Welcome to First Christian Church Somewhere Awesome, USA

EXPECTED RECEIPTS: Pledges 252,650 Non-pledge giving 34,000 Other receipts 12,000 Total receipts 298,650 PROPOSED BUDGET: Property Expenses: Utilities 23,500 Phone 2,000 Insurance 11,500 Building & grounds maintenance 18,500 Custodian & plant service 6,500 Total Property 62,000 Personnel Expenses: Salaries/Housing Allowance132,100 Health Insurance 24,500 Pension 9,000 FICA/Medicaire 4,500 Total Personnel 170,100 Administrative Expenses: Travel 3,000 Professional Expenses 3,500 Office equipment & supplies12,050 Software 700 Postage 1,400 Christian Education 5,300 Kitchen Supplies 1,700 Altar Flowers 500 Communion supplies 500 Music supplies 1,200 Worship supplies 1,000 Miscellaneous 1,435 Total Administrative32,285 Mission Expenses: DMF 29,865 Local missions 3,000 Other 1,400 Total Mission 34,265 TOTAL PROPOSED BUDGET 298,650

What does a first glance at this line item budget tell you about FCC? Who do they serve? Why are they here? How do they envision their community in the future?

According to their website, this is the Mission of FCC Any Town: ~To embody the love of Christ by telling our faith story and serving those in need; ~To reflect the grace of God by welcoming all to our table; ~To share the abundance of the Spirit through a culture of generosity and a joyful worship life

Now, to fill in the gaps… How do we translate the mission statement into a functional story of generosity?

The Narrative Budget, Introduction In the Midwest, fall is a time of harvest, abundance, and thanksgiving. As people of faith, we are called to practice gratitude in all seasons; reflecting God’s generosity to us by giving back to the community. At First Christian Any Town, our shared gifts enable us to live out our mission to ~embody the love of Christ ~reflect the grace of God ~and share the abundance of the Spirit. Our narrative budget offers a brief glimpse of how your generosity helped us answer that calling in the past year; and how your continued support will help shape us into the church that God wants us to be. Read on…

Embody the love of Christ… God has blessed most of us with more than we could ever need. And yet, right here on our corner of Any Town, many of our neighbors struggle to meet their basic needs. In the apartment complex across the street from FCC, children who receive free lunches during the school year often go hungry during the summer months. Several years ago, our church family committed to provide a free lunch to those children 3 days a week. With your help, that ministry has grown its capacity, and last summer, we served lunch 5 days a week through the summer months. Our goal for next year is to also send the children home with ‘snack packs’ for the weekend; and to share our admin space during the week as a site for SNAP benefit registration. We also place a high priority on expanding our capacity for faith formation. This year, we hope to send even more youth to camp, engage more young adults in Bible study, and add a weeknight ‘spiritual practices’ group for adults of all ages. Total for this ministry area: $54,275* *combine portion of building/maintenance costs, portion of pastors’ salaries, ‘local missions’ line item, and ‘christian education’ line item

4 Reflect the Grace of God At FCC, we seek to welcome others as God has welcomed us— that means inviting our neighbors to worship through outdoor signage, social media, and innovative web design. It also means being good stewards of our property, caring for our facilities, and sharing our space with neighborhood groups like AA, Scouts, and ESLA class. With your support, we will also send some of our leaders to a diversity training event this year. They will return better equipped to lead us through faithful conversations about what it means to welcome all of our neighbors, regardless of their family make up, racial ethnic background, or faith story thus far. Total for this ministry area: $132,034* *combine portion of building/maintenance costs, staff salaries, office and admin expenses, continuing ed, kitchen supplies, etc

Share the Abundance of the Spirit We continue our commitment to be a ‘tithing’ congregation, designating at least 10% of our budget to Disciples Mission Fund. Our giving helps support Christ’s Church at the local, national, and global levels, and connects us to the good news, “from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth.” As our ministry budget increases, so too does our capacity to share. Our worship life fuels the spiritual growth of our members, challenges us to live our faith in our every day lives, and provides us the opportunity to engage new disciples in the life of faith. In combining our two worship services, we have freed up some resources to add an extra musician to the staff this year. We are also in discernment about adding a mid-week, alternative worship experience in the year to come, providing a space for those we may not reach during the traditional weekend service. Total for this ministry area $112,321* *add portion of building/maintenance costs, staff salaries, office and admin expenses; plus worship and music supplies, and DMF giving

God is at work in our midst at FCC Any Town. Lives are changed through connection to community, empowering worship, and the purpose found in serving others. Your generosity enables our family of faith to be a part of what God is doing in our community and world. Thank you in advance for your continued support, and for sharing the good news of Christ’s love in all that you do. Total projected ministry Budget for 2014 $298,650* *Total of all areas

What kind of story does this budget tell? Who might be interested in reading this? How might church leaders utilize this document throughout the year, and not just during stewardship season? Name some reasons that a congregation might resist moving to this model… How might leaders address those concerns?

Where can I find this stuff?

Thank you for visiting us at First Christian Church For your convenience, gifts may be shared online. All gifts to our ministry are tax-deductible, and will be received with gratitude….