TRINITY EPISCOPAL SUTTER CREEK

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2 Page 1 Dear Friend in Christ and potential partner in ministry, Parishioners of Trinity Episcopal Church, Sutter Creek, CA are praying for you. We know that you are as eager to find and lead us as we are excited and hopeful to begin the next leg of our journey together. We are a small, rural church in the history-rich and beautiful Mother Lode foothills of the Sierra Nevada, 50 miles SE of Sacramento. Our culture is welcoming ( amazingly friendly! in the words of multiple folks) and inclusive. We practice radical hospitality, embracing and integrating newcomers and striving to be the heart and hands of Christ in the broader community. Although we have continued to draw in a trickle of new members in recent years, our population is aging. We are debt-free, and our expenses are modest, but between deaths and the departure of those needing an easier lifestyle, we find ourselves now financially unable to afford a fulltime priest. Although this is a major challenge, we have been tremendously blessed by mitigating factors. First, our interim was already one of us, so we ve made a comfortable and smooth transition in terms of Sunday morning worship. Second, we have discovered our own resilience and a willingness to acknowledge that We are the church! Having survived and learned from a more tumultuous transition 10 years ago, we re really doing swimmingly, as one of our leaders recently put it. Weekly communion is important for the majority of our parishioners. This means that the challenge going forward will be to do all that we want to do for each other, and for the greater community, with very limited time available on the part of our priest. We have a history of active health ministry, and many feel they have the potential to take up some of the traditional role of the priest in pastoral care. Others are committed to maintaining our role as a progressive beacon in a conservative community; we have a strong contingent concerned with social justice issues that is willing to do the heavy lifting if our priest will guide our efforts. We already have lay-led outreach programs for the hungry, peace vigils, study groups and contemplative prayer. A commonly-expressed conviction among churches in transition is that We must grow. At Trinity, we welcome new worshippers, and are aware that our higher priority is to pay attention to Spirit. It may be that we are nudged outward, into ecumenical partnerships and beyond, that while nurturing our own with regular sacraments and love, we also share the gospel by living its truths among our neighbors. If we listen closely, we will have the resources to do what we are called to do. Will you help us to hear?

3 Page 2 TRINITY EPISCOPAL SUTTER CREEK Areas of ministry focus and goals: Reinstating a full-time Rector Growing our reputation as a beacon of progressive theology in a conservative community Holding the focus of deepening our faith over growing our numbers Providing educational opportunities that expand our theological and social understandings Maintaining and growing essential ministries both within the church and within the community through the raising up and training of lay leaders Maintaining our friendly and radical hospitality Outreach in the community: Continue support for Break Bread With Friends that provides a hot breakfast every Saturday to those in need, pledge to the Interfaith Food Bank, participate in Project Thanks, which provides Thanksgiving Dinner to those in need through the food bank, and host a yearly food drive to collect non-perishables and monetary donations to benefit the food bank. Provide study groups, book studies, centering prayer and other laity-led spiritual and Christian formation opportunities for the congregation and community. Focus on creating pastoral care support teams to visit the home-bound, sick and dying. Provide rides to parishioners to appointments and to church, for Sunday services, book studies, and other activities. Provide meals to parishioners recovering from surgery or illness. Provide a beacon of hope and diversity as a visible presence in the community. Continue to participate in Las Posadas, the Parade of Lights, and host educational forums on current and divisive issues to promote understanding and compassion. Host other programs that promote unity and fellowship such as prayer vigils and workshops.

4 Page 3 TRINITY EPISCOPAL SUTTER CREEK TRINITY AT PLAY

5 Page 4 STAFF Priest in-charge (20 hours) Position Vacant Administrative Assistant (16 hours) The Administrative Assistant is responsible for the smooth, efficient operation and management of the Parish Office, including coordinating, directing and executing all non-ministerial, non-finance parish operations, responding to all telephone, and in-person inquiries/ visits with courtesy and tact. Music Director The Music Director, in coordination with the priest, selects music which is related to some aspect of the week s readings. The director conducts choir rehearsals and provides organ and piano music at both Sunday services.

6 Page 5 TRINITY EPISCOPAL SUTTER CREEK Financial Summaries REVENUE 2018 Budget Pledges $113,619 $141,190 $126,640 $141,675 Plate Offerings $18,000 $18,575 $25,120 $21,054 Other Income $2 $760 $146 Total Revenue $131, $159, $152, $162, EXPENDITURES Wages & Benefits $84,135 $105,103 $123,804 $120,633 Operating Expenses $25,450 $21,921 $21,286 $24,166 Program Expenses $1,950 $1,101 $1,680 $1,395 Outreach $1,200 $1,000 $940 $1,000 Mission Apportionment $16,124 $21,746 $20,376 $22,046 Total Expenditures $128, $150, $168, $169, INVESTMENT RESOURCES Diocese Investment Fund $55,535

7 Page 6 Trinity Episcopal Church purchased the current building in Originally built in 1958, it sits on 0.6 acres. The main structure is a two story cement block building and is approximately 5900 sq. feet. It has parking for approximately 40 vehicles and there is also street parking. There are small landscaped areas on three sides of the main building. The main level has the Narthex, Nave, Sanctuary, Nursery, Library, restroom and storage room. The choir loft with an organ has two smaller rooms one used for storage of music and equipment. The lower level is a day-light-basement including two restrooms, Sacristy, three meeting/ education rooms, priest s office, and administrative office. There is also a janitor s closet and a mechanical room.

8 Page 7 TRINITY EPISCOPAL SUTTER CREEK The second building, Jane s Hall, is multi-purpose and is located in the back corner of the lot. It is a single story wood structure, approximately 1200 sq. feet with basic kitchen facilities, meeting room, restroom and three attached storage areas.

9 Page 8 Blessings: We are an inclusive, spiritually dynamic, loving Christian community, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with each other and the world. We are seekers and questioners, yet remain faithful to Christ s teachings. We generously share our gifts: time, talent and treasure. We celebrate our unity within our understanding of diversity. We follow the liturgy but are not bound by tradition. We are a fun loving and adventurous congregation who enjoys spending time together. We have a well maintained and debt-free church facility. We have committed members who participate in several community outreach programs. Our clergy have preached thought provoking sermons that address the issues of today. Challenges: Expand leadership to continue spiritual formation and pastoral care with a part-time priest Continue our outreach programs and expand their effectiveness. Meet the increasing needs of an aging congregation. Learn what post moderns seek in a spiritual community. Develop a plan to engage younger people with our vision of the gospel to whatever degree we can, whether or not they show up on Sunday morning Maintain our focus on discovering God s call for our church rather than growing the size of our congregation and finances Improve financial stability so that programs can move forward and facility can be maintained

10 Page 9 TRINITY EPISCOPAL SUTTER CREEK TRINITY AT WORK

11 Page 10 Our Diocese and Deanery The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California extends from the Pacific coast through the Sierra Nevada mountains, from the Oregon border to the northern tip of San Francisco Bay. The Right Reverend Barry Beisner leads the diocese as its bishop. Across the diocese, there are seven deaneries, 69 parishes and missions, and over 14,000 baptized members. Trinity Sutter Creek is in the Capital Deanery, headed by The Very Rev. Mary Hudak. The deanery consists of fourteen churches; all in the greater Sacramento area.