The Messenger May 2017

Transcription

1 The Messenger May 2017 Megan Springman May 2 Joyce Gifford May 3 Nick Murphy May 7 Amanda Metzner May 8 Russell Sekeet May 8 Ruth Leitch May 10 Shawn Hatfield May 12 Gary Hanson May 15 Don Fitz May 16 Ron Palmitier May 22 Rachel Vert May 22 Mike Griffin May 24 Dave Gould May 25 Sharon Gould May 27 Georgene Greene May 27 Orlan Lehmann May 27 Michelle Orsborn May 27 OTW NEWS It seems like school was just beginning and here we are at the end of the year already. One of our favorite projects is giving every child at Hamilton their very own book to take home for the summer. We will be selling the books Sunday, May 7th and 14th in the library, before and after worship. The books are $2.00 each and we encourage you to take a minute to write a note inside the front cover. It can be as simple as "Have a great summer! or Your friends from St. Paul's UMC". St. Paul s United Methodist Church 3334 Breton Road, S.E. Grand Rapids, MI Phone: (616) grstpaulsumc@gmail.com Website: Hurting World The Hurting World offering for May will be the John Wesley Hospital Boat, bringing much-needed medical care to isolated villagers who otherwise count on the service of just one doctor for 29,000 people. The boat travels the Amazon River through the rainforest of Brazil. Gordon Greathouse, the United Methodist missionary, says the care would be impossible without the John Wesley boat which takes two medical teams into the jungle each month from January through August. Each trip costs $10,000. The boat services 26 villages near Manaus, Brazil. Your gift to John Wesley Hospital Boat will help keep care coming to isolated villages of the Amazon. Please pray for these people and give generously to this project.

2 Page 2 The Messenger Ways to support The Pantry at John Knox Presbyterian Church: Participate in the 40th Annual HUNGER WALK on Sunday, May 7th. The walk begins at 2:30pm at Park Church (10 E. Park Place), and the 3.2 mile route weaves through East Town Grand Rapids. This is a kid and pet friendly walk, and our youth group is participating! You can register online or talk to Pam White for more information. Come to Chick-fil-A Grand Rapids South for a Spirit Night on Monday, May 15. Visit the Chick-fil-A location at 1545 Edgeknoll Dr. SE (near at M6 and Kalamazoo Ave.) during breakfast from 6:30-10:30am or dinner from 4-7pm, show your 'ticket,' and 10% of your order will be donated to The Pantry! Tickets will be available at the Over the Wall table on Sunday mornings. Save Your Spare Change! Empty out your piggy bank and look under the sofa cushions! Keep a jar on your kitchen counter and save your spare change for a special Mother s Day collection. St. Paul s will be collecting funds for feminine hygiene products, which will be donated to the Grand Rapids YWCA to care for women in need. Rev. Karin Orr, a retired United Methodist pastor, will lead a short term bible study on Monday evenings starting Monday, May 8 at 7:00 PM The study will focus on learning how to read the Bible while working through Paul's letter to the Galatians. All are welcome! Please sign up at the welcome desk.

3 Sunday, May 7 Hunger Walk Wyoming Park UMC from 12:30pm-4:00pm. Bring a non-perishable food item and/or pledges to donate, and wear your tennis shoes to participate in a 5K walk to eradicate hunger in the Grand Rapids area. Lunch provided. Bring $ for ice cream. Sunday, May 21 Donuts & The Gamers Wharf from 5:00pm-8:00pm. Come on out to our final community game night of the school year with lots of fun games, tasty food, and awesome prizes! Bring your friends. Page 3 Sunday, May 28 That Thing We Do on Wyoming Park UMC from 5:00pm-7:00pm. We will be eating, playing, laughing, sharing life, and learning more about what it means to be branded by God. During my time at our little church one of the defining qualities I have appreciated most about St. Paul s UMC is our commitment to service. Whether it s mentoring students and families at Hamilton ECC, offering the use of our facilities for recovery groups, helping to feed the hungry in our community, engaging in youth missions work, or hosting events where children can learn about the amazing love of God, you, the people of St. Paul s, have consistently demonstrated a desire to meet needs with love in the city of Grand Rapids. This summer, I d like to invite you to continue that service to your community in a unique way. From June we ll be engaged in a Mini Mission Trip and I d like you to join us. What is a Mini Mission Trip? you may be asking. The Mini Mission Trip is a three-day service adventure right here in Grand Rapids. Together we will serve the needs of people through local ministries and non-profit organizations. We will share life with the elderly at Brookcrest Retirement Community, we will help provide food to the hungry at the John Knox Community Food Panty, and we will show care and compassion toward some feline friends at Crash s Landing, a local cat rescue. This is an event open to everyone and it s absolutely free. What will it be like? Think of the Mini Mission Trip like a service day camp. We will come together in the morning to share breakfast and devotions, head out to serve as we re able through the morning and early afternoon, return to share dinner and a time of worship, and then depart for home, ready to do it all again tomorrow. The days will run from 9:00am to 6:00pm. What if I can t make all three days? What if I can only make it for part of a day? That is absolutely fine! We want you there as much as you re able to commit. What if I can t make it? That s quite all right. I still love you anyway. You can still help out by providing snacks or part of a meal. And regardless of whether or not you re able to join us, I invite you all to pray for those participating as well as for those who will be ministered to. Join us as we serve our community with a common goal: to bring the hope and love of Jesus to those who need it the most. For more info, contact Bill Cummings williamcummings@outlook.com

4 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat pm SPRC 7pm Trustees 7:30 Choir 6:30pm W.B. Study 9:00am Brunch Bunch 9:00am Baby Shower for Beth. 7pm Stephen Ministry :30am Worship 10:45am Sunday School 1pm Needlecraft 10am Caregivers 6pm John Knox 6:45pm Handbell 6:30pm W.B Study 7:30 Choir :30am Worship 10:45am Sunday School Mother s Day Newsletter Articles Due 2pm Clark Bible 6:45pm Handbell 7:30pm Choir 6:30pm W.B Study :30am Worship 10:45am Sunday School 7pm Charge Conference 6:30pm W.B Study :30am Worship 10:45am Sunday School O.H.W. offering Memorial Day 7:15am AA

5 THIS AND THAT Brunch Bunch will meet on Friday, May 5, at 9am. All women are welcome! If you have questions please contact Peg or pedvenson@gmail.com. COFFEE!! The coffee sign-up sheet is very lonely! We all enjoy the fellowship after church so we need help with snacks and coffee. If you don't know how to fix the coffee, we will teach you. Find a friend and do it together!! It's easier and fun!! Spring Cleaning COME ONE, COME ALL!!!! WHO? All able-bodied men, women and children. WHAT? Annual Spring Clean-UP WHERE? St. Paul's UMC WHEN? 12:00PM Saturday, May 27th, at 9:00AM- WHY? To beautify the grounds around our church and clean the kitchen!! Church Nursery An update for all about one major transition that has occurred since Mosaic Church dissolved. St. Paul's has hired a nursery attendant, Kim Niblock, to provide child care from 9am-12noon on Sunday mornings. Per our Safe Sanctuaries Policy, we need to have two adults in the nursery at all times. Please understand that this is primarily a gesture of hospitality towards children and families who are visiting our church but also a legal obligation of every United Methodist Church. While Kim will handle most of the diaper changes, lifting, etc. we must have an extra set of hands each week (no matter how many children are present). There will be a sign up sheet on the Welcome Desk and OTW desk this week. We can all take a turn...many hands make light work! Coffee and donuts at 8:30AM WHITECAPS GAME!! Join your friends for a Night at the Whitecaps on Saturday, June 10! The game starts at 7pm and there will be fireworks at night. Tickets are $ Please sign up at the welcome desk. If you have any questions contact Peg Edvenson at pedvenson@gmail.com

6 Page 6 Paragraph 213 Update Worksheet #4 The Messenger As we were responding to the following questions, St. Paul s leaders had an in depth conversation about how our core values, mission, and vision needs to drive everything that we do as a church. But because we lack clarity in this area, we do not have goals, objectives, or standards by which to measure the effectiveness of our budget, ministries, programs, and staff. We are aware that this must be addressed if we want to survive and thrive. What is your giving per attendee for the past three years? 2014 Average attendance: 106 Average giving: $36 per attendee 2015 Average attendance: 97 Average giving: $39 per attendee 2016 Average attendance: 88 Average giving: $36 per attendee Do you get more than 15% of your general fund income through fundraisers? St. Paul s UMC participates in the Great Lakes SCRIP and Paper Gator fundraising programs. We typically receive $500 per year in income from these two fundraisers combined, which does not equal 15% of our general fund income. What is your intentional stewardship process or annual campaign? How close has actual giving met expectations? For the last five years, Pastor Erin has led a 4-6 week stewardship campaign in September or October. She has placed intentional focus on stewardship as giving of our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. There have also been regular opportunities for members to share their testimony (in regards to stewardship experiences or practices) each quarter. In 2016, Church Council passed a deficit budget. Our anticipated budget was $199,400 and our actual expenses equaled $203,167. We took in $208,477 therefore our income actually (miraculously!) exceeded monies needed to meet expenses. What percentage of your budget is supported by your top 5-10 givers? What is the average age of these top givers? We have 8 families that contribute $5,000/year or more. Their giving comprises 35% of our total budget. The average age of these top givers is 65. What is the current years budget?: $206, Is the church able to meet its current budget? Based on the anticipated income, no; Church Council passed a deficit budget this year of approx. $15,000. However, we are able to make up the difference by spending down the general fund (and if absolutely necessary, tapping in to reserve funds). We have the following reserve funds : Ryckman Endowment: $206, undesignated Endowment Fund: $71, undesignated Memorial Fund: $9,985 undesignated Mission Endowment Income: $2, Missions Treasurer s Discretionary Fund: $17, undesignated Capital Repairs and Improvements: $28, Trustees TOTAL $336, Does the church anticipate being able to meet its budget for the next 2-5 years?, but we expect the aforementioned pattern to continue as the size of our congregation decreases. What anticipated major expenses will affect your financial health? The Trustees expect to tackle three major building maintenance projects in the next five years: replacement of the boiler, partial roof replacement, and tree removal. Ministry share payment history St.Paul s is proud to have paid 100% of our apportionments/ ministry shares on time, each and every year. This is a top priority for our congregation and Finance Committee.

7 Pastoral and Staff Financial Compensation Salary plus benefits for pastor and staff: Pastor Erin s salary for 2017 was set by the St. Paul s Annual Charge Conference at $42,477 based on her years of service and ordination status. When you include health insurance and pension savings, her TOTAL package approx.. $60,000. What percentage of the total budget is pastoral and staff compensation? 61.5% Page 7 Estimated pastoral salary range the church can afford and still pay ministry shares or apportionments and care for other expenses? St. Paul s receives a financial benefit from having a pastor at the beginning of her ministry career that also happens to be married to another UMC clergy person. With this blessed reality comes certain savings (ie: two churches share the burden of health care insurance and housing). Looking to the future, if we discontinue using endowment funds to cover our expenses, we will not be in a position to afford a pastor with a total salary package that exceeds $60,000. Estimated total staffing compensation the church can support and continue to pay ministry shares or apportionments and care for other expenses? Approx. $30,000-$40,000/year for our lay staff. $60,000 for clergy total compensation package. $100,000 total. Alexis Acosta Name Position Church member Paid? Office Admin. (12 hours/week) Georgene Greene Choir director/organist Fran Hesley Praise Team director/accompanist Bill Cummings resignation pending Kim Niblock Scott wack Roni McNeil Youth pastor (10 hours/week) Nursery attendant (4 hours/week) Custodian (15 hours/week) Outreach director (8 hours/week) Indebtedness For how much is the church indebted to an outside lender? Is the church in good standing? What arrangements have been made to retire the debt? We have a mortgage with the UM Foundation of Michigan in the amount of $80,100. We are in good standing and have a 10 year amortization plan. There is no lien on any other assets. Is the church borrowing from its Memorial Funds, endowment principle, or any other designated funds to meet operating expenses? If so, please explain.. Is the church in debt to the annual conference for past pastoral benefits?. Building condition and expenses Does the church have a parsonage? Is it occupied? Does it meet conference parsonage standards? Rev. Erin Fitzgerald and her family live in our parsonage, which is a beautiful home located at 3509 Bromley Drive SE., Grand Rapids MI It meets most parsonage standards. Is the church in need of major capital improvements? Does the church have the finances to make these improvements? Trustees have a created a capital improvements wish list which includes but is not limited to: New boiler control system, Partial roof repair, Tree removal, Remodel male/female restrooms, New carpeting in basement, New ceiling tiles, Fresh paint in the Christian Education wing, LED lighting upgrades, Keyless entry upgrade for main entrance, Computer upgrade for office staff.. We have a fund to cover some of the capital repairs and improvements (approx.. $28,000) but we may need to consider launching a capital campaign to help cover the cost of these projects. We recognize that the congregation may not be motivated to give to a capitol campaign, however, with the large sum of money we have saved in reserves. Is the church currently able to meet weather related capital needs?. We use a vendor for lawn maintenance and snow removal. Is the church handicap accessible?. What is your church s parking capacity? 148 (including 14 handicap spaces).

8 The MESSENGER St. Paul s UMC 3334 Breton RD.,SE, Grand Rapids, MI nprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Grand Rapids, MI Permit. 142 Electronic Service Requested St. Paul s Church Council Summary April 25, 2017 Worship 1) Worship Comm. recommends that as of the Sunday Sept. 10, Sunday morning worship start at 10 am and Sunday School start at 11:15 am. Further discussion and vote will be tabled to the June meeting. Erin Fitzgerald gave 3 points for council to think about: a) We will never please everyone. b) We must distinguish between the purpose of worship vs. personal preferences. c) This is being delayed to Sept. out of respect for Mosaic s loss. Staff Comments Pastor Erin Fitzgerald: 1) Erin s April/May sermon series will focus on the mission of United Methodist Women. Local children s author, Glenys Nellist will be at St. Paul s on April 30. Valerie Celestine Mossman will be with us on May 7 to talk about HAPI, Haitian Artisans for Peace International. 2) Rev. Karin Orr is leading a Bible study on how to read the Bible & Galatians beginning Mon. May 8 at 7 pm. 3)Erin will be at continuing education on May 4-6. She will be certified as a Love and Logic instructor. Over the Wall 1) The Scholastic Book sale to give a book to all 358 of Hamilton s students will be May 7 and 14 in the Library. Books are $2 each. 2) On Fri., May 26, we will be placing flags by veteran s graves at Chapel Hill Cemetery. More details to follow. Missions 1) The Hurting World offerings for April, May and June are Oklahoma Native American Children s Fund, John Wesley Medical Boat, and Justice for Our Neighbors, respectively. SPRC 1) Mosaic was providing our nursery attendant as a part of their covenant with us, so we must now provide our own nursery staff. SPRC recommends hiring a nursery attendant for 4-8 hrs./wk. at $9 / hr. with Finance Committee s support. Approved by council. We will have one paid nursery attendant, but need a second volunteer to meet Safe Sanctuary Guidelines. Members will need to sign up for this. Finance 1) Distributed 2016 year-end financial reports. A suggestion was made to itemize who is responsible for categories on the report. Trustees 1) Spring Clean-up will be Sat., May 27 at 9 am, with coffee and doughnuts at 8:30. The kitchen will also be cleaned this year. 2)Several present asked that the outdoor light, which is always on, be repaired so we aren t wasting electricity. Paragraph 213 Process Worksheet #4, an audit of finances, building and staff, will be distributed this week. Our next step will be to complete Worksheet #5 with Rev. Gary Step and the District Superintendent where we evaluate our ministry. This will be done at an all-church charge conference on Tues., May 23 at 7 pm in the Fellowship Hall. The next Church Council meeting will be Tuesday, June 27 at 7 pm.