2024-04-09T13:51:33-07:00 2023-12-31 990 2023-01-01 833356410 SPARROW MINISTRIES INC SPAR 4109213955 1603 Front Avenue Lutherville MD 210935312 Virginia C Becker President 4109213955 2024-04-09 Virginia C Becker 999009999 1 1 11 1 AAL2 2023 2023-04-26 12:10:37Z VIRGINIA C BECKER 1603 FRONT AVENUE LUTHERVILLE MD 210935312 239007 0 X sparrowministries.us X 2019 MD Sparrow Ministries Mission: To prepare couples to begin well and coach couples gently through the unfolding, ongoing adventure story of their marriage. Sparrow Ministries objective is to support engaged couples in preparation for a life spent together and support married couples through the life stages of their marriage. This will be accomplished by offering workshops for large groups, small group meetings of 5-6 couples over a short term of 4-8 weeks, coaching individual couples on an as needed basis, and training leaders in local churches via speaking engagements. 5 5 2 8 0 0 126930 205366 56750 33641 0 0 0 0 183680 239007 0 0 0 0 176276 195452 0 0 48515 35999 18755 212275 214207 -28595 24800 176285 201085 0 0 176285 201085 Sparrow Ministries Mission: To prepare couples to begin well and coach couples gently through the unfolding, ongoing adventure story of their marriage. Sparrow Ministries objective is to support engaged couples in preparation for a life spent together and support married couples through the life stages of their marriage. This will be accomplished by offering workshops for large groups, small group meetings of 5-6 couples over a short term of 4-8 weeks, coaching individual couples on an as needed basis, and training leaders in local churches via speaking engagements. 0 0 1961 0 6214 Premarital preparation for engaged couples is provided by Sparrow Ministries through two interrelated offerings. These are a workshop and small group meetings. The first offering is A Marriage Worth Pursuing Workshop which takes place over two days for the purpose of foundation building using God's original design for marriage and covers several marriage-related topics such as communication, finances, in-law relationships, sex & sexuality, etc. In 2023, three workshops were scheduled, one was held and two were canceled. A total of four couples participated in the workshop that was held in June. It required 10 planning hours, 20 hours to prepare for the workshop, and 8.5 hours to implement the workshop. In addition to the workshop is Premarital-focused Small Groups which occur over a four week period following the workshop involving five to six couples and a trained couples coach where couples can explore and talk about their upcoming marriage in a safe small group environment. No small groups were held in 2023. 5668 0 18766 Marriage enrichment for couples is where Sparrow Ministries offers a variety of events to keep marriages strong and growing, or to address issues that may be causing a rough patch in the marriage. These events and offerings can be in the form of a workshop or a marriage-focused small group that may meet for six to eight weeks. A two-day Thriving Marriage Workshop is planned around several topics to be covered: 1. spiritual, emotional, and sexual intimacy; 2. safety; characteristics of marriages that last, etc. through a balance of teaching, gender-based group discussion, and couple time. Other topically based workshops held for couples are Soul Care for Couples, Communicate to Connect, as well as Blended and Blessed. In 2023 there were three Thriving Marriage workshops scheduled and held in March, June, and November ministering to a total of 11 couples. One Soul Care for Couples workshop was scheduled but canceled. Three Communicate to Connect workshops were scheduled and all three were canceled. One Blended and Blessed workshop was scheduled but was canceled. All scheduled workshops required a total of 108 hours of planning time. For the three that were held, it took 60 hours to prepare for the workshops, and 18 hours to implement the three workshops. No marriage-focused small groups were held in 2023. 102028 0 8661 Sparrow Ministries also offers Coaching for couples who have attended either a premarital workshop or a marriage workshop. Coaching is also offered for couples and individuals who have immediate needs and who have not attended a workshop. After a premarital workshop, Premarital Coaching is couple to couple coaching to complement the workshop where couples are encouraged to process the information from the workshop and personalize the help and support they may need to take the next step toward marriage. After a marriage workshop, Marriage Coaching can help a couple better understand the workshop material relative to their personal story as well as work to resolve rough patches in their marriage. In addition to the coaching that results from a workshop, a couple may contact Sparrow Ministries to meet with a coach who can help them through and beyond the rough patches in marriage, when having another couple to talk to, share with, and pray with is really all you need. In 2023, 49 different couples and 31 individuals received Coaching for a total of 2203 hours of coaching time. Included in this total was 4 hours of planning, preparing, and praying. 0 0 0 Sparrow Ministries believes that healthy marriages and families are the heart and soul of every church and community. With this in mind, Sparrow Ministries will partner with local churches and organizations to better equip, support, and care for the marriages and families in their congregations. Erich and Virginia Becker of Sparrow Ministries make themselves available for Speaking Engagements at church conferences, retreats, and other church venues on topics related to marriage and family. Sparrow Ministries has its own packaged topics or can customize for the unique needs of the church. Sparrow Ministries also offers Coach Training, a program to train couples so that couples who attend Sparrow Ministry workshops can get follow-up and coaching at their home church. In 2023 Sparrow did not participate in any speaking engagements due to health challenges. 0 0 0 109657 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 5 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 MD X Virginia C Becker 4109213955 1603 Front Avenue Lutherville MD 210935312 Virginia C Becker Co-Executive Director 50 0 X X X 84580 0 9574 Erich Becker Co-Executive Director 50 0 X X X 84580 0 2536 Samuel Erdman Financial Management 1 0 X 0 0 0 Matthew Good Client Management 1 0 X 0 0 0 Melissa Court Chairperson 2 0 X 0 0 0 169160 0 12110 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 205366 0 205366 Coaching Couples 624190 8661 8661 0 0 Marriage Enrichment Events 624190 18766 18766 0 0 Premarital Events 624190 6214 6214 0 0 0 0 0 0 33641 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 239007 33641 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 155160 85338 38790 31032 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14000 7700 3500 2800 12110 6660 3028 2422 14182 7800 3546 2836 3342 0 1240 2102 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 858 0 858 0 0 0 0 0 2898 99 1644 1155 1687 0 343 1344 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 239 0 239 0 2227 0 212 2015 0 0 0 0 581 0 581 0 637 0 637 0 Donor Relations Expense 3985 0 1176 2809 Workshop Expenses 863 863 0 0 Fed and State Filing Fees 241 0 241 0 Coaching and Mentoring Expenses 1197 1197 0 0 214207 109657 56035 48515 161268 200649 0 0 0 0 14000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2907 2471 1017 436 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 176285 201085 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 0 0 0 0 176285 201085 176285 201085 176285 201085 24800 0 0 0 0 0 X 0 0 0 X 106217 159932 140314 126930 205366 738759 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 106217 159932 140314 126930 205366 738759 44050 694709 0 0 27083 0 0 27083 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 765842 33641 0.90712 0.93139 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2907 0 2471 436 0 0 0 0 436 Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 2 The President and Vice-president are husband and wife. The Treasurer is the son-in-law of the President and Vice-president. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 11b An electronic Pdf draft is generated from the Form 990 Online software service. This Pdf is then sent to each Board member for review. Once questions are addressed, each Board member sends an email authorization to the form preparer. Only and until an authorization email is received from each and all Board members is the Form submitted to the software service for efiling with the IRS. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 12c Each Board member is required to read and sign the Conflict of Interest Policy at the beginning of each new operating year. If any new members join the Board during the current operating year, they are required to read and sign the Conflict of Interest Policy. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 15 In 2022, an increase of Executive Director compensation was raised as an item for further research in the Board meeting held on 12-12-2021. Independent research was conducted on competitive salary and benefits packages for nonprofits of a similar size and age. During a Board meeting held on 1-10-2022 where the executive directors and the treasurer, who is a relative of the executive directors were not in attendance, a modest increase as granted. Rationale behind the decision included performance metrics (span and reach of services and increased donor support), compensation data, and cost of living data. Sources for comparability data were Blue Avacado, Comparably, Indeed, Maryland Nonprofits, and Sobel Co. No increase was granted in 2023. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19 Sparrow Ministries will make these documents available to the public upon request. The inquirer may view a paper copy of the document(s) requested during a scheduled appointment with one of the executive directors. In 2023, no one requested to see its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, or financial statements.