We've found that investing together—through giving to ECV—has been a great way to invest in all that God's doing in ECV, in New Haven, and around the world. If ECV seems like the place that God's placed you for this season, we invite you to invest with us.
In this particularly challenging and uncertain economic time, we encourage you to give and to give generously. One way the ECV staff is doing that by outfitting ECV Helps to be a means of financial support to folks in or connected to our church.
Want to learn more about how we understand giving as a part of the spiritual life? Check out this ECV talk on the subject.
Financial Report
This basic report on giving is offered to help folks who are committed to supporting ECV financially to keep up on how we're doing in meeting current giving targets. A more detailed quarterly budget report is available upon request.
How ECV Invests
Like most things in life, when it comes to finances, the best way to keep things on the up-and-up is to keep them out in the open, so that’s what we want to do with our church’s finances. We spend roughly 50% of our budget on our staff, who provide substantial leadership for so much of what makes ECV great. A fifth of the budget goes towards "discipleship," that is, towards things that help us learn better to follow Jesus: Sunday gatherings (including rent), Elm City Sprouts (children's ministry), conferences, small groups, etc. Another fifth goes towards outreach, local and global, some programs initiated by ECV, and most (more than 75% of the outreach budget 16% of the whole) towards the work of ECV Partners (described below). Less than 10% of the budget goes towards various administrative support costs: insurance, media, denominational support, etc.
Our Partners
One of the key ways we feel called to invest our financial resources is in ECV Partnerships. These are organizations doing good work in our city and around the world, work they’ve been doing long before ECV was on the scene. (John 4:38b: “Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”) We’re stoked to be able to support these organizations and to be able to learn from them as we seek to understand better what it is that God has called us to as a church. Here are ECV's current partners:
Agape Church for the Homeless is a ministry to the homeless where housed and unhoused people meet to worship, have bible study and share meals together. Led by a passionate team of ECVers, from September to May, Agape meets at 8am upstairs in Trinity Lutheran Church (on the corner of Orange and Wall St.). In the summer, Agape meets at 9am on the Green behind United Church.
Natik, formerly International Humanitarian Foundation, empowers grassroots organizations worldwide to implement innovative solutions that meet the self-stated needs of their communities through collaborative, long-lasting partnerships with students and young leaders.
IRIS works to help refugees and other displaced people establish new lives, regain hope, and contribute to the vitality of Connecticut’s communities.
A percentage of ECV's savings are invested in micro-enterprise development initiatives all over the world through Kiva.org. Check out our current micro-enterprise investments at Kiva.org. (And stay tuned to be involved in selecting our next round of investments.)
Long-time ECV partner Love146 works toward the abolition of child trafficking and exploitation through Prevention Education, and caring for survivors. Love146 is serving survivors of domestic minor sex trafficking in Connecticut, and also have programs serving children affected by trafficking in the UK and the Philippines.
Through OMF International, ECVer Audrey Lin is working among Taiwan’s urban marginalized people, serving the homeless, people involved in prostitution, and those affected by AIDS.
Board of Trustees
Serving under the direction of the Elders, the Board of Trustees serves ECV by providing leadership and stewardship in substantial financial and administrative matters. The current trustees are: Katie Darr, Ndubisi Okeke, Sean Park, and Hannah Riad.
