Town Hall For Hope...

Dave Ramsey's Town Hall For Hope is tonight (Thursday, April 23) at 8:00 pm.

We have spent hours testing the technical pieces- they are doing 90 minutes of live streaming video from the venue at LifeChurch.tv in Oklahoma to over 6,000 locations in every state and every Canadian province. It is possibly the largest internet broadcast in history.

Argyle is one of 18 churches in Greater Jacksonville hosting the event. Everyone is welcome to come to hear this message of financial hope. Dave is even going to be accepting questions from participants all over the country- we will have a live internet link to send questions from our audience- maybe one of ours will be selected!

Doors are open at 7:15, and the live broadcast begins at 8:00. Come out and bring your friends and neighbors to this great free event.

Viral events...

This week the country has seen a wave of grassroots tax protests in the form of TEA parties. This is a good example of viral spread of an idea.

Something else viral is happening next week that has a bearing on financial health- the Dave Ramsey Town Hall For Hope. Just about everyone has concerns about the economy- both the nation's and our own family's. Come join us and listen as nationally syndicated radio and TV financial advisor Dave Ramsey discusses his ideas for healing the economy. Almost 7,000 locations nationwide are participating.

The event is free and open to everyone in the community. Invite friends, neighbors and coworkers to come with you. Doors open at 7:15 pm, the live video feed begins at 8:00, and will conclude at 9:30. Dave will be taking questions live from around the country- maybe he will take yours!

Budget Town Hall Meetings...

So far, we have held two Town Hall Meetings to give our members an opportunity to review the details of the 2009 Ministry Spending Plan and to speak to the Stewardship Committee and Staff about our finances. A grand total of ZERO people have shown up so far.

We always wonder if this means that everyone is totally satisfied with the state of our finances, or if they simply don't care. Of course we hope it means people trust the leadership and have all the information they need, but you have to wonder.

We would like to hear a little feedback on this. If you care to comment, tell us why you haven't attended one of the Town Hall Meetings, or maybe if you plan to attend one of the ones coming up.

Hal Hunter

A Rant Worth Reading...

Dave Ramsey has a lot to say about a lot of things, both financial and spiritual. This article on his web site is important reading during this election season.

Hal Hunter
Ministry Pastor & Administrator

Mid-Year Checkup...

Well, it’s that time again – time for a mid-year health check. The first half of 2008 has been a time of great spiritual growth in our fellowship. We have been baptizing, Children’s and Student Ministries are busy shaping young lives, and adults are growing and serving in many places.

Let’s see how our financial health stacks up. Our 2008 budget anticipated receiving just over $309,000 through June; we actually received a little less than $270,000. The income shortfall is just over $40,000.

We know that our country is in difficult economic times; we know that some of our Argyle families are feeling a pinch. Even with this challenge, God has work for us to do in our fellowship and in the community and world around us. Every week we see lives being changed forever by God working in the ministries your giving supports.

We have a vision of where God wants us as a church. If you missed the message on July 13th, we encourage you to listen to it online (click here to listen online). It will help you understand our vision and some of the financial obstacles we face getting there.

We encourage every family to prayerfully consider our giving, and decide if we are being faithful in managing all that God has entrusted to us. We are not asking more from those who can answer that they are being faithful, but we do challenge those who are not yet trusting God to do exactly what He promised in Malachi 3:10.

Hal Hunter
Ministry Pastor & Administrator

Financial Peace University ends...

The 13 weeks of our first Financial Peace University just concluded. Not everyone who started back in January completed the course, but those who did were excited about the things they learned and the progress they made.

We took a followup survey of family debt. Twenty-five families participated. Their aggregate debt when we took the first survey was $1,481,174. Now, ten weeks later, their debt is $1,325,176- a 10.5% reduction of $155,998, or an average of $6,240 per family!

While still a lot of debt, things are headed in the right direction with these families. Two families showed no reduction in their debt load, but four had reductions of $10,000 or more.

The biggest single message we heard from participants was new found confidence that things could be different in their financial lives, and that it really is possible to be debt free and at peace financially.

We will be offering the FPU again beginning August 27. Check the Financial Peace section of the web site for complete details and a registration form.

Hal Hunter