Jason Bourne wrote: Yes member clean some but FM still gives us like 15 hours a week.
We get absolutely nothing from FM for cleaning the inside of the building, except during the summer, when they maintain the grounds outside. We get the gym floor refinished every other year, and any repairs or maintenance type expenses are supported at the stake level, but we get no cleaning support. We shovel our own sidewalks and put down our own ice melt.
moksha wrote:Do wards which spend greater amounts for member welfare come under administrative scrutiny and review?
My experience is that a ward is encouraged to try to cover welfare expenses with their own FO contributions. If they run a deficit the SP will work with a bishop to try to get things on order so to speak. Again, my experience is that the SP is not heacy handed on this. The stake can cover deficits with surpluses from other wards. If a stake in negative than the Church covers it.
Jason Bourne wrote: Yes member clean some but FM still gives us like 15 hours a week.
We get absolutely nothing from FM for cleaning the inside of the building, except during the summer, when they maintain the grounds outside. We get the gym floor refinished every other year, and any repairs or maintenance type expenses are supported at the stake level, but we get no cleaning support. We shovel our own sidewalks and put down our own ice melt.
You should move to my ward!! We must be spoiled.
We do shovel our own walks. FM plows the parking lot.
Mercury wrote: So folks, looks like the money is going to Salt Lake. If we look to wards that are chock full of upper middle class individuals, the numbers boggle the mind.
How can Mormons justify these numbers? Why? I am flabbergasted at the high rate not going back into the ward.
There is no way to justify this besides greed and profiteering.
Jason is right, your numbers don't reflect how much money operation a ward burns up.
But what troubles me is that there are wards that are using Church funds to go on boat trips to Lake Powell while there are LDS children in other parts of the world that are suffering from chronic malnutrition and preventable diseases.
The Church seems to distribute funding based on income, and while 3rd world members pay a greater effective price in tithing, the return in spending is much smaller.
Jason Bourne wrote: Facility cleaning is about $20,000 per year.
In my old ward they used to have a rotation of families that would come in on Saturday to clean the building. I wonder if this is a common thing, or if other wards actually pay a company to come clean the building.
Most buildings have someone who is paid to do some cleaning. I have been in several places where some lower income members are paid for 5-10 hours a week of work for each chapel. Even the branches in my district have 5 hour a week cleaning person. This is on top of the families that are assigned to clean each week.
The church keeps its properties well maintained as well. They usually use preferred contractors for the work, too, and that probably costs a little extra. Where Church membership is lower the same contractors cover large areas. This is in the northeast. A rough figure the other year for heating costs in my branch building was around 30k. This building is like a typical new building cut in half, so that instead of the gym and chapel, there is just the gym with a podium at the end. We use folding chairs to setup for sacrament.
But where I'm from, at least, they pay contractors way more than if they simply hired a local company.
The church is big on centralizing their finances. I wonder if it is a carry over from the United Order days. Every ward collects tithing to the best of their ability and turns it over to Salt Lake. Salt Lake then distributes money to the wards in accordance with their needs. In other words, from each according to their ability, to each according to their need. It's an inspired financial system.
"We of this Church do not rely on any man-made statement concerning the nature of Deity. Our knowledge comes directly from the personal experience of Joseph Smith." - Gordon B. Hinckley
"It's wrong to criticize leaders of the Mormon Church even if the criticism is true." - Dallin H. Oaks