Financial Update: December 14

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2011 Church & Missions Budget Update:
With two weekends remaining in our fiscal year, Bethlehem needs around $1.4M in Church & Missions (C&M) contributions to meet our anticipated 2011 expenses.  In the past two weeks (since December 1), God has enabled you to give over $450K toward meeting those expenses—we started December asking God for $1.85M in contributions to C&M. Praise him for end-of-year “hockey stick” giving mercies!

Although our financial need is great, our God is greater. Please continue to pray for hearts that embrace Jesus’ wisdom that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” this Advent season. And as the Lord leads, consider how you might participate in meeting our C&M need.

Here’s one example of how all our year-end Church & Missions gifts together might add up to meet anticipated 2011 C&M expenses (1,701 gifts totaling $1,407,500):

• 100 gifts of $25: $2,500
• 200 gifts of $50: $10,000
• 300 gifts of $100: $30,000
• 400 gifts of $250: $100,000
• 300 gifts of $500: $150,000
• 240 gifts of $1,000: $240,000
• 100 gifts of $2,500: $250,000
• 40 gifts of $5,000: $200,000
• 15 gifts of $10,000: $150,000
• 3 gifts of $25,000: $75,000
• 2 gifts of $50,000: $100,000
• 1 gift of $100,000: $100,000

Summary Details (contributions, expenses, and budget):

• 2011 C&M contributions of $7,706,215 in the first 50 weeks of 2011 (through the second week of December) are currently 3.2% over 2010 C&M contributions of $7,465,065 at the same time last year.
  • This averages to about $154,000 each week for the first 50 weeks of 2011.
• 2011 C&M expenses are projected to be about $9,100,000 at the end of 2011.
  • We need approximately $1,400,000 in the next two weeks to meet anticipated C&M expenses.
  • This averages to about $700,000 per week for the remaining two weeks of 2011.
• 2011 congregation-approved C&M budget is $9,700,000
  • We need approximately $2,000,000 in the next two weeks to meet our 2011 C&M budget.
  • This averages to about $1,000,000 per week for the remaining two weeks of 2011.

2010 C&M December Giving History
Be encouraged by God’s faithfulness to us in 2010 in meeting our needs, as we look forward to his help again in 2011. During the last two weeks of 2010, God provided about $1,500,000 toward meeting our 2010 C&M expenses:

• Dec 18/19: $313,100
• Dec 25/26: $287,619
• Dec 27 thru 31: $887,581

Treasurer’s Report
See the most recent Treasurer’s report from our October 30 Quarterly Strategy Meeting.