SENIOR PASTORS' UPDATE

Hi there, Church!

The last month has seen huge changes to the way of life for all of us. We are all impacted from the restrictions on movement to the challenges facing our families and finances. It's a challenge today and it is going to be challenging in the weeks and months to come. What we do know is that this was no surprise to God and how we respond to the current challenges is preparation for what God has planned for the future of His church.

I'm sure you will agree that Kings Church presence online has been great to keep us "meeting together". We've learned so much technically and are continually making improvements as we find new developments with virtual church. Over the coming weeks we are looking at the feasibility of online courses that will evolve, coupled with virtual Connect groups and Table Talk enabling us to remain connected.

You may have heard it said previously, that God's economy does not work in the same way as man's economy. He takes whatever we offer to Him with a pure heart and multiplies it for His purposes. We remain committed to giving as our act of worship - we don't give to church as a transaction or as one of the monthly bills. We know that, for many of you, this is sacrificial and an act of obedience: we want to honour and acknowledge that. 

Our inability to meet together (an issue never before faced in church in the Western world) has impacted the Sunday offerings.We are not unaware of the financial challenges facing some and the uncertainty surrounding the future - be assured of your church family's support. You may be experiencing feelings of fear around finances, or that it's not "safe" to give at this time. Throughout scripture, God promises that He is our Provider (Phil 4:19). Let's stand on those promises! He is the unchanging God (Mal 3:6) whose promises are eternal and true. 

The Directors and Core Team are maintaining their meeting schedule virtually, and the day to day running of the organisation is happening in the background, as we are able to in a limited capacity. 

We have been building on principles of good stewardship from an organisational perspective and in the first three months of 2020, our income met the expenditure requirements. This was due in no small part to some miraculous divine provision. Our prudent spending in the first quarter and attention to detail has put us in an informed position to face the challenges ahead.

We calculate the regular running costs of church in all locations including salary costs. Our budgeted figures always include ministry expenditure, expansion and visionary spend, maintenance costs to renew and update buildings/equipment based on the previous year's expenditure and our forward looking plans. Vision will always be greater than the physical resources at our disposal, so there is a tight balance to be maintained. We have worked through the actual cost of keeping the church running at a basic level. This includes consideration of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme where it is applicable. We have worked through the other announcements made by the government in response to financial challenges facing organisations; the majority are not within our reach at this time.

We have been already actively looking at how we mitigate the impact of the Covid 19 crisis. We are taking all reasonable steps to minimise or pause regular payments which will help with cash flow and to provide flexibility. We are up to date with VAT and Gift Aid claims.

There are other elements to our regular income e.g. room hires in several locations - we hope that these will resume as soon as possible once our buildings are permitted to re-open. In the meantime, we are praying for those business owners who are unable to continue their normal activities within our buildings.

We will need to think about life after lockdown - what is God preparing us for? We believe that this is not a period of isolation, but a period of preparation. The last year has been challenging - we have been through so much (Blackpool campus moving to The Village hotel, Bolton campus moving out of Unit 1 & into The Mill, the establishment of the Gateshead campus, to name just a few) - it would be remiss of us not to spend some time reflecting on what we have learned and how this is setting us up for our future.

The coming weeks and months will be a challenge, but we are in a good position to weather the storm. As we need to, we will keep you informed with how we are doing and continue to provide updates.

Be assured of our love and prayers.

Ps Derek & Georgina