Pentecost offering can be retained by individual congregations wanting to make an impact in the lives of young people within their own community. Our local contribution goes to Cru, the local representative of Campus Crusade for Christ International. The remaining 60% is used to support children-at-risk, youth, and young adults through ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency.

May’s Yellow Bag Recipient: Kansas Humane Society

May’s Yellow Bag collection is pet food/snacks to benefit the Kansas Humane Society (KHS). KHS helps over 15,000 pets in our community each year. Among the services the KHS provides are adoption services (between January 1 and April 19 of this year, 1,126 pets have been adopted), low-cost spay/neutering, pet fostering services, and end-of-life care.

KHS has a full range of veterinarian services, including a surgery suite. One of the premier events of KHS is Woofstock, a celebration of dogs and their owners. Animals are God’s creatures and deserve our help.

Please leave your donations by the yellow bag rack near the coffee bar.

A Word from Our Interim Pastor: The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh

On Sunday, May 5, ninety-two of us spent two hours together over an amazing “Cinco de Mayo” themed lunch making observations, interpretations, asking questions, and creating playful interventions around the challenge of declining attendance at Grace.

The Session has identified five emerging ministry emphases: caring, connecting, learning, serving, and worshipping. This past Sunday’s Step 2 in Our Interim Pastor Journey Town Hall meetings further clarified the emerging ministry emphases and Grace’s identity profile as we move closer in acknowledging who we are as a church and what two or three ministry areas our next Pastor must be proficient and gifted in. If we are able to retain a Director position, that individual will focus on the two or three ministry emphases not being filled by the new Pastor. Both positions will need many equipped lay people working alongside the Pastor and Director to fulfill Grace’s calling.

Philippians 1:6 reads, “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.” And, yes, I see God’s ongoing completion of what God started in my life at thirteen years old and in Grace Presbyterian Church’s life beginning in 1909.

Grace and our individual lives are built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. The sovereignty, providence, and presence of God is always at work in order to complete God’s purpose for each one of us and Grace Presbyterian Church.

We will continue Our Interim Pastor Journey Town Hall Meetings with Step 3 on Sunday, August 11, immediately following the 10:30 am single worship service.

What are Grace’s strengths and challenges (already acknowledging declining attendance as one) as we move forward in evaluating worship services, ministry emphases, and staffing transitions?

On the journey of Christian discipleship and spiritual formation with you, I remain faithfully yours,

Steve

The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh

Interim Pastor

Yellow Bags for May: Let’s Help Our Four Legged Friends

May’s Yellow Bag collection consists of pet food/snacks that benefit the Kansas Humane Society. KHS helps over 15,000 pets in our community each year. Among the services the KHS provides are adoption services (between January 1 and April 19 of this year, 1,126 pets have been adopted), low-cost spay/neutering, pet fostering services, and end-of-life care. KHS has a full range of veterinarian services, including a surgery suite. One of the premier events of KHS is Woofstock, a celebration of dogs and their owners. Animals are God’s creatures and deserve our help. Please leave your donations by the yellow bag rack to the side of the coffee bar.