Every year you are invited to a night to be informed about the work accomplished the previous year and a preview for the year to come. This year we called it Vision Night. For those of you who were able to join us then, this is a review. For those who were unable to attend Vision Night, this is important information.
OUR MISSION AND VISION
Our church leadership has been working for several months to identify and articulate our mission and vision. Last October we presented our mission: Mountainview exists to “Affect life change through belonging, growing and serving.” (BELONG ~ GROW ~ SERVE). We have identified the vision fueling our mission for the next three to five years is “Bringing real HOPE to All people All the time”.
At the very beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry He visited His hometown. He stood before His family and childhood friends and neighbors to read from the prophet Isaiah. Luke records it this way:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.
Luke 4:18-19 NLT
Then Jesus proceeded to tell the crowd the scripture just read had been fulfilled. These words were the reason Jesus had come to earth and would become the vision for His entire earthly ministry.
This is why we believe God is calling Mountainview to “Bring real HOPE to All people All the time”. Hope is the Good News. Hope is the Gospel of Jesus. We want to model Jesus and respond to people by bringing them Hope, specifically and exactly where they are.
Sick people want to be well. Blind people want to see. The hungry want something to eat. People who have lost loved ones want them back. Jesus considered this question throughout His ministry: What is HOPE for him, for her or for them?
As we become people who are aligned with the heart of God and as we begin to understand the reason God sent Jesus to earth, then we will grasp the invitation to join God in bringing REAL HOPE to all people.
OUR STRATEGY
To accomplish the vision fully in the next three to five years, the leadership has outlined five strategic points to fulfill:
- Articulate simple and clear next steps for new people.
This means a person new to Mountainview would clearly know what steps they can take to become a Christian or to partner with Mountainview.
- Research, define and implement a flexible small group emphasis.
We believe healthy, authentic, vulnerable and Christ-centered community will lead to spiritual growth like nothing else. We believe God will use small groups where people BELONG so they can GROW.
- Enhance our Children’s Ministry.
Without a doubt our leadership desires a dynamic Children’s Ministry that is the “secret sauce” to what we do. We want a clean, safe and fun environment for children. We want a Children’s Ministry that makes kids excited to come to Mountainview every week!
- Develop our worship service to bring Hope to all who need it.
Attending church for the first time can be an awkward experience. We want to make sure we explain what we do and why we do it so the awkwardness can be diminished. We want to make sure we are welcoming and helpful. We want to be intentional about inviting people to follow Jesus.
- Serve people who are in need of restoration and practical hope.
Although we believe Jesus is the ultimate Hope, we need to remember the world is full of brokenness, evil and people with needs and problems. We can make a difference. We want to make sure we work together to help meet the real and felt needs of people.
RADICAL ASK (CAPITAL CAMPAIGN) UPDATE
In March and April our leadership came to you with a need and an opportunity.
The need: to repair the older portion of our roof totaling $80,000
The opportunity: to reduce our mortgage interest rate by raising at least $100,000
In a little over one month through 191 Mountainview families YOU raised $368,821.89!
$168,821.89 in the form of contributions and $200,000 in the form of partnerships.
This money is making it possible for the roof to be repaired this summer using the $80,000 set aside.
The remaining funds were applied to our church mortgage, bringing the principle amount down to $2,972,996 and reducing the total remaining monthly payments by 33, with a total potential savings over time to $928,419!
FINANCIAL UPDATE
We have a dedicated, hardworking and knowledgeable finance team who manages our budget and everything involving our day to day finances. We desire to be forthright regarding church finances. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please direct them to our church treasurer Tanney Staffenson.
Income for Fiscal Year July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013
Expenses for Fiscal Year July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013
Fiscal Year 2011-2012 and Fiscal Year 2012-2013 Comparison
Current Fiscal Year 2013-2014 Budget
Current Fiscal Year to Date - July 1, 2013 through April 30, 2014 INCOME
Current Fiscal Year to Date - July 1, 2013 through April 30, 2014 EXPENSES
One of the many reasons Vision Night was scheduled in May was because it is the beginning of our fiscal year budget process. Each year we ask our church family to communicate with our treasurer about their intended giving. The reason we do this is because it allows our finance team to prepare an accurate budget for the next fiscal year.
We believe our future is bright, our mission is big and our vision is God-given. We believe our strategy is worth funding. However, we must be responsible managers of money. When our finance team has an idea about the income, then they can project the expenses.
As you can see, we have a BIG MISSION, A GOD-GIVEN VISION, A COHESIVE STRATEGY, and A FINANCIAL PROCESS that cannot be accomplished without us working together. It is my hope and prayer that you are encouraged and will continue to partner together to make an IMPACT in our church, our community and around the world.
Respectfully,
Tom Santillanes
Lead Pastor
BELONG - GROW - SERVE
