This week's newsletter from Gene

2015 was a very good financial year for Hillcrest. The end of the summer and early fall, there were some concerns, but we had a very good ending and finished the year about 5% over budget!! For the past several years, January has been a difficult financial month for us, but we are going to be very close to making budget for January. Hopefully February will also be strong. Just like at your house, having money opens up options. Our financial goal is not to accumulate cash, but to fund ministry opportunities, whether within our church or through other opportunities. When our budget is fully funded, it allows our internal ministries to fulfill the objectives they set when submitting their budgets. It is very nice, as the administrator, when I can give the green light to ministries funding their projects instead of asking them to wait until we are in a better cash position.

Do you “pay” your “bill” to Hillcrest, or however you label your donations in your mind, or do you give your offerings? Over the years, our giving has been very important to Lynn and me. We saw it as not only what we should be doing as disciples, but also, from maybe a somewhat selfish standpoint, I wanted to make sure that we were always in a position financially to know we could depend upon the Lord to provide all our financial needs. You don’t get to that position without giving, because that is what He has said.

The Bible has lots of references regarding giving; do a word search sometime to learn more. But if you look at Mal. 3:10-11, you will find the only place in the Bible where the Lord says directly to test Him to see if He will perform. I can’t tell you the number of times in our lives when I’ve asked the Lord to “rebuke the devourer,” as it says He will do, and have seen Him do that very thing. When we are trusting the Lord with our money by doing what He has asked, He then becomes responsible to guide us and either provide the income needed or rebuke the devourer (expenses), so that we will always have what we need. Ps. 37:25

What financial terms will you employ in 2016? The world’s methods, or the Lord’s? I hope you are in a position to know for sure that you can depend on Him to work in your finances this year. You control that.