Abstinence

LifeNews.com 5/25/07

GOP Candidates Sam Brownback, Mike Huckabee Back Abstinence EdWashington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- With Congressional Democrats looking to strip out the funding of abstinence education programs from within the federal budget, two Republican candidates for president said they oppose the move. Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee say they strongly support abstinence education. Abortion advocates on Capitol Hill don't plan to reauthorize federal funding for the Title V abstinence education program, which expires at the end of June. They claim the programs have not been effective and want to see more money spent on birth control and the morning after pill. "Abstinence education provides a valuable counterweight to peer pressure and the message young people get from the popular culture encouraging casual relationships and separating sex from love, commitment and marriage," Huckabee said. "I am disappointed that funding for abstinence education is not likely to be renewed by the Democrat Congress," the former governor added. "This reversal only emphasizes how important it is for Republicans to take back Congress and win the White House with an authentic conservative in 2008." Brownback said "Abstinence-only programs are great examples of curriculums that send positive messages to young people encouraging them to protect themselves and their future." "Teens who abstain from sexual activity are less likely to have children out-of-wedlock; less likely to live in poverty and on welfare; and more likely to have stable marriages as adults," he explained.

Audit

I am really not intending to brag- OK, maybe alittle. We went through our audit process with flying colors. Results will be posted on website soon. This is really meaningful to me for two reasons. One- I want to be able to assure those of you that contribute to this important ministry that your money is being used responsibly and in a way that honors you and God. The other reason is not unique to our ministry. Most nonprofits are managed by people who have backgrounds in Social Services. This makes sense because our primary purpose is to provide social services. I believe that my educational background and past experience allows me to develop programs that will really benefit the families that we serve. I compare this to small churches that do not have a large staff that specializes in all areas of ministry. The pastor may be pastoring and preaching, and administrating and even answering phones and handling the books. There is a large learning curve for social workers to go through in order to fully understand bookkeeping and financial issues. Social workers and CPAs do not typically speak the same language. I have worked very hard to learn all that I can to understand these processes and to surround myself with people that are knowledgeable in these areas.


The Lord has blessed us with Deana Kocylowsky, our current board treasurer. Deana is a CPA, who works for Wachovia. She reviews our financial reports and our processes on a regular basis. Deana has a servant heart and tons of patience. We are also very fortunate to have Cindy Bonner serving as our Lois' Lodge bookkeeper. It has made a huge difference to have someone on staff solely committed to operating our accounting processes. It is our desire at Lois' Lodge to serve our Lord with excellence. We are always open to your input on how we can do things better. Call us or email us: debloislodge@aol.com or 704-376-8550. Also, please feel free to add comments to the blog as you feel led. Check out our website, http://www.loislodge.org/ and keep coming back to the blog for ongoing ministry updates. DebbieI hope you and Debbie/Cindy know that you can contact us throughout the year as questions arise.
Julie A. Toschlog
C. DeWitt Foard & Company, P.A., C.P.A.'s