First Baptist,
I want to celebrate some wonderful news: we ended 2025 with a revenue surplus of $245,837 over expenses!
Our congregation’s giving was very strong, and we met our contribution goal. This speaks to the deep level of commitment we have to our shared life at First Baptist. Included in the above amount is an $87,000 distribution from the Stogner Tithe Fund, an estate gift from the late Michael Stogner. Michael loved this church and wanted to support First Baptist beyond his lifetime. We are incredibly grateful for his faithful generosity and for the legacy he has left to support God’s work in this place. Finally, under the leadership of Cathy Goldfarb, the AYMC had an incredible year and produced strong revenue that helped offset AYMC expenses and contribute to the budget.
A generous congregation giving, the Stogner distribution and strong revenue from AYMC combined to produce this tremendous surplus!
We set a goal of $100,000 in outside-budget giving for the Lula Whilden Offering for Missions, which supports the mission and ministry of our trusted denominational partners, including the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Offering and the Alliance of Baptists. Thanks to a surplus in our 2025 budget, we were able to help fulfill that commitment by contributing an additional $21,000 to the $79,000 generously given by the congregation. As a result, we were able to distribute a full $100,000 to our ministry partners who help us share the love of Christ in South Carolina, across our nation and around the world.
In addition, the surplus allowed us to fund an important campus improvement project that the Property Committee has been working on: the installation of a new cooling tower and over 40 new fan coil units to improve the reliability and efficiency of our building’s climate system. The total cost of this project exceeded $400,000, and we applied the remaining surplus of almost $225,000 to help cover these needed upgrades. The rest of the funding comes from a contribution from the Day School – almost all the fan coils were in Day School classrooms – and from prior years’ General Fund surpluses.
Because of your giving, we were able to support missions, care for our aging facilities and continue the ministry God has called us to in this place. I am grateful for your commitment to our life together and your willingness to give generously to support the work of the church. Thank you for your generosity and for the many ways you help make ministry at First Baptist beautiful and good.
-Carol