In December 2025, the Church Council and Admin Board approved a 2026 budget that had a projected deficit of $78,672 based on income of $741,254 and expenses of $819,926. It was that projected deficit that led church leadership to initiate the First Church Forward strategic planning process with the goals of updating the church’s mission, vision and priorities that would then guide the development of a balanced budget for 2027. The 2025 year-end financial statements were completed in February 2026. The good news is that the church ended 2025 with a surplus of $47,078 based on income of $826,281 and expenses of $779,203. A key component of the 2025 income was bequests totalling $119,628. Without these bequests, the church would have had a deficit of $72,550. During the first several months of 2026, church staff and lay leaders set about working to reduce the projected deficit for 2026. Thanks to a lot of hard work, a revised 2026 budget with a projected year-end deficit of $19,955 was developed and then presented to and approved by the Church Council in April. First quarter 2026 financial statements have just been completed. Income was $169,454 compared to a budget of $199,846 while expenses were $185,944 compared to a budget of $199,835, leading to a deficit of $16,490. The major reason for this deficit was that pledge income was $29,000 below budget.