God has been good to our church in numerous ways over the years, and even during the challenges and disruptions of the past year, our Lord has again shown us many mercies. I want to highlight one extraordinary provision that may get lost in the shuffle of health concerns, facemasks and Zoom calls: our church family’s faithful and consistent giving during 2020 allowed us to finish the year with a budget surplus. At a time when many churches have struggled financially amid lockdowns and spiking unemployment, God met our needs in amazing ways.
The first thing to say about this is, “Thank you!” Thank You to God, who provides all good things. And thank you to each of you who generously support our ministry. Your giving has allowed us to worship every week, to develop new patterns of fellowship, to hold Bible studies, to add online streaming services, to keep our staff in place and fully paid, to maintain our building, and to support our mission partners. On a per-sonal level, I have been blessed to continue serving you in many familiar ways and a few new ways over the past year, and I am hopeful for what God has in store for our church in the year ahead.
I often teach that God enables our generosity. He supplies our needs abundantly so that we can generously provide for the church and other Christian ministries. That’s how God’s Kingdom has been sustained and able to expand for 2,000 years. Broadway is a part of that, and we should rejoice to see God providing for His church through us.
It’s also important that I acknowledge the hard work and wisdom of our church leaders, from those who manage finances to those who have kept our ministries going through the pandemic. It has taken a great deal of dedication and faith to keep our church on course during these long months of limited in-person participation. Our church would not be in a strong ministry and financial position today if it were not for the many church members who have been willing to serve and to believe that we could continue our ministries safely through the pandemic.
One of the greatest blessings of our financial health is that we have been able to meet or exceed all of our budgeted mission commitments. We plan each budget cycle to give 10 percent of our church income to various mission agencies, including several Covenant-affiliated missionaries and ministries. We also help sup-port a number of local ministries that provide important services to people in need in our community.
Along these lines, our Leadership Team will allocate a portion of the 2020 budget surplus for additional mission giving, including a gift to Vida Eterna as they continue their challenging work of church planting.
As we look ahead to 2021, I trust God will again enable our generosity. Our God is faithful and good. He provides for our needs, often in surprising ways. We don’t know what the future will hold for our nation, our community or our church family, but we do know for sure that God will remain faithful and the mission of the Church will remain essential. We will continue to share the love and message of Jesus with people in need.
Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for staying committed to our ministries and fellowship. Thank you for your prayers and support for my work. Thank you for loving one another well and for honoring the name of Jesus in all you do.
