Dear Friends,
If you are receiving this, you are in some way connected to the ministry of our church. If you are a financial donor to Grace in 2022, you should have already received this letter last week in a separate mailing along with a current statement of your giving to Grace for the year. If you didn’t receive that email, please contact Alyssa Werner (alyssa@graceseattle.org).
If you are not currently a donor, please prayerfully consider giving to further the Lord's work through our congregation. There are several giving options at the end of this email.
Grace ended the first half of the year running a substantial deficit. Our expenses exceeded income by approximately $160,000. This compares to the first half of 2021 when Grace had a surplus of $90,000. The deficit is primarily the result of giving being down $160,000 compared to the prior year. It’s worth noting that part of the difference was a few large donations we received in Q2 2021.
Expenses are also up $73,000 in 2022, primarily in Outreach spending (Serving the City, et al). With the recent hiring of two new staff members, we expect expenses to continue to run higher in 2022 when compared to 2021. For a snapshot of our financial picture, you can go here.
Grace is at an important time in our history. We are entering into a new chapter of our congregation’s life, and we believe the Lord has a spacious future ahead of us. Our recent staff additions are forward-looking hires, designed to help us make significant strides in serving our city and discipling our youth. We believe the life the Lord is creating in our community is something worth generously giving towards. With that in mind, we are asking everyone to prayerfully consider increasing their giving this year and beyond. There are a variety of ways to give at the bottom of this email
Please be assured that I, and the rest of the finance team and the Vestry, are keeping a close eye on our finances and our financial health. We will continue to monitor things closely. We have a large unrestricted cash reserve and a history of strong second half of year giving, which, we believe, is reason for optimism.
In summary, we continue to be grateful and blessed as a congregation. And we remain hopeful and committed to the vision for increased outreach and giving to the many needs that surround us, as well as the care for our people and children and youth.
If you have questions about your giving statement, please contact our bookkeeper, Noni Wilson, at bookkeeper@graceseattle.org. If you have any other questions, please contact me, or any of the members of the vestry or staff.
Warmly,
Clint Morse, Treasurer
clintm@themosaiccompany.com
PS There are many ways for you to give to Grace.