Gratitude and Generosity

Blog

First Focus

Gratitude and Generosity

God has richly blessed our church again throughout 2014. The spirit in the rooms Sunday was just one example of our church’s excitement about proclaiming the gospel. Thank you for participating in the Vision Sessions last Sunday. Over 200 people provided great feedback to our committee. The discussions were positive, engaging, and multi-generational. If you were not able to join us Sunday, please respond to the 7 questions (published in last week’s Vision); and drop them in the box in the connect center by February 8.

Another very noticeable sign of God’s work is the continued increase in budget giving. Thanks to you, our giving increased over 7% in 2014, and our income exceeded our 2014 budget by 3%. Historically, this is a record year for First Baptist. In 2006, we gave a record of $2,738,387. In 2014, we have exceeded that amount and gave $2,794,133. Our endowment giving in 2014 also increased by $142,000, and the Fran and Nancy Buhler endowment is now fully funded, exceeding our goal of $25,000. Thank you for all of these—and many more—ways you have given.

Whether your gift was large or small, God used each one to multiply its impact in our community. We have been able to fulfill all of our ministry goals for 2014. We are on solid financial footing in 2015. We did not need to draw from our rainy day fund in 2014, and we have been able to move forward with repairs to the facilities such as the roof, sound, and Duval Air conditioner. We will provide a full report of all of our ministry areas for 2014—Weekday, CLC, Food Service, and the Church budget—at our business meeting on January 28 at 6:00PM.

We have some new faces in the office, and I hope you will stop by and meet these folks. Chad Wilson is our new Director of Financial Operations. He has a strong business background and has served as a business administrator in another local congregation. He’s proficient with Shelby and is already making a huge difference. Leigh Byrne oversees our contribution statements, and we are so grateful for the volunteers who count offerings and serve on our Finance Committee.

Please mark your calendars for Sunday, February 15. We’ll be hosting our first-ever Generosity Fair in the welcome center. Over 35 ministries that are funded through your budget giving will display their work. Come and share a light lunch from 11:00AM-1:00PM, mingle with our staff and volunteers, and see how God is multiplying these resources in Tallahassee and around the world to proclaim the gospel. It takes your generosity for God’s work to grow. Thank you for sharing the good news.