Annual Meeting: A Top Ten Review
Last Sunday, St. Paul’s held its Annual Meeting virtually with participants joining through a Zoom webinar and watching the livestream on YouTube. If you missed the meeting, you can watch the video and read the Annual Report here. Below I offer my “top ten” reflections from the meeting.
#10
Good Participation
Despite holding our meeting virtually, fifty households took part in the Zoom webinar, and others watched the YouTube stream, which has now been seen by over sixty households. During the meeting, we received good questions and comments, and everything went smoothly. All around, the virtual meeting was a success.
#9
Missing People
I was thrilled that the virtual meeting went off without a hitch, but normally the parish hall would be full of people eager to hear about the health of our parish. Online participation was good, but in-person attendance is usually higher. More than that, I missed the chance to see the people of our parish, and I bet you missed that, too.
#8
2020 Financial Health
Perhaps surprisingly, last year was a good year for St. Paul’s financially. Our pledge income was five percent below budget, and, except for special offerings at Easter and Christmas, our other giving was down, too. Still, our expenses were down considerably, and a PPP loan, which has been forgiven, helped us continue to pay all of our staff. As a parish, we more than doubled our giving to the local community, and we were able to purchase the Bassett Law Firm buildings that face College Avenue.
#7
2021 Deficit Budget
Our financial commitments for this year are down considerably—$125,000 less than last year. Although some households have needed to decrease their pledge, those that have increased theirs more than made up for it. The source of our decline, therefore, is from households that did not make a commitment at all this year. In part that may be because they face considerable financial uncertainty, but I think mostly it is because, despite considerable effort, we have lost touch with them during the pandemic. The vestry believes that as the pandemic subsides we will reconnect with many of them. In adopting a budget for 2021, the vestry made significant cuts but, when faced with the decision to either adopt a balanced budget or forego the hiring of a third full-time priest, they chose a budget with a $26,000 deficit—less than 2% of our operating costs. In the next two years, we must recover that lost income or make considerable reductions to our programs.
#6
Endowment Possibilities
As reported by Greg Lee, a member of our Endowment Committee, distributions from the endowment represent only 10% of our operating budget. The committee meets regularly to monitor our investments and to ensure not only the growth of our endowment but also its effective use to support the ministries of the parish. In order to sustain long-term growth in our programs, we need to grow our endowment through additional contributions. You are encouraged to remember St. Paul’s in your will, as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy or 401(k), or through other legacy gifts. In order to endow your pledge, consider making an estate gift to the endowment of twenty times your annual giving. For more information, contact me or Joy Poole.
#5
Gratitude for Fr. Chuck
We were unable to gather to celebrate Fr. Chuck and his ministry in our parish and throughout the wider church, but his legacy is firmly established in our parish. After more than twenty years at St. Paul’s, Fr. Chuck retired (again) from active ministry. We will continue to miss his presence in the pulpit, at the altar, in the classroom, and by our bedsides for years to come. His devotion and faithfulness to God and to the people of our parish helped hold us together in challenging times, and we are grateful.
#4
Search for a New Priest
We included the hiring of a new priest in last year’s budget, but, after the pandemic required the suspension of our in-person programs, I decided to delay the search until this year. St. Paul’s is a church that needs three full-time clergy. We are grateful to Lora Walsh, Lynne Spellman, and Kathy Corbett-Welch for their ministry among us, but we recognize that, even with their help, Suzanne and I are unable to meet the needs of our parish. A third priest will not only join us in worship, formation, and pastoral care, but that person will also focus on the chaplaincy at St. Martin’s and our church’s growing commitment to outreach and justice. The search for that person has begun, and we hope to have someone in place this summer.
#3
Challenges in Pastoral Care
Despite all our efforts to stay connected with and care for each other, I recognize that many members of our parish feel isolated, unloved, and forgotten. Some of that is because the pandemic has required all of us to withdraw from the relationships that sustain us, but much of it is because our church, which is fundamentally a physical and sacramental community, is unable to assemble in person. Phone calls and emails and livestreams help, but they are no substitute for human touch. With over 1300 households in our parish, there is no way that Suzanne and I can stay in touch with all of you on an individual basis. We want to care for you, but we need your help. If you or someone you know is in need of our support, do not keep that to yourself but reach out to us and let us know. We want to pray with you and hold your specific needs in our hearts, but we depend on you to share them with us.
#2
Growing Ministries
Much of what we can do together is limited because of the pandemic, but our programs and ministries are actually growing. Community Meals has expanded to serve residents of a tent encampment, and we gave more support to people facing economic hardship than ever before. Our music offerings now include a weekly “Friday with Friends” series. Our formation opportunities for all ages have grown to include both virtual gatherings and at-home curricula. We will launch a three-week conference on vocation this Sunday. We offer more services of Morning and Evening Prayer and now livestream them to whomever wants to join us. There is no substitute for filling the church or parish hall in person, but I am delighted to be a part of a staff that focuses on not only sustaining but expanding our offerings during the pandemic.
#1
Eagerness to Reopen
We are ready to come back. We are eager to be back together. Some people have shared that they think we are being too conservative and should have reopened already. Others tell us that we should have closed down more quickly and fully. All of us are unhappy with being forced to stay apart. As a staff, we have developed a policy that incorporates diocesan guidelines, state mandates, and recommendations from public health officials. It is not perfect, and we continue to adjust as we learn more. Every week, we gather to discuss what we can do to open up as soon as it is safe to do so, and we hope that we will be able to resume outdoor and, later on, indoor gatherings soon. In the meantime, in addition to providing virtual offerings, we are making sure that we are ready to come back as soon as possible.
Yours Faithfully,
Evan