Praise God
Praise the Lord for his abundant blessings in 2015. After I wrote to you in November, you as a church family stepped up your financial support to the budget and Thanksgiving offering. Our staff reduced spending, and we were able to finish last year in great financial shape.
Let me share a few details with you. Our Thanksgiving Offering totaled over $207,000, and our December giving to the budget exceeded 2014’s December giving. Our budget receipts totaled just over $22,000 below budget expenses. That’s quite a difference from where we were in November. Because of your giving, we only needed approximately $22,000 from the Thanksgiving offering to cover our budget shortfall.
As promised, because we did not need to use most of the Thanksgiving offering for the budget, we will use the remainder to pay down our line of credit. We borrowed money for the sound system and the Duval Air Conditioning project, and we will use the remainder of the offering to reduce debt. By being good stewards of God’s resources, we will save future interest payments and be prepared for the next maintenance project that comes our way.
There’s even more good news. You will recall that we changed the name of the CLC’s “Priority Wellness” program to “Downtown Fitness” to appeal to the downtown business and residential neighbors. CLC income increased more than 30% in 2015 under the leadership of Josh Hall, Dianne Butts, Lindsey Sheets, and our Downtown Fitness team. Our Weekday and Food Service ministries also had another excellent year.
By ending 2015 with no deficit and resources on hand, you once again demonstrated how generous you are as a congregation. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Come to business meeting on Wednesday night, January 27, for a full report of all of these good things.