|
 Father
Kevin is away leading the Rome 2007 pilgrimage, so I’d like to take
this opportunity to write about the “state of the parish” from the
perspective of stewardship and finances. In a joint meeting with the
Parish & Finance Councils, it was suggested that sometimes it seems
from our bulletin that our situation always seems “dire”. While we
definitely have financial challenges facing us, I assure you SMG is
not currently at risk of “going under”. We can certainly improve as
stewards of Christ’s Church here in Westfield, Indiana, but we also
have many things to feel good about. Here is a snapshot of where we
stand.
BALANCE SHEET – 9/30/2007
· Unrestricted
Cash on hand :
$403,291
· Restricted
Cash (incl. Adoration/Bell Tower):
$445,211
· Parish
Assets:
$17 Million
($16 Million between church & school buildings)
· Accumulated
Depreciation:
$3.7 Million
· Loans
Payable (debt):
$4.4 Million
INCOME & EXPENSES
· FY2007
Non-restricted Operating Income (excl. of depreciation):
$71,637
· FY2007
Weekly Contribution Income vs. budget:
-$29,070
· FY2007
Mortgage Interest paid:
$348,532
· FY2007
top expenses:
Salaries & Benefits 41% Mortgage Interest $7.7%
Depreciation 13.9% Utilities $4.5%
· FY2008
Budgeted Monthly Operating Expenses (incl. fee based programs) :
$320,000
· FY2008
Monthly mortgage P&I (currently paid from Fruitful Harvest):
$40,372
STEWARDSHIP STATISTICS
· SMG
Families contribute on average 2% of their income to our parish.
· Nationally,
Catholic families contribute 1% of their income to their local
parish.
· God
asks 10% back from us according to scripture and Church teaching;
the Church asks for 5% to parish, 2% to Diocese, & the balance to
worthy charities that could include the Church.
So what does this all mean? Should we celebrate or be embarrassed?
Should we quit giving because it looks like the Church has “plenty
of money”, or should we step up and do what God asks? Each of us has
to make the decision in our own heart on what SMG means to us, and
more importantly on what our commitment is to our God and our
Catholic faith. God asks us to give back not because He needs our
money, but because we need to show our love for Him. How important
is eternal life versus all the stuff we spend our time & money on in
our current world?
From a practical perspective, SMG has some major goals for which the
councils are in agreement. They include:
· School
expansion: SMG was built to accommodate 3 full classes K-8;
currently has 2 classes K-8
· Connector/Parish
Offices: Parish offices and meeting rooms now occupy classrooms
· Adoration/Bell
Tower: The Eucharistic is the source & summit of our life.
· Major
Maintenance: Depreciation = wear & tear; roofs, A/C, carpets, etc.
will need replacing
It is crucial for everyone to understand that
all
of these objectives are subject to
first paying down our existing Church debt..
We will
also
need to be more faithful in our weekly contributions in order to be
able to afford increased staff costs to expand the school, as well
as support our many non-school ministries. As with everything we do
as a parish family, if everyone does their part, this will be easy.
But if a lot of folks choose sit on the sideline, it will take much,
much longer.
If you ever have any questions or want more information about SMG
finances, I welcome your call. Have a blessed week!
Pat Gorman, Parish Business Manager
Matthew 6:21
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
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