Hey Church Family,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, church family! Boy, we have had a lot going on around here the past couple of months: Pastor Scott’s trip to Latvia, Foster Parent Night Out, and, of course, The Lights at Morning Star have just kicked off. I’m so thankful for the thousands of hours the 250+ volunteers have put into making this dream a reality. Please pray for this outreach event as we expect 10,000-15,000 people to drive through.
Now let’s turn our attention to some important financial updates.
NOVEMBER GIVING REPORT / MINISTRY FUND
November Budget: $180,000
November Actual Giving: $114,838.11
Difference: -$ 65,161.89 (-36.20%)
2023 JANUARY-NOVEMBER BUDGET REPORT / MINISTRY FUND
Budget: $1,685,000
Actual: $1,480,252.49
Difference: -$204,747.51 (-12.15%)
GIVING PROJECTIONS / MINISTRY FUND
December’s Need: $240,000
Comments. As you can see, November was a concerning month financially. We rely solely on the generous giving of our church family to keep our ministry and our mission financed and we consistently see a large bump of giving come in during the last two months of the year. Please be in prayer that we not only make our $240,000 projection, but surpass it to make a significant dent in–or better yet, completely erase–our deficit for 2023.
What This Means. 2022 was a strong year for giving. We had a surplus in our budget. We have managed that excess well and have been using last year’s abundance to make up this year’s deficit. Those funds are just about out, which means that 2024 is a year in which we’ll need to rebound financially. You’ll be given more budget information soon. Briefly, we will be asking for a budget number just slightly less than what we asked for this year. Stay tuned.
Year-End Giving. Would you please consider making a one-time additional year-end gift to help us finish the year strong? The month of December is our most important giving month, and we would really appreciate it if you gave a little extra to help set our course for the year ahead. Your offerings will go entirely to kingdom work and support Morning Star’s mission of Leading People to Pursue a Jesus-First Life. You can give online by clicking HERE. If you put a check in the mail, be aware it needs to be postmarked by December 30 (December 31 is a Sunday). You can also drop your gift off at our secure drop box at the office door. As always, if you have questions, comments or input regarding our finances in general or your giving specifically, please contact me: john@mstar.church or our Finance Director, Candy: candy@mstar.church.
Thank you in advance for your prayers and for your special offering. Merry Christmas!
In all things, Jesus-first!
John