Centreville
United Methodist Church
April 30, 2015
Dear CUMC family,
Thank you for reading the first edition of the Quarterly Financial State of the Church letter. The purpose
of this letter is to give a synopsis of where Centreville United Methodist Church stands financially at the
end of each quarter. Attached, you will also find a narrative budget, which provides a summary of each
ministry’s expected expenses for 2015. Our hope is that this letter and the narrative budget will foster
better communication and transparency, which is vital for the ministry of CUMC. Rest assured, this first
letter will likely be the longest as it includes some background information. We will strive for brevity in the
future!
The Finance Committee is tasked each fall with forecasting the expected revenue for the upcoming year
so the Planning and Policy Committee (PPC) can determine how much money each ministry within the
church can plan to spend for the year. In the past, the expected revenue was simply determined by
adding up the pledge cards received during Consecration Sunday. In recent years, it is not been such a
simple task to forecast giving and set the budget because several factors are at work. First, while
congregants are still giving money at similar levels to past years, actual commitments (i.e. pledge cards)
to the general operating fund have decreased. Second, there has been an increase in targeted
donations, that is, donations to specific ministries within the church instead of to the general operating
fund. This practice is called Designated Giving and it is a wonderful way of giving to those ministries God
has called you to support. It is not reflected on the pledge cards, however, so that presents a forecasting
challenge. The Finance Committee is striving to adapt to these changes in recommending an annual
budget to the PPC and we now have a dynamic budgeting formula that tries to predict these giving
patterns.
For 2015, the Finance Committee forecast receiving $2,010,162 in revenue to support CUMC’s ministries.
For the first quarter of 2015, we expected contributions of $469,605, but our actual contributions have
been $10,826 less. Increased giving in March has improved the financial situation as compared to the
end of February. This is not unexpected as offerings are not received in equal portions throughout the
year, rising and falling with church attendance, which is often influenced by religious holidays, vacation
schedules and weather patterns. For example, February was a cold and snowy month and one Sunday
saw all 4 church services melded into a single service. In order to keep you informed, we report the
actual monthly giving in comparison to CUMC’s historical giving patterns in the financial box on the back
of the bulletin.
The other side of the budget equation, of course, involves expenses. The PPC discerns how much
money each ministry is allowed to spend each year. Each ministry then uses that figure to determine how
it can best support the vision of the church - to make disciples of Jesus Christ. If actual revenue falls
short of expected revenue, then various ministries are asked to spend less than planned within the church
and in service with the community. We are proud to say that each ministry at CUMC has always done,
and continues to do, a wonderful job of staying within its budget.
Again, thank you for reading through the first Financial State of the Church letter for 2015! We hope that
this has been helpful and we hope that it has served to make you feel well informed about some of the
“behind the scenes” operations of our wonderful church. Please do not hesitate to make any suggestions
on how we can improve this letter by contacting Anne Muradaz via email [email protected]
or by calling the church office (703-830-2684).
In Christ,
The Finance Committee
6400 Old Centreville Road, Centreville, VA 20121
www.centreville-umc.org ~ 703.830.2684