By Ronald Kelly
By Ronald Kelly
October income picked up a bit to $106,913, bringing the year-to-date average to $105,972. This still falls below our budgeted income of $110,000 a day
But, as we near the end of the year, I do want to thank all of you so much for your prayers and financial support of our church.
So many of you have labored in the service of our Lord with great enthusiasm and courage.
We have all experienced a journey that has been challenging, exciting and rewarding, filled with ups and downs we could never have imagined. But God has been with us every step of the way.
Income has also had its ups and downs--sadly a lot more downs than ups in the past few years. Over the long haul, however, we have been able to adjust our expenses and maintain a firm financial footing.
We had to make difficult decisions to discontinue long-standing activities of the church such as the World Tomorrow telecast and Ambassador University. As difficult as those decisions were, they were necessary to maintain financial viability.
Because of those decisions, as you read in last month's WN, our auditing firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, once again issued an unqualified opinion for the 1997 financial year. That was indeed good news.
The accompanying charts show that our income continues at a slow, but continual decrease.
July and August were below budget projections. October picked up a bit, and that was encouraging. And, of course, in September and October we were blessed with your contributions to the festival offerings we have traditionally taken up each autumn.
In addition, some congregations are planning special offerings the last two months of the year, because they did not take up four offerings during September and October.
As I write this column in November, I ask you to join me in prayer that our members and co-workers be able to maintain a regular and sustained program of giving to the great work of the church as we strive to serve our members and reach out to a world so badly in need of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
If our income stabilizes at our projected budget, we will be able to maintain our present course. Obviously if income continues to decline, we will have to make painful, though necessary, adjustments. It is my constant prayer as controller that we will not have to make those kinds of traumatic modifications in 1999.
Words cannot express our gratitude for your generous support. In the United States, we celebrate a national day of Thanksgiving Nov. 26. We indeed have much to be thankful for--most of all for the saving work of our Lord and Savior, but we give special thanks for each of you faithful brothers and sisters who have made the Worldwide Church of God a haven of spiritual joy.
As we come to the end of a calendar year, this is a good time to review our charitable giving. In the United States, we are blessed with a tax savings advantage many nations do not enjoy. So the more you give the more you save in taxes.
Donation receipts are scheduled to be mailed in mid-January. To ensure the deductibility of your contributions, please do not file your 1998 tax returns until you receive a written receipt.
Let's pray together for a financially successful year's end and look forward to a productive beginning of the new year.
Copyright © Worldwide Church of God, 1998