2014-15 Budget

Many of you read last week that reduced giving is challenging the future of our ministries. Shepherd of the Valley (SOTV) is a nonprofit organization funded by charitable donations, and a decrease in giving means immediate and future cuts to SOTV’s budget, staff, and programs.

WHAT SOTV WILL DO 

Early in 2014, the Finance Committee began to raise concerns about a trend in reduced giving. To address these concerns, the Finance and Human Resources Committees have identified three steps to reduce costs for the 2014-15 budget which begins August 1, 2014.

Step 1: Reduce Program Spending 
In February, staff was directed to reduce their program budgets now and in the coming fiscal year by 15%. This is in addition to a concentrated effort that began in 2005 to reduce costs and create a more lean organization.  

Step 2: Reduce Personnel Costs
Budget reductions in staffing for 2014-15 will include:

1. Reductions to employee support and advancement. 
2. Reductions to employee benefits. 
3. A freeze in salaries. 
4. A reduction in workforce. 

The budget reductions as a result of these changes will only account for about half of the total reduced giving, if trends continue.
 
Step 3: Further Staff Reductions
The Finance and Human Resources Committees have proposed the following.

1. The 2014-2015 budget be presented to include a deficit that reflects the drop in giving that remains after the reductions to expenses proposed. 
2. Before fully implementing additional reductions to personnel costs, which will significantly affect programming and ministry, the congregation should be educated and an appeal made to seek increased giving from members to eliminate the budget deficit. 
3. Continued review and evaluation through October 31, 2014 by Finance, Human Resources, and Council will evaluate income and determine the need for further staff reductions. Once these reductions have been confirmed, they will be communicated to the congregation. 

It is the hope of the Council and supporting leadership committees that the response of the congregation will be an increase in giving to make the elimination of staff positions unnecessary.


WHAT YOU CAN DO 

Please support the church financially. 

1. Increase your current giving 
2. Make a one-time gift 
3. Consider both increasing your giving and a one-time gift 
4. Sign up for Simply Giving (electronic scheduled giving) 

Every gift counts as we seek to be a transforming community of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As always, thank you for your generous support! For information on how to give, please visit the Welcome Center or www.sotv.org/stewardship.

Please pray for our leaders. 
Each year, staff and volunteers work very hard and carefully to complete the budgeting process. Please keep them in your prayers as they finalize their work in May and June.

Thanks for reading. If you have any questions about the reduction in our giving, and the steps we are taking, please e-mail council@sotv.org.

Our Giving Challenge

What’s Going On?
During the 2013-2014 fiscal year, Shepherd of the Valley (SOTV) experienced a significant reduction in the gifts it receives to its mission and ministry. Since the beginning of the fiscal year in August 2013, giving is down 7% or about $185,000. The Church Council, with the Finance Committee, monitors giving and expenses on a regular basis.

Why It’s Important
Giving funds our inspirational worship and array of educational offerings that shape and grow faith, including dynamic children and youth ministries. In addition, SOTV serves those in need and brings healing and wholeness to a broken and hurting world. The people of SOTV serve others in hundreds of ways locally, in our own country, and around the world.

What is Being Done?
The Council, Finance Committee, and church staff always work as a team to manage your gifts frugally and responsibly. In 2008, staff and council leadership began to work deliberately to reduce costs and maintain a “lean” staff structure for SOTV. This February, the Finance Committee directed staff to cut their program budgets by an additional 15%. There will be future implications for staffing levels if giving does not improve.

How You Can Help
The people of SOTV have a history of giving generously to make our church a welcoming, inspiring, giving, and serving community of faith. For all that to happen, consistent giving throughout the year is key.

• Consider using Simply Giving, a way to schedule gifts electronically. Sign up forms are available at the Welcome Center and online. 
• We also ask that you prayerfully consider increasing your current giving, even if only by a little bit. 
• And if you haven’t given to our mission before, please consider it. Every gift matters.

Thank you, as always, for your generous gifts!
There are many ways to give to the mission of SOTV - learn more on the stewardship page of our website.  If you have any questions about the reduction in our giving, and the steps we are taking, please e-mail council@sotv.org.

Interim Pastor for Spring/Summer

Melissa Melnick will join our staff as a part-time Interim Pastoral Assistant for the period of April 17-August 27. She will assist with pastoral care as well as general pastoral duties including leading worship, preaching, and program participation or teaching. Melissa’s interim period coincides with Pastor Diane Sponheim’s sabbatical (April 21 - July 13) and our two mission trips to Tanzania led by Pastor Chris Smith (July 29 - August 12) and Pastor Randy Brandt (August 7-20).

Melissa is a 2014 graduate of Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN with a Master of Divinity and is concluding her internship with Jacob’s Well, a church in Minneapolis. Much of Melissa’s pastoral care experience was developed during her internship as a chaplain with the Good Samaritan Society in Minneapolis, where she worked with traumatic brain injury residents and led chapel services. Before entering into ministry, Melissa worked as a Spanish and ESL teacher. Melissa has two sons. Her older son is in college studying to be a neurobiologist, and her younger son is in high school and active in local theater where they sing together in a madrigal group (an a cappella music group of secular and sacred music).

We look forward to the opportunity to partner with Melissa in ministry over the summer! Please give her a warm SOTV welcome!

Busy Hands Doing God's Work

March was a busy time at Shepherd of the Valley, and found many different groups putting their faith into action and serving others.

Confirmation Service Fair 



Each year, every Confirmation student (Grades 6-9) has the opportunity to participate in two service fairs as a part of the program year. The aim of a service fair is to gain exposure to needs of the neighbor and practice responding to those needs as followers of Christ. Past service fair projects have included making diaper cakes for Tapestry Pregnancy and Family Resource Center, play dough for The Family Partnership, fleece blankets for Children’s Hospital, and much, much more!

At our second Service Fair for the year on Wednesday, March 12, Confirmation students made 295 hospice kits for Global Health Ministries, an organization dedicated to, “Continuing the healing ministry of Jesus Christ by enhancing the health care programs of Lutheran Churches in other countries.” The assembled hospice kits were then distributed around the world to AIDS patients in the end-stages of the devastating, and uncomfortable disease.

God’s work through our hands does remarkable things! Thank you for your continued prayers of support for the Confirmation Program here at Shepherd of the Valley. If you have any questions or would like to know more about Confirmation serving at Shepherd of the Valley, please talk to Sarah Bane or any of the other members of the SOTV youth staff.


Caring Quilts Day

Photo: Jenny Wilder

What an amazing day! On Saturday, March 29, almost 40 volunteers got together to make quilts for the kids at Target House - quilters and non quilters alike. Target House is part of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee and is a home-away-from-home for the children (and their families) receiving treatment for life-threatening illnesses for more than three months.

Photo: Kim Gannaway

We got over 50 quilts done in one day - an all time record!! We even ran out of quilts to tie at one point - that's never happened before! Thank you to everyone who came to help - it was so much fun chatting while getting lots done at the same time!

SOTV has quilting groups who meet year-round making quilts to be distributed to Minnesota children in need and homeless youth through Union Gospel Mission and Lutheran Social Services. The Golden Stitchers meet 1st & 3rd Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.. All skill levels welcome to quilt, cut, iron and stitch. For more information contact Shirley Blix at (952) 432-2083. The Shepherd Quilters meet Mondays, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. For more information contact Lois Pedersen at (952) 236-8993


"Pack the Pews" Food Drive

Thank you to everyone who helped us raise $8,767 and 9,852 pounds of food during our “Pack the Pews” March food drive. In addition, numerous volunteers weighed, sorted, and shelved all those donations.

Our Daily Bread Food Shelf at SOTV provides about 10,000 pounds of food to local families in need each month. Our food shelf is one of five 360 Communities food shelves in Dakota County. Donations to our food shelf helped 360 Communities reach their March Campaign goals of raising $75,000 and 75,000 pounds of food.

Our food shelf benefits from your generous donations all year-long. See our most needed items. We are also in need of volunteers on Thursdays from 12:00 - 6:00 pm. Typical shifts are 12:00 - 3:30 and 3:00 - 6:00 pm.  However, we are very flexible with those hours!  Just let us know when you are able to work. Please e-mail Richard.Nonini@gmail.com.

Easter Baskets on their Way

Items for Easter baskets ready to be packed!

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's Easter Dinner Ministry. As part of ServeTogether on Saturday, volunteers packed 39 dinners and 65 cookie/beverage “baskets” and 75 snack bags for 363 Days. Paper heart baskets were woven, filled with candy and included in all dinners, baskets and snack bags. Over the next couple weeks, God's love and care will be experienced by 200+ individuals as these food gifts are delivered.

Thanks to the following community organizations for their continued support of this ministry: Eagan Byerly's and Kowalski's, Apple Valley Cub, Rainbow and Walmart (for their donations of gift cards) and Girl Scout Troop 11159 (for donating all the cookies used in the baskets).