FINANCIAL RESULTS
SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2021
CHRIST THE KING and ST. STEPHEN PARISHES
Fr. Paulson asked the joint Finance Council of Christ the King and St. Stephen parishes to provide a brief midyear update on some of the financial aspects of the parishes. Thanks to your continued generosity, the parishes are financially healthy and able to support the many ministries in each parish, charitable causes in our local communities, and contribute to charitable needs worldwide.
First, the important mission of assisting the poor. With your generosity, during the first 6 months of 2021, the CTK St. Vincent De Paul ministry has been able to help 33 families representing 51 adults and 50 children with rental assistance. In addition, the ministry was able to serve 4,795 adults (532 of which were homeless) and 2,340 children (52 of which were homeless), providing Grocery Outlet vouchers, grocery bags, homeless bags, clothes, gift cards, or shower vouchers, depending on the client request. St Stephen’s St. Vincent de Paul ministry also has been very active, providing direct food assistance, food vouchers and rent assistance as well as financial collaboration with other Vincentian organizations to assist those in need in our community.
Next, CTK continued its stewardship efforts to improve the facilities. It completed much-needed repairs on the disintegrated trellises around the Parish Hall; repaired the broken cement in front of the church that created a serious tripping hazard; made investments in technology to support the ability to stream video over the internet, first from outside and now inside the church; and has been making long delayed improvements in the kitchen in the Parish Hall. With your continued support, funding is still needed for two projects: lawn repairs where the tent was removed before school starts this fall; and to replace broken tables and chairs used in the Gym and Parish Hall during parish functions.
St Stephen’s investment in facilities improvements includes the church sound system, which has been an issue for years, has been upgraded with new speakers and wireless microphones and the old wood siding panels on the church have been replaced. The Parish Hall, which has been idle for sixteen months, is being prepared for reopening, including a deep cleaning and replacement of the refrigerator and freezer. The Parish Hall is an important venue for parish events as well as providing income as a rental facility. In May, St Stephen completed the sale of the former rectory property. The proceeds from the sale have been deposited in the savings account at the Diocese and will be available for future long-term needs of St Stephen Parish.
There are many other ministries that have benefited from your generosity, both inside CTK and St Stephen, in our local neighborhoods, and in the greater Church worldwide. Thank you!
Finally, we are very grateful for your continued support through your regular donations. Both CTK and St Stephen have been very careful with their continuing operating expenses (e.g., salaries, utilities, their many ministries), and thanks to your generosity, both received sufficient donations to cover these expenses.
Since the start of the pandemic, it has been important to carefully monitor donations, operating expenses, and facilities improvements, and advise Fr. Paulson on the prudent actions needed to support both parish’s ministries. Without the ability to hold mass indoors, and with restrictions on the number of people who could gather, even outdoors, we were fearful of dramatic reductions in donations, without which we would be unable to function for long as parishes.
Miraculously, through your generosity, those fears never came true. We witnessed what only can be explained as God’s greatness. Efforts in both CTK and St Stephen to broadcast the mass and other services, such as weddings, funerals, baptisms, communions, and confirmations, has reached far more people than could ever attend in person. Regular donations, the critical weekly plate collections that support the continuing operation of our parishes, never fell short. In addition, when we needed funds to support technology investments to do live broadcasting, they appeared. When we made the call for donations for rental support for St. Vincent De Paul, they appeared. There is no doubt that so much of our communal success in continuing the mission is YOU hearing the Gospel and making a difference!
So, on behalf of our priests, our deacon, our staff, and our many volunteers, from both Christ the King and St Stephen, thank you for your continuing generosity, which enables us to serve the spiritual as well as financial needs of our parish families, our local community, and God’s Church worldwide.
