Each day this week, we will be sending an email with important information about the church’s budget, stories from church members about their ties here, what giving looks like here, and other information that shows us ‘The Tie that Binds” … to God and to our church family. Please be prayerful as you explore how this church is supported by you, its members and friends, and how making an annual financial commitment between now and Commitment Sunday, November 20, gives Church Street the opportunity to be in ministry and mission within our community.
Below, find three graphics that represent how we look at three larger buckets of Church Street’s expenses in 2022, with additional context provided about each graphic below.
Ministries at Church Street: Our ministries and missions make up just over 37% of our expenses in 2022. Many are noted in the graphic above, but the missions Church Street supports were too long to include in one graphic! Missions include:
- Wesley House Community Center
- Beacon of Hope Food Co-Op, Ladies Lunch and Learn, and Sharing Shop
- Soup Kitchen
- Habitat for Humanity
- Justice Knox
- Operation Backyard
- Sharing Shop
- Family Promise
- Wesley Foundation at UTK
- Dogwood Elementary School Kindergarten
- Food 4 Kids Weekend Bags Packing
- Annual Thanksgiving Baskets for 115 neighbors in need
- United Methodist Committee on Relief (Disaster Relief for hurricane and flood victims and relief for Ukraine)
- Rise Against Hunger (packing 10,000 meals)
- Henderson Settlement
- Missionary Support (Alaska & South Sudan)
- Hands-On Mission Projects, including food buckets for Zimbabwe, Emerald Youth Foundation
Extension Ministries comprise nearly 13% of our annual expenses and include the Church Street Preschool, all expenses related to maintaining Sterchi Lodge — our church’s mountain retreat — and the myriad uses of the Church Street Kitchen.
Notably, on each school day the kitchen is in use by the Preschool for healthy meals. And every Thursday for more than three decades, church volunteers serve a warm lunch and a takeaway bag for guests who join us at Soup Kitchen in Parish Hall. In the first 10 months of this year, Soup Kitchen has served more than 3,700 meals.
Salaries and Benefits for our staff make up 50% of our expenses at Church Street. Guiding our mission and ministry work every day and helping to deepen our faith through our sacred worship setting and meaningful programming are:
- Three full-time appointed pastors
- Fifteen full-time program, administrative, and custodial staff members
- Five regular part-time support staff, including music support, communications support, finance and administrative support, and childcare support (with additional nursery and childcare workers as needed)
Did you know… SIX of our full-time staff members have been employed at Church Street for more than 10 years? Administrative Assistant to the Senior Pastor Kelly Woods, with the longest tenure, began working at Church Street in her early adulthood and has served with 9 senior pastors, beginning with Rev. Toombs Kay.
This week, you should be receiving a letter and a commitment card in the mail for your 2023 gift – please return it on Sunday, November 20 during worship. If you prefer to make your commitment online, you may do so securely by visiting www.churchstreetumc.org/stewardship. If you would like to request more detailed budget information, or have other questions, please reply to this email and Kate Spencer, Church Administrator, will be glad to speak with you. You may also call: 865-521-0268.
