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August 15, 2024
To Christ the King Parishioners:
My name is Paul Lienhard and I am the current Chairman of Christ the King’s Finance Committee. Many of you may be unaware that such a committee exists. The Finance Committee is comprised of appointed volunteers from the church and includes representatives from the Parish Council and School Advisory Committee. We meet on a quarterly basis to review the church’s financial operations, assist in the annual budget process and discuss capital needs of the church’s campus.
This letter is a follow-up to Fr. Rex’s comments in the July 12th CK Crier regarding the Finance Committee and the role we play in analyzing the financial information of the church.
I would like to start with a discussion of our annual budget. I am sure you know that the largest source of our revenue is from the weekly offertory. You might have noticed in the weekly bulletin that we have not been meeting our offertory goal. In fact, in our last fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, our total offertory collected was $2.7 million, which was $100,000 lower than what was collected for June 30, 2023. Our goal when budgeting is to project break-even revenue minus expenses. For the current fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, we budgeted a 5% increase in tithing to $2.85 million.
One fact that needs to be noted is we have sadly lost some of our most generous, long-time parishioners who were very faithful in their sacrificial giving. We will all need to step up to fill those very large shoes. Obviously, our school is a strong component for the growth of the church and both the church and school are well-served by this mutually beneficial relationship. Historically, the church budget has subsidized part of the school operations and will continue to do so in the future. With the new Parental Choice Tax Credit program, the subsidized amount will decrease but will not be eliminated. In addition, our school families will benefit from this program with reduced tuition costs. Not only does this allow more of our families to be able to afford Catholic education but it also gives them the opportunity to increase their weekly contribution to the church. A few years ago, we added the option to give your weekly offertory on-line through the Faith Direct program. This has been a good decision in many ways, but one negative, and one I’ve been guilty of, is not revisiting our giving on an annual basis. Due to inflation, the church and school costs increase every year. I challenge those who are enrolled in Faith Direct to look at your resources and see if you can make an increase to your current level of giving.
In conclusion, there is a business to the parish’s operations, and we are not immune to the rising costs of operating such a campus. We are blessed with an incredible staff who meet the needs of our parish community daily while challenging themselves to be efficient with their individual budgets. We must also keep our salaries competitive to attract and retain individuals to lead our parish ministries and school.
Christ the King Catholic Church is a wonderful place to worship, create friendships and build community. We are fortunate to offer many ministries for parishioners to enjoy and grow their faith. However, we need to meet our income goals to continue providing the worthwhile ministries and programs that we currently offer.
Thank you for allowing me to give you an update on our financial status. This letter is not meant to alarm you, but to give you information and knowledge. This is our parish, and we all have a role to play in the continued strength of our church and school.
Yours in Christ,
Paul Lienhard