Finance Report 2021.07

by John Lindlief

Posted August 2021

Here is a summary of Zion’s financial information as of the end of July 2021. General Fund income for the month of July was just over $51,000 which is about 8% lower than what was received in July of 2020. Expenses for the General Fund were about $54,500. This is about 5.8% more than was spent in July of 2020. For the month General Fund expenses exceeded income by about $3,400. We anticipate that expenses will continue to increase as we work our way back to full staffing and programming.

Building Fund income for July was almost $12,000. This is almost identical to the Building Fund income of July 2020. In both cases, the income was about $1,100 less than the monthly mortgage payment.

Year to date, the General Fund income exceeds our expenses by about $31,000. However, this income is about $13,500 less than what was received at this time last year. The General Fund cash on hand as July 31 was about $284,500.

The Building Fund year to date income is a little over $92,000 compared with $91,500 received by this time in 2020. This is about $4,600 less than our mortgage payments. The Building Fund cash on hand is just over $56,000.

Thank you for your continuing financial support of Zion’s mission.

9th Grade Lock-in 2022

From the evening hours of October 7, well into the morning hours of October 8, our awesome Zion ninth graders…

Fall 2022 at Zion!

Our mission is to partner with families for faith formation and connection. We are always looking for ways to connect with you and to be helpful to families as they seek to raise their children in the faith. There is nothing like fall in Minnesota! But, there is also nothing like the busyness that accompanies it. Registrations, new schedules, new routines, new forms to fill out and keep track of, new school supplies to find and purchase, and new anxieties to calm. We started asking: what if the church found a way to curb some of that, instead of participating in it?

We started asking parents: “Would it be helpful if we moved the start of Sunday School and Confirmation to October?” And, overwhelmingly, parents told us that would be AWESOME and helpful. So, Sunday School (both at 8:30 & 10:30 this year!) will begin Sunday, October 2nd, and Confirmation will begin Wednesday, October 5th.

September will be focused on connecting your family to the joy of Sabbath. We hope you will be connecting back to worship if you’ve taken some time away. To help you focus on Sabbath and worship this Fall, the 10:30am outdoor worship service is continuing into September. Children love the chance to dance, run, and worship under the trees, and Zion has the perfect set-up. It is casual, low-key, a little bit shorter, and filled with music. Bring chairs or a blanket and worship outside the first two Sundays in September. Then, be ready for Z-Fest on the 18th! Food trucks! Games! Fun!

Each Sunday in September will have extra special ways of connecting with children & youth in worship (beyond our ever-popular children’s sermon time. Enjoy the breather and grace this new start date will provide and connect with friends old and new at worship this September. After all, God has commanded Sabbath rest, because we need it!

Choirs & Bells Sunday School Confirmation