4-29-08 Pastor's E Letter
Friends,
May 4th will be an historic day in the life of Sunrise!
Your vote will determine the future of this congregation. Sunrise is 28 years old this year and this vote will radically impact the next 28 years and beyond. So...PLEASE...vote!
A "yes" vote continues God's plan for Sunrise to become a world church with a world vision. It allows us to continue to expand our ministry as we continue our plan to build a new worship center and move the entire church to one expanded location. (This is the recommendation of the Property Committee and the Church Council.) A "no" vote means that the entire vision needs to be re-examined.
I know you have been praying about this vote. Please continue those prayers. I'm praying for God's direction in all of this. Let me assure you it's not about what I want. It's not about what you want or what makes you feel comfortable. This is about what God calls us to do and be! Sometimes ministry is difficult and even risky, but the rewards are always incredible! Some folks even say they are heavenly!
You know what my position is on this. I'm clear that the Property Committee recommendation is the right one. Their recommendation was just unanimously approved by the Church Council without amendment or change. It has been the vision of Sunrise leadership for the past 6 years. We have already voted on components of this vision twice and approved it both times. The generous people of Sunrise have contributed millions of dollars to the fulfillment of this vision. But now we need to vote again.
The rumor mill will be working overtime this week. I certainly won't hear all of the rumors and I don't want to. But it has been my experience that few rumors are true. They exaggerate and exploit fears. That's what makes them so juicy! So, please listen to any rumors with a very critical ear. If you feel comfortable, ask the person sharing the source of their supposed information. And be even more cautious in passing along a rumor. If you really want some straight information, send me an e-mail at Marv@sunriseumc.com and I'll try to help.
In fact, you probably need to be cautious about e-mails and print material as well. It's been circulated electronically and in print that I say "repeatedly from the pulpit that we are in a tough economic time and in a recession." Well, if you are a regular in worship, you know that isn't the case. In fact, I am quite proud of the generosity of Sunrise people and our current financial situation.
Sunrise ended the first quarter of this year $7908 to the good!
Our Christmas and Easter offerings have set new records!
We have $500,000 in certificates of deposit.
Our current capital campaign has commitments of almost $2 million. The last capital campaign conducted for debt reduction received only $250,000. So that is an 800% increase! And receipts in this campaign are actually ahead of what we expected.
We ended the year of 2007 with assets of $7.44 million. (If you know accounting, you know those assets are dramatically understated. A more realistic value would be $10 million or more.)
Our fund balance (or net worth for you business folks) was $1.43 million at the end of 2007.
So let me set the record straight! I am so grateful to all of you for making the ministry of Sunrise happen! You have been generous and faithful and the figures prove it.
One final comment: when you vote, please don't do it out of fear! Fear is the opposite of faith and we are a people of faith. We are saved by faith. The power of Jesus is let loose by faith. We inherit eternity because we trust in what Jesus has already done for us.
See you this weekend in worship and for a vote on the 4th!
Grace and peace,
Marv Vose