Finance Matters
St. Matt’s Finance Council met on Thursday, July 11. Members approved a Capitalization Policy and our budget for Fiscal Year 2025 (F25), which began on July 1. (F25 concludes on June 30, 2025.)
We adopted the Capitalization Policy as a matter of good financial practice. Our chosen threshold is $5,000. That means that items costing more than $5,000 will be treated as capital assets. They’ll be depreciated for financial statement purposes. Anything less than $5,000 will be considered an expense, paid for out of a given year’s budget.
As for our new budget for F25, we project revenue of $950,000 and expenses of $946,000.
If you’re familiar with parish budgets, you’re aware that budgets rapidly become obsolete. Still, they’re essential for planning, managing, and reporting. I’ll have more to say over the coming months.
And if you’re interested in finance matters, please consider joining the Council. We could use one or two additional members.
Nametags – I’m a fan.
I’ve mentioned that I attend Danebod Family Camp every summer. One of the things I first noticed back in 1981—my first year at Danebod—was that everyone was expected to wear nametags. That helped all members of the camp community know who belonged—and it really helped to get to know people more quickly.
In the early 1990s, I was having lunch with an old friend, Fr. Thomas Kommers. He was the founding pastor for St. Thomas Becket in Eagan, and he told me how helpful nametags had been in forming Becket as a vibrant new parish.
I encourage everyone to put their first name down on a nametag when coming to Mass. I get that it might feel awkward at first. Still, they help the people around you get to know you a little more quickly. If you already know everyone around you (because you’re all sitting in the same chairs every week?), try saying hello to someone new. We are seeing an influx of visitors all the time, and a nametag is a nice way to be hospitable.
Thank you for your support, and have a great week!
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