June 23, 2008
A Word to ABC’s Faithful Supporters
by Jacqueline Kelsey
Deacon Board Chair
As the new Chair of your Deacon Board, I am humbled and excited by the prospects of what this church can be and can do for our Lord. When we came together for our first monthly meeting of the new church year (which began April 1), we could sense that the Holy Spirit is working powerfully in our fellowship.
But there was a cloud over our enthusiasm. That came with the report of the Finance Department. At the Annual Meeting, we adopted a very conservative budget because our giving pattern had not been keeping up with financial needs. We were disappointed to learn that, during the first eleven weeks under our new budget, our giving has fallen behind, averaging $455 per week less than our projected budget needs. Since we are entering the difficult summer months, we thought we should let you know about this problem right away.
We Deacons are excited as we plan the wonderful activities before us: Vacation Bible School which is now in progress, the Outdoor Service on July 13, Family Camp over the September 5-7 weekend. But these outreach and enrichment events must be built on a solid financial foundation. That’s where we need your help.
In these difficult economic times, you may have lost your job or had a major reduction in hours. If so, God bless you. We don’t want you to be burdened with this problem. Caring for your home and your family is your first concern.
But most of you are blessed to have good jobs and steady incomes, in spite of the national economy. We are appealing to you to have a prayerful moment of self-examination and rededication. If you have fallen behind in giving to the Lord’s work at ABC, make a strong effort to catch up. And whatever your giving pattern has been, please consider stretching in faith by increasing the amount by ten percent or more.
We are also thankful for the new people God has led into our ABC fellowship. Maybe this is the moment when God is leading you to commit yourself more fully to this local church by becoming part of the team of ABC’s regular financial supporters.
We hope you will give serious thought to our concern. A strong response from the ABC family at this time will help liberate us to do all the things God seems to be leading us to do, in the fellowship, in the community, and in the world.