O Lord, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy Church, and, because it cannot continue in safety without thy succor, preserve it evermore by thy help and goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.   Amen.

This has been a typically busy week at St Timothy's.

On Monday, I received a call asking for the Society of St Joseph of Arimathea to help a family pay for the burial of a child who was lost during the 36th week of gestation. I was able to talk to the mother on the phone Monday and Tuesday and today I was able to visit with her. She has had a difficult life and has been through the shelters in Winston-Salem and currently needs help. We talked about possibilities and challenges. We hugged with the promise we'd talk tonight. I was strengthened by this parish's involvement with City With Dwellings to speak intelligently about possible next steps.  In one embrace, I felt the confluence of two very important ministries at St Timothy's: Society of St Joseph of Arimathea and our Emergency Overflow Shelter. Let us remember little Kyleigh in prayers of thanksgiving for her life.

On Monday evening as I was leaving the church, I ran into Sergeant Trentini. She is the evening shift supervisor and wanted to tell me how much the St Michael the Archangel Law Enforcement Chapel and Hospice meant to her and her fellow officers. We talked at length about how it is used as a place of refreshment and refuge. It was one of those conversations that just makes the whole day good. Let us remember Sgt. Trentini and all of our officers in our prayers. May St Michael and all the holy angels protect them.

These two ministries, Society of St Joseph of Arimathea and the St Michael Law Enforcement Chapel, have real and lasting practical impact on the community. The work is tangible and results are tangible. But they were born from, and are sustained by, prayer and liturgy. In the Church we are often divided by doing practical work and spiritual work. It is the tension between the Biblical Martha and Mary.  I think the division of the two is a false dichotomy. Prayer is practical and doing what is practical is rightly born from prayer.

Fidelity to our mission requires both. I argue that we are able to sustain the Abraham Project, the Overflow Shelter, the Law Enforcement Chapel, the Society of St Joseph of Arimathea, and all the others acts of mercy that are done by our members in the of Jesus, is a direct result of a community of faith committed themselves to daily prayer and the offering of the Holy Eucharist. Those practical parts of our mission are the growing children of prayer. The more we pray, the more we put our prayers into practice. The more we see Our Lord in the faces of every man, woman, and child, the more we pray. It is a cycle that never depletes and continues to give life.

Audit. I know that if you are like me the word makes you cringe. You may have visions of IRS agents combing through your files to find mistakes that lead to more taxes and penalties. Fortunately, most of us have never had to experience this.

 

You may not know that every church in the Diocese is required to complete an annual audit or review of their financial statements and documentation. This is a very different kind of audit than the IRS performs. The purpose of the regular audits in the Episcopal Church is to ensure that the funds contributed by parishioners are used in support of the mission of the church. They also examine accounting and record-keeping to make certain that accurate and timely financial information can be given to those who provide oversight for church finances.

 

In addition to review of financial information, audits examine internal processes and financial controls. Suggestions given by the auditors help guard against any misuse of funds, ensure adherence to budgets and make certain that our church leadership has a clear understanding of where the church is financially and how funds are being used.

 

We have been going through an extended audit and review process over the past 2 ½ months. Due to a variety of difficulties created (not due to anyone’s fault) by different individual’s styles of bookkeeping needing to be reconciled, crashing backup drives and various filing systems, we were delayed in completing the documentation required by the Diocese. This also has put us in the position of not being able to provide the congregation or lay leadership with independently reviewed financial information.

 

From what the auditors have indicated to this point, they have found no material differences between what we have presented to them and what they are calculating on their own. We have nearly completed the process and should be able to present our audited financials to the Diocese by the annual September deadline.

 

Due to the size of our budget, we are only required to provide a review to the Diocese. The exception to this rule is when there is a change in financial reporting/management staff during the year being evaluated. Reviews are less involved than audits and do not involve the examination of individual transactions. Our Vestry has elected to complete an audit rather than a review every year to provide for more financial transparency.

 

The parishioners of St. Timothy’s should be able to have confidence in the stewardship of the church’s resources by the lay leadership and staff. As has always been the case, any member of St. Timothy’s that has church related financial questions may set an appointment and I will do all that I can to answer them. Church financial statements will be available on request as will our audit/review documents when they are complete.

 

Thank you all for your faithfulness and thank you to those who have participated in making the audit process go smoothly. Fortunately, it was not the IRS who knocked on our door. This process was due to the leadership and staff’s commitment to fulfilling their fiduciary duty to the church and its parishioners.

 

If you have any questions about the audit process or any of the information in this communication, please contact Chris Ervin via email: chris@sttimothys.ws or by phone in the church office Monday through Thursday.

Fellowship by definition means a group of people meeting to pursue a shared interest or aim, and thus Christian fellowship's shared aim is looking to Christ - to love like Jesus, pray like Jesus, serve like Jesus, act like Jesus.  We need each to help us on our journey.

Grace Dinners are dinner groups that meet regularly from September-May each year (usually every four to six weeks).  They are a wonderful avenue for getting to know your fellow parishioners.  All are welcome to join – couples, singles, and families. If you have younger children under 13, please indicate so when you sign up and you will be put in a group with other children.  If you do not have young children, but wish to be grouped those who do, please indicate that.

Join us! If you are a returning participant, email Jon and Sally Cowgill at cowgillj@att.net and if you are new, please click here. Again, please do indicate whether or not you would prefer a group with other families that have children under 13. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Jon or Sally.  The Grace Dinner potluck kick-off will be August 20th at 6:00pm in Drake Hall and the deadline for registering is August 13th. 

Actress Patricia Heaton, best known for her role as Deborah Barone on "Everybody Loves Raymond", tweeted this the other week. There is power in the Holy Eucharist and of all the reasons to be present on Sunday, this is by far, the most important.

Eric Grubb is a seminarian from the Diocese of North Carolina and rising middler at Virgina Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. In 2015 Eric interned at St. Timothy's as part of his discernment for Holy Orders. This summer Eric has worked as a chaplain intern at Mary-Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg Virgina. Eric and his wife Brandie live on-campus at the seminary and Brandie works as a Parish Ministries Coordinator at Historic Christ Church in Old Town Alexandria. After graduation, they hope to return and serve in the Diocese of North Carolina.