Session Notes: July 2018

Session met on Tuesday, July 10 for a challenging discussion about the church's finances. We reviewed where Western is on its 2018 budget and took steps to increase savings, such as leaving the Youth and Young Adult Ministry Coordinator vacant for the rest of the year and deciding not to hire Sunday morning security personnel. But even with those changes, the church's draw on the trust fund will be roughly 12 percent, which is not sustainable.

Members of the Session asked the finance ministry to develop two potential budgets for 2019, one with a 5 percent draw and another with an 8 percent draw. Our struggle is to be the church God is calling Western to be and invite others to join in the church's work while living within our means. There are no easy answers. We ask for your prayers and your guidance as we faithfully look for a path forward.