Norwich bulletin., 1918-01-22
LOOKING FORWARD TO
 VERY SUCCESSFUL YEAR
Annual Report of Board of Managers to Central Baptist Church Mem bers. - ..x.4

l ID. NoyeS IS chalrman- Says Wdtn Gods help and continuance of united effort on our part the coming year will be the most successful one in the history of the Central Baptist church. | The report is as follows:
 The members of your board have been faithful to their duties during tine past year and very substantial majority have been in attendance al all meetings.
 Seven meetings have been held and deep interest shown in the material affairs of this church.
 | The various committees Of the board have discharged their duties with ability and have been at all times ready to assume any unusual matter to which they may have been assigned.
 The property of the church is in | fine condition with the exception ot Preston chapel where repairs and re- novation will probably have to be undertaken during the coming year. Int house committee has the property in charge and will probably takee the matter in hand at an early date | A thorough renovation of the par sonage, and it's furnishings, was car ried through during the past year by the house committee ably assisted by the valuable advice, counstl and work of the Ladies' Auxiliary House com mittee. The work was made com plete by the generosity of ore of ocr members who paid for the three beau tiful, new hardwood floors.
 The house committee have very greatly improved the swing doors through which we enter the auditor ium. The cold air has been shut out | by means of weather strips, thereby adding to the comfort of the room and also conserving the use of coal.
 We have been forcibly reminded Not late that the steam capacity of our heating plant, which was never toe large, is entirely inadequate during an unusual spell of zero weather. This condition should be remedied at once and will be brought to the attention of the board of managers at theil next meeting.
 It is proper to remind you that the three year pledgee towards the pay ment of the debt incurred for re- decoration of the church will mature during 1918. There will be a balance remaining of about $2,000 which we must consider year from now after all the pledges have been met and the exact balance to be raised has been determined.
 The condition of the church organ was brought to the attention of your board of managers by the music committee very early in the year Their action resulted in vote em- towering that committee to do what they deemed necessary in order to secure it's full efficiency. The work was done in thorough manner, the organ greatly improved. and an up to-date electric blower installed, ir place of the water motor which was practically worn out and beyond all repair.
 The above items of unusual expense with the many outlays not foreseer at the beginning of the year made il evident months before the year closed that the church must face a deficit 1T its operating account. This matter was one for serious consideration tC those who knew the situation as the Central Baptist church does not be. lieve in spending money before it is in sight and in recent years deficits have not been known. This church has always had men who sprang to it! help in times of emergency. Many O. you know of the sacrifices of it! founders, and that in our time of neeG
 Morgan Stafford even mortgaged hi
 house to meet it's necessities. Time have changed since that day.
 Under the blessing of God thi
 church is no longer small, and strug
 gling. for it's existence. but we stil have the same tpye of men in ou
 membership.
 When the money shortage threat
 ened us a well-loved brother ad
 vanced s1,000 to the finance commit
 tee without interest, which took car
 of the situation and protected tn treasury of the church from the ne cessity of borrowing money for it's ex
 penses. The financial question ha
 been under consideration with tn \ board of managers for mon; hs. The z were facing increased costs in a lines, ogether with the deficit c $1,500 already incurred, which mus
 be met from pledges for the year 191;
 Beyond this was the need of still nor
 funds to meet the emergency demand
 of an aggressive and growing churc , organization which the Master ha : placed in this community to do Hi
 bidding
 i The board of managers met 0
 November 18th and fanace was tn
 main question. It was unanimousl
 voted that a. campaign be entered in to for $9,000, to meet operating ex . pense requirements in that depart 7 ment. This was followed by a join 7 meeting on November 25th, of boar r of managers, board of deacons, fin l, ance committee and benevolence com
 mittee, called to consider the questio
 of unified budget to cover practical ly the whole work of the church unde one canvass. The proposition wa 5 unanimously approved and the cam : paign was immediately inaugurate 5 and placed under the capable leader ship of F. L. Arnold. chairman of tn
 finance committee.
 The following fiures show ho' . grandly the church has met the Mas : ter's challenge:
 Budget pledges for operating ex : penses for the year just ended were few dollars over $5,00O Pledges mad 2 for the coming year under the unifie
 budget will exceed $10,000. Tots :, amount received from all sources i | 1917 was $8,873.19. The amount frol
 all sources in 1918 under the unifie budget canot be fully stated before 1, year from this time. A conservatiy u estimate of today is that it will be { least $13,000.
 '' The Lord has certainly put 1t int , the hands of His people to stand l. :. their church more solidly than evt f before. Necessary means have bee n furnished to liquidate the deficit an :. to carry on all departments of u V church for the coming year. n With Gods help and a continuanc
 of united effort on our nart, the con
 ing year will be the most successf, 0 one in the history of the Central Bal , tist churyh.