Hey Church Family,
It’s hard to believe that summer is so quickly coming to an end. We’re all busy gearing up for our fall routines and the start of the school year. For those of you with jobs or kids in the educational arena, we’re praying your year gets off to a great start.
I’m sending this email to give you a quick update on our summer giving. I’ll go into greater detail at our Family Meeting on September 24. Actually, we’ll cover much more than finances that evening, so I hope you’ll save the date and plan on coming.
GIVING REPORT / MINISTRY FUND
June Budget: $ 140,000
June Actual Giving: $137,078.58
Difference: -$2,921.42 (-2.08%)
July Budget: $ 145,000
July Actual Giving: $147,951.64
Difference: +$2,951.64 (+2.03%)
August Budget: $ 145,000
August Actual Giving: $113,707.80 (month is not yet closed)
Difference: -$31,292.20 (-21.58%)
2023 JANUARY—AUGUST BUDGET REPORT / MINISTRY FUND
Budget: $1,185,000
Actual: $1,067,401.91
Difference: -$117,598.09 (-9.92%)
GIVING PROJECTIONS / MINISTRY FUND
September Need: $155,000
COMMENTS. July was a good month for ministry and giving, and we are very pleased to have made the projected monthly budget for the first time in 2023! The landscape, however, continues to be tricky to predict and it is looking like August will fall well short of what we need.
Over the year, we’ve been trending 10% behind our budget. This makes me feel a bit uncomfortable and just adds to the growing challenges we face doing ministry. My biggest area of financial concern is with our staff. I’m spending a lot of time praying and thinking about how we can keep up with the cost of living adjustments for our employees and pay for rising healthcare costs when we’re falling behind with our current budget. I’m not discouraged because I see God working here at Morning Star and know that this is something that is easy for God to take care of. It is a challenge for us to grow as a church in both our financial stewardship and spiritual trust. I’m excited to see how God works this all out. I’ll have more to say on this topic at the Family Meeting. What we know for sure is that we’re in God’s very capable hands.
PARTNERSHIP. I’m still blown away by what the Morning Star family so generously gives financially. This church gives an incredible amount to make Jesus known in our city and around the world. As your church leaders, we do our best to steward every penny you give to maximize the impact of Morning Star’s ministries in the kingdom. We are so thankful for you and your partnership for the sake of the gospel.
AND . . . If you would like to give to Morning Star or set up a recurring gift, you can do so by clicking HERE. If you have any questions or any updates to share, please let me know (john@mstar.church).
In all things, Jesus first.
– John Jaskilka