2009 was a year of big steps for our little congregation. We've made it through some major changes and need your help to forge on ahead. Last fall, we mobilized and moved from Mission Bay/Potrero Hill to the Excelsior District. We started meeting at night and weathered that transition. Shortly after our move, last December, we chartered as a church and ordained our first class of elders. Bruce continued his journey as moderator of the PCUSA and we said goodbye to beloved staff members, Abby, Tiffany, and Nick. As is common in our community, we also bid farewell to many friends and members who left San Francisco for greener (is that even possible?) pastures.
At the same time, we continued to grow in 2009. Even as people moved to Austin, Chicago, Portland and beyond, new members have continued to join our church. We have welcomed several new babies into our community. We've most recently welcomed new staff members, Erin and Miriam. One small group with a vision even implemented the Excelsior Community Food Pantry. This group has fed hundreds of families through its monthly pantry and is continuing to grow. We also formed a Pastoral Care Committee, which, speaking from personal experience, does an excellent job caring for and serving our members in need.
Looking forward to 2010, I hope that our congregation will dream big and continue to grow in Christ, uplifting and supporting one another and serving our wider community. Looking back at 2009, however, we have begun to look at our budget and expenses for the past year. In congregational meetings earlier this year we discussed how our church operates on, frankly, a shoestring budget. Our budget and expenses are available for review at: MBCC Budget: 2009 Year-to-Date. Nearing the end of the year, our income puts us a little more than $5000 short of meeting our budget. It has not been an easy year for folks financially, but if you can manage to donate to the church, it would help us to end this year in good shape for continuing to minister in the year to come.
You can make a contribution online at www.egive-usa.com and/or for other ways to support our ministry through things like eScript and other programs CLICK HERE. Please consider giving and thank you for your continued support.
Katina [email]Elder for Administration and Support
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