Musings

I have been here, officially, amidst the St. Andrew’s Wesley family, as your Director of Development for about 10 weeks now. I’m beginning to get to know the people, the many activities and aspirations, the ways and means of this remarkable place and, I am very happy to be here.
I’ve been hired to, among other things, help the congregation get more comfortable with talking about money—how we need it, where we get it, how we use it, what we dream more money could do around here, and what greater service, through Christ, could be accomplished if we were all more at ease with the discussion.
So you can expect to hear from me in one way or another, and on a regular basis while we go on this journey together. This “Money Matters” column is just one such way. You’ll see important issues, ideas, facts, and opinions appearing here on a regular basis and I welcome your comments and reactions. michael.staw@telus.net

Here are some issues and statistics to think about:
•    We have over 1200 seats in our magnificent sanctuary
•    We average about 275 people here each Sunday morning service (and growing)
•    St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church is currently comprised of about 350 identifiable households and we guess our congregational census to be about 525 men, women and children.
•    Total 2009 operations budget is $772,116
(2010 is projected to be well over $800,000)
•    Current cost per day to keep our doors open, programmes running, and our church operating is $2115
•    Based on what we know, total congregational giving for 2009 is projected to be $350,000 which is only 45.3% of total needed revenue (the rest coming from outside use of our facilities, investment income, and pre-set annual dividends from Wesley Place)
•    Our church has been running significant operational deficits for several consecutive years. These shortfalls have been covered by trust funds…in a sort of “rob Peter to pay Paulette” syndrome.
•    Our records show the number of people who support the church financially, using PAR, post-dated cheques, or envelopes is 207
•    That means for more than 140 identifiable households, we have no record of financial contributions (some may offer cash on the collection plate but many may not make any contributions at all—we just don’t know)
•    Contributions from only 18 households comprise a whopping 25% of total congregational giving!
•    That means that in excess of 300 households combined, are contributing the remaining 75%
•    United Church official policy is to encourage household tithing at 5% of after-tax income (I will talk more about this issue in future columns)
•    Our congregation is comprised of people from many socio-economic groups. Demographic data (Stats Can) for Vancouver shows median after-tax income, for households with two or more people is $61,800. We know that this is not an “actual” for everyone, and may not be even close for some in our congregation but, it is the true statistic for our city.

Please ponder these facts and issues. We urge you to put yourself into this picture, do the math as it relates to you; remembering it is not the size of one’s contribution that is most important, but rather the level of generosity that one’s contribution represents. Sharing at a level that measures within one’s means, and giving with gratitude is the lesson Christ has offered us.

We are quickly approaching the annual follow-up to our Living Our Promises Campaign that was launched last autumn and on which we still have much work to do if we are to celebrate it as truly successful. Things are definitely different for many of us now, more than a year after the global economic melt-down that frightened so many of us and shook our financial security.

Hopefully we can, each of us, think anew as to our stewardship pledges for St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church and, with God’s grace, find the wherewithal to make fresh (and perhaps even increased) commitments for the long term.

September 20, 2009                      Volume 1, Issue 1