Warden’s Report: February 2020
The Wardens’ Report: highlights from monthly Vestry meetings, designed to provide information about our growth, finances, priorities, and progress in our strategic plan.
The 2020 vestry had its second regular meeting of the year on March 5. We began by gathering for dinner. Johanna Montague then led us in Evening Prayer. During our prayers, we focused on thanking God for Beth Tipps’s gifts to our church in her nearly year and a half with us and on asking Him to continue to guard, guide, and grow her, particularly in her work with Outreach, with RestoWomen, and in spiritual direction. We also, as always, asked that the Holy Spirit fill us with wisdom and unity for the meeting. We welcome your prayers for all the staff, the Vestry, and God’s work here on Quincy Street.
We voted to approve two additional members for the Personnel Team, which advises the Vestry, to replace members who have rolled off at the end of their terms. With these additions, its roster is Lorene Eberhardt (Vestry member and chair), Elizabeth Colosimo, Marlee Kingsley, Santiago Sedaca, and Michael Strickland. We are grateful for their diligent service and assistance.
Brad Jones, our Treasurer, reported that January giving was under budget while February giving was over budget. Overall, half-way through our fiscal year, giving is a tick over budget (by 1%) and expenses are under budget. Thank you to all who give generously; thank you to the staff for good expense management; and thank you to Brad’s Finance Team for its careful oversight. Brad also reported that attendance this year (both in January and February) is running about 3% above the same time last year. We are excited to see steady growth and new members.
We continued to discuss how best to use the remainder of the 10th Anniversary Gift (after having funded Scott Buckhout’s curacy and the redevelopment of our website), informed by new ideas that the staff generated and by our strategic plan. In connection with that, David Hanke reported that our adult confirmation class, led by Nathan Dickerson, Beth Tipps, and Scott Buckhout, is the largest ever, and updated us on the plans for a Spanish-language service on Wednesday nights, led by Beth Tipps and Endel Liias.
David reported on the potential steps he has developed with staff for responding to the novel coronavirus, and we had a discussion. For now, the most noticeable changes will be that communion servers will be washing their hands before communion (you’ll see them sitting on the other side) and that snacks will be individually packaged. Further steps will depend on whether there is an outbreak in our area or on changed guidance from the bishop or local government.
Finally, after David stepped out, the Vestry approved his leave requests for this year and voted to streamline its process for handling future requests.
As always, we welcome your questions and feedback. 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’
– Kevin Marshall and Johanna Montague, Wardens