As Vice President of the Rocky Mountain Synod, I want to give you a brief update on the current state of
the RMS Budget.
Transition Expenses:
The transition budget that passed at the synod assembly
allowed for $145,000 in expenses. Creating the budget was challenging because
there were so many unknowns. Some of the expenses are related to events
(election, appreciation, installation), others related to staff who might be
leaving (severance, vacation, contracts for training/overlap period, etc.) and
still others related to staff who might be coming (moving, office equipment,
furniture as needed, etc.). As of mid July we have spent approximately $8,900.
Most of the anticipated expenses have not yet happened, however we now have a
much clearer picture of what to expect. I am glad to inform you that we are right
on track. Barring any unforeseen events, we expect to come in under the budget
when the transition is complete.
Congregational
Giving:
The chart below shows congregational giving to the Rocky
Mountain Synod from 2004 to present. The
data is summarized into three groups: the average giving from 2004-2008 (before
the economic crisis), 2009-2011 (during and after the crisis) and this year to
date.
It is not surprising that the average after the economic
crisis is lower than it was before. What is disconcerting is that 2012 shows no
sign of recovery. In fact congregational giving last June represented the
lowest income of any month since 2004. Cheryl the financial secretary
says that it is the lowest one month income she has ever seen since she started
in this job about 17 years ago.
It is easy and tempting to speculate about why this is. Are
times really that tight in congregations? Does this have something to do with
the transition? …. But such speculation rarely bares any fruit. Instead, I
would like to simply ask.
Please take a moment and post at the bottom
of this blog what is happening with your congregation. What is happening
with your income. What is happening with
your giving to the RMS and why? What do you expect for the rest of the year?
What ideas do you have? What resources do you need? Let’s talk about this together as a synod. After all, this is the
money we use to do ministry together. It
is also the money we use to support each other.
I suspect if we talk about this openly we will be able to connect needs
to knowledge in new ways that will benefit everyone. Please take a moment and join the
conversation. This affects all of us.
Linda Bobbitt
