Winter Chill Results In Higher Costs for Churches
Many of our churches are in smaller and more rural towns. During the recent winter chill that saw dangerously low temperatures, many of these communities were forced to buy electricity at a premium, resulting in large bills to consumers. The KO Conference Council has approved a grant to help churches, whatever their size, struggling to pay these recent bills.
The KO Council recommended to their members the allocation of a portion of distributable disaster funds to grants to relieve this additional financial burden. They approved the following:
Set aside $10,000 from distributable disaster funds to provide grants to congregations to assist with payment of energy bills resulting from higher usage during the winter storms in Kansas and Oklahoma.
Grants may be awarded in an amount up to $1,000 per church, but not to exceed ½ of the charges incurred. For example, if the bill is $3,000, the congregation would be eligible to request up to $1,000. If the bill is $1,200, they would be eligible to request $600.
Requests should include a statement saying that the billed amount during the winter storm represented a higher amount than typically billed.
To be eligible a church must be a regular partner in contributing to the ongoing support of the Conference through OCWM.
If your church would like to apply for a grant, please contact Edith Guffey by e-mail or use the “contact us” option on the website.