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I usually write about the church budget, but this month I would like to comment our designated accounts. These are special encumbered accounts where we tract donations, registrations, and grants and associated expenditures that are earmarked for special programs and purposes. They are grouped into twelve categories: adult programs, children’s programs, youth programs, outreach and inreach, denominational benevolence, fellowship, arts, worship, personnel related, facilities and equipment, memorial funds, and miscellaneous funds. There are 64 active designated accounts.
Adult programs include funds collected and used for women’s, men’s and all church retreat. There are also funds set aside for outside speakers, lunch groups, the adult board, workshops, and OWL (Our Whole Life) training. At the end of March, the total set aside for 17 adult program funds was $41,202.
Children’s Programs include funds for the Board of Youth and Family, Kids Night Out, and Summer Programs. There is also a fund called Real Kids Real Faith where we have placed grant funds received through a special grant for work done by Rev. Talia Raymond on developing a curriculum for family programs. Church Council has agreed that the net income from this grant will be given to Talia to use for her travels and studies during her summer sabbatical. At the end of March, the total for children’s programs was $10,001 of which $5,000 is from the Real Kids Real Faith grant work done to date.
Youth programs include funds for the high school and middle school groups and funds for the summer work tour. At the end of March, the total for youth programs was $10,220.
Outreach and inreach funds is the largest group of designated accounts with 18 separate designations. These include all our social justice missions, compassion in action, food first Sundays, Family Promise, Food 4 Kids, and the Emergency Loan Fund (ELF). $2,625 was collected for the ELF fund during and shortly after the Easter morning church services. The largest of these funds is Food 4 Kids that is supported by your donations, a grant from Alachua County, and a $10,000 donation from Clay Electric. At the end of March, Food 4 Kids had a balance of $62,026. This entire group of funds had a total of $84,484.
The four small groups of funds for denominational benevolence, fellowship, arts, and worship had $3,849 at the end of March.
The group of funds for personnel related items includes continuing education funds for the ministers and staff and discretionary funds for each minister. A remaining balance of Rev. Bromleigh McCleneghan’s discretionary funds of $577 has been transferred to the Emergency Loan Fund. There is also a balance of $2,087 left from the Christian Theological Seminary grant that supported Bromleigh’s 2024 sabbatical. We will need to wait until after our final report on this grant to see what will be done with those funds. There is also $6,902 in a sabbatical fund for Talia’s summer sabbatical. The Board of Endowment is contributing another $3,000 toward her sabbatical and an additional $10,000 will come from her work on the Real Kids Real Faith grant mentioned above.
The facilities and equipment funds include amounts for the library, the memory garden, website upgrade, and building improvements. Building improvements now serves as our capital reserve account. At the end of March there was $102,110 in the building improvements designated account, but since then we have spent about $47,000 on the west wing bathroom renovations and on a new 10-ton A/C unit for the sanctuary.
There is only a small amount of memorial funds remaining for Helen Aller-Oster and Madeline Chance.
Miscellaneous funds include a pass-through account for football parking revenue, funds raised for the church healing process and funds from match giving from the Ford Foundation. There is $2,714 available for further work on church healing. Matching gifts from the Ford Foundation from 2024 and 2025 total $45,000 which must be used for secular purposes. They will be used to support youth summer work tour trips and to pay for cognitive center training for childcare staff.
At the end of March, the total for designated accounts was $318,117. Through three months $113,193 has come into these accounts through donations, grants, program registrations, and fundraising efforts. Over those same months, $90,864 has been disbursed for designated purposes. The most active designated accounts have been retreats, OWL training, Food 4 Kids, and building improvements.
About 79% of the designated funds are held in a Merrill Lynch investment account with investments tied to the fed rates. Through March the church had earned $2,867 in interest at an average rate of about 4.6%.
Alan Hill, Board of Business Chair