Economic Reality

From the Pastor…

These last few weeks have been discouraging to all of us who have investments held in the stock market. We have lamented our losses and fretted over our futures. We will soon have new chief executives in our state and country, and from the tone of the campaigning, I feel confident that there will be many unhappy people – regardless of who wins the election. The only thing that seems certain in these days is that we are facing much more uncertainty.

As a result of the financial crisis, we have been forced to make some hard decisions. Because people are frightened or already in financial distress, many are not contributing to the church as they have in the past. This is reality. As a result, the church must cut our spending to the absolute minimum. We are not broke, but we are not in great shape either. Add to that the rising cost of doing business and the fact that money is not readily available from lending institutions (many churches are being denied loans for any construction), it has become necessary to suspend our capital campaign for the time being.

This does not mean that we are giving up… only that we are trying to use wise judgment in the face of a world-wide financial crisis unlike any seen in most of our lifetimes. Our capital campaign consultants believe we have made the right decision, and we all are praying that the financial climate will improve quickly, and we will be able to resume our campaign early in 2009. However, we are still actively pursuing funds for our project! Fundraising will continue. And all gifts are needed and greatly appreciated.

But the news is not all bad. First of all, some adjacent property has become available for the church to purchase. If we act quickly, we will be able to acquire enough land to solve all of our building concerns for the foreseeable future. Please prayerfully consider contributing toward this urgent need, and be present at our Quarterly Church Conference on November 12th, when we will discuss this one-time opportunity.

What’s more, I have even better news to share! You see, even though times are tough and people are hurting, we are closer yet to the return of Christ for His Bride – the Church. We are not without hope! Regardless of what the world tells us, we DO have a reason to rejoice. If we are in despair because of the current state of our world, then we are guilty of putting our faith in the wrong place to begin with. My brothers and sisters, through Jesus Christ, we are more than conquerors! I am confident that our God will complete what He has started in us and through us. Be of good cheer!

In Christian Love,

Billy Dennis