Wardens’ Report: May 2015

The Wardens’ Report: a brief summary of highlights from monthly Vestry meetings, designed to demystify our work and provide some information about our growth, finances, priorities and progress towards our strategic plan.

Vestry began our monthly meeting in prayer, kneeling at the rail in the sanctuary.  With the hustle and bustle of the Women Unscripted Celebration event in our ears, we earnestly thanked God for Liz Gray‘s ministry among us and prayed for continued creativity and energy as she so ably encourages us in our discipleship and outreach and prayer (among many other things!)

The trajectory of our finances remains consistent with a close tracking of our finances to this year’s budget.  Year-to-date, giving is about 96% of budget, and expenses are about 97%.  Given that our fiscal year ends August 31, we began a discussion of next year’s budget priorities with an eye towards welcoming the Finance Team’s draft budget next month and finalizing the plans in July.  Our operating reserve is healthy, and we remain well positioned as we anticipate the significant change to our fixed costs with the August amortization of our new mortgage.

The hiring processes for a Senior Director of Discipleship and Church Planting, as well as Director of Youth Ministries are ongoing with significant progress underway.  Nothing definitive to report yet, but the Holy Spirit is clearly at work.

We hope that you will join us at next Tuesday’s parish meeting at 7:30 PM (Pizza at 7 PM).  We look forward to this “family meeting” and plan to provide updates on our summer plans, recent and upcoming missions trips and our financial situation (including an update on the capital campaign and more detail on what exactly is happening with the mortgage in August).  We’ll also hear a report from our sabbatical planning team which is doing great work to prepare us all for a sabbatical for David now that we approach the 7th anniversary of his ministry among us.

We remain open to your feedback on all aspects of our life together on Quincy Street.

You can read an archive of past Vestry Meeting minutes on CCB, under the ‘Files’ tab in the ‘Entire Church Group’.

-Carolyn Weimer and Ramsey Wilson, Wardens