Annual Meeting 2018 Reports

Transcription

1 Annual Meeting 2018 Reports January 27, 2019

2 Table of Contents Rector s Report p. 3 Senior Warden s Report p. 5 Junior Warden s Report p. 5 Reconciliation Ministries p. 6 Acolytes Altar Guild Lay Readers/Chalice Bearers Music Ministry Flower Ministry Usher/Greeter Ministry Transformation Ministries p. 8 Christian Formation for Adults Christian Formation for Youth Christian Formation for Children Love Ministries p. 10 Food Team Bread and Roses Ministry (separate) Gertrude Mitchell House Hospitality Ministries Senior Ministry Website Communications Invite, Welcome Connect Committee Other Report of Nominations Committee p. 12 Charlottesville Region Capital Campaign Financial Report p. 13 2

3 Rector s Report This is my first annual report to the parish as Rector of Trinity Church. It is an honor for me and a wonderful achievement of the parish that after ninety-nine years Trinity have moved to full parish status. With that achievement my title changes from Vicar, a person who serves a mission parish, to Rector, a person who serves a full parish. The various reports in this packet will provide numerous other achievements and reasons from this past year to celebrate our life and work together. Attendance We have continued to increaser our average Sunday attendance for the third year in a row. While we did not reach the 10 percent growth of the previous two years, we did increase our attendance by 5 percent to an ASA of 98. However, our continued growth brings a new set of challenges: seating and parking chief among them. There were several months when we reached 80 percent of our seating capacity on at least one Sunday. In addition, parking remains a challenge. We are fortunate to have been able to add three reserved spaces on Preston Avenue directly in from of the church. We also have access to the smaller lot behind Mitchel House and on the side of the parsonage. The lot on the side of the parsonage is especially designed for compact cars. In addition, parishioners are encouraged to park at the lower Washington Park lot or on the street if they are able to walk longer distances. Ministry We continue to have great reason to celebrate the many accomplishments highlighted in Maria s Bread & Roses Report (see separate booklet) marked a milestone in that we reached our model of fully supporting this ministry from three separate sources: income from Trinity through Mitchell House rent, kitchen rentals, and from partner churches and grants. I am pleased with the work we did as a parish around our 2018 programmatic theme of A Spirituality of Social Justice. That work continues, especially with the events associated with the White Feather Project. The theme of Prayer for 2019 has also started off very well. The Numbers Below are the vital statistics of the past year. They highlight key areas of our common life which when looked at over time gives us a snapshot of our vitality. We are fortunate that they continue to point in a positive direction Vital Statistics Births 1 Deaths 2 Marriages 2 Baptisms 3 Confirmations/Receptions 0 Average Sunday Attendance 98 Looking Ahead The two biggest events we are looking forward to in the coming year is continuing the renovation work on the building and planning for and celebrating our 100th Anniversary. As I wrote last year, I am so grateful to be able to work with some truly wonderful people. First and foremost there is you, the lay ministers of the parish. What we are accomplishing at Trinity, we are doing together with 3

4 the help of everyone who shares their time, talent and treasure. David McIlhiney is a wonderful collogue who manages to have a quiet but powerful ministry when he is in the pew (chair) as well as when he is in the pulpit. Maria has continued to add infrastructure and exposure to the Bread & Roses Ministry and as Parish Administrator she keeps things (me) in order. She too has a quiet yet powerful ministry behind the scenes in helping to welcome new people to the parish, especially young adults. Colleen has settled in wonderfully. She has brought a warm and encouraging spirit to the choir. She is an accomplished and creative musician and her dedicated work each week truly enriches our worship experience. Another behind the scenes worker is Gil Orejudos, our new bookkeeper. Gil assists with the financial recordkeeping of the parish. This year, because we had a electronic data loss, Gill put in an untold amount of extra hours re-inputting data from our backup hard copies. Fortunately, we have instituted a number of redundant backup procedures to avoid such a predicament in the future. I am grateful that Deacon Karulynn Koelliker has been permanently assigned to Trinity. She, like most deacons, has dived right in. In addition to occasionally preaching, she serves at the altar and will have a role with our Mitchell House Ministry and Invite-Welcome -Connect.. Yours in Christ, Pastor Cass 4

5 Senior Warden Report Once again, I write to say how proud I am to be a member of Trinity. In the last year we have seen what true pioneering spirit we have. What a remarkable year this has been, we have kicked off our capital campaign, renovations have begun, and we are now a full parish. Annual convention was truly the spirit of the Lord and how a lot of hard work, i.e. blood, sweat and tears has gotten us to this point. We ve come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord and trusting in him, we receive full parish status. Now, the hard work begins, we must continue to the work the Lord has given us to do. We cannot rest on our laurels. We must roll up our selves and continue to pledge, no longer will we receive money from the Diocese, we must carry our own weight. I hope each one of us will continue to remember how we got here and why we must remain vigilant and strong. In a few short months, Trinity will be 100 years old. What a milestone, an African-American Episcopal Church celebrating 100 years, we will rejoice and be glad in it. The Vestry continues at work hard to ensure this occasion is celebrated and we begin our next 100 years on solid ground. We will need everyone s help in this effort, so kindly put on your thinking caps and consider how you can help. Trinity continues to be a leader in social and food justice in our community. Thanks to Pastor Cass and his team for their vision. Again, thank you for the honor and privilege of serving and I am enthusiastic for what 2019 and beyond has instore for Trinity. Submitted by, Leah Puryear Junior Warden s Report It has been my pleasure to serve as the Junior Warden in All of the major maintenance projects that we would have had to do this year have been subsumed by the capital improvement projects that we began in November. All other repairs have been routine changing light bulbs, etc. I d like to thank Pastor Cass for his tireless oversight of all the little (and big) things that happen with this building. Most things have been fixed before I hear about them. Thanks to Maria for being such a great manager of the commercial kitchen. Submitted by Mark Bell 5

6 RECONCILIATION MINISTRIES Reconciliation ministries include those that put us in the right relationship with God and each other. Worship and music ministries are the bulk of the programs in this category. Vestry Liaisons: Nick Garber & Cleve Packer Acolytes The Acolytes, during the past year continued to perform their important role of preparing the Alter for Holy Communion each Sunday and at other special services. Another major role they performed was leading the processions and recessions before and after services, which was also diligently done by each Acolyte. It should be noted that any abled member of the church can be an Acolyte. If you are interested in this ministry please contact Richard Johnson. Altar Ministry Members of the Alter Guild are the unseen faces that are of significant importance before and after each service. They conduct their work always behind the scenes and usually before and after worship. During the past year, members of this ministry prepared the Alter before each service and cleared it after each service, including our weekly eucharist, and other events such as weddings, funerals and baptism. In addition, members were responsible to see that the furnishings of the altar and sanctuary were clean and ready for use at the required time. The few members of this ministry (Kevin Bernard, Betty Jones, Helen Plaisance and Shirley Thompson) spent a significant amount of time to carry out these tasks during the past year, as a sizeable number of members is required. In order to lessen the burden on each member, more members are urgently needed. Please contact any of the current members if you are interested in participating in this ministry. Lay Readers/Chalice Bearers During the past year, Lay readers diligently in turn read the first and second readings at each worship service and the Chalice bearers in turn assisted the celebrant in the administration of Holy Eucharist. An individual can volunteer to be either a lay reader a chalice bearer, or both. Some training is required to serve in this ministry. Although we are fortunate to have a reasonable number in this ministry, new members are always welcome. If you are interested please contact Pastor Cass. Music Ministry This past year has seen the Trinity choir grow and thrive! We are fortunate to have skilled musicians in our choir and would welcome anyone who feels inclined to join, as we are always looking for new members. We are also always looking for musicians to offer other instruments, and this year we were fortunate enough to enjoy the talents of Duncan Crooks, Laura Keppley, and Kenneth Bailey on violin, as well as Rebecca Gilson and Maggie Archer on flute. The commitment is a short rehearsal on Sunday morning, starting at 9:00am, and singing during the worship service. The few services that director Colleen Fennessy was not there we were blessed to have the talents of Renita Banks and Craig Ames. During the summer months we enjoyed a varied lineup of choir members and congregants who chose and performed selections during the offering. We were also fortunate this summer to have John Vreeland and his jazz group once again performing. We had a very special service on August 12th in commemoration of the events of that day, and our choir joined with members of the Christ Church choir, as well as other guest musicians and soloist Julia Ruth. Members of the music ministry this year have included Kenneth Bailey, Lelia Brown, Brian Hunt, Magaret Hughes, Isabella, Vivian Jones 6

7 Schmidt, Connor Kenaston, Laura Keppley, Jim Loman, Sharon Lorish, Ramona Martinez, Kate Monaghan, Melissa Moore, Maria Niechwiadowicz, Anne Marie Saunders, Fred Schmidt, Rebecca Schmidt, Shirley Thomson and Kristin Szakos. Submitted by Colleen Fennessy, Choir Director Trinity Flower Ministry The lovely flowers that we see each week at the alter are donated by members in remembrance of a loved one or in celebration of a specific event. Participation in this ministry involves inserting your name for the Sunday you wish to participate on the calendar in the Narthex and someone from the office will be in contact with you. The contribution amount is $ If you would like to participate in this ministry or have any questions, please contact Gretchen Ellis. Usher/Greeter Ministry Members of this ministry are usually the first to meet with visitors and/or potential new members as they enter the church on a Sunday. Their main duty is to ensure that these visitors and potential new members are gladly received as members of the congregation on that day. This ministry is very important as its work tends to influence the visitor s first impression of our church family. The members are also involved in guiding visitors to vacant seats during the service and undertake other related tasks that help the service to proceed smoothly, including ensuring that each member of the congregation at a service has a printed order of service. It is the responsibility of the Head Usher to see that the assigned Lay Ministers (Chalice Bearers, Lectors, Intercessors) are on duty. If not, he selects an appropriate substitute from the congregation to serve. Ushers and greeters serve about once a month. Presently, the following parishioners serve as ushers and/or greeters: James Tinsley Kevin Barnard Mark Bell Jay Schlothauer Gretchen Ellis Carol Fleming Barbara Yager Elizabeth Cobb-Wilner 7

8 TRANSFORMATION MINISTRIES Transformation ministries are those which help to inform us about our faith and provoke a change in our lives. Included in this category are Christian Formation for children, youth and adults and Christian Stewardship: using our time, talents and treasures. Vestry Liaisons: Abbey Nicholas & Amanda Folsom Christian Formation for Adults In 2018 Trinity offered a variety of programs for adults who want to deepen their faith and build community. Adult formation is organized around annual programmatic themes, explored through adult small groups, sermons, weekend workshops, and Lenten programs. In the first half of 2018, our theme was A Spirituality of Social Justice, building on our previous studies of the intersection of Race and Faith. Our Lenten program examined the theology and spirituality behind the ten commitments of The Birmingham Pledge Card, a card that civil rights workers who participated in the Birmingham Campaign were required to sign. We also read and discussed the book, Waking Up White by Peggy Irving. In the second half of 2018, we launched a new theme focused on Prayer that Changes Us and the World. We started our Prayer theme with a book study and practical prayer exercises using the book Deepening our Prayer: The Heart of Christ, which is a part of the Companions in Christ spiritual program. We will continue the Prayer theme in early 2019 with a weekend workshop with the Casa Alma community and a sermon by Reverend Paul Walker. During Lent we will use Jane Vennard s book Embracing the World: Praying for Justice and Peace. Christian Formation for Children and Youth We are blessed to have three groups for Youth Christian Formation. The youngest group uses the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program, developed using Montessori principles of early education. Tish Bailey leads the Atrium, the first module for children from pre-school through first grade. There are 3-6 children each week, exploring some of the key elements in Christianity through songs and hands-on activities. The elementary school group is for children in grades 2-6 and includes eight children, some of whom have graduated from the Atrium. Five adults are involved as they are able: Ann Durbin, Abbey Nicholas, Helen Plaisance, John Poor, and Diane Sampson. This group uses Lesson Plans That Work, developed by the national Episcopal Church, which follows the Lectionary, as well as online educational resources in social justice themes, and a variety of crafts and other hands-on activities. Over the course of 2018, they have participated in Bread & Roses kitchen and garden activities and have learned the Lord s Prayer. We closed out the year by practicing what it means to love your neighbor as yourself: making Okra Angels for the City of Promise s Christmas program, and contributing two dollars apiece to purchase a flock of chicks through the Heifer International Project. This Project supports economic development in less well-developed countries by giving families the tools they need to provide a sustainable source of food, as well as income. One unique highlight of the year was a session Matt Shelton led using photographs from the Where Children Sleep exhibition. He 8

9 helped the children observe what was so different about how refugee children slept, versus how they slept, and followed it up with a drawing activity wherein they drew pictures of their bedrooms and possessions for comparison. The high school group consists of four extremely busy teens and their facilitators, Elizabeth Cobb-Wilner, Jackie Rose, and Laura Perkins. They have been working on a sign for the Bread & Roses garden gate made from found items. With input from the Packer family, the focus of the group is moving to a more Youth Group -like format, less about Sunday mornings and more about times when they can plan a longer session for community service and activities to which they can invite friends. The group came up with many ideas for activities, including volunteering, spending time outdoors, and working towards making the youth room a more functional and comfortable space for the group. In October, the youth group joined with other local churches to participate in the Charlottesville Crop Walk, raising awareness and funds for those who do not have easy access to food and clean water. Although the group faces stiff competition from school-related activities, the commitment is there to find time to explore Christianity in action. If you are interested in giving input or helping lead one of the groups, please let one of our leaders know! 9

10 LOVE MINISTRIES Love Ministries are those programs that enable us to tangibly demonstrate the love of Jesus to one another. These include programs directed at members within our parish as well as those directed at people outside of the parish. Vestry Liaisons: Jane Perry and Alex Ikefuna For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself. -Galatians 5:14 Love is not a feeling. It is action. The practice of love is in what we do and say. At Trinity we strive to express the love of God as an outgrowth of our reconciliation and transformation. We attempt to be concretely the body of Christ in this community and our world. Bread and Roses Ministry- (Attached as separate report) Food Team Most Sundays a hot breakfast is served at 8:30am before other activities. Cleve Packer and Bruce Ford are the head cooks and always willing to train in more helpers. The food team also assists in other special events such as potluck set up and clean up. We would welcome extra assistance on these Sundays. Gertrude Mitchell House The Mitchell House is the house across our driveway, to the east closer to Madison Avenue. For the past several years, Trinity has used this house converted to two apartments for a ministry of love Currently it s used to house pregnant homeless women during the later stages of pregnancy and through a a transitional period during which the goal is for the resident and her child can move into more permanent housing, usually public housing. In June of 2018, our first resident graduated into public housing. Our current downstairs residents will graduate into more permenent housing in August. That couple has married, had a second child, and has begun efforts to move into higher paying positions through programs at the City of Promise. We are currently accepting applications for the upstairs apartment, and have alerted PACEM, CHIP, the Haven, Region Ten, and other groups working with this population. It hasn t all been successful. We have learned that homelessness often comes with undiagnosed or poorly managed mental illness, often trauma-induced. It is challenging work, but you know you are making a difference, even if it s momentary. We often ask for congregational assistance for supplies like diapers and wipes. We accept donations for household supplies when we have new tenants. Please see Deacon Karulynn, Barbara Yager, or Helen Plaisance if you have an interest in working with this ministry. 10

11 Hospitality Ministries Following regular Sunday and special worship services, parishioners volunteer to serve as host/ hostess on a rotating basis for light refreshments in the parish hall and on the front porch in warm weather. On the fifth Sunday of a month, the congregation shares its special dishes during a delicious potluck. If you would like to serve in this capacity, please contact the office. Senior Ministry (TSM) Personal connections are central to our membership as is connection with our Pastor, the Vestry and the Parish. We also have personal and historical connections with First Baptist on Main Street and Mt. Zion Baptist Church with whom we celebrated this past year. Trinity Episcopal Church is replete with deeply involved seniors and parishioners willing to share their experience, books, poems, and thoughts. Mareea Wilson shared her experiences during the years of change in the Diocese of Virginia with us. We enjoy our time together, meeting monthly on the third Thursday, September through May at 11:30 am, often with a brown bag lunch. Website/Communications The website continues to be updated with photos, sermons, and more! In addition to Facebook, Trinity is now on Instagram and Twitter. Please follow us on these platforms for immediate updates and photos. If you would like to assist in the social media work, please contact the office. Invite, Welcome, Connect Ministry The Invite, Welcome, and Connect Ministry has been busy during 2018 in two specific areas. We have established a procedure for signing in visitors and newcomers and giving them temporary name tags followed by providing them a permanent name tag if they become part of the parish. Pastor Cass built a perfect name tag wall holder that is an essential part of having tags easily available. Since this is an ongoing project, please let Maria know if the ministry team has overlooked a member who needs a tag. Every member is important! Our second goal was to have each Ministry have the opportunity to have a member speak before the entire parish and let all parishioners understand what the Ministry does and how anyone can become a member. A new version of the Ministry Booklet has been published, and each parishioner has been asked to pledge one year of service to one or more ministries. Becoming more involved helps extends the effectiveness of our new parish status along with having members feel more involved with their fellow members. In 2019, the Invite, Welcome, and Connect Ministry hopes to expand their ideas! One idea area is to produce business cards that parishioners can use to let friends and acquaintances know more about our parish. Another idea put forth is to produce a pictorial member directory. These are only two ideas, and we hope to extend plans as more parishioners join our Ministry. 11

12 Other Reports Nominations Committee of Vestry There are three vestry seats to be filled this election. Our by-laws setup a 3 member rotating system so that every year 3 members rotate off of the vestry after having served a 3 year term. The Nominating Committee presents the following slate of candidates for your consideration and vote: Vestry: Patricia Jones-Turner, Marcia Joseph, and Diane Sampson Delegate to Annual Convention: Amy Griffith Alternate Delegate to Diocesan Convention: Stephanie Commander Representative to the Charlottesville Region: Helen Plaisance Charlottesville Region The Diocese of Virginia is one of the geographically largest Diocese in the US, and also is one of the top three Dioceses in terms of the number of churches. The seventeen newly reorganized regions operate as the Bishop s presence in each geographical area. Representatives of each church attend quarterly meetings to discuss issues of common interest. The Region supports a budget of about $20,000 given in part by each of the member churches, and in large part by the proceeds of the School House Thrift Shop. Our Rector, Cass Bailey, is currently serving as the Dean of the Charlottesville Region which comprises 23 churches. Recently, Bishop Goff jas asked him to serve an organizing function with the other 16 Deans as Archdean. Capital Campaign Items The renovations to the building have begun and will continue over the course of the next 18 months, as funds become available through the capital campaign. The roof and exterior siding have been replaced, along with all the windows. The exterior and interior of the cupola has been repaired and painted. New downspouts, gutters and drainage work are the remaining projects of phase one. The next phase will be the expansion of the Sanctuary and new flooring for all rooms on the sanctuary level. If funds allow, the final phase will include replacement of the HVAC units and new flooring on the second floor (classroom level). Thank you for the extreme generosity and sacrifice that many at Trinity have made in support of the 100th Anniversary Capital Campaign. We had a total of $191,000 pledged by parishioners over the three year period ( ). We started collecting income in about April and in 2018 we received $60,261. There is still $17,000 that was pledged in 2018 that we have not yet received. In addition, we have pledges for $56,000 for We certainly need to receive the bulk of the pledged income for 2019 and the remaining funds from 2018 before we can begin the next phase of the renovations. If you are not able to meet your pledge because your circumstances have changed, please speak with Pastor Cass so that we can adjust the budget accordingly. 12

13 Financial Report Brian Hunt, our longtime treasurer, moved away this past year. He is sorely missed and the Vestry has not been able to fine a suitable replacement. This is surely an opportunity for prayer since most of his duties have fallen to me! Here is a synopsis. Our financial situation is mixed. We have tremendous reason to celebrate regarding the launch of our Centennial Capital Campaign. We have a total of $190,000 pledged from the congregation over three years ( ). This financial commitment along with a $300,000 loan from the diocese has allowed us to begin renovations. Our Operating Budget from which we pay salaries and the day to day expenses of the parish presents us with several challenges. In 2018 there was a $14,000 deficit in the amount of money people gave versus what they pledged. We hope that a majority of people will choose to make up their 2018 pledge shortfall in 2019 if they are able. Another blow to our 2019 Operating budget has come in lower than expected pledges. The amount pledged income for 2019 is $26,000 less than what it was for A couple of factors help explain at least the 2019 numbers. Factoring in deaths and a few people who have moved away accounts for most of the dip.in income. The projected drop in income for 2019 meant that the Vestry had to cut about $20,000 out of the budget as well as adopt a 2019 budget with a 10,000 deficit. The situation would have been much worse had we not been able to draw on 12,000 in reserve funds from prior years and a very generous gift of $5,000 from Christ Church. Unfortunately, our deficit 2019 budget means that staff have gone without raises for the year. It is my hope that as we continue to grow we will stabilize our budget and be able to operate from a firmer financial footing. Summary Financial Data from 2018 include: 2017 Actual 2018 Budget 2018 Actual 2019 Budget Operating Income Pledge Income 209, , , ,000 Plate Income 11,500 11,726 12,000 Other Income 25,761 14,690 17,344 23,748 Total Income 235, , , ,748 Operating Expense Clergy & Staff 142, , , ,387 Building & Property 40,356 71,675 68,600 66,131 Diocesan Pledge 16,500 (8.5%) 18,000 (9%) 18,000 (9%) 18,850 (8.5) Tot Op. Expenses 231, , , ,368 Tot Operating Income 3,901 2,172 (-13,888) (-9,620) 13

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