On January 24, Church Council held a (virtual) meeting to kick off 2021:
Greg Cullum, our new Church Council chair kicked off the meeting recognizing the new members to the council as follows: Shannon Lowe, Secretary; Lee Ann Adams, Stewardship; Dick Emrath, Trustees; Jeff Kelle, Endowment; Henry Allen, Youth Parent Advisory Board; Darien Brevard, Scouts; Lee Matthews, Member at Large. The full listing can be found here.
Rev. Josh Kilbourne shared a message with Church Council as the devotion from the book of Nehemiah discussing rebuilding. With the COVID-19 vaccine now being distributed we look to 2021 with hope and with the understanding as we leave the pandemic behind us we will be in a rebuilding mode. We have people who are now disconnected, momentum in some areas has slowed, and our church lives have been disrupted. Through their work in Nehemiah, it brings not only physical re-building but spiritual as well. We have hope in this time of rebuilding that we will grow. We ask that you go to the Lord in prayer as we enter this next phase of our legacy here at Signal Crest that we can reconnect our church, engage new people into the life of Signal Crest, and regain the momentum we had as we entered 2020. Pray for us to put aside our agenda(s) and our desires and opinions aside and enter into God's will.
Rev. Bill Thornton thanked Mitchell Johnson and the Congregational Care Team for consistently making calls to our older members that have been disconnected from church and others during the pandemic.
Jeff Norwood, Treasurer, provided the Treasurer's report. We ended 2020 with a net operating income of $36,892 but a loss of $58,405 after depreciation. Contributions were approximately $100,000 less than the approved 2020 budget, and as expected during this year, many budget areas did not spend their full budgets in 2020. Our expenditures were down approximately 14% which offset this shortage as did the PPP loan. We paid our full apportionments to the District and the Conference as well as spending our entire Missions budget as we remain a missions-driven church. Applying the forgivable PPP loan to our balance allows us to enter 2021 with a positive balance of about $55,000 for the year 2020.
For 2021, we have received 105 gift plan cards totaling $551,440. We also expect to receive approximately $79,000 in gifts that are given on a recurring basis. With this alone, we could be facing a $400,000 shortfall between what has been pledged/recurring and the 2021 expense budget of $1,035,000. However, we also typically have significant yearly giving of approximately $150,000 above pledged and recurring gifts. We expect this to reduce the possible deficit to around $250,000. In addition, most work areas projected their 2021 budgets based on a typical year, not a pandemic year, therefore we do expect our expenses to be lower than projected for at least the first quarter and possibly the first half of our year.
Our bank account currently has $581,000 ($105,000 is restricted in funds such as the Memorial fund, Building fund, etc.) leaving us in good financial standing currently. We have not yet been approved for PPP loan forgiveness which would be paid from this account if required. We do expect to receive forgiveness as soon as Congress enacts the legislation for loans under $150,000. It was asked if we have considered applying for the second round of the PPP loan. We have reviewed the criteria, and we are not eligible to be considered for this second installment of PPP loans.
We recognize that we will have to adjust certain areas of our budget to provide resources to rebuild programs and support the needs of the church as we come out of the pandemic. Budget area managers and the finance team carefully review expenses and needs monthly. We will continue to provide monthly contribution and expense information for the congregation and inform the congregation of specific needs as they arise.
Penny Selman, Staff Parish Chair, reported that Staff Parish is currently filling out their conference survey at this time which includes asking if we are requesting a pastoral change. We are not expecting to make a pastoral change request. She also reported that on Annette Wildman's retirement as Kitchen Coordinator we are not planning to refill that position until we see that Wednesday Night Dinners can return.
David Tonahill, Preschool Board rep, thanked the church again for some of the funds from the PPP loan to cover payroll for our teachers last Spring from March to May of 2020. Preschool reopened in August, and when Hamilton County has gone virtual in elementary grades, Preschool has been closed for in-person learning. Last Fall, Preschool only missed one day due to Hamilton County changing the learning schedule at the end of the semester. We have not had any children test positive or classes shut down. The plan this semester is that we will follow the K-3 plan for Hamilton County. As of right now, in-person learning is suspended until Hamilton County allows the K-3 students to return to in-person learning.
Rachel Dow, Director of Children's Ministries, shared that the kids are meeting on Wednesday nights at 6 pm via Zoom and on Sunday evenings Fuse Family Adventure is offered via YouTube Live. Special events such as virtual Winter Parties this weekend will be offered.
Henry Allen, Youth Parent Advisory Board, thanked Drew for his hard work on pivoting the youth to an online platform as well as some in-person meetings with Sunday Nights On the Lawn and now Sunday Nights Live. Henry is chairing the Parent Advisory Board and will be looking at putting structure into place on the Youth Parent Advisory Board and reaching out to parents for assistance as needs in the youth program arise.
Darien Brevard, Scouts rep, reported we have 32 young men re-chartered for this year. We will have a few more bridge over from Cub Scouts taking the troop to around 40. They are meeting in-person (masked and socially distanced). They are thankful to the church for the facility and the support.
Greg closed the meeting re-affirming that God equips the called and He provides. He is looking forward to 2021 and beyond and what rebuilding will look like for the community of faith here at Signal Crest.
In Partnership,
Greg Cullum
Chair, Church Council
