Dear Morning Star Family,
There are so many good things happening at Morning Star! For one, we’re thrilled to be launching the Morning Star podcast, where we get to engage in meaningful conversations about God’s involvement in real lives. You can check out the podcast HERE. Look for new episodes on the first and third Wednesday of each month.
As we gear up for the “stretch run” of 2022, I can’t help but think of the power of one. One Morning Star grandma brought her grandson to sports camp. He gave his life to Jesus and is growing in his faith. One high school student invited a friend to an outreach activity. That friend came to Jesus and is now on our Student Leadership team, leading others to pursue a Jesus-first life. That’s the power of one. You are one member of a group of “ones” who give faithfully to the kingdom work here at Morning Star. Maybe your giving is deeply sacrificial like the widow’s mite. Maybe your gift is from your abundance like the one big gift, given late last year, that filled in this year’s budgetary gaps all year long. Each “one” matters and every “one” makes a critical difference. Never underestimate the power of one.
And now, because an informed church is a healthy church, let’s look at the latest financial numbers.
OCTOBER GIVING REPORT / MINISTRY FUND
Budgeted: $160,000
Actual: $157,424.95
Difference: -$2,575.05 (-1.6%)
2022 JANUARY-OCTOBER BUDGET REPORT / MINISTRY FUND
Budgeted: $1,450,000
Actual: $1,597,504.69
Difference: +$147,504.69 (+10.17%)
UPCOMING PROJECTED GIVING / MINISTRY FUND
NOVEMBER $180,000
DECEMBER $240,000
COMMENTS: October giving was encouraging as we landed right in the range of where we projected. It looks like we are finding ourselves in an every-other-month pattern of hitting and missing our budget, a trend we continue to monitor moving forward. Also, from now until the end of the year, the Finance Committee (consisting of myself, our financial director Candy Escalante, and elders Josh Gordon and Bill Schutz) will be finalizing and presenting our 2023 budget to our Board of Elders, looking to them for feedback and ultimate approval. Your prayers in this process are essential.
YEAR-END GIVING: The months of November and December bring in close to 25% of our annual budget each year. We try to be reasonable with our year-end giving projections based on trends from the past five years. We’re praying for strong year-end giving that will set us up for continued gospel-centered work in Salem and around the world in the year to come. Will you prayerfully consider how you can participate with an extra year-end gift? We have exciting plans in 2023 as we officially launch our Biblical Counseling ministry this winter and expand our global partners (missions) involvement around the world. On top of this, we are actively seeking ways to pay down our debt with the goal of retiring our mortgage while adequately providing for our ministries and faithful staff.
Extra Tip: Some of you, usually those in the retirement-age bracket, could be eligible for substantial tax breaks by making a year-end charitable donation. We encourage you to consult your financial advisor to see what options are available for you. If you have any questions about this, please connect with me (john@mstar.church) or Candy (candy@mstar.church).
GIVING: If you would like to partner financially with Morning Star Community Church in disciple-making work and/or set up automatic giving, just click HERE.
THANK YOU for praying and giving so faithfully! As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
In all things, Jesus first!
– John