Community Service
Significant learning points:
From July 2012 – July
2014, I had the pleasure of serving on the Avenue UMC Finance Committee. This committee met three hours each month to
monitor the financial health of the church, establish spending priorities, and
determine fundraising goals. As a member
of this committee, I realized that soliciting donations and convincing people
to give even more money is difficult, especially when it is just to cover
increased operating costs. People gave
more freely when they knew they were giving for a specific purpose such as an
upcoming mission trip, a habitat for humanity build, or to a needy family. Serving on the finance committee really
helped me understand how difficult it is to raise funds for the College and to
appreciate the great work of the Owens campus development council.
Leadership characteristics enhanced:
The leadership
characteristics that were enhanced through this activity were #8 – is able to
see the “Big Picture” and #12 – is involved with the community. Getting involved with the financial
management of the church allowed me to both see and understand the priorities
of our church council. Salaries and
benefits were always the largest part of the budget and in tough economic times,
it was essential to balance the need/desire for decent wages with the expected
giving revenues.