A fiscal year of thanks, challenges
Lynn McMillonThe fiscal year’s end means bookkeeping and budget balancing. We’re deeply grateful to all of you who support this ministry to inform, inspire and unite — to tell the many wonderful stories of our fellowship.
We are thankful to each of you for your financial support — and for the 478 donations from churches that support the Chronicle.
Your support inspires us to produce quality stories — in print and online. We’re thrilled that, for the third consecutive year, we received the first place Award of Excellence from the Associated Church Press for the Best in Class category for national/international newspaper. And this year we also won best online newsletter for the first time.
For 20 consecutive years, you have enabled the Chronicle to operate in the black, an amazing accomplishment.
Again, we are grateful to you.
This year, however, we have faced new and necessary challenges that have stretched our budget. We’ve launched new digital initiatives to upgrade our online offerings. We switched printers after the company we used in Oklahoma City shut down its presses, resulting in higher printing and transportation costs.
All of this has resulted in the Chronicle facing a projected financial shortfall of $50,000. With 20 straight years of reaching our annual operating budget, this is indeed an unusual situation for us.
So in the next few weeks I’ll be reaching out to our supporters, friends and readers of the Chronicle to ask for your financial help, as well as your continued prayers that we can overcome these financial challenges.
You can be assured our operating budget to produce and mail 1.6 million annual copies of the Chronicle remains a lean $1.1 million per year, and our small, dedicated staff of five full-time and four part-time employees are responsible stewards of the financial support we receive.
All of us, including our outstanding board of trustees, stand behind this ministry and humbly ask you to help us continue the mission. If you’ve never contributed, this is the perfect time to begin. Please find our easy-to-use donation form online at www.christianchronicle.org or mail a check to us at P.O. Box 11000, Oklahoma City, OK 73136-1100 or call (405) 425-5070.
Please make a new or additional gift to the Chronicle now. Thank you.
Prayers and best wishes,
Lynn McMillon
