God is Faithful!

Well, we have just completed another year – not that “marking time” makes a lot of sense in the eternal things of God. The science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon once said that time is something God invented for the benefit of human beings so everything doesn’t happen all at once! But since it does put things into a manageable context, we have continued the tradition and issued an Annual Report for 2016.* Let me share a few highlights…

As many of you know, there were big changes in the internal workings of our Business Office in 2016. Jeff Dahl stepped down as Business Manager in October, anticipating an eventual move to California. Although the move won’t take place until 2018, I was asked to step into Jeff’s role already last year. Jeff himself will remain on board as Accounts Manager. This has resulted in some internal changes but very little change from an external perspective, as we will continue to work closely together to meet the needs of our missionaries and partners.

The year 2016 was a good one for the Prayer League. Income totaled $3.8 million, an increase of more than $750,000 over 2015. Once again, God was faithful to provide for the needs of our work. The year also ended with a surplus in the General Fund, which will provide a good head start for 2017.

Estate Fund gifts were also up considerably. These gifts are set aside to fund grant requests, special projects and employee benefits. When estate gifts are combined with other giving by individuals, we see that total giving by individuals comprised almost 50% of receipts last year. The balance came from churches, institutions and other sources. In 2016 there were 1,325 individuals/households who contributed financial support, along with 296 churches, church groups and other institutions.

On the expense side, most line items closely matched what we saw in 2015. Expenditures for Missionary Support were down somewhat, however. In 2016 we stopped subsidizing allowances directly from our Estate Funds, which resulted in “short” allowances for six months during the year.

Here at the Prayer League, we give all the glory to God for his provision. At the same time, we acknowledge that he often provides in response to the faithful prayers of his people. Thank you for remembering us! Please continue to pray for his supply in 2017, especially in the area of missionary support.