One of the things that impressed me as we were considering coming to Woodland Oaks was the amount of mission work in which this congregation was involved. We have some really dedicated deacons and other individuals involved in this outreach ministry. I would like to commend you for your dedication in reaching out with the gospel.

At that time the elders told me, “We are in the process of building a new classroom facility, but have determined to not take one penny from our mission work to fund the building.” In case you don’t know, it is not uncommon that during a building effort, a congregation contacts their missionaries with the news that they will no longer be able to support them due to local commitments.

I think you might be interested in the following information: In 2009, our budget for Foreign Missions was 23.6% of the total budget. We budgeted 4.1% for local community
outreach, bring the total to 27.7%. That’s considerably above average for church budgets. In fact, some churches include things like local salaries as part of their “outreach budget.” But this amount is spent on things outside our local congregation.

But that’s just part of the story. This amount does not take into account the contributions not budgeted, i.e. Uganda school construction- 3-yr. goal of $225,000. In 1½ years, $242,500 was contributed. This amount alone represents 33.1% of our yearly budget. Factored for 12 months of the 18 months (lifespan of the incoming contributions), that would add roughly 22% to that 27.7%… which would total 49.7% spent on missions.

AND… there are obviously other contributions which are not included in our budget (i.e. Impact church contributions, Pregnancy crisis center contributions, Orphan’s homes pick-ups, etc.) Plus, contributions made to specific crises like hurricane and earthquake victims.

So, I want to take this means to express my admiration and appreciation to you- the Woodland Oaks family- for your incredible generosity at every opportunity.

Hebrews 13:20-21- “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Ken Stegall