On Sunday, May 22nd, the Congregation approved a deficit budget for the fiscal year starting  June 1st.

 

It looks like our pledge total will be up slightly this year to $45,000 with possibly as many as 48 pledging units (up from 46).  This should give us about $55,600 in income.

 

We can expect our expenses for next year to reach $61,800, giving a deficit of $6,200.  The main reason for the rise in expenses is the recommended increase in our minister’s salary so he can serve us half-time instead of quarter-time starting in September.

 

Woody Allen, in his classic movie Annie Hall, described how sharks must continually swim forward or die.  I propose that our Church is like a shark, and if it does not move forward, we will have a dead shark on our hands.

 

Providing funds for a half-time minister is a first step.  Building a Capital Fund for another building to give us desperately needed RE rooms and office space is another priority.

 

One way we can all help is to consider a gift to the WVUU endowment fund in our wills.  Even modest amounts would be welcome and helpful.  By giving to the endowment fund, we can help the Church for years to come.  A part of our legacies would be used to promote the ideas and values we share.

 

The Board recommended approval of this deficit budget to keep WVUU moving forward.  What can we expect to happen if we do this?  Our members will step-up and contribute more than they pledged.  This is what we need to happen.  Otherwise, we will not have the funds to keep our minister beyond the end of March.

Sincerely,

Tom Wielunski

Finance Committee Chair