Financial Letter Page 4 Dear Wesley Family, In this Thanksgiving season, I am so thankful for each of you and the blessing you are to me and to our church. Everyone at Wesley is an essential part of the church. I have found Wesley to be a church filled with loving, faithful Christians who welcome others with open arms. Wesley continues to be a powerful presence in our community through our work with the blessing box food, school backpack program, and community garden. We will deliver fifteen boxes of food for a Thanksgiving feast to families at Carnall Elementary. We continue to host the scouting ministries at Wesley which are a true blessing to many young people in our community. We support local and national ministries through our communion offerings. Wesley is making a difference as the hands and feet of Jesus to the world. This Sunday, November 14th, we had our first communal meal since the outbreak of Covid. It was so great to gather together as a church family and laugh and enjoy the fellowship. We continue to improve the facilities at Wesley. Most recently, we had all of the carpet in the hallways of the church and the aisles in the sanctuary cleaned. They look wonderful. These are all good things about our church of which we should be so proud. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, churches across the state have struggled in many ways. I have been so proud of Wesley for keeping the faith through this difficult time. Members of Wesley have been patient as we tried to figure out how to be the church in this moment. We are steadily coming into what will be our new normal for church. However, we have faced some loss and challenges over the past year. Since October 2020, Wesley has lost twelve faithful members. We have also not had anyone join our church in the same time. Additionally, over the last six months, our average weekly offering has been $3,008.47 while it has taken roughly $3,334.27 per week to keep the church running. These expenses include utilities, insurance, salaries, and other regular expenses from the general budget. This estimate does not include capitol improvement or other unexpected expenses. The current balances in our accounts are: General Budget Capitol Improvements Emergency Mission Memorials $4,128.45 $8,840.83 $2,748.87 $6,650.95 I give you these figures to be transparent about the financial reality of Wesley, to encourage -Financial Letter Continued on Next Page Wesley UMC Newsletter December 2021
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