As human expressions, we may unconsciously or even consciously affirm our sense of lack, our sense of not-enough-ness. We might have a deep-seated belief we are constrained by our health, our finances, or some other sense of thinking.

As Director of Operations, I have been working with the Board of Trustees to maintain a continued resilience of prosperity consciousness in the face of declining contributions, while ensuring the ability to meet the spiritual needs of our ministry. Care has been taken to only engage in expenditures that are necessary, and to limit or defer spending that can wait.

At this time, Unity of Melbourne has nearly exhausted our reserves, as our expenses have overshadowed our contributions by over $21,000 year to date. As a reminder during this calendar year, we also received 2 Paycheck Protection Program loans for $25,000, through the Small Business Administration, (SBA). These loans were used for mortgage and payroll expenses, and both of these loans were forgiven by the SBA. Without those loans and their forgiveness, our financial picture would be even more dire.

The Board has begun to explore a variety of options, from reducing some Sunday worship service expenses to accessing an established line of credit. Each of these are short-term fixes and are likely not a long-term solution.

When Unity of Melbourne moved into our current space, the intent was for those who use our facility to fund much of our building expenses. That remains mostly true to this day. However, with increased building usage comes increased costs for building supplies (paper towels, toilet paper), electricity, cooling, and water. We’ve also experienced other significant expenses, the types of costs that go with maintaining a large and aging building. We have had to add regular servicing of our HVAC systems. We have experienced a number of computer failures that required replacement and the electronic sign had internal failed components that required replacement. Nearly all of these “one-offs” have been funded through individual contributions from congregants and not taken directly from “operational funds”. The age of the building and the components that need repair continues to grow and must be deferred in order to align our finances with necessary expenses.

A list of items that are in need are included below.

The Board and I ask each of you to consider your limitless potentiality in the human expression in your contributions to Unity of Melbourne to keep it a thriving community and an irreplaceable spiritual center in the heart of Brevard County.

Upcoming Unity of Melbourne expenses that cannot be deferred:

• $812 for migrating email to licensed applications (due now)
• $1300 sealing holes in roof membrane (due now)
• $2853 Brevard Property tax (due now)
• $2700 Workman’s Compensation Insurance renewal (December 31, 2021)

Upcoming Unity of Melbourne expenses that are being deferred:

• $325 to repair the garbage disposal in the kitchen
• $800 to replace the worn entrance mats at all doors
• $1400 to pressure wash the building
• $1841 replacement of Fire Control Panel (changing from 3G to more current technology) and allow exterior security cameras
• $1963 to repair the Toshiba 2550 copier
• $1809 to repair the Toshiba 2330 copier
• $14000 repair to the rebar and stucco above 62 windows
• $8,000 repair to building exterior lights
• $11,000 parking lot repair and sealing.