The January meeting of the Vestry addressed a number of financial items: approving the final contract amount for the Tyler Hall kitchen project, the cost for the upcoming Sacristy renovation and perhaps most importantly, the 2023 budget. The renovated kitchen is beautiful, more functional for all the groups using that space and is a place we can be proud of as we and visitors walk past or through. Speaking of walking, the project also includes new carpet for the entire Tyler Hall foyer to also include the stairs to the second floor, the clergy vesting room and the acolyte vesting area in the Church. A great deal of thanks is due all the kitchen stakeholders who gave direction on the space usage and for the Interior Design Committee helping with the beautiful finishes that give the space its shine!

The sacristy is overdue for a makeover that will bring it up to date and make the space more comfortable and functional for the Altar Guild. The renovation plans include new cabinets to house our precious eucharistic objects, new wall cabinets for storage and upgraded floor covering. For both projects, Skip Ashley of JC Stockton was our contractor, and he continues to take great care of our buildings. Deep appreciation is also given to those donors who identified these projects as ways to honor loved ones.

The 2023 budget was approved, fully funding many ministries to meet the priorities outlined in the strategic plan. Of note, funds were provided to continue marketing initiatives including a new, updated web site and cost of living increases for the staff were included along with full support for our children and youth ministries. Unfortunately, the ability to fully fund needed administrative staff and an assistant rector was limited in part by a lower anticipated distribution from the endowment due to a challenging year in the stock market.

Funding an assistant rector position sustainably remains a high priority of the Vestry and we are assessing ways to make this occur sooner rather than later. A budgetary reality is that while pledges and giving have grown, the level of giving has not kept up with the normal changes in the life of a congregation and we are still feeling the impact on attendance from the COVID years. Also, it has been over 10 years since the Church was able to fully fund two full time priests and so we are tackling several headwinds at one time to make this hire. The Vestry has started a discussion about a campaign to specifically fund the assistant rector position as one option to reach this goal. This Sunday’s Adult Forum is dedicated to the budget, and I look forward to sharing more details with you.

One exciting point of note was that excess funds from last year were used to pay off the remaining mortgage from the Children’s Ministry Center construction! After 20 years, the Church is debt free.

Cameron Nixon

Offerings Pledged this Week $13,942.31

Offerings Received this Week $36,086.39

Operating Expenses to Date $31,025.62

Total Income Received to Date $55,622.39

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