2021 Year in Review

financial overview

From gathering virtually to worshiping in person, 2021 brought many changes and blessings to our community. In the first half of the year, we continued to seek out creative ways to celebrate and connect. Then, by God’s grace, we had the privilege of learning how to rebuild our church in person again! In this Year in Review, we share some of the ways in which God worked in and through our community.

Worshiping as One Body

We began 2021 uncertain of where the year might take us, or when we would meet again. From March to June, we hosted almost 1,400 people at the Swedish American Hall, our very first home, for the filming of our Sunday services. Little did we know, by August we would welcome our church to our permanent home in the heart of the Mission District. Now, each Sunday nearly 1,000 people walk through our doors to worship together.

Teaching Series

In 2021, we went through five teaching series.

A Series in Revelation

A study of the letters to the seven churches, focusing on encouraging the church to remain faithful in the midst of hardship.

Listen

Future Church: A Way of Life for the Church of the Future

A series diving deeper in our shared Rule of Life, and our vision to be a community choosing the narrow way of Jesus together.

Listen

Overcoming Fear: Choosing Courage in the Age of Anxiety

A look at the ways God calls us into deeper trust and communion with Him in the midst of our fears.

Listen

The Story & Way of Jesus

A study in the Gospel of Mark.

Listen

Arrival: An Advent Series on Waiting & Believing

A series on waiting and believing, as seen through the stories of prominent women in the ancestry and life of Christ.

Listen

This year, 260 people participated in our seven sessions of courses. Designed to develop our congregation into more mature followers of Jesus in all aspects of life, we offered courses in Vocation, Scripture, Finance, and Premarital.

Baptism Sundays are always a special time for us to celebrate those entering the family of God and to also reflect on the meaning of our own baptism. In 2021, we were once again blessed to celebrate with seven of our brothers and sisters as they chose to step into the waters of baptism.

We celebrated new birth in our community by dedicating 34 babies! With baby dedications, parents commit to faithfully raising their children in the Lord, and we as a community commit to spiritually and practically supporting these families.

Together Again

Looking back on 2021, it’s easy to forget that we did more with together than we did apart – but through the Lord’s faithfulness, we have been blessed to grow as a community following Jesus.

We saw the return of old traditions and rhythms – but in new and exciting ways. We saw a resilient community, committed to prayer and the maturing of our faith in Jesus. And we saw a church that continued to be devoted to one another and our city as we learned how to rebuild the church in person.

In January, we kick-started the year with a celebration of our 11th birthday with a socially-distanced drive-thru, complete with music and balloons!

On Easter Sunday, we celebrated the resurrection of Christ together, many of us seeing one another in person for the first time in over a year.

As a church, we examined eight spiritual practices to help us center our lives on Christ, including reading through the New Testament as part of our BREAD practice.

In November and December, our Women’s Cohort and other leaders opened the door for our church to make new connections with one another and find community through our Women’s and Men’s Socials.

In October, our Children’s Ministry hosted our Reality SF families and neighbors at our Family Harvest Festival, a day filled with games, snacks, face-painting, and a petting zoo!

In August, our Youth Ministry excitedly began meeting in their very own room! In this space, they’ve celebrated the return of being in person at School Nights, and welcomed new students and leaders.

Our Outreach Team held several supply drives throughout the year in support of nine Renewal Partners and two local schools: Everett Middle School (our previous Sunday space) and Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 (our new neighbors!).

Knowing that many in our church have been desiring more connection, our leadership hosted 12 Community Mixers & Socials, with an encouragement to continue pursuing relationship outside of these organized spaces.

Seeking to create community in our time apart, our Children’s Ministry hosted nine Family Socials, including an Easter meet-up, field days, and nature walks at Chrissy Field and Fort Funston.

In 2021, the Lord opened the door for us to serve our city in new ways. With the acquisition of our building, we also inherited the ongoing Food Pantry, which serves 70-85 households each week. Our Outreach Team, which grew to over 150 volunteers, also served monthly with many of our Renewal Partners.

At the end of 2021, we hosted our Volunteer Christmas Party to show our deep appreciation for all those who pour into the life of our church on a regular basis by sharing their time and talents with us.

We ended the year with the celebration of the birth of Jesus, taking time to enjoy the season together with treats and hot chocolate, and in worship through singing, scripture reading, and the lighting of candles.

Stewarding Our Resources

2021 Financial Overview

Through faithful generosity of our church, in 2021 we were able to transition into our new church home! We began with a time of discernment, as we sought to bring the Lord’s wisdom and vision to this major financial commitment. After many meetings and times of prayer, and with the help of many amazing volunteers, we were able to host the very first services in August. 

At the end of the year, we shared our Year-End Giving Campaign, in which we sought to raise an additional $1M in order to strengthen our financial position and raise the initial funding for the renovations of our outdoor plaza. We are thankful to say that we raised those much-needed funds, which will allow us to make more space for our neighbors in the Mission.

The unusual challenges through the continued pandemic resulted in new opportunities to help relieve burdens and recommit our calling to serve our church and city. Our Benevolence Team continued to meet a variety of individual and family needs through prayer, counseling, and financial resources. We also crossed a significant milestone by providing over $1M in assistance to those in need in our church family since our founding in 2010.

We also invested 14% of our budget ($600K+) towards supporting our local missionaries and local Renewal Partners. In 2022, we will continue to seek out new ways in which we can partner together to make an even larger impact on the renewal of our city.

To implement our dreams and steward our financial resources well, it takes the time and talents of many individuals. If you are gifted in financial modeling, budgeting, real estate, construction processes, or planning, and are interested in being a part of our stewardship and planning team, please email elder and Finance Pastor, Tarik El-Ansary.

Learn more about our approach to generosity and financial accountability, our 2020 CPA-Reviewed Financial Statement, and ECFA accreditation.

If you’d like to receive a Monthly Financial Reports email about our giving and how it’s lining up with our annual budget and monthly giving goals, subscribe to this list.

Total

Giving:$6.11M
Expenses:$4.59M
Net Income:$1.52M

General Funds

Giving:$4.49M
Expenses:$3.95M
Net Income:$540K

Designated Funds

Giving

Benevolence:$314K
Justice & Outreach:$328K
Building Fund:$886K
Total Designated:$1.52M

Expenses

Benevolence:$204K
Justice & Outreach:$334K
Church Planting:$108K
Building Expenses:$143K
Total Designated: $789K

Designated Net Income

$796K

General & Designated Funds: As a church, we have two categories of funds: general and designated. “General” refers to money given to our General Fund — and therefore, it is not designated for specific ministry and operations expenses. “Designated” refers to money given to either our Benevolence Fund or Justice & Outreach Fund — and therefore, it is designated to those areas of ministry.
Benevolence Fund: directly contributes to helping families and individuals within our church who are in need of emergency financial assistance.
Justice & Outreach Fund: directly contributes to supporting our Local Justice & Global Outreach partner organizations and local missionaries.

2021 General Giving vs. General Expenses

(In thousands of dollars)

Ministry Expenses

* Justice & Outreach: Includes financial partnerships with Renewal Partner Organizations, partial financial support of local missionaries, and church planting initiatives.

Fund Balances

Justice & Outreach:$306K
Benevolence:$408K
Building Fund:$743K
Church Planting:$237K
Savings:$278K

2022 General Budget:

$4.9M*

* The Reality SF Board of Directors, Due Diligence, and Discernment Teams will contribute to and advise the elders in presenting the Capital Campaign Giving Goal in the fall of 2022.

Looking Forward

Vision for the Future

At Vision Sunday 2022, Dave Lomas shared a vision for renewal as we look towards the future of Reality SF together. You can watch or listen to the presentation below.

Watch or listen