we have a little dilemma we’d like to make you aware of. it starts with a case study
imagine this. . .
a single mom with 3 kids comes to you asking for some help with her finances. her money seems to be falling though her fingers and she wants to get back on track. you review her income and expenses and realize that:
she has a decent job that pays much more than minimum wage, but she’s still making below the poverty level for a family of 4.
her sister used to watch the kids for free while she worked, but it became a burden on the sister, so now the mom is paying the sister a small amount in order to cover basic necessities for the kids and help the sister’s family to stay afloat.
she gets alimony and child support sometimes, but it’s inconsistent and unreliable.
she may be able to apply for government assistance, but it’s complicated and she doesn’t know where to start.
she has subsidized housing, so she’s getting a good deal, but it still takes up a significant part of her income.
so far, she has not been keeping track of her spending and she’s rapidly going into debt.
between childcare, rent, and other fixed expenses, her average monthly income is used up, even before buying food, gas and taking care of medical expenses.
she believes in giving and trusts that God will provide for her. she’s very generous, helps those who ask her and gives away over 15% of her income. unfortunately, that’s 15% that she doesn’t actually have.
the question is, what would you tell her?
this situation has no easy solution, it’s really a dilemma that requires much more than a simple answer or perfect “next step and it’ll all be cleared up” but it's real. we know that for some in the refuge this is real life. but this example is also a reflection of not just one person but for the refuge itself.. . not for any one person in this church, but for the church itself.
you see, here’s our situation:
because The Refuge is committed to reaching and serving those in need (spiritually and financially), this community by itself cannot afford to be the sole financial support for the church.
early on, the pastors opted to not receive any income from the church so that we could build up a surplus. it got us going, but it was not sustainable for them to continue pouring their time and energy into The Refuge without some remuneration to keep their own households running.
we are currently renting a facility that we found at a great price after months of searching, but between rent, other expenses, utilities and small salaries, our average monthly income is expended every month. we are networking to find some churches to partner with on facility to reduce expenses. the rent we pay at our current location is an excellent deal that is pretty hard to beat for what we are getting.
we have been applying for grants, for 501c3 non-profit status, and seeking out groups and individuals that are willing to partner with us in this ministry, but it's a long, slow process and we can't do it without considerable assistance.
we have been very frugal with other expenses, including supplies for the children's ministry, administration, and events. We have done our best to track expenses but it has been a cumbersome process. We are looking into options to make that easier, thereby protecting ourselves from accidental overspending.
The Refuge has always been generous in its giving to the church community and its partnering ministries. we want that to continue, but some changes will have to be made in order for the giving to be practical and responsible.
like the single mom, The Refuge has great dreams for our future but because we can’t ever seem to keep our head above water, it is sometimes hard to focus on the bigger things because the day-to-day is hard enough.
we are sharing this with you not to overwhelm you, guilt you, or look to you alone for a solution. we just want to be honest with you about our situation. we don't want to hide or pretend everything is great when inside we are up at night like the single mom worrying about how to pay the bills. we want you to know that we are in the same boat as many out there that are struggling with their personal finances. it won't be easy, but we are committed to making this work. our first reaction to the case study above was “we need to sit down and begin to make a strategy of what the options are and begin to take the next best step.”
we decided that the next best steps were:
let you know so you can continue to pray, brainstorm & live this is out with us
work on telling our story to those outside of the refuge so others might be willing to partner with us to expand the vision into the north denver community. karl and kathy are setting up meetings with several possible partners in the weeks to come but if you have some other leads, too, let us know!
create a refuge Xperience so that others can see that we are not a “typical church” looking for funding. Most “churches” don’t look for outside funding. We are a missional community committed to extending ourselves in wide & powerful ways in Denver & the world. this happened on 11.13 and we did make some new friends!
like the single mom, what we need most is encouragement & support. we hope that if we stay the course and make wise choices with integrity as best we can that somehow maybe some relief will come.
