This Sunday, January 22, at 10:15am, we will have our Annual January Congregational Meeting.
Important Documents (rollover and click links below – 1 & 2)
1.) Letter from Finance Chair Mark Entsminger
2.) Mission Plan V3
We will decide on how we utilize the financial resources God has provided through this community for our shared ministry.
What is a Mission Plan?
Traditionally, the document we discuss and, hopefully, approve at the annual meeting has been called the budget. This year, the finance committee and I propose a switch in our language—to call this document, instead, our mission plan. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus notes “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Conversely, where we put our money reveals what’s in our hearts. And so, our budget is really our mission plan. In what do we invest as People of Hope? To what do we feel called by God? Our mission plan is not a dry, mundane document but a statement about what we value and how we think God is calling us to minister to one another, our neighborhood, and the world.
In preparation for the congregational meeting, all were welcome to attend a Q & A session on the mission plan on Sunday, January 15 at 10:15 a.m.
Pastor Sarah
Original Post below from December 22, 2022:
People of Hope,
On Sunday, January 22 at 10:15 am, we will gather for our annual meeting to consider how we utilize the financial resources God has provided through this community for our shared ministry. Traditionally, the document we discuss and, hopefully, approve at the annual meeting has been called the budget. This year, the Finance Committee and I propose a switch in our language—to call this document, instead, our mission plan.
In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus notes “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Conversely, where we put our money reveals what’s in our hearts. And so, our budget is really our mission plan. In what do we invest as People of Hope? To what do we feel called by God? Our mission plan is not a dry, mundane document but a statement about what we value and how we think God is calling us to minister to one another, our neighborhood, and the world.
This is true not just for our common finances here at Esperanza but in our personal lives. I distinctly remember the first time I heard a seminary professor suggest that my credit card statement or my checking account was the most accurate representation of my values, and I distinctly remember feeling oh-so-uncomfortable. In the church, we often discuss the biblical command of tithing (meaning, giving 10% of our income to the church) or, if not tithing, at least designating a small portion of our income to God’s ministry through our congregation. But how we use the other 90% of our income also reveals our values. As we hurtle toward 2023 and perhaps consider our personal financial situations in the new year, what values do our personal mission plans reveal?
God has a mission for us individually and communally. We will soon embark on an intentional process of discernment about what, exactly, God is calling us to be and do at 2601 E Thunderhill Place. Gathering to discuss and approve a mission plan is just one way the Holy Spirit will work among us to bring clarity about what we are here for. I hope you’ll join us on January 22!
With gratitude,
Pastor Sarah