By RMCNews – Denver, Colorado …  At the beginning of 2020, none of us ever dreamed that beginning in March, the world as we know it would change so dramatically. As the pandemic gained momentum, conference administrators across North America were wondering how mission would be impacted. How would education be delivered, how would church be done, and what would happen to our camp programs.

“It was very difficult to even know how to project the potential negative impact on tithe or other sources of revenue,” said George Crumley, RMC VP for finance. “A 1% negative impact would have been a decrease in available tithe to Rocky Mountain Conference of $109,810. Assuming our worst scenario of a 20% decrease, that would have negatively affected conference-available tithe by $2,196,200,” he commented.

Crumley further commented, “Sadly, all of us have been directly impacted in one way or the other–the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, contraction of the disease ourselves, a different way of worshipping and of doing school. Yet through all of this, God has been helping us.”

Now that 2020 is behind us, “I want to express my appreciation to all of you for being regular in your tithes and offerings. As we ended the year, the conference total tithe was down by 4.35% for 2020 when compared to 2019.  This is because total tithe includes windfalls which consist of unusual and non-recurring tithe of $50,000 or more, and in 2019, our windfalls totaled $1,176,313 whereas our 2020 windfalls amounted to $389,539—thus, the decrease in total tithe. But our base tithe, which we budget from was only down .03% or basically breakeven,” Crumley explained.

This is an amazing result considering all that we have been through. It could have been much worse. For the North American Division, their total tithe, including windfalls, was up 1.71%.

At this stage, no one knows the long-term impact on the economy and unemployment as we look ahead into 2021 and beyond. “We do need to be prudent in the management of the resources God has entrusted us with. What we do know is that many are hurting and looking for answers in these unstable times. This presents an opportunity for us, as individuals and as a church, to minister to those in need,” Crumley expressed.

The leadership of RMC express their gratitude to church members who have been faithful. “May the Lord continue to guide you and your families in the days ahead,” Crumley commented.

–RMCNews; photo by UnSplash