Warden’s Report: April 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 Vestry on April 28th had its second socially distanced “meeting,” again via Zoom. We opened by sharing how we all were doing apart, as our rector, David Hanke, asked us to consider what we are lamenting in this time. It is hard with little to look forward to; loss of normal transition times in the day can be disorienting and exhausting; and we struggle to live both in close quarters and without normal friendships or the ability to truly see extended family.
Our staff report was submitted by Endel Liias, director of worship, updating us on his work, plans, and needs. Please join us in thanks and prayer for him.
We formalized our earlier decisions setting up a Benevolence Fund and committee and allocating $15,000 for the Anglican Relief and Development Fund as our Easter Offering. Both decisions were necessary between meetings as we adjusted to the disruptions in our normal life. So far, the benevolence committee has received only two requests (both were approved). If you attend Restoration and have a covered need, please do ask. Further information is here.
Brad Jones, our Treasurer, reported that April giving appears to be on budget (as was March), and that the church’s finances remain sound. Thank you for your faithful giving to God’s work at Restoration in these disrupted and uncertain times. We briefly discussed how best to assess attendance now. David reported that the clergy are working on a virtual ‘New to Restoration’ information gathering for May.
We devoted most of the meeting to assessing how best to guide Restoration through this unpredictable season of uncertain length. David framed the discussion by having us read “Leading Beyond the Blizzard: Why Every Organization Is Now a Startup,” by Andy Crouch and others. We are an organization that gathers people to build them up and send them out, yet we cannot physically gather, so how do we adjust consistent with our mission and core characteristics? We had a full discussion, likely the first of many.
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