8/26/2022
Dear WARBC churches,
I am writing to you on behalf of your church council to make you aware of the financial challenges that our fellowship is facing this coming year.
As you are all aware, the economic downturn has made the financial year very challenging for many. You may be facing some of these same concerns as you evaluate the needs of your church for the next budget season.
As a fellowship, we are not immune to these pressures. The interest on our invested monies has funded a significant part of our budget. The last year has not been friendly to anyone who has been invested in the marketplace. As a result, we are facing some difficult decisions in our budgeting process for the coming year.
We are grateful that all our expenses for the current year are covered. No bills are unpaid. However, the reserve that was available to us in past years is shrinking rapidly and will not allow us to face the new year without making some reductions in our current budget.
As noted earlier, I suspect many of you experience similar challenges. We are not oblivious to the needs of our churches and the financial difficulties you may face at your local level. The plain fact of the matter is that we are not a family of large wealthy churches. And yet, through the faithfulness of God’s people, our needs within the state have been supplied.
As a council, we have had to make some hard choices. We have reduced the budgeted compensation packages for our State Shepherd, our State Educator, and our State Administrative Assistant. These were not easy choices, but we have limited areas to reduce our costs.
Understanding that God is the giver of all good things, I would like to request that your church prayerfully consider partnering with the state fellowship on two levels,
Please make the state finances a matter of prayer.
Please prayerfully consider some additional level of support for our fellowship. Perhaps you might consider a slight increase in monthly or annual support. If every church could increase their monthly support of our fellowship by as little as $2.50 per week, it would make a significant difference in our budget. That’s less than a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
Consider a one-time offering to support the ministry of the fellowship.
I realize that this is a big ask for some of our churches who have had to address shortfalls by reducing their missionary and church staff budgets. But at the same time, perhaps God has blessed your church in a way that might permit you to consider one of these options. I do know this … we have a BIG God!
We have a great fellowship. Our council’s goal continues to be the strengthening of our churches around the state and the proclamation of the Gospel. Thank you for sharing in this ministry so we can do more together!
Sincerely on behalf of the WARBC Council of 6,
Pastor Bill Mattox
Chairman