Finances

Our Approach to Giving

Serving our neighbors, helping the oppressed, and other aspects of our vision require resources to implement. Our giving is also a tangible expression of good stewardship, generosity, service, and discipleship. All of our resources—people, property, facilities and money—belong to God. and are dedicated to the pursuit of following Jesus and making the world a better place.

We take a positive, generous approach to money. We are very grateful to God for all we have been blessed with; and we hold our resources lightly, understanding they belong to God and are entrusted to us to use to bless others. Money is a tool to accomplish our vision, and not an end in itself. Therefore we seek to give, more than to receive; and to spend less on ourselves, and more on others. As agents of love, hope and peace, we want to use our money in ways that encourage, strengthen, and empower people.

The financial health of Cedar Ridge is the responsibility of us all. Everyone is encouraged to participate in giving in some way, no matter how rich or poor we are. We urge everyone to give as they are able, recognizing this varies between people and over time; and we encourage one another to become progressively more generous. However much we give, there is no place for judgment about people not giving their share; nor is there place for carelessness, neglecting to give, so others are left to make up the shortfall. 

Ways to Give

At Cedar Ridge we are working together as a community to live out our vision of hope and transformation. Whether we are helping people find help and healing, running a community farm, serving in Guatemala, creating a loving and life-changing program for our young people or developing deeper ways to grow spiritually, all these things cost money. And our money comes from within that same community–each one of us giving to the work of our church as generously as we are able. To view where our money is being spent this year, see the annual budget section below.

Please prayerfully consider your own role in financially supporting your spiritual community here at Cedar Ridge.

Our Annual Budget

Cedar Ridge is an incredibly generous community. Families and individuals at Cedar Ridge donated 80% of the income we brought in last year. We give to finance the vision to which we are committed. And we give as an expression of our vision—demonstrating good stewardship, generosity, service, and discipleship. Our budget goal for September 2022–August 2023 is to finance the annual plan priorities detailed below through community donations of $721,115, and rental income and grants amounting to $170,189, for a total operating budget of $891,304.

Worship Services—$112,549 Although COVID is clearly here to stay, high vaccination rates within our community and in the region as a whole have enabled us to resume all our in-person activities with additional safety precautions in place. Gathering together as a diverse community is an essential way we experience more of God, and in the coming year we will focus more on incorporating interactivity into Sunday services through community storytelling, experiential worship and contemplative space, as well nurturing relationships through a variety of social activities.

Children and Youth—$64,315 Our children and youth leaders encourage and challenge our students to follow Jesus passionately and help make the world a better place, while welcoming doubts, questions, and struggles. This year we will focus on strengthening community and friendship for parents and children, as well as better integrating youth into the vision of our church.

Prayer and Healing—$87,937 Through prayer, we experience the loving presence of God, which enables us to engage more healthily in the challenges, as well as the beauty of everyday life. We respond to the pain and suffering of both church members and our extended community through prayer, counseling, and practical support. Throughout the year, we will hold prayer practice evenings, quiet days and other contemplative events, and we will continue to promote prayer as an integral part of discipleship for people of all ages. Pastoral staff will lead a prayerful discernment process about the way ahead, drawing on input from Cedar Ridge members and attenders.

Small Groups—$10,085 Small groups provide a place to experience growth, community and servanthood. During the coming year, short-term discussion groups will be held to allow people to connect with others, possibly also providing an on-ramp to longer-term groups. Existing groups will continue to focus on encouraging and supporting members, as well as celebrating life together in safe and appropriate ways.

Social Justice—$19,967 We will continue to develop activities related to racial and economic justice in public education and criminal justice reform, and will hold Churchwide Days of Service with a focus on the underlying justice issues that perpetuate need. The racial justice team will host a series of events to strengthen our knowledge, passion and commitment to racial justice issues. And we will continue to seek out ways to support Greencastle Elementary, as well as Kemp Mill and/or other nearby schools requesting our assistance.

Farm—$24,347 The farm is a visible demonstration of our commitment to economic justice, and a place we can experience the mystery and beauty of God in nature, both individually and as a community serving together. We will continue our focus on promoting food justice issues through the farm and on celebrating the harvest. We will also continue to partner with Manna Food Center and Linkages to Learning to address food justice issues in our locality. In addition, we will explore the possibility of becoming a site for Care Farming (therapeutic farming for people with learning disabilities).

Guatemala—$49,901 In the coming year, we will adopt a “challenge group” approach to promote a more in-depth and sustained engagement for justice in Ipala, which may include a visit to Guatemala for some group members. We will apply our justice-oriented assessment tool for Cedar Ridge-funded projects as we continue to support local empowerment, particularly through education.

Local outreach—$70,955 We will continue to organize safe and creative outreach activities, taking advantage of higher vaccination rates and the spaciousness of our property and facilities. This will include a full-scale Harvest Festival, movie nights with activities and refreshments, a largely-outdoor Christmas event, a Creative Cup Coffeehouse and other social events—which we will promote through roadside signage and direct mailings. We will also participate in community festivals such as Burtonsville Day.

Facilities—$417,353 We will continue to rent out our facilities in ways that comply with state and county regulations, optimize rental income, and support our local community. We will invest in necessary upgrades, such as the aging HVAC system, and will ensure a high standard of routine maintenance. We will continue to use our beautiful 63-acre property to host large and small community gatherings. Using funding bequeathed to Cedar Ridge, we will begin to fulfil our commitment to the County to restore the historic farmhouse as a multipurpose meeting space.