November 2014

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Greetings, in the name of our Lord.

As I write this, Thanksgiving is only a few days away. We have so much to be thankful for as God has been so faithful. Looking back over the past year, I can only be amazed by God's provision and grace.

This is also the time of the year that we produce the mission's budget for the coming year. Formulating a budget for a faith ministry can be a bit of a challenge. A ministry like ours differs greatly from a normal business model, so most of the budgetary tools and methods available to us are not all that helpful. In a faith ministry, if God provides for something, we do it. If not, we don't. We will not go into debt or spend money we don't have. So, our meetings on the budget can get rather interesting. How do you budget for God?

I say all this because at this time last year, we had projected a 2014 budget deficit of around $78,000. That is significant when the overall expenditures are only about $350,000. Our expenses are mostly fixed in nature as they are things like electricity and heating fuel, license fees for music and programs, satellite charges, etc. So, on paper things did not look very good for 2014. The board of directors asked me if I had a fundraising plan in place to deal with this. I told them I did. Prayer.

I won't go into all the details here because it would consume many pages, but God has provided abundantly beyond anything we could imagine. Lord willing, it looks like we will finish 2014 in the black, with a small surplus. This is in addition to God providing for several unexpected repairs and emergencies. Praise be to God!

I share this as an encouragement to you and so you can rejoice with us. God's power and mercy are awesome to see at work. Though we still have concerns and challenges ahead of us, it is a great comfort to know that God is in control.

At this time of Thanksgiving, I want to express my thanks to God for the privilege of serving Him here. I also want to thank all of you for your support, especially your faithful prayers for us and for the people of rural Alaska.

Next month I hope to share some highlights of what God has done over the course of this year out in the villages and places where VFCM ministers. As we often say in radio, "stay tuned".

Thank you, and may God richly bless you in this season of thankfulness to God and remembrance of His provision for our salvation.

Art Thompson
VFCM Executive Director.