2026 Planning & Budget

The plan is to host a budget meeting on Sunday, January 18, directly after church. It has been about 15 years since we have operated on a budget. Here is what a budget means.

 

Budget - accountability for funds expected to be received through tithe and offering. But, the expected funds are only a guesstimating.

 

Therefore, I would like for each of you to do two things for me a week before the meeting.

1. Plan your events out for 2026 and consider what the cost of each event will be. The first 6 months, January to June, will be a hard schedule and July through December will be a “pencil in” schedule.

2. Out of the expenses of your events, how much will be raising and how much will you be needing the church to underwrite. Keep in mind that the budget, item by item, will have to be agreed upon by the membership on January 18.

 

Planning Events

1. Build a team for each event. Who will buy into your dream? Recruit them two months before your event and plan every detail.

2. Fundraising - last minute fundraising does not works. Try to consider fundraising that goes beyond our four walls. Money raised must be kept in the church account earmarked for your event for accountability reasons. (Selling wintertime fruit, selling donuts, selling stew or bbq, rock-a-thon, donations, etc)

3. Advertise your event - With today’s packed schedules people need to have at least 2 months notice and then blitzing a month before (announcements from the pulpit, announcements on screens, fliers, website, emails, poster, calendar)

4. Follow-up - pictures and a report or slideshow of how the event went and how people’s given blessed others.

 

Again, the budget is not free money but is tithe and offering given by faithful church family who expect that their giving will enhance the Kingdom of God. People will give to needs that will grip their heart.

 

Donations - when someone wants to supply something for an event, it is the same as them giving cash. Don’t refuse it and rob them of their blessings.

 

What grabs hearts?

1. Curriculum for training

2. Missions

3. Outreach

4. Seeing changes in people’s lives

5. Investing in their kids and grandkids

6. Family fun

 

So, let’s meet directly after church on Sunday, January 11 for about 20 minutes.