Where does the money go?

Do you want to know the church’s current financial health?

We publish information about progress toward meeting the financial needs of the church in our monthly newsletter.  The Finance Committee meets monthly to formally review this information.  Ministries are impacted when giving is above or below expectations for an extended period of time.

Summertime Reminder:

When you are planning to be away from church for several weeks, consider mailing in your pledge.  This is especially helpful in the Summer when more members take extended trips, church utility bills grow, youth programming increases (e.g., Jr. and Sr. High Mission Trips), many new residents begin visiting churches, and the staff must continue to be paid.

2007 Annual Church Ministry Budget

The total 2007 Ministry Budget for Suncreek United Methodist Church will be $1,138,224.  All of this funding comes from persons like you who make sacrificial gifts to the church.  We celebrate that you are interested in learning more about how the church uses its resources to celebrate faith, build community, and serve the world in the name of Jesus Christ.  

The Annual Ministry Budget is the operating budget of the church.  It includes everything from staff salaries to Sunday School curriculum to utilities.  The Capital Campaign funds are a separate entity.  Capital Campaign funds are restricted to expenses related to the construction of new buildings and the renovation of existing buildings.  When we decide to build buildings that cost more than what is raised through Capital Campaigns, we borrow funds from banks and incorporate the cost of our loan payments into the Annual Ministry Budget. 

A young church like Suncreek UMC has to put a lot of its resources into building space where ministry can happen.  Yet, having a place to meet is only the first step.  We also have great demands for resources to support programming that deeply impacts person’s lives. 

Two members of Suncreek UMC were once overheard talking about the budget of the church.  One said that a few years ago he remembered thinking that our church budget represented a lot of money and he had a somewhat skeptical attitude about whether it was being used wisely.  He said that his perceptions are radically different now that he is aware of the breadth and depth of our church’s ministries.  He indicated that now the budget appears small to him relative to ministries it supports.  He expressed that he believed there was no fat in our budgets.  He expressed pain that there were not more financial resources to support some of the basic ministry needs of the church. 

If you are where this member was several years ago, we hope that the information on this page and the information throughout this website helps you to conclude that Suncreek is a good steward of the gifts it is given.  Budget priorities are formed through a democratic process that includes rich dialogue among programming committees, church staff, and administrative groups like the Finance Committee and the Administrative Board.  If you have any questions, you can find contact information for the leaders of different programming and administrative groups on the Church Committees and Leadership page. 

Below, we have grouped the 2007 Budget into categories.   

Age-level Ministries (Children, Youth, and Adults)
$34,050

Apportionments
$89,694 

Buildings and Grounds (landscaping, maintenance, utilities, loan payments, insurance . . . )
$332,620

General Ministry Support (copies, office supplies, office equipment, postage, telephones  . . .)     
$32,700

Music Ministries
$21,126

Ordained Ministers, Program Staff, and Support Staff
$555,000
The largest budget category is salary and benefits for our staff.  Our staff is led by our Senior Pastor. See the Staff page and the Staff-Parish Committee page for additional information.

Communications
$10,955
The Communications budget funds our monthly newsletters, the ministry area brochures, church website, exterior banners for activities like Christmas Eve Services, equipment for recording sermons in the sound booth and producing audio cds of sermons, mailings that introduce the church to new residents, print advertising, and a small Yellow Pages ad.

Other Care Committees (Congregational Care, Evangelism, Shepherding, Stewardship, Capital Campaign)
$3,905
These groups have budgets between $300 and $2,000.  This funds the basic work of these committees. 

Other Programming Committees (Palmer Studies in the Faith, Church & Society)
$4,400

Missions
$10,800
Suncreek is very active in serving those who are in need.  The Missions section of the Annual Budget represents only a small portion of the financial gifts that are given to missions and outreach projects.  Special offerings are collected, and members donate items like food, clothing, toys, and diapers during special drives that are held throughout the year.  Many small groups within the church offer other opportunities to serve persons in need.  The apportionments category of the Annual Budget also includes significant financial gifts to missions.  For a listing of Suncreek's missions opportunities, see the missions section of the website.

Worship (worship bulletins, communion elements, audio equipment, . . .)
$6,500

Capital Campaign
$10,000
These funds go toward running our 2007-2010 Growing Together in Faith Capital Campaign which seeks to raise 2.5 million dollars.

Contingency Fund 
$10,000
These funds are for emergency needs like the failure of several air conditioning units at the church

Reserve Funds
$5,000
These funds are used to buffer times when expenses are higher than gifts.  For example, in the middle of the summer we often have cash flow issues.

Total
$1,138,224