For a church to thrive, it needs to be meaningful for participants. It needs energetic leadership and committed staff. It needs a place to call its own, and a regular financial income to make it viable. Church of the Redeemer is a meaningful place, with its own building. It has energetic leadership and the staff is great, and there are over 40 family units and individuals that were committed to give to the ministry of the church on a regular basis in 2022. We have everything to thrive and make a difference.
Church of the Redeemer UMC in Cleveland Heights, Ohio has an important role to play in our community.
- We are a reconcilling spiritual community in Northeast Ohio.
- We are calling for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community to be fully recognised in the United Methodist Church.
- We continue to take an active role addressing homelessness.
- We are active in Greater Cleveland Congregations working with other faith communities calling for social justice.
- We celebrate God’s grace and love for all people and strive to follow Jesus’ teachings. It is a place to find love and affirmation, exactly as you are – No Exceptions.
Cost of Having a Church
The suggested budget for Church of the Redeemer for 2023 is $145,048. It can be broken down in four main categories.
- Mission and UMC Support* $18,174
- Church Ministry $11,550
- Staff Expenses $81,372
- Property+Utilities $33,952
This does not give the full picture of our activities due to the amount of volunteer hours given by members, fulfilling otherwise costly tasks. There are currently four people on staff at Church of the Redeemer.
Were Does The Money Come From?
Were Does The Money Come From?To pay $145,048 in 2023, the church recieves four types of income.
- Pledges $105,000
- Other Giving $11,400
- Rent Income $6,600
- Savings from Earlier Years $22,048
In the next few years the church needs to make it a goal to have pledges cover 80% of yearly spending as the church reduces its need to dip into our limited savings.
Challenge If You Don’t Currently Pledge
In 2022 we had nearly 40 family units or individuals pledge to the church, promising to support the congregation financially on a regular basis throughout the year. We like to challenge you if you don’t currently pledge, to help make Church of the Redeemer a sustainable church for the future. We believe regular giving to a faith community is an important spiritual practice. When we pledge we show solidarity and commitment regardless of the amount we give. We want to challenge you to be part of the church not only with your participation and volunteerism but with your regular giving. If you have never pledged before we want to challenge you to start with 1-2% of your income after tax. If you don’t pledge but give regularly we ask you to consider to pledge at least part of your yearly giving to help the church to make plans for the coming year.
Challenge If You Pledge
If you are currently pledging, thank you. We ask you to discern your current pledge and if you can, continue to give the same amount as you did last year. If you are able to increase giving by 3% to keep up with increased cost of running the church it would be wonderful. Whatever you do, please be mindful that we appreciate your giving spirit. If you have to decrease giving, we ask you to continue to pledge at least something, because the spiritual discipline of regular giving matters more than the amount.