St. John s Episcopal Church

Transcription

1 St. John s Episcopal Church ANNUAL MEETING January 28 th, 2018 The Rev. Janet Oller, Rector The Rev. William Wieland, Priest Associate Kitty Haffner, Rector s Warden Carole Meyer, People s Warden Christopher Short, Clerk of Vestry John Culley, Treasurer Cindy Smith, Pledge Secretary & Assistant Treasurer Jerilyn Yerkes, Organist/Choirmaster VESTRY Class of 2017 Class of 2018 Class of 2019 Kitty Haffner Sue Fain Nancy Bennett Carole Meyer Char Lingen Marc Hudson Peter Swanson Christopher Short Alan White

2 Page2 Table of Contents 2018 Annual St. John s Parish Meeting Agenda... 3 Minutes of the 2017 Annual Meeting... 4 Rector s Report... 5 Parochial Report Highlights... 5 Ministry Leader Opportunities... 6 Worship Leader Opportunities... 6 Committee Reports... 7 Altar Guild Report... 7 Choir Report... 7 Columbarium Report... 8 Education Report: Adult Forum... 8 Education Report: Children s Christian Education... 9 Gratitude Team Report... 9 Outreach Report... 9 Pastoral Care Report Planned Giving Report Pledge Secretary Report Property Report Shepherding Report St. Martha Guild Report... 12

3 Page ANNUAL ST. JOHN S PARISH MEETING AGENDA 1. Call to order with prayer 2. Election of Clerk Annual Meeting Minutes (Motion/Accept or Amend) 4. Outgoing Vestry Celebration and Thanks 5. Election of Vestry and Convention Delegates 6. Review of 2017 Ministry Team and Other Reports Year-End Financials (Information Only; Provided Separately) Budget (Information Only; Provided Separately) 9. Other Business 10. Adjourn (The Vestry will meet in the Library immediately following dismissal)

4 Page4 Minutes of the 2017 Annual Meeting The Reverend Jan Oller opened the Annual Parish Meeting with a prayer. Rev. Jan requested that people keep Bob and Sheila Evans in their prayers as Bob had emergency colon surgery, and Sheila is still recovering from hip surgery. Alan White accompanied the group as Hymn 700 I m Gonna Live as God Can Use Me was sung. Jane Gallagher was elected as clerk of the Annual Parish Meeting, The minutes of the 2016 meeting were approved, as moved by Nancy Bennett and seconded by Cindy Smith. The outgoing Vestry members Ellen Ball, Mark Kussmaul, Cindy Turner, and Harry Siamas were recognized and thanked for their service. The nominations for Vestry, Convention Delegates, and Convention Alternates were read and elected as follows: Vestry, elected by acclamation: Nancy Bennett Marc Hudson Alan White Convention Delegates elected by ballot: Rees Olander Dan Booher Convention Alternates: Elaine Pickering John Binder Rector s Report: Rev. Jan highlighted the printed Annual Report and asked for questions and comments. As there were no questions or comments, Rev. Jan moved on to the Financial Report. She showed the growth that St. John s has shown between the years of 2012 and Church assets have grown from $119,270 to $242,000. Because pledges have been paid with a surplus, additional funds have been able to be banked for Buildings and Grounds. Rev. Jan thanked the Building and Grounds Committee for their volunteer work which means the outlay for repairs is a fraction of what it would cost to hire the work to be done. Rev. Jan noted that a large upcoming project will be the refurbishing and protection of the stain glass windows at approximately $25,000, an amount that is already in the committee s budget. Financial and Budget Report: John Culley presented the 2016 Year-end financial report and the 2017 Budget which has been approved by the Vestry. He shared that the church finances are in good shape, and that once again the year was finished up with surplus giving. This year s budget is a balanced budget. Planned Giving: Sam Hildebrand reminded parishioners of the opportunity to participate in planned giving to support St. John s in the future. He announced that Kim Roberts will replace Rees Olander on the Planned Giving Committee. Rev. Jan presented a check and reminded the group that giving to the committee doesn t have to be after a death occurs, and that it can also be both ways of giving. Rees Olander reminded people that a good time to designate St. John s as a beneficiary is when it is time to rollover accounts. Lent update: St. John s will once again host a Shrove Tuesday Mardi Gras under the leadership of Christopher Short. This year s Lenten study will be an ecumenical event with Christ Lutheran, St. John s, and First Christian Churches. It will be held at First Christian Church this year, and will be kicked off Tues. March 7 th with a 5:30 soup supper. There will be no Easter Vigil sunrise service this year. Rev. Jan reminded the new Vestry that a short meeting would follow in the library. The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 A.M. --Respectfully submitted, Jane Gallagher, Clerk of the Annual Meeting

5 Page5 Rector s Report We are committed to God, to our church, and to each other as a family in Christ, providing and cherishing spiritual growth and living our faith in the community. As we continue to live out our Mission Statement, we give thanks to God and all who have helped us on our Journey to Generosity. The year 2017 was full of wonderful worship and music as well as many ways in which we loved and served our communities. We are blessed by your faithful and faith-filled attendance and your financial gifts. As you will hear when John Culley, Treasurer, presents his report, we once again have a surplus over our budget. This enabled us, despite significant outlays for plumbing repairs and stained glass window maintenance to put money into our Building Reserve for future projects that are part and parcel of a building this age and size. We have said goodbye, through death or moving, to some. And, we have welcomed new people, we have learned much about our world, our faith, and our community. We are not afraid to ask questions which keep us in respectful and loving conversation with each other. We are grateful for our new Bishop, Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, who visited with us in June 2017 and was (I think) rather overwhelmed by the welcome from all of you. There is so much to be thankful for. The hardest part of this last year is the death of several parishioners. While we celebrated their life, we miss their presence and their witness. This, too, is part of what it means to be a Christian: to acknowledge that death is part of life. To know that even though someone is no longer with us physically, their ministry continues as we remember them and the good work that they did while they were among us. Time after time those who are not members of St. John s but are with us for a funeral speak about how moving our liturgy is and how welcome they feel from you. We continue with our ecumenical efforts celebrating Ash Wednesday and Good Friday together with Christ Lutheran and First Christian. In addition, we helped host the Lenten Soup Supper and Study series. These and other efforts help us remember that there is One Body and one Spirit; There is one hope in God s call to us; One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism; One God and Father of all (BCP 299). May you continue to find St. John s a place of deep spirituality and worship and a place where we both look inward and we look outward for the many ways in which we can be the hands and feet of Christ. --Rev. Jan Oller Parochial Report Highlights Reported for 2017 (numbers tie to line items in the Parochial Report): Number Year: 2017 Total 6 Sunday average attendance Easter Sunday attendance Sunday Eucharist services Weekday Eucharist services Daily Offices held on Sunday 6 13 Marriages conducted 3 14 Burials conducted 5 20 Church School Students Enrolled 11

6 Page6 Ministry Leader Opportunities The following ministry groups are one way people may serve. They meet as needed. o Altar Guild: Sets the Altar for worship services and otherwise beautifies the Sanctuary/Nave. Assists the priest as requested and keeps the Eucharistic Vessels and paraments in good order. o Education: Plans religious formation (education) for adults, youth, and children. o Finance: Helps prepare a budget, interacts with the Gratitude Team and Treasurer, and performs bookkeeping tasks. o Gratitude Team: Works with the Finance Team and Vestry to encourage the giving of time, talents, and resources by parishioners so that the needs of the church and the world are met. o Outreach: Organizes and carries out giving to the community, Diocese, and the world. Helps decide areas where needs occur and publicizes appeals. o Parish Life: Organizes and offers opportunities for parish-wide gatherings or outings outside of St. John s building and grounds. o Pastoral Care: Works to provide for the needs of parishioners in times of sickness, family loss, etc. Includes planning support, calling parishioners for donations of food, time, or transportation. o Planned Giving: Encourages parishioners and friends of St. John s to remember St. John s in their estate plan or in other ways by making financial gifts in addition to pledge and plate. o Property: Maintain the physical plant of the church, including upkeep, inspections, security, cleaning, and outside maintenance. o Shepherds & Flocks: Each shepherd has a flock of parishioners. Shepherds maintain contact with their flock, and sends cards for birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. o St. Martha s Guild: Plans coffee hour and special meals that occur at St. John s. o Worship & Liturgy: Works with the priest to plan worship services. Types of services may include traditional, healing and/or Taizé services. Members train acolytes, Lay Eucharistic Ministers, lectors, and Crucifers. Worship Leader Opportunities o Acolytes: Light the candles at worship service, and aid in getting the altar ready for Eucharist. o Altar Guild: Teams take turns preparing the Altar for communion each Sunday and for special services. Training is given so that members know what is expected of them.

7 Page7 o Choir: Choirmaster and organist Jerilyn Yerkes leads the choir. Practices are on Thursday at 7:00 pm during the school year. o Crucifer: Carries the Cross for services and assists the priest in setting the table for Eucharist. o Greeters: Welcome people as they enter the church on Sundays. Present the Communion Elements (bread and wine) to the priest, and collect the offering. Following the service, they inspect and pick up items from the pews and lock the doors. o Lay Eucharistic Ministers: Participate in church services, helping to serve the Eucharist. o Lay Eucharistic Visitors: Take the Eucharist to those who can t attend services. o Lectors: Read the scripture and prayers during Sunday services. o Offering Tally/Counters: A team of two people count and record the offering following the Sunday services. Committee Reports Altar Guild Report A tremendous THANKS to St. John s Altar Guild Members for their continued service in Those members are C. J. Charles, Betty Culley, Sheila Evans, Cyndy Fields, Jane Gallagher, Terry Lawrence, Carole Meyer, Meegan Reidy, Jo Tussey and Jerilyn Yerkes. Every week during the year, Altar Guild Members, working in teams of two, faithfully met to prepare for St. John s 8 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday worship services. Also, during their assigned week, they may have readied the sanctuary for a special church service or prepared for a service away from the church, such as on Christmas Eve for the stable service and on October 1 for the special Wabash College Chapel Service. To prepare for services in the church, Altar Guild Members polish the silver and brass communion vessels and offering plates, prepare the altar hangings and books used, list the hymns, and replenish the candles with liquid wax. Afterward, the communion linens are laundered and ironed. Special thanks to Meegan Reidy for baking the communion bread and Carole Meyer for laundering the Fair Linen that covers the altar. Altar Guild members pitch in to help each other whenever and wherever needed. On the yearly Altar Flower Chart posted outside of Whitlock Hall, parishioners sign up to provide two bouquets on a specific Sunday during the church year. They are contacted prior to their designated week to remind them of their upcoming Sunday donation and to request that they provide a dedication to be printed in that Sunday s church bulletin. --Respectfully submitted by Betty Culley, Altar Guild Chairperson Choir Report The dedicated St. John's choir continues to sing for the 10:30 a.m. Sunday service during the academic year. The choir rehearses on Thursday evening, downstairs in the choir room from 7:00-8:00 p.m. Sunday morning warm-up runs from 9:00-9:20 a.m. This allows choir members to participate in adult formation. The choir continues to sing for the late Christmas Eve service as

8 Page8 well. The members of the choir for 2017 have included: Meegan Reidy, Charlotte Lingen, Sam Smith, Ed Fain, Will Turner, Sue Fain, Sheila Evans, Beth Turner, Dan Booher, Drew Turner, and Debbie Swanson. We would welcome anyone interested in joining our small group. Please consider giving the gift of your time for the enrichment of our worship service! --Submitted by Jerilyn Yerkes, Organist/Choirmaster Columbarium Report During 2017, eight niches were purchased by parishioners and two interments took place. Another niche has been spoken for and appropriate documents are being prepared to finalize the purchase. While niches are usually purchased by and for members of St. John s, the Columbarium is available for the interment of the cremated remains of any child of God upon approval by the Vestry. Four of our current 64 niches are available for purchase at $500 each which includes an urn and, unlike a cemetery, there are no additional charge to open and then to seal the niche after interment. The Committee has received bids and is preparing a proposal for the Vestry to consider adding additional niches in The Columbarium Customary may be found in Guidelines for Sacraments which are posted on the St. John s web site ( This document provides up-to-date information about our columbarium and its management. Our Funeral Customary and the End of Life and Funeral Arrangements Customary are also available on the web site. Both documents include references and links to the Columbarium Customary along with information about cremation and the niche purchase application. Anyone wishing to have more information about the columbarium as an interment option for themselves or members of their family may contact Rev. Jan Oller or any member of the Committee. --Respectfully submitted by the Committee, Sheila Evans, Tom Sheets, Randy Pickering and Sam Hildebrand Education Report: Adult Forum It has been another busy and productive year in the adult education program. The spring semester started with Christopher Short leading us in a discussion of the Gospel of Matthew, and then Jill Lamberton and Jeremy Hartnett led a discussion of the PBS series Sacred Journeys. During Lent, we discussed the book Lent from the Christian Reflection Project at the Baylor s Institute for Faith and Learning, which we also used in After Easter, Helen Hudson organized a multi-week discussion of the female Hazardous Saints. In honor of the 500 th anniversary of beginning of the Reformation, we devoted the fall semester to studying Martin Luther. Most weeks we viewed and discussed an episode of the Great Courses course Luther: Gospel, Law, and Reformation by Phillip Cary. Bill Cook also returned for the fourth consecutive year, this time to talk about the Hussites and other precursors to the reformation, and Derek Nelson visited to answer all our questions about Martin Luther. We will again have four basic modules in spring We will begin with three weeks on the Gospel of Mark, and then two weeks with Jim and Patience Barnes on his book Unforeseen. We will spend Lent viewing and discussing Max Lucado s, He Chose the Nails, and after Easter we will end the semester with seven weeks on the Adam Hamilton s DVD series, Confronting the Controversies: Biblical Perspectives On Tough Issues. Thank you to the adult education committee: Helen Hudson, Jill Lamberton, Jeremy Hartnett, Christopher Short, and Rev. Jan. They have made this year run very smoothly, and I could not have done it without them.

9 Page9 Finally, thank you to all the members of the parish who have helped us by giving us suggestions and feedback, and by taking the lead for a week or two or more. The program is much better because of all of you! --Submitted by Will Turner, Adult Education Education Report: Children s Christian Education Children s Education had another fun and exciting year in The kids were very excited to participate in outreach projects and had a good time participating in the church services. We said a temporary good bye to the Hartnett family at a summer cookout and welcomed new children to our Sunday School. The biggest change in 2017 was the division of the kids into three separate classes. With middle schoolers down to pre-schoolers, we decided that the kids would benefit from curriculum that was age appropriate. We are using an Episcopal curriculum called Weaving God s Promises. It is liturgy based, and each lesson includes information on how it is reflected in our faith as Episcopalians. Crafts are all geared to the kids ages (although I have found some of the primary crafts a little challenging!) In the spring, the children decided to donate the Change for Change to the Animal Welfare League and Half Way Home. This past fall, the middle school class made cookies for the women s prison ministry that Shirley Burd is involved in and all of the kids did extra chores to earn money to send to Texas for Hurricane Harvey relief. You should all be so proud of what caring, generous people they are growing into! I want to thank our teachers. Kathy Gary and Suzie Siamas teach the Pre-K/Kindergarten class. Kitty Haffner and Shirley Burd are the Middle School class teachers and I teach the Grade School class. Also, a shout out to Debbie Swanson for subbing and helping out whenever needed. We are looking forward to continued growth and lots more fun in 2018! --Respectfully submitted by Kim Roberts Gratitude Team Report This year the Gratitude-Stewardship Committee asked the parish to consider a journey to generosity. The committee reflected on our parish journey by means of an excellent series of posters created by Christopher Short and Helen Hudson that celebrated through photographs and text moments in St. John s history. We also read letters written by parishioners that elucidated their own journeys. Our pledge ingathering was All Saint s Sunday and as usual our parish responded generously. A big part of our spiritual journey is our gratitude for what God has given to us, and how we share that with each other and the rest of the world. Our journey to generosity is not simply about how much we give to support the mission and ministry of our parish. The journey is about how we live our lives so that we may delight in [God s] will, and walk in [His] ways. My thanks to the Gratitude committee: Helen Hudson, Christopher Short, Jim Gary and Kathy Gary who met, discussed, worked and gave their time and talents in order to share this year s message of gratitude and call to stewardship to our St. John s community. And thanks to the members of the parish who heard the message and answered the call. --Respectfully submitted, Harry Siamas, Gratitude/Stewardship Chair Outreach Report The Outreach Committee exists to share our resources with our wider community: to reach out into our community with our blessings. We hope that doing so enables others to understand how much St. John s cares for all of God s children. Projects overseen by the Committee in 2017 included: Mardi Gras Ecumenical Community service day which included cards sent to the homebound and those in temporary housing Summer Lunches

10 Page10 Food Finders Kairos Ministry (provided cookies plus supported this prison ministry, $350) Reformation Celebration/Beer and Brats (proceeds to Halfway Home) $636 in plate in form of a goodwill offering on the evening of the Celebration. Christ Lutheran & First Christian added $350 and St John s added $1014 to the goodwill offering for a total contribution to Halfway Home of $2000. Reindeer Project (36 gift bags containing needs and wants submitted by the children) Meals on Wheels Fish Pantry (ongoing contributions of food as well as a $1000 contribution) Committee Members: Bud Arnold, Ellen Ball, Shirley Burd, Sheila Evans, Jane Gallagher, Kitty Haffner, Helen Hudson, Meegan Reidy, Cindy Smith, Christopher Short. --Respectfully submitted, Carole Meyer, Chair Pastoral Care Report Over the past year, the people providing pastoral care have been fairly busy. Here is the list of the people who signed up to participate and how they helped. There are others whose names don t appear, but who have reached out to help in a number of ways. o MEALS: Ruth Black, Barb Easterling, Jane Gallagher, Kathy Gary, Carole Meyer, Meegan Reidy, Sheila Evans, Char Lingen, Susie Hildebrand, Helen Hudson, John Binder, Dan Booher o TRANSPORTATION: John Binder, Dan Booher, Barb Easterling, Sheila Evans, Terry Lawrence, Judy Wynne, Meegan Reidy, Bud Arnold, Sam Hildebrand, Jim Gary, Harry Siamas o VISITING: Carole Meyer, Sheila Evans, Kitty Haffner plus our Lay Eucharistic Visitors o SHOPPING or ERRANDS: Elaine and Randy Pickering, Jo Tussey, Jane Gallagher, Meegan Reidy, Kitty Haffner, Kathy Gary If you are interested in being part of this group in some way, please call or me at or Ashbaugh.a@sbcglobal.net. --Respectfully submitted, Adrienne Ashbaugh Planned Giving Report The Vestry adopted St. John s Endowment Fund Policies and Guidelines on June 17, Since then, all of the Planned Giving governing documents have been posted on our web site (look for the Planned Giving button) and are available for review at any time by St. John s parishioners and friends as well as their legal and financial advisors. Committee members are John Culley (ex officio), Ed Fain, Sam Hildebrand, Kim Roberts and Harry Siamas. The committee has used various ways to communicate to the congregation the importance of including St. John s in their estate planning. Since we generally talk of St. John s as our church family, it seems only natural to include the church as a family member in our estate plan, whether through a bequest or other type of planned gift to St John s unrestricted endowment fund. The Fund is administered by the Investment Committee of the Diocese of Indianapolis under a no-fee arrangement. This is a permanent endowment, so only income from the Fund is available to the Vestry to support the activities and programs of St. John s. During the past year, $83574 in gifts were added to the Fund, bringing its current total to just over $101,900

11 Page11 In addition to producing and posting the documents available on the Planned Giving portion of our web site, the committee included articles about giving in the monthly newsletters, made literature about planned giving available to interested persons and also made available a book entitled Provide & Protect Important Life and Death Decisions furnished to us by the Montgomery County Community Foundation. Additional free copies are available in the church library. On April 1, 2017 the Committee hosted the first annual Whitlock Legacy Society Lunch recognizing and honoring parishioners who had advised the committee they have included St. John s in their estate plan or have made a gift to the Endowment Fund. On Saturday, April 21, 2018 we will host the second annual Whitlock Legacy Society recognition lunch. Invitations will be forthcoming; meanwhile hold that date. During 2018, the Committee will continue its responsibilities which are outlined in our Charter and Plan of Operations including making estate planning materials available, raising awareness of the importance of Family Estate Planning and Planned Giving, and offering another seminar on specific aspects of this planning. --Respectfully submitted, John Culley, Ed Fain, Sam Hildebrand, Kim Roberts and Harry Siamas Pledge Secretary Report For 2018, we have 47 pledge units totaling $154, Of this, $22, was prepaid in 2017.We have 2 new pledges; 3 have not renewed their pledge to St. John s so far; 19 increased their pledge, 0 decreased and 26 remained the same. Average pledge = $3290/year For 2017, we ended the year with 50 pledge units and received $163, of $142, pledged. (An additional $21, given over pledges). Uncompleted pledges to date -$ Note: Numbers vary from week to week so these numbers will not necessarily match the budgeted figures. It never comes out exactly because there is over-lap in December and January and some units give more than pledged. A special thank you goes to the Tally Committee that quietly goes about the business of preparing the bank deposit each week for St. John s. They include: Susan Albrecht, Nancy Bennett, Ed Fain, Jim Gary, Wayne Olander, John Roberts, Tom Twarek, Ellen Ball, and Alan White. --Respectfully submitted by Cindy Smith, Pledge Secretary Property Report The members of the property committee are grateful for the ongoing assistance of the members of the parish for their financial support and willingness to assist with maintenance projects to the property. There are a number of projects which are hoped to be completed during 2018 with the use of volunteer labor. These include painting of wrought iron railing at the front entrance, painting of fencing along the alley and painting of patio furniture. We are always open to other suggestions for the maintenance and improvement of this wonderful historic property. Sewer Headaches: Following two sanitary sewer backups into the boiler room in the first quarter which required expensive roto-rooter clearing and cleanup, a camera sent through the drain running west under 2 feet under the Undercroft floor revealed that the cast iron drain pipe sections installed in 1960 had sagged in two areas causing waste material to build up and prevent proper drainage. The option of digging up the undercroft floor, replacing the cast iron drain line and then installing a lift station at the front of the church to transfer waste water to the sanitary drain installed in the early 1990 s on the west side to Green Street was dropped since the city would allow us to continue to use the old drain for basement sink water drains going into the old combined storm/sanitary water drain on the east side of Green Street which was being converted into strictly storm water. To solve the problem with the least expense, an up-flush toilet was installed in the basement restroom of Whitlock to lift waste up to the main sanitary drain that runs from Whitlock restrooms to the boiler

12 Page12 room and from there the sanitary drain, was re-routed into the storm drain from the roof of the west transept of the nave. The storm water was rerouted to discharge onto the alley. This drain runs west down Whitlock Lane and discharges into the old combined storm/sanitary drain which is deeper that the new sanitary drain on the west side of Green Street. Total cost of repairs and new equipment amounted to $ Since the City was going to force St. John s to remove our sanitary drain from the old combined street drain anyway, the sewer backups really caused us to make the changes sooner than later. Finally, since the city failed to move our original sanitary drain to the new drain installed in the 90 s, the city agreed to pay for all the labor and materials for the alley and street cut to connect our re-purposed storm to sanitary drain to the sanitary drain in Green Street, thereby saving St. John s over $15,000. Stained Glass Project: In October, Willet Hauser Architectural Glass removed the old storm windows (which were contributed to Habitat s Lafayette recycle store) completed the repair, restoration and cleaning of all our stained glass, repaired, caulked and repainted the exterior window sashes and jambs and installed custom aluminum framing and ¼ thick acrylic storm glass to provide improved insulation and protection for these art treasures. Total cost of the project was $25,900 and was paid out of maintenance funds the Vestry had set aside for projects of this nature. Also contributions of $4,200 have been received to date from parishioners to return funds to the maintenance reserves. Maintenance and Capital Expense Forecast Project: The committee is developing a Rolling 40 Year Forecast that will help the Vestry plan and budget for the ongoing expense of maintaining our buildings and mechanical and electrical systems. Ideally, reserves can be accumulated over time which will allow us to pay for these expenses as they occur and not have to borrow funds at interest. It was wonderful that the stained glass windows could be restored without a capital fund campaign, however this project significantly reduced the funds in the major improvements fund. This fund will need continual replenishment for items such as replacement of the sanctuary roof, sanctuary air conditioner units and other major systems. Committee Members are Debbie Swanson, Chair; Brian Albrecht, Chad Brock, Sam Hildebrand --Respectfully submitted by Debbie Swanson, Chair Shepherding Report A special thank you to our Shepherds for 2017: Adrienne Ashbaugh, Frank & Carole Escamilla, Jane Gallagher, Sheila Evans, Marc and Helen Hudson, Jo Tussey, Kathy and Jim Gary, Meegan Reidy and Kitty Haffner. And thank you to Jessica Short, who will be a new Shepherd in The purpose of this committee is to have another level of contact with parishioners, either to wish a happy birthday or to deliver a goodie bag to someone in our flock who might be under the weather. Also, if you should have a concern you would like to discuss or bounce an idea off, your shepherd is an additional resource. We have been updating the photo directory so if we don t have a picture of you/your family or you would like a more current one, please text me a current photo or bring in an actual photo so we can get that up for you. (you can also find me at church and I ll grab a snap shot as well!) We would love to have everyone s photo up on the board as it is a very helpful way to put a name to a face for our newest members. --Respectfully submitted by Meegan Reidy and Kitty Haffner, Co-Chairs St. Martha Guild Report St. Martha s Guild provided hospitality several times this past year, beginning with the Annual Meeting brunch in January, followed a few months later by the Easter brunch. Receptions followed the funeral of Rita Heuss and Susie Smith in December. Thank you to all who helped St. Marsha s Guild so willingly, whether you helped set up for an

13 Page13 event, provided food for a reception or Coffee Hour, helped serve, or worked to clean up afterwards. My special thanks go out to our Coffee Crew (Tom Sheets, Bud Arnold, Jim Capehart, and Judy Wynne), and to our Clean-Up Crew (Sue and Ed Fain, Marc and Helen Hudson, and Shirley and Jeff Byrd). So much assistance from faithful and generous helpers made everything work smoothly, and I am grateful. --Submitted by Meegan Reidy, Chair If you have any questions or concerns about the information provided, please talk to Rev. Jan or one of the Wardens: Kitty Haffner or Carole Meyer.