St. Thomas Episcopal Church

Transcription

1 St. Thomas Episcopal Church Agenda 2015 Annual Parish Meeting & Report for the Year 2014 January 25, 2015 * 12:00 p.m. CALL TO ORDER The Rev. John Lipscomb OPENING PRAYER The Rev. John Lipscomb BUDGET REPORT COMMITTEE REPORTS Senior Warden s Committees: Rick Kiefer a) Parish Life b) Finance/Stewardship c) Evangelism d) Worship Junior Warden s Committees: George Pawliczak a) Property b) Youth c) Outreach CURRENT VESTRY MEMBERS: Nancy Conley, Betty Dufour, Jack Geeslin, Rick Kiefer, Diane Mullen, George Pawliczak, Mary Shriner, Jeff Ray OTHER REPORTS / COMMENTS (Verbal reports for those who did not hand in a report.) INTRODUCTION OF NEW VESTRY MEMBERS ADJOURNMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS : Page 1 Acolytes / Altar Guild Page 6 Outreach 2014 Page 2 Bazaar 2014 Summary Page 7 Parish Administrator/ Page 3 Book Store & Gift Shop / Craft Shop Parish Register 2014 / Senior Warden s Report Page 4 DOK (Daughters of the King) / Page 8 Thrift Shop Report ECW (Episcopal Church Women) Page BUDGET Page 5 Food Report / MOST (Men of St. Thomas) / Order of St. Luke

2 1 ACOLYTES Another year has gone by and we are still here and serving every Sunday, rain or shine! We presently have a great need for more volunteers to serve as acolytes adults can serve as well! Currently, Lia Dufour and Steve Luche have been gracious enough to agree to serve on Sundays at our 10:30 am service. They have been such a blessing and are a terrific asset to St. Thomas Services. This ministry requires much hard work and devotion and this group continually meets the challenge. These young people have stepped up to volunteer their time and talents week after week, and I thank them for giving so generously. As always, we need to add to our ranks, so please, any who would like to try it out are invited to speak with me (or me via the church stthomasec@earthlink.net. Again, thank you for your hard work and dedication. In His Name, Dick Labud ALTAR GUILD Serving on the Altar Guild can be a very humbling as well as rewarding experience. Our church is steeped in such beautiful tradition and ceremony, and I am very thankful to be a part of it. As God s Housekeepers we are continually busy with our weekly services as well as occasional special services. Our numbers are few, but we accomplish much. Do you ever wonder what it takes to decorate our church for Christmas or Easter? Maybe you should come and join us! I am thankful for the faithful few that serve on our Altar Guild. I am also thankful for the members of MOST for agreeing to help bring things in to the sacristy after the Sunday services; they have made this task much easier and quicker for us. As stated in the Senior Warden s report, there are many ways to become involved at St. Thomas and Altar Guild is just one of many! Respectfully, Sue Kiefer Altar Guild Directress Altar Flower Donations the donor chart is located on the usher s stand in the parlor. If you would like to be a flower donor please sign the chart and let Lisa in the church office know what you would like printed in the bulletin. Flower costs each week are $60. More than one person may sign up for one week. Please mark your check flower donation and place in the Sunday offering, or leave it with Lisa. If you have a special request as to color or type of flower please contact me a few weeks ahead of time ( ) and we will try to honor your request.

3 2 BAZAAR November 1, 2014 Once again, our Annual Bazaar was a wonderful event and was a great success due to the dedicated volunteers who worked hard all year in preparation. We enjoyed plenty of good fellowship with the public, our surrounding community, and our St. Thomas Church Family. Here is a breakdown of the individual booths and expenses in general: PARISH PANTRY PLANT BOOTH SALAD LUNCHEON NEEDLE & CRAFTS THRIFT SHOP 1, TOY SHOP GENERAL STORE.. 1, COFFEE/DONUTS TOTAL RECEIPTS $ 3, Expenses include ads, food purchases, supplies, and miscellaneous expenses. TOTAL EXPENSES ($ ) [LESS THRIFT SHOP OUTREACH MONIES] [ $ 1,070.25] FINAL PROFIT FOR ST. THOMAS FUNDING $ 3, THANK YOU ALL for your time, talent, and generous donations all year long in preparation for the Bazaar. Many thanks to all those who chaired and organized a booth, as well as to those who helped in general. We have a fantastically devoted and dedicated parish family and we are so glad our parishioners and community attend this annual event. We look forward to your help next year!

4 3 BOOK STORE & GIFT SHOP The Book Store and Gift Shop is located in the Parish Hall. It is for the benefit of St. Thomas parishioners and is open on Sunday from 9:00 a.m. until 10:30 and after the 10:30 service until everybody has left the Parish Hall. All proceeds go for outreach and restocking the shelves. Everything is religiously related. Come to see the crosses, angels, nativities, butterflies, pictures, all kinds of children s books, stuffed animals, puzzles, and many other things that make nice gifts. Don t forget the Prayer Books and Bibles and other things for you. OUTREACH FROM THE BOOKSTORE Monetary Outreach Hearts and Hands $ CRU (Campus Crusade) Bibles to someone who $ is eagerly waiting to meet Jesus St. Thomas : Air-conditioner $ C. E. Carter Scholarship Fund $ Window $ Thanksgiving Baskets $ Fashion Show $ TOTAL - $ Outreach Projects from Parishioners Campbell s bar codes Labels for Education 400 points Episcopal Boys Home, Covington, VA General Mills Box Tops for Education $ Box Tops Eustis Elementary School Pop Tops - Ronald McDonald House 27 lbs. Used Stamps to buy Bibles through Bay Street Baptist Church 3/4 lbs. Miles of Pennies total of $ finished 3 rd mile Beginning of 4 th mile $57.56 Thank you everyone for our third Mile of Pennies. We are working on a project here in Eustis. We have sent in a grant for Bates Ave Resource Center. We are hoping to use the third miles through national CPC on this. Please continue to put those pennies, etc. in the big jug. These definitely go to buy books for children. Thank you to everyone who contributed to these projects. I also thank Bette and Richard Dufour and Carol Ann Nestor for all there help. None of this could be done without everyone s help.. Betty Carr, Book Store Director CRAFT GROUP 2014 The Craft Group meets every Wednesday in our own room in Wisdom Hall from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Come to learn and/or teach a new craft. This group is open to all men and women. Come share in our fellowship and 5 minutes of prayer. We are always open to new ideas for our crafts to be sold at the Bazaar. We also have a table set-up in the Parish Hall much of the year. Most of us participate in the Fellowship Luncheon, which meets on fourth Wednesdays in the Parish Hall at noon. This Luncheon is open to the whole church; bring something to share. In 2014 the Craft Group raised $ from Bazaar Day through Christmas Day; this money was turned over to St. Thomas for the operations budget. This was all due to the hard work of 12 people. Thanks to them, and thanks to you, the parishioners, for the purchases you have made. The money raised during the rest of the year goes for outreach projects and supplies for the next Bazaar. In 2014, we gave the church $ (from the 2013 Bazaar) for air-conditioning and $200 for one of the new windows. We spent $18.15 for plastic canvas for the Sunday morning Welcome Baskets that Louise Dixon makes; the church is now paying for this work. For 2015, we have adopted the Seamen s Institute as an official project; in 2014, $47.90 was spent for some of the hats that were made for this national project. Hats (over 100) and scarves were mailed to Seamen s Institute, as well as calendars, and lap robes were made for Boggy Creek (handicapped children receive one as they leave camp). We are now keeping an official records book for our auditors. Respectfully submitted, Carol Ann Nestor, Chairman ( )

5 4 DAUGHTERS OF THE KING Daughters of the King is a lay order of prayer and service for women in the Episcopal Church. The St. Genevieve Chapter here at St. Thomas is welcoming women who would like to join us. Requirements for membership are completion of a course of study, approval by the Rector, and a willingness to pray and serve our God. Yes, there are dues paid annually to the national office which are distributed to the Provincial office and our Diocese DoK office. In our Parish the Daughters serve in the choir, the ECW, on the Vestry, in the kitchen at Parish functions, as LEMs, teaching, in the Thrift Shop, helping maintain our church, and various other ways. We pray for each parishioner every week and coordinate the Prayer Chain for those in need. If you think you would be interested in joining us, we are interested in welcoming you. Questions may be directed to Nancy Conley, Bette Dufour, and Martha Herron. EPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMEN (ECW) ALL women of St. Thomas Episcopal Church are members of ECW. Come join us for "Faith, Fun, Food, & Fellowship". The meeting is usually held the First Monday of the Month At 3:00 P.M. in the Parish Hall. Our Fashion Show this past spring raised $ With that we were able to make contributions of $ to the Church air conditioner and $ toward the Windows. We were able to make a contribution of $ to Rev. Stephen Dass-Brazilian mission. We were able to do numerous Outreach projects this year. The Haven (domestic abuse shelter), Episcopal Relief and Development Fund, 19 Thanksgiving Food baskets, Gifts for 106 Angels (children) at Head Start in Eustis, Gifts for "The Crossroad" (was Bishop Gray Inn) in Davenport, and Gifts for the girls at Turning Point Ranch for Girls in Umatilla. I cannot say "Thank you" enough for all the help of ECW members and ALL the very generous donations and contributions from the Members of St. Thomas Church for these outreaches. Without you, this would not have been possible. The ECW Executive Board for June 1, May 31, 2015 includes Nancy Conley, President; Carole Warner, Vice president; Kay Ikeler and Carole Meikle co-secretaries; Carol Ann Nestor, Treasurer; Betty Carr, Church Periodical Chairman (CPC); Evie Wright, United Thanks Officer (UTO); Rev. Janet Clarke, Chaplain Respectfully submitted, Nancy Conley

6 5 For the Food Insecure With the demise of Hearts and Hands Ministries there is a gap in getting food to the food insecure. Currently at St. Thomas we are collecting food and holding it for Rev. Lipscomb to give to those who come to him in need. We request that you continue to bring in your food donations and place them in the bins provided. Particularly, we request that canned goods be those with pull tabs that can be opened without a can opener. If you have suggestions for transferring this food to a worthy group for distribution do not hesitate to call the office or tell a member of the Vestry. MOST - Men of St. Thomas All men are invited to share food, fellowship and unwind on the second Thursday of each month during the year. Usually guest speakers are scheduled; there s no telling who might show up! From doctors to lawyers to whiskey makers, we ve had an interesting variety of speakers attend our meetings in the parish hall. MOST also helps with and sponsors several scheduled events during the year: the Christmas party, annual Bazaar Day and Street party. We also support outreach programs supported by the church. We are looking forward to another great year. Sadly, this year we lost three members, two of which were founding members, Pete Nolan and Al Spencer. They will all be sorely missed. Again, all men are invited to join us! Respectfully, Rick Kiefer Pres. ORDER OF ST. LUKE Every Christian has, at some point, wrestled in prayer against the illness of a friend, loved one, or themselves. We long to witness healing such as Christ himself performed when he walked this earth. Christ said that we would do greater things than He did; but we were never meant to do them alone, and we need the power of the Holy Spirit for healing and miracles. ANSWERING THE CALL The International Order of St. Luke the Physician (OSL) is an ecumenical organization dedicated to the Christian healing ministry. OSL members are volunteers committed to Jesus Christ as God, the Son who heals today and who proclaims wholeness today. OSL is not a church, club, or social institution. OSL is an organization of faith, prayer and service with Chapters throughout the world. Members come from many backgrounds of dogma, discipline and experience.medical people, lay people, and clergy devoted to bringing this ministry to all who need physical, Spiritual, or emotional healing. OSL exists as an organization because it is composed of people into whose lives God s call has come prodding for response; to do something with one s life that others may experience in their lives the daily healing power of Jesus Christ. If you might be interested in OSL, there are pamphlets available with details for membership and contact information. Bess Short can provide more information on OSL.

7 6 OUTREACH FUNDING 2014 for the 12 Months...January, December, 2014 Section I: St. Thomas Contribution to Diocesan & Parish Outreach Ministries A) 25% of our Diocesan Pledge ($18,930) goes toward the Diocesan Outreach Program $4, B) ARC Sunrise C) Jerusalem Missions (Good Friday Offering) D) Thanksgiving Offering for Honduras Church & Missions E) United Thank Offering (UTO) F) Thanksgiving Baskets for Eustis Elementary G) African Team Ministries 1, TOTAL SECTION I $ 7, Section II: Other Cash Outreach Programs A) Spring Thrift Shop Outreach Fund Allocation 8, B) Fall Thrift Shop Outreach Fund Allocation 8, C) ECW Outreach: CPC - $100, Sao Paulo Mercy Ministry - $1,000 ERD - $100, The Haven - $100, UTO - $100 1, TOTAL SECTION II 18, Year 2014 TOTAL Outreach Ministries Contributions $ 26, Section III: Donations of Goods and use of Facilities to Community Programs Parishioners donated Christmas gifts for 104 children at the Eustis Head Start Program. Parishioners donated travel-sized toiletries for The Haven (a temporary shelter for women & children) in the Parish Hall Donation Basket. Personal Gift Items sent to 74 residents of The Crossroads in Davenport on December 15. Items at the ready from Thrift Shop donated to burn-out victims and families in need. Eye glasses & hearing aids not sold in Thrift Shop are donated to local Lions Club, suitcases donated to the Haven, cell phones to the Haven. Monthly collection of canned and boxed non-perishable goods delivered to Hearts & Hands Ministries. Collection of Campbell s Soup Labels for Boys Home in Covington, Virginia to help them purchase much-needed items. Donations from our Parish Health Ministry of canes, walkers, shower chairs to those in need in our community. Donation of hand-made prayer shawls delivered by parishioners for Shut-ins.

8 7 PARISH ADMINISTRATOR S REPORT 2014 Please let the office know immediately of any problems or changes that need to be handled. You can call the office during office hours , or leave a phone message, or send an to stthomasec@earthlink.net. Thank you so much to our clergy they are a blessing to this church Fr. John for inspiring us as our Rector. Many thanks to our deacons, Dick & Janet, who volunteer their time in so many ways! Few know the scope of your ministries. For her long years of service as our Altar Guild Directress assuming all responsibility in scheduling the altar guild team to carry out the duties of the holy housework at St. Thomas Sue Kiefer is a true blessing to St. Thomas Church. Thank you to Kay Ikeler, Wing Sigler, Connie Wilhelm, and Linda Wilhelm for being at the ready to help in the church office on Mondays, and many thanks to our regular office assistants, Nancy Conley, Mary Ann Winslow, Kathy Easter. Thank you to Sue & Frank Carlsson for all your help with the monthly Newsletter. For her faithful ministry at Lakeview services in Altoona - making phone calls, setting up, cleaning up afterward (twice a month!) what a gift we have in Jackie Brenner. Thank you so much! I also want to point out to you the newcomer s bags angel, Louise Dixon, who makes all of the beautiful plastic canvas Welcome Bags that we pass out to visitors. Please continue donating copy paper letter and legal -, printer ink cartridges for HP 61XL paper goods and coffee for the kitchen, and Forever stamps this is a huge way for us to keep down costs! Thank you to those who already donate these items to the church office. Blessings to you all and remember that whatever 2015 may bring, we will all be here together. Lisa Labud Parish Register of St. Thomas Episcopal Church 2014 Funerals: Peter C. Nolan 5/17/2014 Thomas Clifford Luche 8/2/2014 Albert Edward Spencer 12/03/2014 Baptisms: Sofia Jane Lahey 1,26,2014 Douglas Eugene Johnson IV 3/09/2014 Weddings: Charles Casey Hartenstein And Lisa Diane Helmick 4/24/2014 SENIOR WARDEN S REPORT Serving as Senior Warden has been a rewarding experience these past two years. We have accomplished much, many of which you can see: new carpeting in the church, new window coverings over the stained glass windows, handrails at the chancel steps, just to name a few. There are also many things accomplished that are unseen: the work of our Thrift Shop, our deacons, ECW, MOST, and supporting Steven Doss ministry. Every member of St. Thomas is important and is encouraged to serve somewhere. There are more opportunities available than most realize. There is nothing wrong with coming to church to worship instead of being entertained. There will always be financial and spiritual challenges ahead of us. Welcoming visitors with a positive and loving attitude will result in building our membership. Thank you for your support, Rick Kiefer

9 8 THRIFT SHOP ANNUAL REPORT WOW! and a BIG THANKS! to the many volunteers and to all parishioners for your donations!!! Our dedicated group of volunteers worked many hours every week in the Thrift Shop, sorting, pricing, decorating, cleaning and stocking the shop with the many items donated from our parishioners and the community. The shop continues to be the most popular resale shop in the area because of all this hard work, our outstanding merchandise and workers, and our very chic boutique. We are proud to have several new volunteers who have joined the group this year to help man the shop. The Thrift Shop phone number is (352) and our hours of operation are Thursdays and Fridays: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm; Saturdays: 9:00 am - 12:00 noon. We close for Holy Week, Thanksgiving Week, two weeks for Christmas and New Year s Day, and for 6 weeks during the summer. After expenses paid to run the shop and needed repairs, every penny is given to Outreach in our community. Our St. Thomas Thrift Shop has outfitted the annual ECW Fashion Show models with elegant and affordable clothing. The community as a whole knows to call us for any emergency needs such as fires, and prison release persons needing clothing to start a new job and life. For the year 2014, at our Spring and Fall Outreach Disbursal Meetings, we contributed to the following organizations in our Community: Organization-- $ Church Periodical Club ERD (Episcopal Relief & Development) Hearts & Hands Ministries 1, Lake Community Foundation Homeless Drop-In Center 4, Project Graduation Sao Paulo, Brazil Mercy Ministry Sunrise ARC 3, The Haven of Lake & Sumter Counties 3, Turning Point Ranch 3, TOTAL 2014 THRIFT SHOP OUTREACH FUNDING $ 17,100.00

10 9 INCOME Budget 2014 Actual 2014 Budget 2015 Offering Income $198,092 $188, $194,220 Other Income $13,500 $32, $15,500 Total Income $211, $220, $209,720 EXPENSES Diocesan Assessemnt $19, $19, $19,422 Salaries and Expenses $161, $158, $161,926 Operating Expenses $28, $26, $26,400 Property Expenses $41, $40, $39,527 Program Expenses $3,165 $2, $1,450 Total Expenses $254, $247, $248,725 Income minus Expenses ($43,108.00) ($26,396.17) ($39,005) less $