August Financial Report

Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord, and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

Our Little Free Pantry continues to be a blessing to the community. Everyday, people stop by to shop the free selections.  Now that the pantry has been open for a few months we know which items are the most popular. Snack packs of applesauce, pop-top cans of meat, peanut butter, and breakfast bars.

 Sometimes, we catch conversations from the pantry on our security cameras. One woman had a conversation with her partner while they were shopping:

Man: “Honey, do you want this peanut butter? It's extra-crunchy."
Woman: “Yes! I am so excited to get any peanut butter. I love peanut butter. Thank you, thank you to whoever left us peanut butter.”

Just the other day, I came into work and found an empty cracker box in the pantry, unfolded and laying open. Someone had written, “Thank you” across the box and left it for us to find. Another time, a man shopping the pantry looked up to the sky (which also happened to be our camera) and said, “Thank you, thank you so much.” It looked like he was talking to God. This is what the Scripture from Neiamiah is describing—giving to those in need from a sense of abundance rather than scarcity. We stock our Little Free Pantry with essentials like rice and canned vegetables. But we also include cereal, peanut butter, cake mixes, frosting, applesauce, and sometimes even a treat like candy. We do this because everyone deserves to experience joy and receive the best that life has to offer.

God has blessed us in this way, giving us love, grace, forgiveness, and setting our communion table with bread and wine (grape juice in the United Methodist Church). Nothing is held back from us and we are called to share likewise. Your giving—items for the Little Free Pantry, your time to volunteer, and your monetary gifts—are what enables FUMCO to do what the prophet Neiamiah encourages the people of God to do by “send portions of them to those who have nothing prepared”.

Your Finance Committee prepares an annual budget that helps equip us to care for the community and do God’s work in our neighborhood and around the world.  Each month, your Finance Committee tracks our spending and income (your financial gifts) to make sure that we are financially sound.  

Below you will find the financial report for August. You might notice that we are currently running a deficit. That is common as we come out of summer. However, I do ask that you prayerfully consider an additional gift to the church to prepare us for the fall and winter season. Thank you for everything you do! You are making a difference in the lives of people in our neighborhood and sharing with them the good gifts that God has given to us!

                        August 2025                      Year to Date
Income           $68,859                              $506,003
Expense         $61,124                                $532,865
Net                  $7,735                                 - $26,862