Greetings:
March 31, I was in the office talking to Sharon about the Payroll Protection Program (PPP). That weekend, I had been following the news and Rep. James Clyburn of SC had placed provisions in the bill that would allow churches to apply. Someone had sent me the application and I forwarded that to Sharon, and we were discussing whether we had all the necessary documentation to apply. My thinking at the time was that my salary, as well as all the musicians, could be paid and we could redirect all other monies collected towards bills and our Claims. Well, Sharon was supposed to check something out and get back to me; however, Dr. James died the next morning and for the next several weeks, I couldn’t even begin to think about any such thing.
When I finally did pull myself back together, the program was out of money and the Senate refused to refund it. At that point, I wasn’t sure how we were going to make it through the Summer – as you know, our offerings traditionally drop during the Summer – and all I could do was pray and trust God.
Sometime towards the end of the Summer (I can’t remember which month) the Stewards and Trustees had a Conference Call to discuss both the Trustee Day, and importantly, how we would pay the balance of our Claims. Several proposals were discussed, including having a fish or ribs/chicken sale. There were many concerns about the safety of selling dinners and we concluded the call that night by saying we would pray about the situation and discuss it later. We never had another conversation.
I share all of this with you to give my testimony that in spite of all that has happened since March, we conclude this Conference year with all bills paid and being Round in all our Claims and Assessments. Not only that, but while there were some weeks that we didn’t do well, over all our offerings this Summer did not experience the drop we usually experience. For this and so many other things, all Praise must go to God; from whom all things come, and to whom all Praise belongs. I also wish to thank Mt. Olive for just being Mt. Olive. Finally, this is a vivid testimony of what will happen when we trust God and not ourselves. There is no way, under these circumstances, that we could have done this on our own. When we trust God, God is able to make ways that we cannot possibly fathom.
Sincerely,
Rev. Dr. Reginald Broadnax