Dear First Pres,
I was very grateful for our Session on Tuesday night. It was late; we were tired. But still, when the 2014 budget was adopted unanimously, everyone burst into applause. The elders and staff have been working hard these past few months to finalize the 2014 budget.
The final decision belongs to the Session, which is our church’s leadership board. The first volume of our denomination’s constitution, the Book of Order, gives the duty and power to Session, in maintaining the spiritual supervision of the church, to determine the budget of the church (BOG.S16-10.G). This is one of the most important things that a Session does because it sets the direction of how the local church stewards the resources given by God’s people.
I believe the Session has done some great work this year in preparing for 2014. The 2014 budget reflects the Session’s wisdom, vision, prudence, and faith. The full rollout of the church budget to the congregation happens at our annual meeting in January, but we’ll be sharing some of the highlights of that budget in the weeks to come. I’m confident that all the particulars of the budget won’t please everyone (something very difficult to achieve in leadership), but I think everyone will appreciate the diligence and precision with which the 2014 budget was built. Way to go, Session!
I’ll be talking about money this week during the Education Hour. It won’t only be about money; I’ll be talking more generally about giving. If you hate it when pastors talk about money, you should be in the Fellowship Hall at 9:40. If you love it when pastors talk about money, yes, you should be there too.
If you feel guilty about your financial contributions to the church, or if you feel like you have this part of your discipleship nailed, you should join us for this one Sunday class. Even if you’re one of those who just doesn’t think about it very much, you should join us for this important discussion that I’m calling “How Do We Give?”.
See ya this Sunday. This Sunday’s worship service will be a bit different. Come ready to celebrate God’s goodness with thankful hearts.
Posted by
