what's going on with our money? (tammy)

hello, brothers and sisters!

I am putting on my treasurer's hat and will use this blog entry as an FAQ for a few of the financial issues that have been going on this semester. If you have any other questions or concerns, leave a comment or email me at yummm.spaghetti@gmail.com.

What are some of the treasurer's responsibilities?

• Take an open book exam & practical exam from studying the treasurer's handbook provided by the SA


• Handle all financial forms and procedures related to the SA chartered group (fundraiser prior approval forms, budget request form, budget appeal form, religious prior approval forms, prior approval forms, vouchers for reimbursements, etc.), of which there are MANY.


• Keep a tight record of all expenses and income


• Take care of fundraisers


• Fill out all forms in an efficient, proper manner


• Attend all treasurers' meetings


• Keep track of allotted SA account
• Check the IVCF SA mailbox every day

I never really heard much about our group's money before. Why are there all of a sudden so many issues with our SA account?

• With our group growing tremendously, we need the funds so we can afford to hold events, reach out to our campus, and tell others about the gospel and about our group in creative ways without having to reach into our pockets.


• In the past, our group has been wary about SA finances and have been taking care of IVCF's account with as little SA involvement as possible. We'd like to take more of a stand and build a good financial account and relationship with the SA.

What's the difference between a "budget appeal" and a "budget request"?

• The budget request happens every spring semester, where the treasurer has to fill out a form, requesting the SA to allocate money for our fellowship for the entire next school year.


• After the request approval, the SA gives a date, time, and place where the e-board has five minutes to present their case to the Vice President of Finance (VPF) and Financial Council (FinCo) of why they should be given a certain amount of money, and five minutes of Q & A.


• After all the student groups have presented, the VPF and FinCo allot budgeted amounts to each group and posts it up in the SA office.


• A student group can then make a budget appeal to argue what the VPF and FinCo allotted to request more money. the process is the same as that of a budget request except the group is given three minutes to present and three minutes of Q & A

How much money did we receive from the SA for this entire 2008-2009 year?
$300

How much money did we receive from the SA for the entire 2009-2010 year?
$600

How much money do we have in our account now?

Right now we have $2,630 in our account because all expenses from this semester have not been subtracted. We accumulated funds from our service auctions and rollover money from last spring.

Why is it taking so long for my reimbursements to come back to me?

This is how the process works:

• A religious prior approval form for the expense has to be submitted.


• The treasurer has to wait for that form to be approved by the VPF, who goes through these forms once a week.


• Once those approval forms are approved, the treasurer needs to fill out a voucher form.


• The voucher then has to have the receipts attached, with the signature of the person being reimbursed.


• Then after the voucher and form are submitted, the treasurer has to wait for the yellow slip to be in the IVCF mailbox to then tell the person that he/she has to pick up the check from the Couper Administration Building or have it sent to them to receive their reimbursement check.

What are the plans for our 2009-2010 year?

Right now I don't have details, but here are a few general things/ideas:

• There will definitely be a system/process set up so that I can keep control of the expenses of our group. It will probably be a form that people will have to fill out for me before they buy something.


• I will probably hold office hours next semester (so cool, right? I know! It was Carrie Moorhead's idea) so that I can make myself available to the fellowship members, answer any questions, and set aside some time for me to focus on just fulfilling some administrative duties.
• I will meet with the new VPF to talk about our shaky financial standing and how we can get onto a path of good financial standing.

Once I figure out some more details and processes, I'll post them up.

I hope this was helpful!

Living Purposefully - Katy

Hello Fellowship!

As March and housing sign ups rapidly approach, and the phrase "intentional housing" sweeps through the fellowship, I wanted to add new something to the conversation. While I believe more strongly than most that it matters who with and where you chose to live next year, even more important than that is how you chose to live in your current resident this year. No sense in moving across campus to reach such and such a dorm, when you never bother to care for the dorm where you live currently. Please do keep praying and thinking about where God would like to use you next year, but for this semester, try some of the following tips, and walk in Jesus' footsteps of living with the people you are reaching out to.

Tip 1. Do you have a door on your room? (I bet you do!) Make sure to print the Large Group flyer that is sent out weekly and post it on your door. Go the extra step and ask your RD for permission to put it on the bulletin boards around your dorm. If you live on the first floor, consider putting up IV advertisements in your window.

Tip 2. Another door suggestion. Keep it open!! While obviously if your h- core studying, sleeping, changing etc… you will want your privacy, but when you’re just chilling in your room, try leaving your door open. It might feel weird for a while, but it gives an open invitation to your hall mates to pop in, say hi, and chat. Unless you are all about door to door evangelism, it’s from these casual interactions that relationships will be formed, and opportunities to share the gospel arise.

Tip 3. Oh! Be careful little ears what you hear. Now that you have your door open during your chill time, people will probably be able to hear the music you’re chilling to (or in my case; singing, very very loudly.) Think about how the music we listen to/ belt out in the shower reflects your life, your faith and your God. This does not mean you can only listen to praise and worship, or even Christian music. (Both work. I’ve gotten the opportunity to share the Gospel with an acquaintance because she asked me about a worship song I was singing when I was washing my hands after going to the bathroom. I’ve also shared the Gospel with two friends when I was in high school illustrating different biblical truths with Bright Eye’s quotes. (Coincidentally, that conversation also happened in a bathroom....)) Point is, that nothing is not spiritual, and the music we listen to needs to reflect that. If you are listening to music that you know God isn’t down with, cut it out.

Tip 4. Assoxinate!! If your building does assoxination or another building wide game, participate! You will get to know people, have fun, and support your res life staff.

Tip 5. Go to programs your RA offers. Even if no one else goes, your RA needs Jesus too, and s/he will love you for coming out!

Tip 6. Do you have international students on your hall? Its never too late to start a friendship with them. Stop and chat with them, offer to correct an English paper, have them teach you something from home. (Or try to teach you… I still have no idea how to play that Korean tile game (Go Stop) even after watching them for an hour or so.) If your hyphenated nationality is the same as theirs (aka they are Korean international students, and you are Korean-American) use your hyphenatedness to its fullest!! I don’t really know what that might look like, but my guess is that you have something unique to offer them being a part of both cultures.

Tip 7. Happy Holidays!! For 3$ at Wal-Mart you can buy enough holiday themed lollipops/ nerds/ pixy stix/ what have you for every one on your hall. Buy some and go to door handing them out. You’ll get to familiarize your self with your hall mates, and a permanent reputation for being “nice.” (Nicenice isn’t straight up evangelsim, but it is a good first step.)

Tip 8. Next time your at Wal-Mart, invest (don’t steal from the dinning hall!!) in some bowls, forks/ chopsticks, salt& pepper, and easy mac and cup ramon. Next time your chilling with your door open, and you over hear a hall mate complaining “Im SOOOO hungry right now!” stick you head out and say, “Hey, ________________, I just over heard you say you were hungry. I’ve got some easy mac and cup noodles if you want some.” Lots of times they will say yes, and then you have an insta conversation the 3 minuets it takes to cook the food. Even if they think your weird for asking, it’s the “nice” weird, which sounds like a pretty good description for a Christian to have. It was over easy mac my freshman year that I got to share my faith with my pledging neighbors.

Tip 9. Next time you’re at Wal-Mart, invest in a soup cup or two, and a couple cans of Cambell’s soup. Next time your chilling in your room with the door open and hear your hall mate’s nasty cough, you can heat them up/ bring them soup. If you wanted to go the extra mile, you can buy the little packs of tissues and or cough drops at Wal-Mart or the dollar store and give them those too. They will love knowing you care! (Even if again, they think you’re a little weird.)

Tip 10. Next time you do laundry, bring some reading down with you and stay with your stuff. Not only is this a good idea in light of past cases of laundry room vandalism, but others who stick around too are usually up for conversations, and you can meet people who live on different floors.

Try these out, talk to your hitches about what your doing or if you have more ideas, and if something cool happens, post it as a comment!

Much Love

-Katy McFadden, Out Reach Coordinator

what is a HTCH and what does that have to do with me?

hi guys, tammy here.

for those of you who missed our town hall meeting on valentine's day, here's a chunk of what we talked about:

imagine if all the IVCF members were uprooted and disappeared from the binghamton university campus.

do you think anyone would miss our presence on campus?

the things we've been doing on campus have been great. we've begun to see the lives of our fellow classmates, roommates, floormates, and other people on campus slowly (and sometimes quickly) transform.

but are our transformed lives making an impact on this campus? because if they aren't, then how can God use us to renew the campus?

most of you know that there has been a huge community-focused movement in IVCF. we're beginning to see a glimpse of the possible and potential opportunities God has for us to make an impact through the community we live in.

no one can make decisions for you. i'm not just talking about big decisions like whether or not you should transfer, where you should live next year, or what classes you should take. i'm talking about the attitude you have in making those big decisions, as well as the smaller, every-day decisions.

so when it comes down to making those decisions (both big and small), we're asking you to do two "i's":

take initiative.
and be intentional.

my pastor described the definition of "initiative" this way: you're aware of the needs around you and you care enough to do something about them. neither of those things can be without the other. you can be aware of the needs around you but not care enough to do something about it (i call that apathy...not one of my favorite things in the world), and you can care a lot about needs enough to do something about it, but may not necessarily be aware of what needs need to be fulfilled.

so take initiative. if you care enough about needs to do something about it, find out what the needs are. if you're aware and know what needs are around you, find a way to do something about it. God is constantly working and constantly moving in and through people and circumstances. He's got a plan and you're huge part of it.

so be intentional about your decisions. if you believe God has a purpose for your life, live like you believe it! take initiative with purprose and pure intentions.

imagine what God can do if we all take initiative and live intentionally in obedience to Him?

so what do "HTCHs" have to do with all of this? this hospitality team community ministry provides a huge opportunity where you could put into practice taking initiative and living intentionally.

HTCH = hospitality team community head.

they are the ones in charge of the hospitality environment of their community. they are the leaders in creating an inviting, welcoming, fun, and interesting environment for people to encounter God and build relationships.

but without followers, there are no leaders. these HTCHs understand and taken on the challenge of taking the initiative and living intentionally. and they could use your help in doing the same as they organize and plan events and activities such as community dinners and follow-up for their community.

so who are these HTCHs?

newing = sara ito smito011@hotmail.co.jp
dickinson = michelle an man1@binghamton.edu
ciw = rachel goldberg lostmiaminut@gmail.com
mountainview = may wu hwu4@binghamton.edu
off-campus = wesley yee wyee1@binghamton.edu

if you would like to help be the followers that these leaders need or just have more questions about your specific community, drop them an email and let them know.

susquehanna, hillside, and hinman currently do not have HTCHs. if you would like to help start up community activities or get involved somehow in these communities, email binghamtonivcf@gmail.com for more information.

if you are a small group leader, you are highly encouraged to actively participate and work with the HTCH in the community you are currently serving.

if you are a small group member, you are highly encouraged to attend the small group in your community.

if you attend a small group in a different community because of schedule conflicts, you are highly encouraged to stay active in the community you live in, although you are welcome to participate in your small group's community activities (if you have the time) in addition to your own living community's activities.

don't be surprised if you get an email from your HTCH quite soon!
if you have any other questions, leave a comment or email binghamtonivcf@gmail.com.