Merry Christmas Everyone!
The Top 10 for this month is kind of a potpourri of things on my mind. Some are related to each other and some are not. Hopefully, you will enjoy reading them. 🙂
- Kings
On Wednesday evening I taught 1&2 Kings (originally just one book titled, “Kings”), all 47 chapters, in an hour. Believe it or not, it is a great Christmas study, as long as you read all the way to the end. The book ends, in 2 Kings 25, rather strangely, with an Israelite king (Jehoiachin), a descendant of King David, in exile in Babylon, being treated kindly by a pagan king named “Evil-Merodach!” What a name! And what an ending!
What does this have to do with Christmas? Everything! If you have ever read Kings before you know that it does not end well for Israel, as they have all been exiled from their homeland, and it looks like all is lost and God’s promise to David (2 Sam 7) has failed. But then we get to the Gospels and in Matthew chapter one, in the genealogy, we see that Jehoiachin had a son, who had a son, who had a son & so on, until we read in Matt 1:16, “and Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.” So Jehoiachin is the glimmer of hope at the end of Kings, as a descendant of David, who is “randomly” treated kindly and allowed to have a son. This hope is realized at the birth of Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate Son of David, the King of kings. The way that God’s Word all fits together as one story is so amazing! We must keep reading… all of it! - A year ago
The finances of The Bridge were getting a little tight. We had an almost $100,000 shortfall of tithes and offerings compared to our budget. But as is often the case, a number of you made generous donations during the Christmas season. And so, by the end of December 2023 that shortfall had been reduced to only $30K. Praise the Lord!
- Difficult Budget for 2024-2025
Most of you are aware that our budget year (fiscal year) starts in July and ends in June the following year. So our current fiscal year started in July 2024, and it ends in June 2025. For our last fiscal year (July 2023 to June 2024), we had received a one-time income distribution of approximately $250,000. That blessing made up for our tithes and offerings which were quite a bit lower than we had budgeted – about $180,000 lower. And as we worked hard to control our spending, we still ended the fiscal year about $4,000 on the plus side.
Why do I mention this? Because when it came to creating a budget for 2024-2025 we needed to make some serious cuts, as we would not again receive that large one-time income source from last year, and since the church had received much less tithes and offerings than we had expected last year. It was very difficult for the elders to come up with such a reduced budget. And even after significant cuts in the new budget (reducing expenses by about $300,000), we estimated that we still might be about $200,000 short for the 2024-2025 year. (see next item #4)
- How are we doing now?
Since we are about halfway through the current budget year (2024-2025), as mentioned above, we expected that we might have a shortfall of about $100,000 by now. However, starting December, we are actually ahead by $1,251. That may not seem like much, but it is way better than being behind by $100,000! How did this happen? Reduced spending on the part of our staff, and increased tithe and offering donations from our people! Thank you, Lord! Speaking of tithes and offerings…
- Tithes & Offerings
In spite of so many people moving away or graduating to heaven, we have received more donations than we expected. How much more? About $71,000 more! Obviously, that is a huge part of why we are a little ahead, as mentioned in #4.
- So…Should we stop giving?
Please, NO! It is because of the generosity of so many of you that we have even this small surplus. Typically, Christmas and the end of the year are the times when we receive extra donations that help the church budget to remain strong through the rest of the fiscal year, and into the summer. And remember, it’s not just a nice saying, it’s actually true, what Jesus said, “It’s better to give than to receive.” The Bible teaches us that as we are faithful with our tithes and extra offerings, the Lord is pleased, and He blesses us, not just in this life, but for all of eternity!
“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” – Acts 20:35
- How can I give?
There are many ways that people can give. Some give with cash in envelopes, some give by check, and some give online, some give by donating stock, or even the latest trend, sending Bitcoin or cryptocurrency (if you don’t know what those are, don’t worry about it).
A good number of people have also donated “after” they have graduated to heaven. How is that possible? It is because they planned in advance and included The Bridge in the will or trust of their estate. In fact, we just received a $50K donation from the estate of a former member of the church who recently passed away. If you have any questions about giving in any of these ways just ask Tammy Werth (tammy@bridgebible.church).
- When should I give?
You can give at any time! But, if you want your donation to be eligible as a tax-deductible gift for the year 2024, then we need to receive it in the offering by December 29 or it must be postmarked by December 31, 2024. Contributions received or postmarked after Tuesday, December 31, 2024, will be recorded in 2025. Please note the church campus will be closed from December 24, 2024 – January 1, 2025.
*Please note the church office will be closed from December 24, 2024 – January 1, 2025.
- Help is Here!
Since I have been writing a lot about money in this Top 10, I wanted to let you know about an opportunity available to help you with your money. It is not uncommon for people, in our culture, to struggle with the proper management of their finances. So many people are struggling with the high cost of living and/or from the debt which they have accumulated. This causes so much stress and anxiety. And this is why we just finished a 6-week course on financial stewardship.
But here is the thing… I mentioned to everyone in that class that I personally would offer the following… I am willing to meet with you privately, one on one, and help you get to the place where you are successful as God’s steward, your stress and anxiety are reduced, and your trust in the Lord can increase. Only one person has taken me up on this offer so far. But I can confidently assert that if any of you need help, and if you want help, and if you are willing to learn, I CAN help you. I have helped many others in the past. If this is you, find me and we’ll talk.
- God is Generous
Of all the attributes of God, and there are so many, one of my favorites is that God is generous. He is the Giver of all givers. He is rich and He loves to give. In Matt 6, we see that God gives to the birds, and He gives to the flowers. He makes sure to provide what they need. And Jesus uses that truth to let us know that He also provides for us – even more than for birds and flowers because we are so much more valuable to Him than they are! The Bible is filled with examples of God being a generous giver. Look for those examples as you keep reading His Word!
But sometimes I don’t see this generosity of God’s gifts of provision, because I’m struggling with own discontent. However, when I actually allow myself to think about all that God has generously given to me, things that I certainly do not deserve, and I acknowledge and accept them with gratitude, I see, and I am overwhelmed with His generosity. This is especially evident when I consider, during this time of year, that God was so generous, that He gave His Son to us, reducing Him to the level of a puny little human being. Why would He do that? John 3:16. Because He is generous.
That’s it for this month! I hope that you and your family have a very Merry Christmas, enjoying and celebrating your Savior. And may others you know come to know Him as their Savior this Christmas.
Have a blessed day!