CCM November 2023 Perspective Newsletter

We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to
Elevation Church - Concord for their incredible
generosity and community spirit in celebrating their
10 year anniversary with
a $10,000 donation to
Cooperative Christian
Ministry. Your support
will have a profound
impact on those in need
and is a testament to
the power of faith in
action.
We are very grateful
to WoodmenLife
for their generous
donation to CCM. Your
support is instrumental
in enabling us to
continue meeting
the critical needs of
individuals and families
in crisis.
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Our Education and Support Services Department
in partnership with NOVA Credit Union, Prosperity
Unlimited and Rowan Cabarrus Community College
completed a five week financial literacy course called
Breaking Free from the Money Traps. In this course,
the 12 participants learned about banking, budgeting,
credit, checking and savings accounts, predatory loans
and much more. The participants were also paired
with their own financial coach who assisted them with
pulling and reviewing their credit report, creating an
individualized budget and setting
financial goals. All graduates were
given a stipend for attending each
session and all of them opened a
savings account with NOVA, who
provided the $5.00 minimum balance
to establish the account. One graduate
said, “In the last five weeks, I was able
to increase my credit score and balance my debt to
income ratio” and another commented, “This course
helped me realize that I do not have to be embarrassed
about the poor choices I made regarding my past
financial encounters. I am breaking free today!”
We are planning to hold our next Breaking Free Course
in the Spring of 2024.
Thank You: We would like to thank Midway United
Methodist Church for allowing us to hold the course in
their Fellowship Hall. We would also like to thank our
presenters from NOVA, Prosperity Unlimited and RCCC.
Education and Support Services (ESS)
recently held a financial literacy workshop at
the City of Concord Housing Department -
“Power of Budgeting.” The program was held
in partnership with Chad Epting of Edward
Jones Financial.
Mr. Epting provided participants with
practical knowledge about the “process” of
budgeting, lowering debt, and
how to manage their finances
with confidence. “Knowledge
leads to confidence to create
a good plan. You also need
protection and resilience when
budgeting for wants, needs, and
wishes.” During the course of
activities, he emphasized that
participants be
patient and to not
be intimidated by
the process. He
also suggested
using different
accounts for
different goals
instead of placing
all your savings in
one bucket.