Wardens’ Report: May 2022
The vestry met at Restoration on Tuesday, May 24, for our fifth meeting of 2022. We were happy to gather in the upper narthex for dinner and business as Louise hosted potential Kids Small Group Leaders in the fellowship hall.
Karen McNeilly led us as we knelt in prayer in the sanctuary, lifting up Restoration’s search for a Director of Worship Arts and our Advisory Teams preparing their recommendations for personnel, budgets, and next steps. We put our faith in the God who is our firm foundation even as the world around us shakes.
The vestry approved the May 2022 minutes and reviewed our COVID protocols, emphasizing our commitment to providing virtual participation options and mask wearing as desired while Arlington County remains classified at a medium level of transmission.
Our Treasurer, Dan Vogel, and Assistant Treasurer, Meaghan Maguire, led a discussion on the threshold that should trigger a change in our mortgage payment. As a reminder, our mortgage restructuring in late 2021 reduced our required monthly mortgage payment from $12,000+ to approximately $6,500. Our FY22 budget includes a $13,000 monthly mortgage payment, with the difference going toward a more rapid paydown of our principal and keeping us within striking distance of paying off our mortgage in a decade. It has also been our practice to keep at least 3 months of cash on hand in our account. We give thanks to God for his generous provision as we have had more than 6 months of cash on hand for all of 2022. The vestry agreed to establish a policy that would trigger a discussion to reduce the monthly mortgage payment should our cash on hand drop below 3 months of operations.
We continue to ask for your prayers on behalf of our Finance Advisory Team as they finalize their analysis and recommendations for the FY2023 budget, a draft of which will be presented in June and the final version approved by the vestry in July.
Dennis Wong, Chair of our Personnel Advisory Team, confirmed the hiring team will begin interviewing candidates for the Director of Worship Arts. We also anticipate a part-time Technician will soon join our Sunday team to support the technology for our sanctuary and online service.
Finally, our vestry approved Restoration’s Lay Delegates to the DOMA Electing Synod, to be held on October 15, 2022. When our current bishop, Bishop John Guernsey, announced his retirement in September 2021, our Diocese began the prayerful process of selecting a new bishop. Information about the process and timeline can be found on the DOMA website here. Restoration will send seven delegates to the Electing Synod: Drew Bond, Alison McCord, Becky Mohr, Santiago Sedaca, Susie Wallin, Cindy Willman, and Dennis Wong. Four members have been identified as Alternate Lay Delegates: Erica Chapman, David Fahrenkrug, Endel Liias, and Carolyn Weimer. In addition to the lay delegates, Restoration member Kevin Marshall will attend as a member of the DOMA Standing Committee. Our clergy delegation (ordained priests and deacons) will include David Hanke, Beth Tipps, Scott Buckhout, Nathan Dickerson, Steve Brooks, and Mary Gardner.
We welcome your questions, encouragement, feedback, and most of all, your prayers. You can read an archive of past Wardens’ Reports on our website or Vestry Meeting minutes on CCB, under the ‘Files’ tab in the ‘Entire Church Group’
~ Lorene and Adam