An Overview
of Finances at Four Quarters
Four Quarters is a true non-profit,
volunteer staffed and governed by a Board of Directors. If you look at our financial
reports in detail, you will find that almost no money is paid out in salaries or wages,
and as a Monastery our Church Wards donate all of their time in the work of the Church.
All of the officers and staff pay their Four Quarters Memberships like any other Member,
and most are part of the Pledge Program.
We take great pride in the fact that over the past ten years we
have been able to purchase most of the Land that comprises Four Quarters. A part of our
commitment to our Members that their financial support will help create a lasting
institution. The Board of Directors has repeatedly refused to grant special privileges
that might result in an individuals economic profit through access to the Church's
resources, assets or operations.
In short, the financial support of Four Quarters goes directly into its
operations, its programming and improvements to the property. And this is how it should be
for any Church and non-profit.
Four Quarters funds itself through just a few categories of income.
They are Memberships, donations and contributions, registrations to Church sponsored
fundraisers and fees from outside groups.
Expenses cover a broader range of disbursements and include the
mortgages and leaseholds, presenters fees and expenses, communications, capital
improvement and repair, general operations, professional services and purchasing land.
Over time our income sources have changed from primarily fundraiser
fees to a significant amount from Memberships and contributions, reflecting the growing
level of committed support from Members and guests. This is a natural process and one to
be desired as we create the financial foundations that will support the Standing Stones
into the future. On the expense side this process has seen less money spent directly on
creating the fundraisers; and more spent on capitol improvements, long-term equipment
purchases and professional services. All an ongoing investment in the future.
The Church maintains two separate bank accounts, Operations and
Contributions. As their names imply, the Operations account receives Membership and
fundraising event income and is the source for funds to support day to day operations. The
Contributions account receives those funds which constitute tax deductible gift giving;
General Donations, the Pledge Program and The Land Fund. If a contribution is earmarked as
being for a specific purpose, it is placed in a reserved account within the Contributions
account and held until it can be spent for that purpose. Examples are the funding for
Ancestors Altar, Kitchen Equipment, Roads Improvements and of course the Land Fund. This
is part of our responsibility to the gift giver, to treat their gift with respect.
In late January we mail out our formal acknowledgements of
contributions, for use in the preparation of income tax returns. Gifts in kind of
equipment and supplies, are handled in a like manner if requested by the gift giver.
There are some aspects of how Four Quarters operates that are not
revealed in the money numbers.
Perhaps the most important is the degree to which people choose to make
practical gifts during their visits. Much of our smaller equipment, computers,
construction materials, firewood, generators and kitchen gear has been given to us by
people who saw the need and responded. As an example, every automobile the Church has ever
owned has been a donation. Just as important are the gifts of food staples, especially
during the winter months, without which the table would be bare. It is not unusual to
return from camp to find coffee, potatoes, rice or canned goods leaning against the
kitchen table of the farmhouse. These gifts are much needed and very thankfully received.
Most importantly, Four Quarters functions as a Monastery, supported by
and supporting The Church Wards, who live under a vow of poverty, a Community of Service
to the Church and its' people. Since 1996 Orren Whiddon has lived as a Ward of the Church
and was joined in 1998 by Pamela Alexander and Patrick McCarty. In 2000 Patricia Althouse
made her vows and was joined by Daniel MacNeil in 2004. Other Church members are making
the long-term arrangements in their lives for the day when they too will live as Wards of
the Church. As Church Wards they live on the charity of the Church and donate 100% of
their income to the Church, while providing the Church with its only full-time staff. This
is the classic definition of a monastic community.
If you would like to view the details of where the money comes from and
where it goes to, please visit Annual Report pages of this financial section. Members
receive the annual report each January in their Membership Renewal mailing, and Members
may review church finances at any time in our offices. If you have any questions about how
your support of Four Quarters is being handled, please call us. We are trying to do a good
job, but feedback makes it that much easier.
And if it seems that Four Quarters is planning for the future, with a
very long term point of view... Thanks for noticing.
We are slowly and patiently laying the ground work for what is to come.
Service, Ceremony and
Celebration
Joining the World of Spirit and the World of Today
a Work of Years... Stone by Stone
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