August 20, 2026

Thank you to the forty-nine people who completed the Mission’s Funding Survey last week. The results are included in this e-news. Equal gratitude to everyone who attended the Budget Fellowship Forum on Sunday. Nearly every chair in the Fireside room was taken as we talked about the budget. Great questions were asked that helped inform the Church Council of a weighty decision made at the meeting on Tuesday night. We voted to increase the budget/spending plan by $15,000 to allow the Missions Team to designate which of the benevolent ministries of Our Savior’s they would like to support in the 2026-27 budget year. The Missions Team will make this determination before the Budget Hearing on September 13. Please mark your calendar for this meeting as well as the Budget Annual Meeting on September 20.

The conversation around the table centered on Our Savior’s need to be benevolent toward the ministries that are important to the people of Our Savior’s. The survey indicates which ministries are important to you. Look at some of the ministries below the line where people added their own ideas. Do any of them spark an interest with you as well?

Before my arrival, the decision was made to remove restricted giving/funding. The benefit of restricted giving/funding is how “Sophia” can give to the bucket/silo/ministry she wants to support, knowing her dollars are specifically helping that one thing. We do this in our personal lives with the benevolence we offer out into the world. The removal of restricted giving/funding requires the giver to trust in the fiduciary responsibility of the Church Council. No longer can someone add an extra $50 to their offering to support only the bucket/silo/funding of their choosing. Instead, every dollar given to Our Savior’s supports the whole budget/spending plan. If/when the Spirit moves you to give an extra amount or to increase your giving all together; please know this additional amount is supporting everything we do at Our Savior’s.

This is a mindset shift. It requires trust that the gifts/offering you graciously share with Our Savior’s are being stewarded wisely. It means letting go of a little control over how your financial support of the church is utilized. My hope is the folks at the Budget Fellowship Forum, heard how we are reviewing contracts with vendors, choosing different ways to order supplies and being mindful of our expenses. This review is another example of good stewardship.

It costs $800 per year for the filtered water in the hallway. One can wonder if the convenience of having the water cooler, offering this small gesture of hospitality, is worth $800 in our nearly $360,000 budget? Because we no longer have designated giving, no one write “$800 water cooler” in the memo line to pay for the filtered water, because all gifts support all our ministry.
Our Savior’s is no longer the corporate size church on Country Club. For over fifteen years, the congregation has shifted. We have fewer people who are getting older. Yet, this does not mean we as the Body of Christ at 15751 Quarry Road are not viable and sustainable. We are doing good ministry, we gather regularly for worship, quilting, filling the 24/7 cupboard, donating to Hunger Fighters and Backpack Snack Program. We gather for Lectio on Monday’s, and maybe we reignite a book group. The Women of Faith meet monthly, and Shephard groups continue to support one another.

Your financial gifts help support what we do, and I give thanks to each one of you. Whether you give weekly, monthly, or once a year; your gift matters. You matter. This is the reason I encourage everyone every Sunday to hold, touch, pass the offering plate. It is a testimony of your participation in the wider expression of mission and ministry at this place. When we globally participate with one another, it shifts something within us. It has the potential to draw us closer and remind us how God who has sustained humanity throughout centuries is with us now.

In Paul’s letter to the Roman’s this week, he reminds that community (and us as well) not to be conformed to this world. As we renew our hearts we can be transformed into who God is inviting us to be stepping forward in faith and trust. As Ron said, a budget is a spending plan. The Church Council made an adjustment to support the congregation’s benevolence to the ministries we prioritized. I give thanks to your partnership on this pathway forward.