Financial Report 2023.03

by John Lindlief, Finance Committee

Posted April 2023

The income/offering to the General Fund in March again exceeds that given in March of 2022. This month’s increase amounts to almost $1,800 per Sunday. At the same time, our General Fund expenses for the month have exceeded our monthly income by about $29,000. This month’s deficit is primarily due to greater participation in our youth programs (a wonderful problem!), increased food costs for the Wednesday Night Suppers, and an additional payroll. Year-to-date General Fund giving is up over 11% from last year. Our expenses for the same period are up about 48%. The payroll timing issue will be resolved next month when the number of payrolls will again be equal.

The Building Fund giving for the month of March is up almost 14% over last March. We were just short about $1,300 in meeting our monthly mortgage payment. Year-to-date payments have exceeded our income by only $900. So we are well within our budget plan.

Thanks to all for your continued support of Zion’s ministry – financial and otherwise. It is exciting to see what is happening each week.

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