By Lisa Arbelaez, Stewardship Committee Chairperson
Many of you responded to the online survey we sent out last month. Thank you so much for your answers and valuable comments. The survey provided insight into a broad range of issues at Glen Mar. One stewardship-related theme that appeared in many of your responses was a desire for more information on Glen Mar finances. We will be sharing a quarterly report going forward and hope that this will help our members gain insight and confidence in how your gifts are responsibly used to further Glen Mar’s mission. Your survey responses will also help keep future communications focused on the things that interest you most.
Glen Mar uses your financial gifts for two significant purposes. First, we fund the day-to-day expenses that enable our ministries and missions to serve our local and world communities. Second, we fund mortgage payments for our facility.
We conduct an annual funding campaign for operating expenses. This covers the cost of worship services, including the streaming capability; the costs for our mission work in Howard County, Baltimore, North Carolina, and elsewhere; the staff that enable the many ongoing activities at Glen Mar; and maintenance costs for the building.
Every three years, including this year, we conduct a funding campaign for the two mortgages that provided the resources to build our church facility. We have been systematically paying down these two loans since 2010. Thanks to some generous lead donors, we have the opportunity to pay off one of the loans by the end of the upcoming three-year pledge period (June 30, 2026), assuming continuation of your capital fund giving at the same level over the next three years as we have achieved in past years.
If we are able to fully pay off one of the two loans during this campaign, two important things can happen. First, our next capital campaign can be focused completely on paying down the second loan, and second, as less will be required for loan repayment, a larger portion of total giving can be budgeted toward our ministries and missions, allowing us to re-store funds to some areas that needed to be cut in the past.
We are inspired by the faith of these lead donors. We look forward to the day when Glen Mar is debt-free and most of our giving can go directly to Praising God, Growing Disciples and Serving the World.
