Saint John the Baptist Orthodox Church Diocese of New York and New Jersey Orthodox Church in America 855 Goodman Street South Rochester NY 14620

Transcription

1 Saint John the Baptist Orthodox Church Diocese of New York and New Jersey Orthodox Church in America 855 Goodman Street South Rochester NY ANNUAL GENERAL PARISH MEETING November 11, 2018 Primate His Beatitude, Tikhon Archbishop of Washington DC, Metropolitan of All America and Canada Diocesan Authority His Eminence, Michael Archbishop of New York and the Diocese of New York and New Jersey -- Hierarch/Archpastor -- Diocesan Chancellor Very Reverend Joseph Lickwar Dean, Upstate New York Deanery Very Reverend Alexey Karlgut Parish Rector Very Reverend Ken James Stavrevsky Attached Clergy Reverend Proto-Deacon Stephen Sweet Reverend Deacon Sean McNulty Liturgical Music Ministry Bonnie Maye-Schwarz Tanya Fletcher, Andrea Fedoruk, Matushka Nadine Eskoff Brown Tonsured Readers Douglas Schwarz, Robert Mitchell VanDuyn

2 ~~ from the Parish By-laws ~~ I. Preamble The name of this parish is Saint John the Baptist Orthodox Church. The parish was founded on May 17, 1964 as a community of Orthodox faithful committed to: the use of the English language for all liturgical services, ethnic diversity, and welcoming all who seek Christ and His Holy Church. The parish was incorporated by registration with the County Clerks Office (pursuant to Article 5-C of the Religious Corporations Law), Monroe County, State of New York, on December 30, 1966 under the corporate name of Saint John the Baptist Orthodox Catholic Church. The parish is under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey (the Diocesan Authority) of the Orthodox Church in America. These by-laws shall be in conformity and compliance with the Statute of the Orthodox Church in America adopted by the Second All-American Council of October 1971 as amended by subsequent and future All-American Councils. A copy of the current Statute of the Orthodox Church in America is attached as Appendix I. All provisions contained therein are hereby affirmed and integrated into these by-laws; in the event of incongruity, the provisions of the Statute of the Orthodox Church in America shall take precedence over that which is contained herein. Reference in these by-laws to the Statute shall refer to the currently adopted and governing Statute of the Orthodox Church in America. Subsequent reference in these by-laws to the parish shall refer to the body incorporated as Saint John the Baptist Orthodox Catholic Church in Monroe County, State of New York on December 30, 1966 and henceforth known as Saint John the Baptist Orthodox Church. II. Vision, Mission and Objectives Our vision: to be a living manifestation of the Body of Christ filled with grace, truth and love. Our mission: to be a community of Orthodox Christians faithful to the doctrines, teachings, and traditions of the Holy Orthodox Church under the ecclesiastical authority and guidance of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, Orthodox Church in America. Our objectives: (1) to celebrate, witness and proclaim the fullness of our Orthodox faith to all who seek Christ and His Holy Church; (2) to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength; (3) to love one another; (4) to conduct the services, sacraments and rites of our faith in the English language; (5) to welcome visitors; (6) to show hospitality to strangers; (7) to comfort the afflicted; (8) to assist those in need; (9) to grow in our faith as individuals, as families, and as a parish; (10) to lead all to the knowledge of the truth and the way of salvation; (11) to defend, support and strengthen the one, holy, catholic and Apostolic Church; (12) to look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

3 Saint John the Baptist Orthodox Church ANNUAL GENERAL PARISH MEETING November 11, 2018 AGENDA Opening Prayer: O Heavenly King Call to Order and Assignment of Officers o Recorder: Melissa Lane o Parliamentarians/Ballot Tabulators: John Dyryanka and Boris Glus o Laity Chair: Stephen Merowsky, Jr. Rector s Report: Father Ken James Stavrevsky Parish Warden Report: Stephen Merowsky, Jr. Financial Report: Stephanie Keller o Current 2018 Fiscal Year Budget o Proposed 2019 Fiscal Year Budget & Approval Church School Report: Victoria Stavrevsky Liturgical Music Ministry Report: Bonnie Maye-Schwarz Basement Renovation: PHASE III ( the end of the road ) o Stephen Merowsky, Jr. Buildings and Grounds Update: Stephen Merowsky, Jr. Election of 2019 Parish Council members: ASSISTANT WARDEN o Approved and Accepting Nominee: Morgan Onesimus Smith

4 Election of 2019 Parish Council members: TEASURER o Approved and Accepting Nominee: Melissa Lane Election of 2019 Parish Council members: SECRETARY o Approved and Accepting Nominee: Jessica Catherine Rapach Election of Laity Delegate and Alternate Delegate: 2019 Diocesan Assembly o Blake Gregory Keller, Delegate o Stephen Merowsky, Jr., Alternate Delegate Election of Auditors for Fiscal Year 2019 o Margaret Cavalcanti and George Kuyon Approval of Amendments to Parish By-laws o Father Ken James Stavrevsky Report on the Diocesan Assembly (October 30-31, 2018) o Matushka Natalie Stavrevsky New Business: Questions, Comments, Discussion Adjournment Prayer: "Memory Eternal!" and Many Years! To the Glory of God!

5 Nominee 2019 Parish Council: ASSISTANT WARDEN MORGAN ONESIMUS SMITH Project Mexico Warrior Nominee 2019 Parish Council: Treasurer MELISSA LANE Current, Parish Secretary Former Parish Treasurer, Lansing NY Nominee 2019 Parish Council: Secretary JESSICA CATHERINE RAPACH Former United States Marine Corps Semper Fi!

6 Saint John the Baptist Orthodox Church 855 Goodman Street South Rochester NY Diocese of New York and New Jersey Orthodox Church in America V. Rev. Ken James Stavrevsky, Rector SaintJohnOrthodox.org Rector: ANNUAL PARISH MEETING REPORT ~ NOVEMBER 11, 2018 Parish Rector Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, As I reflect on our spiritual journey together, I offer profound thanks to God and gratitude to each of you for the joys of being your parish priest (unworthy as I am). It amazes me that we are rapidly approaching the 15 th anniversary of my pastorate at Saint John Orthodox Church. Glory to God for all things! Thank-you to our servers and Deacons before the altar of God; to our incredible choir and Readers; to former and present Parish Council members and Auditors; to those who have adorned our sanctuary by donating altar vestments, icons, kitchen supplies, the weekly Prosphora bread, and in cleaning and maintaining our beautifully wonderful Church; to those working in our church school program; to our weekly crew that counts our offerings and prepares them for deposit; to the guardians of the front door who keep all in order and greet our visitors; to our handmaidens who prepare our post-communion bread and wine; to the many hosts who provide us with splendid fellowship and coffee hours; to our joyous infants and children who often sing their own hymns of praise and bring us smiles by their presence; to my loving and patient family supporting me in ways that cannot be numbered. Although I don t say it or show it enough, I am truly grateful and love you all! It takes the love, devotion, and efforts of MANY to establish the community of faith which we are. And, truly we are blessed fundamentally by ALL OF YOU contributing sacrificially through your regular financial offerings. Have you noticed that I rarely almost never talk about money and the need for you to give more money during our services? I may be at fault for not doing so, but it seems to me that we will cheerfully and generously give of our treasure to the Church out of love for Christ; for that reason, our services are all about the love of Christ and one another. You certainly know it takes a substantial amount of funds to maintain and sustain our Church. Obviously, we need your vital support! Please consider increasing your financial contributions to our Church; not because I am asking you to; not because you can do so; but, because you love Christ and His Holy Church.

7 If it s all about love, the sacrifice of giving will be a blessed and joyful thing, certainly not a burden. Consider this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ~ Saint Paul (2 Corinthians 9) Looking to our future together, there are serious matters for us to discuss and face. As a few of you know, it is my plan to retire from full-time ministry on the occasion of my 42 nd anniversary of ordination to the Holy Priesthood. That date will be December 16, For this reason, the remainder of my report will focus on the necessary transition that will occur as a new priest/rector will be assigned here. It should be our shared goal to ensure that all is in good order and properly prepared for this to happen without hindrances or difficulties. Transitions, and change in general, can be traumatic especially if preparations are not made. Therefore, I am calling on us to conscientiously establish, support, and build a transition fund as part of our financial planning and budget. There will be costs associated with our transition: moving expenses and consideration of pastoral salary, health insurance, pension plan contributions, etc.. All of this we currently manage well, but with change comes a need for reevaluation and recalculation. To meet our needs, I strongly recommend we pursue a 12/24 Month Plan. 12 Month Plan To assist Proto-Deacon Stephen in finding a suitable residence, perhaps an assisted living community, for his well-being and our need to move forward. This parish home (one side of the duplex) can then we prepared and established as a rental. I anticipate rent for that side of the house would be in the neighborhood of $1,300-$1,600 a month. The proceeds from rent would be applied directly to the maintenance requirements of our church buildings and grounds. 24 Month Plan To renovate the duplex home previously inhabited by Deacon Sean and family. The home requires extensive rehabilitation following decades of residence during which little was done by way of interior updates. This home will be prepared and made ready as the landing place for a new priest and family and should be quite adequate as a permanent rectory. We have already done important work on both sides of the duplex: newly installed gas furnaces, external electrical work, and new roof, to mention a few. The home has good bones and should serve us well into the future.

8 Our newly renovated Church Banquet Hall (basement) is a wonderful space for fellowship, events, and outreach to others in evangelization. On Tuesday, 8 January 2019, we will sponsor a day-long American Red Cross blood drive. During Great Lent 2019 we will have a weekly Lenten meal and movie on Friday evenings. On Saturday, 15 June 2019, we will again offer the Blessing of Pets. All of these are opportunities for fellowship and welcoming others our neighbors to visit our Church. Other events are also being planned and, stay tuned, we have plans for an amazing exterior sign to advertize our activities! For many of us old timers in the parish, it has been sad to see members of our community who have fallen-asleep in the Lord and are no longer with us. We also mourn the loss of some who have moved away or who choose to spend long periods of time away in warmer places during the winter months. From this perspective, some say, Look! We re losing members! Indeed, we are. The Lord said to Joshua son of Nun: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. ~ Joshua 1:9 However, from another perspective we are welcoming many new people and families into our community. And the babies oh, babies and toddlers everywhere! For another example, look at the nominees to serve on our Parish Council next year. If elected, they will represent a first in our parish history: a Parish Council comprised entirely of converts and, by the way, none of whom were members of our parish when I arrived 14 years ago. We might call that growth! In the words of Saint Herman of Alaska (his holy relic resides in our Altar table): From this day forth from this very hour and this very minute, let us love God above all and seek to accomplish His Holy Will. With my love in Our Lord, Jesus Christ, Father Ken James Stavrevsky Archpriest, Orthodox Church in America Chaplain, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF (Retired) Rector

9 Saint John the Baptist Orthodox Church 855 Goodman Street South Rochester NY Diocese of New York and New Jersey Orthodox Church in America V. Rev. Ken James Stavrevsky, Rector SaintJohnOrthodox.org Rector: ANNUAL PARISH MEETING REPORT ~ NOVEMBER 11, 2018 Parish Warden Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, It has been my extreme honor to have severed on the Parish Council here at Saint John s for the past two years. I would like to thank our entire parish, Father Ken and the present Parish Council members for all of their support this past year in accomplishing GREAT things. As most of you know my parents were part of the founding members of our parish. Since that time I have come in contact with a lot of people over the years; people who have made an everlasting impression on me and my family, and on our parish -- and for that I feel very blessed. I am very pleased at the outcome of the many projects we have undertaken these past couple of years. It has been 54 years that we have been blessed with having our church, but it has been 93 years since it was built. Our parish is one of deep faith and hard work both of which was evident while working on our Banquet Hall project this past year. While there are still areas of needed repair and improvement, we are well on our way to securing a revitalized fruitful place to have the next influx of people that come into our parish family. I am sorry we did not accomplish more evangelism events for our parish this past year, but I am sure between Father Ken and Bob Marshall they will have a different priority set for both the parish and the Parish Council this coming year. So, thank you again for letting me Serve our Parish. Stephen Merowsky, Jr. Parish Warden

10 Saint John the Baptist Orthodox Church 855 Goodman Street South Rochester NY Diocese of New York and New Jersey Orthodox Church in America V. Rev. Ken James Stavrevsky, Rector SaintJohnOrthodox.org Rector: ANNUAL PARISH MEETING REPORT ~ NOVEMBER 11, 2018 Financial Auditors As auditors, we have spent several meetings this year reviewing church records and find that all records are in order and that Financial Accounting Standards (FASB) are being followed recommendations have been successfully addressed. Update of the following has either been completed or is in process of completion: Church By-laws {as auditors, we specifically support the description and use condition of the Endowment Fund as set forth in the BY-LAWS DRAFT AMENDMENT- NOVEMBER 11, 2018 } Church Procedures Fixed Asset records 2019 Recommendations--continue to involve parishioners in the following ways: Donate toward parish Diocesan Assessment Become active in evangelism Work toward growing our parish Sponsor a coffee hour Take part in beautification of the church grounds Sponsor a dinner or holiday activity Our outgoing treasurer, Stefanie Keller, is to be commended for an incredible job. She has been very thorough and informative in aiding the Audit Process. Remember, this is OUR church and we all need to work together as a church family. In Christ, Margaret Cavalcanti George Kuyon

11 BASEMENT RENOVATION PROJECT: PHASE iii (the end of the road)

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14 AMEMDMENTS TO PARISH BY-LAWS 4. Parish Council. a. Responsibilities of the parish council shall be: i. execution of the annual parish budget as approved by a general parish meeting (resource reallocation and unbudgeted expenditures of an urgent nature are permitted; however, reallocations and unbudgeted expenditures exceeding $3000 must be presented to a general parish meeting for approval); ii. oversight, planning, and management of parish operations; iii. deliberation and resolution of unforeseen issues and requirements as they arise; iv. preparation of a proposed budget for the annual general parish meeting; v. strategic planning; vi. monitoring, sustaining, and nurturing the good order of the parish; vii. care and custody of the Parish Endowment Fund. The Endowment Fund is maintained and accounted for separately from the parish operating accounts, and is not to be used for the routine financial operations of the parish. The Endowment Fund shall only be used to pay for a significant existential financial crisis, to be determined by the parish council and approved by a majority of the parishioners, and should only be used in the event that no other funds or loans are available. A minimum amount equivalent to three months of routine parish expenses must be maintained in the Endowment Fund at all times. In the event that more than three months worth of routine parish expenses is accumulated in the Endowment Fund, the parish council may withdraw all or part of this excess amount for non-routine parish expenses, such as capital improvements, evangelism, outreach, charitable support, or any other endeavor that supports the mission and objectives of our parish and the Holy Orthodox Church. 4.iv The Treasurer shall have the care and custody of parish funds and management of the Parish Endowment Fund (4.vii). The Treasurer shall keep a full and accurate account of all moneys received and paid by the parish and shall render a statement of accounts monthly, at general parish meetings, and whenever the Rector, parish council or Warden shall request Financial Auditors. Parish financial records shall be audited at least annually for accuracy, fidelity, and proper management according to generally accepted auditing standards. Parish auditors may not be current members of the parish council. The parish shall elect two (2) voting members of the parish during the annual parish meeting in those years ending with an odd number to serve as

15 auditors with a two-year term of responsibility to commence on the first day of the following year. The auditors must: i. state in the annual auditors report presented at the annual parish meeting whether the financial statements are presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. ii. identify in the annual auditors report those circumstances in which such principles have not been consistently observed in the current period in relation to the preceding period. iii. when the auditors determine that informative disclosures are not reasonably adequate, the auditors must so state in the auditors report. iv. either express an opinion regarding the financial statements, taken as a whole, or state that an opinion cannot be expressed, in the auditors report. When the auditor cannot express an overall opinion, the auditor should state the reasons. b. In an advisory capacity, auditors may: i. consult with the parish treasurer to assist in the proper management and administration of funds and assets without direct involvement in financial transactions, accounting, or management. ii. recommend financial management policies, procedures, or practices to the parish council or general parish meeting. Such recommendations are subject to approval by the relevant parish authority (i.e. the parish council or general parish meeting). c. Should one or both of the auditor positions become vacant, the parish council shall appoint suitable persons to fulfill the open term of responsibility.