Q&A


Bob Martin, FPCA’s elder for Finance, addresses aspects of FPCA finances covered in the annual meeting on January 29


What is FPCA’s overall financial status?


Preliminary (unaudited) balance sheet results show a slight increase in endowment assets along with a General Fund operating surplus as of December 31, 2016. Session approved a full audit again this year beginning on February 21, 2017, after which year-end results will be finalized and the Session will act on the operating surplus.


Tese results were presented to the congregation on January 29, 2017, and can also be viewed on FPCA’s website. For in-depth detail, any member is invited and encouraged to visit the office for review.


What were the results of the fall annual giving campaign?


Te annual giving campaign was held during the months of September through December. Some 538 households pledged a total of $1,310,117 to be used for operating expenses in 2017. It is important to note that this figure represents 80 percent of all revenue expected for development of the 2017 operating budget.


Charts included in the January presentation to the congregation reflect the fact that the total number of pledges continues a downward trend that has been occurring over the past 11 years. While the dollars pledged remained


largely the same as for 2016, those dollars are being given by a smaller number of individuals. Tese two trends—lower numbers of pledges providing more dollars in giving— are of concern and simply are not sustainable in the future.


Session recently completed the church’s 2017 budget. Can you summarize it?


As in 2016, the Session made commitments to having a balanced budget without using reserve monies to balance. Our budget managers were asked to submit detailed requests (not wish lists) needed for their team/ ministry in 2017. During the process, all teams were asked to cut expectations by 7 percent, which was accomplished, and the Session approved the 2017 budget in December.


Te 2017 budget reflects total revenue of $1,664,100 and expenditures of $1,663,949. A graph showing a breakout of planned expenditures per ministry area is included in the annual report and on the website. A full copy of the budget is available by contacting the church office, and folks are encouraged to request it.


What are you looking forward to in the future?


Continuing to provide transparency in financial matters for the congregation, working with our new lead pastor and the Session to develop programs for increasing capital reserves and Held for Session reserves, and working with the other ministries to accomplish the goals reflected in FPCA’s Vision 2020 statement and further the congregation’s mission in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.


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