A bumpy road ahead could be the future of the Wesley Foundation if stable financial and programming plans aren’t made in the near future.

Effective Jan. 1 the foundation’s annual budget will be stripped of $30,000, due to rising expenses, by its main sponsor, the United Methodist Church.

With half of its budget cut, the foundation has started a search for new donors in order to survive. One answer to the foundation’s cry for help has come from the United Campus Ministries in the form of a merger.

Wesley Foundation Pastor/Director Dave Schmidt said he’s been hired to the open position of director at the ministries in the hopes of pooling the resources of the two organizations.

“We’re (Wesley Foundation) expecting to receive two-thirds of what we lost from the ministries,” Schmidt said.

The funding parties for the ministries will meet Aug. 4 to discuss how much they can donate to the foundation. However, with Schmidt’s commitment to the ministries, some of the foundation’s extracurricular activities may be lost.

The foundation’s staff only includes Schmidt and an administrative assistant, who handled the scheduling and programming of activities held in the past. Over the years, NIU students and faculty groups have used the foundation to listen to speakers and have group meetings and parties.

“I see it effecting us in two ways,” Schmidt said. “One, I have more administrative work to do, so students will have to work on programs here or they’ll be gone. Two, with having to deal with another ministry, the building may not be open as much to outside groups.”

In addition to the aid being provided by the ministries, the foundation also may consider asking other churches to include it in next year’s budget.