The Wardens’ Report for July 2020

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

The vestry gathered for another socially distanced meeting on Tuesday, July 28th. Mary Breed led us in prayer for our congregation, our community and our staff, particularly Kathy Kenyon, our Coordinator of Sacramental Life, who gave our staff report this month. We are grateful for Kathy and her leadership of our Sunday volunteers and her dedication to serving and caring for Restoration, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We received an update from Ryan Goyer about our new website. It will be ready early fall and will include ease of access to 10+ great years of preaching, streamlined navigation, and simply a fresh look. We can’t wait for you to see it.

David Hanke gave a Rector’s Update on how he and the staff are doing in this ongoing season of working and worshiping (mostly) remotely. We are excited about one change for our staff team: Isaiah Brooms will be shifting into the role of Curate in order to prepare for his calling as a priest. Isaiah was ordained to the transitional diaconate last November and will be ordained as a priest this November. We are grateful for the work he has given to APEX and for his years of care for our teens and their families. Alongside his preparation for ordination to the  priesthood, Isaiah will continue to oversee all our technology related needs. He has been the man behind the scenes for nearly all videos and YouTube Live Broadcasts and we are grateful for how he has stepped into that role in this season.

We voted to approve Restoration’s delegates for the 2020 DOMA Synod who are John Hodukavich, Brendan Sorem, Kevin Marshall and Richard Hines. The DOMA Synod is an annual gathering of churches in our diocese to conduct the business of the diocese and to worship and learn together.

We voted to change the format of our Fall Retreat this year. We regret that we will not be heading to Massanetta Springs in Harrisonburg in October; however, we commissioned the Fall Retreat Team to create a local learning experience with Rev. Dr. David Taylor, who is scheduled as our fall retreat speaker, over the weekend of October 9-11, 2020. We are looking forward to hopefully hosting David here in Arlington this October.

We briefly discussed beginning plans for Phase Beta and what fall at Restoration will look like. Our Reopening Team will continue to work on these plans alongside David during August. We are in Phase Alpha, which lasts through September 6th. If you would like to join us for in-person Sunday worship, we invite you to sign up here. If you are looking for other ways to connect, you can see what’s happening at Restoration this summer here.

Brad Jones, our treasurer, provided a financial update: we are grateful to be in excellent financial shape as we approach the end of our fiscal year. Brad also presented the final budget recommendations from our finance team, and the vestry approved the budget as recommended. Every year,this team generously gives its time and provides excellent support for the vestry and the church. This year, the team recommended the vestry approve a steady state budget due to the macroeconomic situation created by the pandemic. (That is, we are basing the budget on a forecast of revenue equal to that for the current fiscal year, which is a bit below where we expect to actually end up this fiscal year.)While holding our budget steady, we will continue to offer our staff annual cost of living increases. 

Finally, Dan Vogel, the vestry liaison to the Outreach Steering Team (OST), presented OST’s recommendations for this year’sgrants. We are excited to continue supporting our current global and local partnerships and expect to revisit and expand the OST grantsthis fall based on how our fiscal year concludes. To learn more about our global and local partnerships, head here.

As always, if you have questions, concerns, words of wisdom or encouragement, please know that we are open to your 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’

– Johanna Montague and Kevin Marshall, Wardens

Posted by  Ryan Goyer on Jul, 30 2020 | 0 comments

Warden’s Report: May 2020

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

The vestry gathered for its third socially distanced meeting on May 26th. We opened this month in prayer for our congregation, our staff, and our vestry. We prayed for wisdom and clarity about how to connect with, care for, and serve each other and our neighbors in this challenging time.

Our staff report this month was from Louise Brooks, Director of Kids’ Small Groups, and Abigail Westbrook, Coordinator of Kids’ Small Groups. Please join us in our thanks and prayer for them both.

Brad Jones, our treasurer, reported that we are currently above our budgetary projections year-to-date and are in a strong financial position. Thank you for being such a generous church, Restoration!  Brad also briefed the vestry on preparations for the fiscal year 2021 budget, including the need for caution as the effects of the pandemic continue to unfold, and how our finance team recommends we handle our mortgage going forward.  If you would like to hear more details about our finances, check out this week’s rector’s update featuring Brad and David. It’s well worth a listen.

We confirmed 2 motions that needed decisions between our April and May meeting:  The first was to allocate funds for the purchase of equipment that is needed for our Sunday livestream.  The second was a motion to provide funds to our friend in West Asia that are over and above our normal grant.  These funds were used to repatriate him to London after he suffered a stroke.   

We devoted most of our meeting to discussing the work of six exploratory teams made up primarily of staff and vestry members who have spent the last month thinking about how Restoration can continue to connect people to God, others and the needs of the world in a global pandemic. We look forward to sharing more of what we are hoping and planning at our congregational meeting on June 7th (at 11am) and 9th (at 8pm) on Zoom. Details on how to join the congregational meeting to come. (And to make sure you are getting updates from Restoration, you can sign up for more information on our contact us form.)

As always, if you have questions, concerns, words of wisdom or encouragement, please know that we are open to your 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’

– Johanna Montague and Kevin Marshall, Wardens

Posted by  Ryan Goyer on May, 29 2020 | 0 comments

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

Posted by  David Hanke on May, 01 2020 | 0 comments

Warden’s Report: March 2020

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

The vestry gathered via Zoom for our March 24th meeting given the importance of social distancing while concerns about COVID-19 remain high. It was a different meeting than our typical routine of gathering for dinner and prayer prior to starting our official business; however, it was good to be “together” even when we are physically apart.

Brad Jones, our treasurer, presented an update on our finances and attendance. We are grateful to report that as of the end February, attendance is trending upward, our giving is on track, and our overall financial health is good. The finance team, under Brad’s leadership, is monitoring our financial situation in light of the changes to our life together on Quincy Street. We expect some downturn in giving as 30-35% of our giving comes through the baskets on Sundays and because of the financial uncertainty of this time. These possibilities are not surprising and they make us particularly grateful for our strong financial standing and the generosity of our members. If you do not already do so, we encourage you to consider giving through CCB. Contact Kat Downs if you have questions about how to do so.

After a discussion about how best to provide care for our members and the community during the COVID-19 outbreak, the vestry decided to create a fund to care for potential financial needs of our congregation caused by COVID-19. Details about this fund will be forthcoming in the next few days. We are also extremely grateful for the opportunity to partner with Glebe Elementary School in serving our neighbors through food support each week and will continue to do so in the days and weeks to come. If you are interested in assisting in this endeavor, you can find more details about how to serve on our blog.

We discussed what Holy Week will look like this year as we maintain the social distancing recommendations of the CDC. Expect details to be forthcoming. In the meantime, we invite you to join us for Morning and Evening Prayer at 9am and 5pm for the remainder of Lent (and beyond). You can find the Zoom login in here.

We are currently planning to postpone starting Ven Oramos Alabemos, an occasional Spanish-worship opportunity we were hoping to pilot this Spring. We are still planning to add this opportunity in the future, but will wait until we can gather together on Quincy Street.

We closed our meeting with a time of prayer for our church, our community, and our world. Come Lord, Jesus.

As always, if you have questions, concerns, words of wisdom or encouragement, please know that we are open to your 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’

– Johanna Montague and Kevin Marshall, Wardens

Posted by  David Hanke on Mar, 27 2020 | 0 comments

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

Posted by  David Hanke on Mar, 05 2020 | 0 comments

Warden’s Report: January 2020

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

January 28th marked the first official meeting of our new 2020 vestry. We gathered for dinner together and prayer before starting the meeting. This month David Hanke led us through our prayer time which focused on asking the Holy Spirit to bless our time together and give us wisdom as we start the meeting and a new year. Additionally we prayed for David and for his work as the rector of our church as he preaches, leads, creates, plans, and stewards this body. We prayed for his leadership of our staff, his preaching and teaching, and for his overall care of our  congregation. And we prayed for his family as they love and support each other day to day. We welcome your prayers for all the staff, the Vestry, and God’s work here on Quincy Street.

At our retreat last weekend, we elected officers for 2020.  Our wardens are Johanna Montague and Kevin Marshall; secretary is Mary Breed; Treasurer is Brad Jones.

On Tuesday, we voted to approve changes to the rosters of several of our advisory teams. These teams offer invaluable guidance and advice to the vestry and include: Finance (led by Brad Jones), Outreach (led by Dan Vogel), Facilities (led by Adam Guzzo), and Personnel (led by Lorene Eberhardt). We are grateful for all who serve in this capacity.

Brad Jones, our treasurer, presented an update on end of year giving and the first quarter of fiscal year 2020. We are grateful to report that attendance is trending upward, our giving is on track, and our overall financial health is good. The finance team, under Brad’s leadership, continues to monitor our financial situation and weigh options for our mortgage. Brad will give a report to the congregation on our financial health at the Parish Meeting on February 25th.

The vestry, in accordance with its policies for such matters, considered four bids for and a staff report regarding a contract to improve our website, which was an item in Good Things Grow Here. After a discussion and some clarifications, the vestry unanimously approved proceeding with one of the bids.  We are excited for what God will do with our church in the next five years and the ways an updated website will aid us in that work.

Lastly we spent time discussing how we could best use the 10th Anniversary Gift we collected around our celebration in November. We are grateful for the generous gifts totally approximately $250K that were collected from that weekend. Thank you to all who so generously gave! The 2019 vestry has already put a portion of those gifts to work through a new website (see above) and hiring Scott Buckhout as our Curate. The 2020 vestry will be discussing and praying over the coming months about how best to put the remainder of this gift to good work.

As always, if you have questions, concerns, words of wisdom or encouragement, please know that we are open to your 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’

– Johanna Montague and Kevin Marshall, Wardens

Posted by  David Hanke on Jan, 30 2020 | 0 comments

Warden’s Report: November 2019

Wardens’ Report: a brief summary of highlights from monthly Vestry meetings, designed to provide information about our growth, finances, and priorities.

At our November 19th vestry meeting, we enjoyed dinner together and prayer before starting the meeting. This month, Sean Burke led us through prayer which included praise and intercession for Director of Operations Kat Downs. We thanked God for Kat’s patient, steady hand that leads so many aspects of our church-life, many of them behind the scenes.  We also prayed for energy and joy as she grows in her new role as a mom, for peace and wisdom as she balances many competing demands for time and attention, and for continued spiritual guidance and protection. As always, please join us in praying over the staff, vestry, and all of God’s work on and through Quincy Street.

In our meeting, David and Kevin Marshall shared some takeaways from the Diocese’s recent Synod.  It was a fresh reminder of how blessed we are to be a part of a wider community of believers.  Kevin also led a discussion about Restoration’s practical, local outreach through Glebe Elementary: we approved outreach funding to purchase grocery gift cards for 63 families in need and the Star Tree is back, starting this Sunday!! (lots of ways to get involved — click here)  Kevin presented information about some upcoming special events that outside groups will host at Restoration in early 2020 (stay tuned!).  Although vestry’s role in those matters is limited, it is a good reminder of how our building on Quincy Street is a gift from God that, if we steward it well, He can use for all sorts of Kingdom work, all week long.  

Brad Jones, our treasurer, gave a brief financial update and led a discussion about topics that we can expect to consider in the months ahead: monitoring our financial situation, weighing options for the mortgage, and discerning options for gifts that come in through the special giving opportunity in connection with Restoration’s 10th Birthday. 

David led us through a fantastic report from the Strategic Plan Advisory Team, presenting a solid and action-ready plan for the next 5 years.  The report reflects a tremendous amount of work by those folks; the vestry is so grateful to the SPAT: Clark Herndon, Marlee Kingsley, Lorene Eberhardt, Drew Bond, Mary Breed, and David.  And to Restoration’s staff who, in addition to their normal workload, plus preparing for the 10th Birthday celebrations, ordinations, Advent… already devised specific goals and projects that will help them to dive right in.  After hundreds of sticky notes and lots of prayer… we are excited for what God has in store for this community and our neighbors. Join us in praying boldly!

We also continued our discussion about the possibility of hiring a curate in 2020.  As we mentioned last month, a curacy would be designed for a new priest who could join our staff to learn from and serve our congregation at the start of this exciting next chapter in Restoration’s life.  The Finance and Personnel Teams shared their invaluable wisdom and advice, and we hope you will join us in praying over this opportunity in the weeks ahead.

Finally, Johanna led us in a conversation about the results of our end-of-year, self-reflection survey about vestry.  As we have in past years, each vestry member completed a survey, evaluating the past year in various ways: for example, how we served individually, how our prayer life has changed, what it means to serve on vestry, and ways to improve.  At the end of this hard but good year, it was a welcome moment to reset and remind ourselves of the good Father that guides us as we help guide the church in practical ways, in supporting David and the staff, and through prayer.

Posted by  Ryan Goyer on Nov, 20 2019 | 0 comments

Warden’s Report: October 2019

The Wardens’ Report: a brief summary of highlights from monthly Vestry meetings, designed to provide information about our growth, finances, and priorities.

At our October 22nd vestry meeting, we enjoyed dinner together and prayer before starting the meeting. This month, Erica Chapman led us through prayer which included praise and intercession for our Rector David Hanke. We thanked God for David and his leadership of our church. We gave thanks for the fall at Restoration (the retreat, Pints and Perspectives, preaching) and prayed over the coming 10th anniversary celebration and unveiling of our strategic plan, Good Things Grow Here. We prayed for David as he leads our staff on a retreat next week and as he helps our newest staff members to transition onto our team. We gave thanks for David’s family and prayed blessing upon them in a busy season. We prayed over David’s office and all the meetings he holds there, that the Holy Spirit would come and make himself known.  As always, please join us in praying over the staff, vestry, and all of God’s work on and through Quincy Street.

In our meeting, we heard our last official update from Incarnation Anglican Church as they elected their first vestry this month.  In November at our annual diocesan synod, there will be a vote to receive Incarnation as a new parish in our diocese.  We trust that process will go smoothly and then in December, Incarnation will officially become a congregation with Rev. Liz Gray instituted as their rector. We are rejoicing with them for a successful first year and praising God for His faithfulness to them as they joined Him in boldly starting and growing this new church. 

David Hanke led us in working to finalize our strategic plan, Good Things Grow Here, and we discussed plans for our 10th anniversary celebration as we both celebrate 10 good years of God’s faithfulness to our church and look to Restoration’s future. We talked specifically about the financial gift of thanksgiving that we are asking our congregation to make during our 10th anniversary celebration. Our goal is to provide an opportunity to worship and give thanks for what God has done in our church while also launching our congregation into the next 5 years. We are excited for how we could use this gift be it on a smaller scale or larger one.

Johanna Montague talked us through the possibility of creating a curacy position during 2020. A curate is a finite position for a recent seminary graduate to join our team for the purpose of being formed as a priest and to serve our congregation. It is a good opportunity for us to help grow new leadership in DOMA, to build our connections with priests in the area, and to allow this individual to assist our staff/pastoral team with caring for our congregation.

Brad Jones, our treasurer, gave a brief update on our finances and we are grateful that we were on target with our budget in September and that our giving has stabilized after being under budget for much of our previous fiscal year. Thank you for giving generously to our church. Brad also led us through a discussion of potential options for handling our mortgage. The vestry will make a decision about our mortgage in the first half of 2020 before our interest rate changes during the summer of 2020. 

If you have questions, concerns, words of wisdom or encouragement, please know that we are open to your 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’

– Chris Belen and Johanna Montague, Wardens

 

Posted by  David Hanke on Oct, 23 2019 | 0 comments