Financial Fundamentals January 2026

This report briefly addresses finances at FUMC Fox Hill. The latest information is in the weekly bulletin available at church or through our web site.

I am pleased to report we began 2026 with all our bills paid and a decent balance in our bank accounts. We paid all of our Apportionments. In order to watch our cash flow carefully, we intentionally did not make our planned set asides for possible future major maintenance, but hope to make up for that in the near term. Already in January we have made a large repayment of principle on our loan with funds not needed for the work.

As most of you know, we secured a large loan to cover the huge cost of our new boiler, HVAC repair, and roof replacement. The need for the climate control equipment was obvious as they just plain broke, and while we know the roof replacement was needed. That was even more clearly demonstrated by the long-term damage uncovered during the work. Our challenge now is to repay the loan as quickly as possible to save us interest expense. We are receiving recurring “over and above” donations toward that cause, but we will soon have a directed campaign to that end. No need to wait, you can help now.

Annual Donation statements are being passed out as I write this in mid-January. We are trying to minimize postage costs, but will mail the balance at the end of January. If you do not receive yours and/or have any questions, please contact the office promptly so we can get that addressed. Likewise, if you didn’t receive donation envelops for 2026 and would like some, talk to Kassandra in the office.

Cash and checks work great and the envelopes are for that purpose. If you would like to make your donations on-line, we are happy to make that easily available for you. Many people find it convenient and helpful. If you are reading this online, click here for easy on-line access. You can also use your phone and the donation QR Code or manually go to our web page www.firstumcfoxhill.org, click on give, scroll down to GIVE ONLINE, and click. There you can set up one-time gifts or automatic regular giving on a weekly, twice a month, or monthly schedule. Gifts to the One Fund – General Offering allow your financial staff flexibility in managing our cash flow effectively.

Please direct concerns/questions about FUMC FH finances to our financial staff via the office or Bill Bryan, Finance Chair, at (757) 851-0748 or by e-mail to billb-1111@cox.net.