2024 Narrative Financial Statement of Mission

Who Are We?

Elk Grove United Methodist Church (EGUMC) has a rich history in the community of Elk Grove. First established as a charge on August 29, 1871, EGUMC will be celebrating 154 years of ministry in the community in 2025. Throughout the years, EGUMC has been integral in providing mission outreach programs that serve the unhoused, food insecure, and other vulnerable populations.

EGUMC is part of the Cal-Nevada Annual Conference, a regional branch of the United Methodist church that encompasses most of California and Nevada. Guided by a common vision of Following Jesus, Thriving in Community, Healing the World, EGUMC’s mission is to spread God’s unconditional love and Jesus’ teaching to love our neighbors through our faith and work in the Elk Grove community.

Goals and Faith in Action

In June 2024, the Church Council worked on four major ministry goals…goals that would drive the financial direction and stewardship over the next couple of years. These goals are:

1.      Provide three additional opportunities for increased family engagement at EGUMC.

2.      Increase engagement in the life of the church by at least 10%.

3.      Identify funding opportunities to expand and grow ministries.

4.      Expand the music program to include three new opportunities and increased participation.

The following Financial Statement of Mission is a story of our faith in action as we work and fund these goals for missional success. In 2024, EGUMC shared this love in mission and ministry by:

This story outlines each ministry, how funds were used, and the quantitative and qualitative progress on our Church Council Goals.

While it is hard to capture every detail, we invite you to read on to see much of what was accomplished this year through your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service, and your witness. Our finances use a combination of general donations, which contribute to our General Fund Budget and other special designated giving. Ministry activity in BOLD represents activities that utilize funding from our general fund budget. All other ministry activities that are not in bold utilize special designated giving. For each category, you will see a total amount spent in 2024 from our General Fund Budget for that area of ministry. At the end of this narrative, you will see a summary of the 2024 General Fund spending.

United Methodist Connectional Ministries                               Total 2024 Budget: $31,406

We are a connectional church, which means that we share our ministry with other churches in our regional area and beyond. These ministries include 10% giving of our total incoming funds to the California-Nevada Annual Conference that is then disseminated across the region and the world, supporting United Methodist churches and smaller communities. Additionally, extra support comes in the form of designated giving to United Methodist Ministries such as Disaster Relief with UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief), our Covenant Missionary to Nepal, and Native American Ministries. Last year we…

We expect our giving for 2025 to look similar in this area.

Worship and Music                                                                         Total 2024 Budget: $47,427

Worship and Music is the heart of our Sunday morning experience. Each week, we gather together for prayers, praise, scripture, and music as we experience the love of God and share in the teachings of Jesus. Last year we…

• Made upgrades to our sound and recording equipment. We raised an additional $3000 in 2024 to complete these upgrades.
• Began a new streaming service for worship to share with those online.
• Celebrated volunteers on the worship team that serve as ushers, greeters, communion servers, sound engineers, and more. Six volunteers are needed each week, and there are over 20 volunteers on the Worship team available to assist at a moment’s notice.
• Moved to one service where all can worship together.
• Enhanced worship through both our choir and praise band, increasing membership of both by approximately 50%.
• Introduction of a Children’s Choir that sings once a month for worship.
• Introduction of the drama team, assisting with new ways of presenting the scripture during worship.
• Sharing a gift with the community during the Advent Season with a new Christmas Musical
• 5th Sunday Young People’s Sunday service, where children stay in worship, the worship service is created with children in mind, and the Sunday School classes provide worship elements such as the Call to Worship and the Closing Blessing.
• New ways of being church through micro community gatherings (Fresh Expressions of Church) like Paws and Prayers and Line dancing.
• Special musical offerings during the Lenten season.
• Special musical offerings for the summer – chimes, family choir, guitar Sunday.

In 2025, we are looking forward to…

• Qmunity – a fresh expression of worship gathering of LGBTQ+ persons and allies.
• Growing Sunday Worship attendance.
• Expanding digital worship ministry.
• Offering a special spring musical experience with the Choir and praise band.

Children and Family Ministries                                                    Total 2024 Budget: $26,616

At Elk Grove UMC we have cultivated a place where children and families can find a place to know they are loved and to learn about Jesus through a safe and grace filled environment. Through our age-appropriate Sunday School classes, we have a dedicated crew of volunteers who share the word of God and the love of Jesus through Methodist supported curriculum. Through other activities, children and families can find space to form deeper relationships and connections while also enhancing their individual spiritual growth. Last year we…

• Provided training for Sunday School volunteers.
• Provided for two opportunities for Parent’s Night Out
• Provided childcare for Sunday worship, committee meetings, and other church-wide events.
• Organized a family camp at Lodestar for all ages with 27 EGUMC members and families attending.
• Supported Community events that also support our diversity and inclusion values, such as Sacramento Pride, Elk Grove Pride, and the Elk Grove Multicultural festival.
• Supported the Acolytes, youth group, and Young Adult programs through staffing, activities, and service projects.
• Congregational Health and Care committee activities, such as the digital safety and fraud seminar, grief support, and caregiver support.
• Activities for children and families such as the annual Easter egg hunt.
• Began a Children’s Choir with the music ministry.
• An increase in volunteers for our Sunday School and other Children’s activities – it takes approximately 8-10 volunteers each Sunday to run the program. We have had several new volunteers as adults in the classroom as well as for pre-service Sunday school sign up and other needs.
• 5th Sunday Young People’s Sunday service, where children stay in worship, the worship service is created with children in mind, and the Sunday School classes provide worship elements such as the Call to Worship and the Closing Blessing.

In 2025, we are looking forward to…

• Cultivating the Hospitality Committee for continued spiritual growth, small group, and fellowship.
• Growing our Acolytes and Youth Group ministries – with an increase of over 50% noticeable in Sept-Dec 2024.
• Including children and youth in our Diversity and Qmunity activities.
• Continuing to offer Childcare Services for our activities so more families can participate.
• Parents Collaborative with Uplift People of Elk Grove with monthly collaborative meal planning nights and Parent’s Night Out events.

Church Facilities and Infrastructure                                          Total 2024 Budget: $80,901

While we understand that the Church isn’t a building, it is the gathered people being the hands and feet of Jesus, we know that the building and other facilities allow for us to do our mission of discipleship and transforming the world. Without the dedicated work of our trustees and other volunteers, we would not be able to maintain our many facilities. Elk Grove UMC owns the church building and the education wing as well as the commercial building to its east (currently housing a salon and jewelry/gold shop) as well as a residential home adjacent to the parking lot and behind the commercial building. Thanks in part to a large bequest that the Finance committee was able to give direction for use, this past year has seen a lot of changes in the upkeep of our facilities. Last year we…

• Provided general maintenance of all our facilities.
• Facilitated several workdays that helped with the upkeep of our landscaping and other facility needs.
• Provided space for 6 different 12-step recovery groups meeting 5 different days (AA, NA, Naranon, CoDA).
• Provide a space for the Teen Center to use our basketball courts for their after-school programs.
• Provide a space for Uplift People of Elk Grove to meet weekly as well as for fundraising activities.
• Provide a space for other community groups – scouts, stitching with heart, widows book club, and more, to meet and create a sense of belonging.
• Supply ministries with space, storage, and cleaning needs including but not limited to the Shower ministry and Saturday Morning Breakfast Ministry.
• Have a digital presence with a website, social media, vimeo streaming, and communications through email, breeze (our database system) and mailchimp.
• Supply insurance for facility use as well as for our volunteers and staff.
• Continue to maintain an elevator for all in need of assistance.
• Cleaned, sanded, and repainted the porches.
• Began remodeling and updating the library.
• Ordered new signage.

In 2025 we hope to…

• Update the website to provide information for newcomers and current church members alike.
• Expand our ministry footprint into the community.
• Pressure wash and possibly paint the exterior of the Main church building.
• Complete the remodeling of the Library which will provide for a nursing/quiet room during worship services and an office for the Music Director.
• New roof and solar for the main church building and look into new solar for the education wing.

Serving Others in Love                                                                         Not in General Budget

Each time we give, we have the opportunity to give more than our regular monthly giving. We often call this a second mile giving. At times, this giving helps us to provide activities, ministry, or other needs that we normally would not be able to do. In 2024 we…

• Provided toys, hats, kitchen supplies, and more to families in Chiloquin, OR as a co-ministry with Point Pleasant UMC.
• Purchased material for the Acolytes and Youth to make toys and blankets for the Elk Grove Animal Shelter and did a food drive for the animal shelter, providing much needed items for their dogs and cats.
• Donated $500+ in honor of Lynda Diaz to the Animal Shelter.
• Donated $2000+ to United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) for hurricane, storm, and fire damaged communities.
• Raised $4,857 to send youth to Sierra Service Project.
• Donated food to the Elk Grove Food Pantry during the 2024 Super Bowl hunger challenge.
• Donated $1057 to the Shower Ministry.
• Donated $2,861 to the Meal Ministry to provide breakfast to the entire community.
• Donated $155 to the Annual Conference special ministry to West Angola and African University.
• Raised $3132 for College Scholarships.
• Donated $650 to the Cal-Nev Annual Conference Committee on Native American Ministries.

In 2025 we plan to…

• Send 6 youth and 3 adults to Sierra Service Project.
• Continue to receive donations to UMCOR, Elk grove Food Pantry, and the Shower Ministry.
• Enhance ministries to better serve the community.
• Provide support to the LGBTQ+ Community in Elk Grove through pride, supporting A Seat at the Table Bookstore activities, and presenting ourselves in the community during other diversity and inclusion events.

General Fund Financial Summary for 2024

Below is a basic table and graph of our General Fund Budget for 2024

Area of Ministry	What does this include	Total spent from General Fund
Connectional Ministries	Monthly “tithe” to the Cal-Nev Annual Conference, Supporting Lay members to attend Annual Conference	$31,406.21
Worship and Music Ministries	Guest speakers, Upper Room devotionals, Worship Supplies (communion, music, decorating, etc.), Music licenses, staff salaries for Accompanist and Music Director	$47,427.41
Children and Family Ministries	Sunday School curriculum and supplies, Leadership training, Congregational care supplies, staff salaries for youth and young adult leaders, Hospitality, diversity and inclusion ministries, retreat scholarships	$26,616.64
Facility and Infrastructure	Maintenance for facilities and elevator, fire monitoring, Communications (phone/internet/website), Custodial supplies and staff salaries, utilities, insurance, office supplies, advertising, Finance/banking expenses, mortgage reduction (rental property/loan program)	$80,901.28
Support for All Areas	Payroll taxes, Staff-Parish Committee (includes pulpit supply when pastor is away), Salaries for Administrative Assistant and Pastor (includes pastor’s hosing, health insurance, and professional reimbursements)	$129,224.39

Percentage of Spending 2024