In an ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) memo dated April 3, 2009, (sent to us by email), the following was shared:
ELCA Global Mission (GM) is experiencing a “perfect storm” with three distinct elements: (1) a 7 percent ($1.087 million) reduction in the ELCA’s regular budget (funded primarily from Mission Support, the gifts that flow from congregations through synods to the churchwide organization); (2) a 9 percent ($1.34 million) reduction in World Hunger income, which makes up over 40 percent of GM’s budget; and (3) a $1.27 million loss of purchasing power between 2008 and 2009, relating to a variety of global factors and earlier budget reductions. (It costs GM $850,000 million more in 2009 to support roughly the same number of missionaries supported in 2008.) Any one of these factors would be difficult to deal with. But each of the three amplifies the impact of the others. Putting the three together, the effective budget reduction that GM will have to deal with in 2009 totals $3.7 million, or 12.2 percent. (Emphasis is in Memo)
The memo then details how the Global Mission is dealing with the 2009 budget reduction.
I share this information not to complain, because as many of you know many people are in dire financial pain in the US and around the world. Rather, I cannot emphasize enough the need for prayerful support of the ELCA.
Please continue to pray for the church around the world, that the present financial difficulties do not lead us down the path of pessimism but that the church learns to use our limited resources in new and exciting ways to bring the good news of Jesus Christ around the world.
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