Jim Bramer  uses this Journal to share with you his rather personal comments/thoughts (and sometime written Prayers)  about Ministry Finance issues during the month of September, 2002..  Please go to  0200  for further explanation.  See list of Frequently Used Vocational Terms at the bottom of this document.  If would like to receive this via monthly email, please let me know at JimRetCPA@bcidot.org.  Caution --- the non www.bcidot.org web links that I reference in these JIMs JRNLs; do NOT imply my endorsement per se.  Further, if any of the links below do not work, let us know which one at LINK@bcidot.org.  Incidentally,  our more recent www.bcidot.org  links (Web Docs) can be found at 9710. 

Click on the topic below and go to the day it was mentioned.

• Backup Protocol
• Budget; Annual Church Issues
• Buying Issues at a Church
• Church Administration Yahoo Community Group
• Credit Card, or Plastic buying
• DonaMail update at a local Church
• Envelopes, Virtual  - as a Personal Finance Tool
• Email signature and link to actual text of the scripture.
• Finance Policy Manual, Church -- Sample of
• GoToMyPC usage
• Internet Service Provider (ISP) - bcidot.org, Issues
• K I S S
• LOOKING OVER MY SHOULDER dialog
• Mileage reimbursement rate per IRS for 2002
• Ministry Finance meeting effectiveness sharing
• Ministry Finance Yahoo Community Groups (two)
• Pendable, Brad - why Jim Bramer's pen name
• Parent Teachers Organizations - PTOs
• Plastic, or Credit Card buying
• School Acct Receivable (Schar) Services via ECCU
• Scrip Store and eScrip Info
• Truisms re Tool-Terrific or Tyrant-Terrible

Monday, September 30, 2002

            This past month a number of folk have discovered,  via the Internet,  that I make available, as an Email attachment, a Word doc of a sample Church Finance Policy Manual as set forth within 5005.   It appears that I also need to provide some sample Church Finance Forms.    Let me know at JimRetCPA@bcidot.org. if this is of interest to you.

Friday, September 27, 2002:   

            Well,  Brad Pendable ..... see 3000 .... now has his own  BDPenable@hotmail.com   Email address.

Thursday, September 26, 2002:               

        I am finding the following Yahoo group to be an excellent resource for Churches:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/churchadmin/   I trust you churches are availing yourself of this free Yahoo Group.  You will notice that the  National Assn of Church Business Administrators ( www.nacba.net  )  on their home page encourages their members to utilize this resource. Any church will greatly benefit by participating and learning from what is shared within this group.  The Yahoo groups mentioned on September 7, 2002 below should be a blend to  this endeavor.

Monday,  September 23, 2002:   

        As you will discover when you read  0917  that I am extremely interested in you Onliners having and using tools that help you with your personal finances.  I recently came across the following web site that parallels much of  what we believe about use of Virtual Envelopes  in this process.  Let me know at  JimRetCPA@bcidot.org  if this resource is valuable to you.          http://www.in2m.com/Support/faq.shtm

Saturday,  September 21, 2002:   

                                            A couple of things about this past week ....  
1st  -  I participated in two meetings and was impressed with the following:  A>  Out of respect for fellow participants, and the meeting's supposed importance, all of us should turn off our Cel Phones so we together can get closure on why we are there. B> Meeting participants should receive an agenda well in advance  - preferable by Email. C>  It is helpful to place the meeting objectives on the Black Board  so participants can easily view and follow.  D> Meeting participants with kids need a definition of  "CRISIS"  that warrants meeting interruption.  
2nd  - There is the "4 T"  TRUISM ---- Terrific Tools or Terrible Tyrants.  What examples can you think of other than:  Computers in general; Cel Phones; and Credit Cards/Plastic?

Friday,  September 20, 2002:   

        Today I was reminded that effective  01-01-2002 the IRS approved reimbursement mileage rate was increased to 36.5 cents per mile.               

Thursday,  September 19, 2002:   

        I participated in a Church Finance Committee meeting this week.  Some folk still believe in the "sacred-ness" of the Annual Church Budget that I speak so harshly about in  0910.   My prayer is that I can convince you-all of the validity of such  Budget Truisms  found within  0910.   How about this acronym:   ABC  or   Annual  Budget Changes and the Church has some protocol for same; see example in  5005 .tc.

Wednesday, September 18, 2002:   

       I will keep you apprised of the following topics recently discussed with our "Internet Service Provider":   1> Onliners have a cleaner way of printing out  a  www.bcidot.org  web page content.   2>  Have an efficient way to send a  www.bcidot.org   web page to a friend.   3> Use of FrontPage to provide a  www.bcidot.org   web page that looks like a form to complete that efficiently provides us with info that we need.

Monday, September 16, 2002:   

            I was recently a part of a "Improvements in Church Buying Methods/Procedures"  meeting. Written on the black board before us was the following Church Buying Goals and Objectives:

>> Safe and efficient use of Credit Cards/Plastic as we buy within the authorized Budget
>> We record said purchases the week of the tranx .... not when monthly Plastic Statement is paid.
>> Volunteers can spend no more than $100 of their own money and be assured of reimb. 
>> Buyers timely receive  "Actual to Budget" reports so they know where they are.
>> Improve the accounting forms and procedure that is expected of all Buyers.

        Let me know JimRetCPA@bcidot.org  is you want more specifics/details.

Saturday, September 14, 2002:   

            I just got a KISS from my wife;  after reading some of this, she said Keep It Short Silly.  At least she said Silly and not something else.

Wednesday, September 11, 2002:   

            Oh boy ..... one of the Onliners could not find an essential computer system backup.  I hope this is a good reminder for all of us to have a specific written BACKUP PROTOCOL that is part of our policies and procedures that we faithfully follow.  Ask me about the option of having it done automatically via the Internet every night.

Monday, September 9, 2002:   

            The past few days I have been focusing on  Bradley D. Pendable --- (BDPendable.....get it??)  my pen name, or alter ego.  Jim Bramer (JRB)  has been a CPA Auditor-Consultant to Christian Ministries (Outsider looking in)  while Bradley D. Pendable (Brad)  is a CPA Financial Vice President of a Christian Ministry (Insider looking out).  I would appreciate your prayers as Brad  is underway now with a significant assignment.  I will fill you in with more details in the days ahead.

Saturday, September 7, 2002:   

            Well, today we had one person show some interest on one of our two Yahoo Online Community groups as described within 0201   Am seriously considering abandoning this effort since only two had shown any interest since January 2002.   Apparently this resource does NOT SWYI (Scratch Where You Itch) see September 5, 2002 comments below.   What do you think?

Friday, September 6, 2002:   

        Yesterday afternoon I was at a local Church.  I will be serving on their "CMS- Church Management Software/System  Update" committee - see below.  They have NOT been satisfied with their (1)ABC  CMS  product so they changed to the (2) XYZ CMS product and discovered that things were even worse.  Below is my initial debriefing sent to the parties below-- from time to time I may be updating you on this assignment as most Church should regularly use such CMS tools effectively.  Below is a portion of my understanding of yesterday’s time together:

    Fran, Joyce (Church Secretary) and I  will serve as a  "CMS  Update" committee. The committee's objective to to go beyond what (1)ABC has been providing the Church.  Current Issues include:      1>  Church is to abandon  (2)XYZ  and get their money back;  2>  Church is to resurrect  (1)ABC  and do appropriate updating as we plan to utilize (1)ABC  for the remainder of calendar year 2002;  3>  Jim is to provide some leadership as we look into non-ABC products.  (Readers might find  0022  of interest in this context); 4>  Conclude by 01-01-2003  what CMS product to use in the future. 5>  Pastor Pat will need to agree with the final conclusions of  this committee. 

Thursday, September 5, 2002:   

        Most of my vocational life I have been kidded about my use of acronyms or abbreviations.  Well, here is one of my latest:  SWYI   (Scratch Where You Itch).   Our teen-age Grandson Jason said to me a few weeks ago:  "Grandpa, do you know what TMI stands for?  Well, it stands for Too Much Information."   Do you  think he was trying to tell me something?  I trust you identify with my desire to provide SWYI  resources/helps within context of not  TMI.

Wednesday, September 4, 2002:   

        Check out the attributes of our Email signature below   ---  notice that by clicking on  "Prov. 16:3"   below it will link you to the actual text of this Scripture verse per the auspices of  www.biblegateway.com .  Pretty neat, huh !!!!

Thanx - JimRetCPA@bcidot.org   Prov.  16:3
Hope you enjoy  JIM’s JRNL  in:  http://www.bcidot.org/pub/9222-22.html

Tuesday, September 3, 2002 PM:   

To  Church's Ministry Finance Team   ---- FR:  Jim Bramer 
            Let me add some more to the fine info that FRAN has shared on this topic.  Scrip is where Church Buyers come to the Scrip Store at the Church (no Sunday buying/selling) and acquires $crip (gift certificates) and use the $crip to buy at the respective Vendor.  If Buyers pay out $100.00 to the Scrip Store they can then buy $100.00 of merchandise and a “residual” of as much as $5.00 goes to their Scrip Store Account for their use only at the Church.  Along with  Scrip Store inventory dollars needed,  and management,  it is a paper intensive effort
            However,  the eScrip process is where you sign up in advance and do your normal buying at the respective eScrip Vendor and the above “residual”  (there are fewer vendors and probably only some $4.00 for the same $100.00) comes to the Scrip Store monthly after their charge FRAN explains.  The eScrip users, of course, should pay for the benefit they receive .... FRAN is asking some  “how to”  specifics.  With eScrip, you do not have the logistical problems of getting pieces of paper ($crip) required by the the Scrip method.   A definite PLUS !!!!   More of the entire adult Church families should be using eScrip --- just think of how much some of us spend on groceries alone, etc.
           The following web site link sheds some more light on Scrip  and  eScrip  topics.   http://www.ptotoday.com/0301scrip.html  Please note below the details about Scrip as shown via the last page of the Church's  Annual financial report. The Church is handling a lot of Scrip money.

Number of BUYERs	94
Annual Scrip Volume	$ 208,565
Scrip Credits Earned	$ 10,230
Scrip Credits Used	$ 8,020
Excess Carried Forward	$ 2,210
Beginning of Year	$ 1,237
End of year Available Credits	$ 3,447

September 3, 2002 AM:   

To Fran:  Seemed that our recent  LOYS  process went well as you watched on your desktop  (Looked over my shoulder)  as  I did the applicable QuickBooks set-up and transactions and we CHAT inter-acted only.  It was neat first using my cursor to do said processing and then being able to turn the cursor over to you.  In essence you were able to remotely go to needed areas of QB on my desktop and then make entries/do reports, etc.  Am always interested in improving the process via  www.GoToMyPC.com .   Do you have any recommendations/suggestions? What about the Print Screen issues?

To Jim:  I think the gotomypc thing works well, only hassles are that when I click on something it seems to interrupt your typing in the msgs window.   Also it was much easier reading what you were typing on your chat sceen than keeping mine in view as I had to keep flicking between the chat window and view your desktop.
   The Print Screen works ok, though I kept forgetting to do it as I was trying to read and take in as much info as I could and then we would move onto the next screen ;-) In hindsight I should have printed every screen as we went along.  Oh yeah -- another reason to read what you type on your desktop instead of using my chat window is that the chat window is captured in the Screen Dump as well - so it hid some of the info I was trying to capture - I got the hang of it in the end and moved the chat window almost off my screen and only used it to respond to your msg I was reading on your screen. I also had my QB file open so that I could make sure I had all the same options and settings as you in case there were any differences between the US/UK versions.

Monday, September 2, 2002:   

    Dear Heavenly Father ...... I enter into your presence with praise and thanksgiving !!!  I especially want to thank you so very much that Christian Schools now have some significant School Acct Receivable (Schar) services as provided by ECCU via their Tuition Direct  Ministry.  As you know,  Lord,  for more than 20 years this has been of extreme interest to me .  Please give me wisdom and direction as I prayerfully pursue being a resource to them.
     In the precious Name of Jesus ..... Amen....

  Just viewed  www.crown.org  and followed their forum content.  VERY encouraging !!!!  Two people within two separate threads spoke very positively about www.bcidot.org !!   
  Am communicating with David at http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage="John:316   as I work with them to,  not only post a scripture reference (John 3:16) as part of my Email signature,   but to hyperlink to the actual text of John 3:16 itself so Onliners can read it.  Please see what happened on September 4, 2002 above.