2006-09 Stewardship Plan

Reducing Our Debt, Growing Our Future

The 2006-09 Stewardship Plan is designed to pay off the money owed on the recent addition to the church building. It is the hope of the church leadership that by doing so in an accelerated timeframe (3 year Plan vs. 20 year mortgage) we will not only save money on the interest we would have paid, but will allow funds to be redirected into ministry after the debt is reduced.

Talk to anyone who has attended Calvary Bible Fellowship Church and they will tell you that we have been greatly blessed by God. God has led us to minister specifically in this area of Berks County and has given us a magnificent campus and facility through which to reach our surrounding communities.

However, with the blessing comes responsibility. Christ spent a great deal of His ministry teaching how we need to be good stewards of our time, talents, and treasure. As a church we need to practice those teachings corporately. This includes being on the lookout for ways we can minister to people in need of the gospel-and preparing ourselves for those opportunities. We need to make sure that we do not take for granted what God gives us.

The Addition

The east addition to the main church building was undertaken to meet the growing needs of the congregation. Space for children and youth ministries in particular were designed into project. We undertook an initial Capital Campaign to cover half of the cost of the addition with the idea that we would pay the rest of it off through a mortgage.

However, as the first Campaign wrapped up in 2005, the Steward Board saw that we could potentially end up paying almost as much in interest as we would in remaining principal. Based on this assessment, the leadership of the church initiated another captital campaign to eliminate as much of the remaining balance as possible.

A Comprehensive Plan

Because of the potential financial drain represented by a long term repayment of the money owed on the addition, a second Capital Campaign was initiated in the Spring of 2006. It was decided early in the planning stages to focus this campaign in a much more comprehensive manner than the first.

Financial stewardship is certainly an important element of our Christian walk - and a main focus of this Plan - but it cannot be pursued in a vacuum. The point of the east addition was to enable more effective ministry. The point of any financial stewardship program is to encourage stewardship of all that God has provided; our time, our talents, and our treasure.

During the course of this Plan we will be learning from the pulpit, in our ABF and small group lessons, and throughout a number of communication outlets within the church, the importance of giving back to God what he has given to us. In this way we intend to encourage everyone to give as Christ directs us so that in the end the church is not something that is simply a nice building. We want you to see the church as the facility through which you minister to the people that God has brought into your life - whether it's your family, friends, or community members.

Getting Involved

Getting involved is something that we invite everyone who is a regular attender of CBFC to pray about. Whether you feel led to give regularly to this Plan or not, the church leadership crave your prayers as we continue to discern how God would like us to discharge our financial obligations and balance our ministry opportunities.

If you do feel led to contribute financially, you may do so in a number of ways. Some people have made a committment to the full three year process in regular payments along with their tithes and offerings. Others have made one time donations. Others are giving as the Spirit prompts them to. Still others have found that in considering this Plan they have not been called to give beyond their tithe, but have felt encouraged to be more faithful to giving a tithe in accordance with Biblical teaching.

We hope that in emphasizing Stewardship more intentionally over the next several years you will be led to consider how God is asking you to give not only of your treasure. For many of us, the giving of our time and talents is even more difficult to prioritize. However, this too is what God is looking for. In many ways, the financial tithe is simply a first step in truly tithing of all that God has blessed us with.

We hope that ultimately this Plan will enable you to grow significantly closer to God and will encourage you to find a more fulfilling place here at Calvary Bible Fellowship Church.