Last year, the Forum Bookstore at Sovereign Hope ended up losing the church $90.18. For this we rejoice. We are not happy because it is close to zero, we are happy because it tells you something about where our church is going.
The Numbers:
Our total receipts for the bookstore last year hovered right around six thousand dollars. When we take into account all of the fixed costs of operation and the small amount of inventory loss over the year, we netted about sixteen percent of our total receipts.
This means that we had roughly $1,000 in profit last year, and still managed to end up with an overall net loss of $90.18
If you bought a book at the Forum Bookstore last year, you contributed to over one thousand dollars of resources given to people who sit right next to you on Sundays.
The Reality:
If you bought a book at the Forum Bookstore last year, you contributed to over one thousand dollars of resources given to people who sit right next to you on Sundays. You helped scholarship people who couldn't afford the books for the Redemption Group curriculum. You helped single moms and struggling marriages have access to discounted, or free, gospel-centered publications. You contributed to staff development by providing a funding pool to help increase education resources to your church leaders. Your purchase of a book went to help those who couldn't afford books learn along with other members in our Forum Classes and seminars. In other words your purchase of material from the Forum Bookstore not only helped your spiritual walk and knowledge, but it contributed in ways, and in people you can't even imagine. From Bibles, to seminars, to textbooks, you contributed to ministry and for that we thank you.
The Ministry:
The Forum Bookstore is dedicated to providing gospel-centered resources to the people of Sovereign Hope. In addition to selling books to avid readers, we also order, and manage curriculum for our Church Leadership Track and Forum Elective Classes. The Forum (along with online blogs and resources) is committed to educating the church and pushing them forward in Christ saturated ministry. The store takes material which stems from our pulpit, and provides resources to make better parents, leaders, husbands, wives, and most importantly Christians.
The Cost:
Here is how our costs work at the Forum Bookstore. We order materials through several online distributors and often times we get bulk discounts and free shipping. As a result we obtain materials under the suggested retail prices. We then mark up the item to one dollar less than the suggested retail price (a $17.99 book will be sold for $17.00...etc). This mark-up is typically 10%-15%, and our Bibles are marked up no more than 5%.
The Income:
All income from our mark ups go into the Forum Fund and are intended to be spent on scholarships, discounts, staff education and benevolence books for our classes and counseling.
The Summary:
We are excited to be able to offer such a resource as the Forum Bookstore, and we are not into making money off of it at all. In fact, we are happy to lose money as long as it means the gospel is being taught. We understand that you might be able to get books quicker and even cheaper on your own, but if you have a couple extra bucks to spend, we would love it if you could purchase your book from us and contribute to our ministry of training and equipping the body of Christ. We are grateful for your support in the past and are excited to be co-laborers with you in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
