Financial Snapshot of Christ Church Bronxville 2024
Income
The budgeted income for Christ Church in 2024 is $1.045 million. Income comes from five major sources:
Pledges: The majority of income comes from our members who support the ministries with financial contributions. These gifts are the largest and most important part of the financial health and security of Christ Church. Please help us plan for the year ahead by making a pledge.
Rental: We rent space in our administrative building to other non-profit organizations, and we have tenants, in addition to our on-site staff members, who live in rental apartments and other non-profit groups that rent office and storage space from us. In 2024, we have increased our rentals by 33%. We did this by cleaning out underutilized space in our building which are now being used.
Tithe from Eliza Corwin Frost: The Eliza Corwin Frost Child Care Center uses space at Christ Church. Every year, they tithe (10% of their admission income) to Christ Church. These funds defray the cost of space, maintenance staff, and utilities used by ECF.
Facility Usage: One of our ongoing goals is to create new income sources by opening our building for other groups to use and to host receptions and other activities. We have already been successful in optimizing our space for community groups for periodic uses like chefs using our commercial kitchen and early childhood programs using the undercroft.
Endowment Transfer: Christ Church has a general endowment valued at $555,000 (as of July 31, 2024). A percentage of that endowment is available on an annual basis for use in the general fund.
Expenses
The budgeted expenses for Christ Church in 2023 are $1.041 million. Expenses fall in six major categories that focus on our life and ministry as a Christian church:
Music, Formation, Worship: The promises we make at baptism call us to grow and share our faith, to gather in regular worship, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. This category of expenses includes the compensation for our ministers (clergy, music, and formation) as well as the underlying costs of living out that commitment in our common life.
Facility Upkeep: Our predecessors left us an amazing facility wedged into the property between Sagamore and Kensington roads. The highlight of our facility is the 1925 Goodhue designed sanctuary with the Casavant Frères organ. These amazing spaces for worship and education require regular replacement and upgrades and is supported by a dedicated team of professionals and financed with a part of our annual budget.
Utilities: Our three buildings require basic utilities like water, gas, and electricity. We are exploring ways to reduce these costs with energy efficient geothermal heating and cooling. New HVAC will also increase the opportunities for ministries at Christ Church year round.
Administrative: It does cost money to organize a church community. This category in our budget includes the compensation for our administrative staff and the general office expenses like copies, paper, technology, and communication materials.
Diocesan Assessment: Christ Church is part of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. We are required to pay an assessment to the Diocese to support God’s mission in the region. The mission of the Diocese, overseen by the bishop, includes outreach, advocacy, and support for the 192 worshipping communities in Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, and the New York counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester.
We had 111 families make a pledge commitment to Christ Church in 2023. There are approximately 200 families at Christ Church who make regular donations. The Vestry has set of goal of 150 pledging families for 2025. Please make your giving estimate today.
The Vestry aims to live out Christ Church Bronxville’s mission by being good stewards of the gifts entrusted to Christ Church by its parishioners and friends. This is a snapshot of our budget for 2023. If you have questions or would like more details about the finances at Christ Church, please contact Junior Warden, Rob Deichert, or the Rector, the Rev. Dr. Kurt Gerhard.