Wardens’ Report: February 2022
Wardens’ Report: February 17, 2022
The 2022 vestry met on Tuesday, February 15th for our second monthly meeting of the year. Our meeting was a week earlier than the typical fourth Tuesday of each month to allow several members to attend the upcoming Matthew 25 Gathering in El Paso.
Lorene Eberhardt led us in prayer in our sanctuary and prayed for the evening’s discussions and specifically for Beth Tipps. We gave thanks to God for her leadership of RestoWomen and the recent Women’s retreat, for her ministry of Spiritual Direction, and Healing Prayer services.
The vestry approved the January 2022 minutes, the members of the RILA board, and the Outreach Steering Team’s recommendation for two Anglican Relief and Development Fund (ARDF) projects in Cambodia and Indonesia as the recipients of our Ash Wednesday & Holy Week offerings. Restoration has made it a practice since our founding to give away all offerings during Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, and Easter to a global partner.
We then shifted to reviewing our discussion from the vestry retreat. We affirmed the organic growth of several good things, including opportunities to serve Afghan refugees in our community, initiatives led by our newly-formed Race & Reconciliation advisory team, and the continued demand for RILA’s legal support work. While questions remain about what the year will hold (the past 2 years have taught us all to hold plans loosely), we can rest in the confidence that nothing that comes will surprise God. We are keeping our eyes and hearts open so that we are ready to respond to His leading and direction.
The next topic of discussion was confirmation of our Advisory Teams’ rosters. These teams are made up of Restoration members who advise the vestry on key areas, including Personnel, Finance, Facilities, Outreach, and Race & Reconciliation. We are grateful for the service of members who are rolling off the teams and those coming on who will give generously of their time and expertise to keep our church operating well.
The Chair of our Finance Advisory Team, Dan Vogel, shared a positive update that giving for the fiscal year continues to come in above budget, with expenses slightly below. Dan and Assistant Treasurer Meaghan Maguire also confirmed a plan for the year that will ensure a seamless transition to Meaghan as Treasurer in 2023.
The Chair of our Personnel Advisory Team, Dennis Wong, helped end the meeting on a positive note as he shared that Restoration has hired a new full time Kids Small Group Coordinator. We give thanks to God for his provision and are elated that Louise Brooks will have a partner in serving the youngest members of our congregation and their families.
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