This fall the Finance Team and Vestry have been prayerfully and thoughtfully discerning how to budget for 2021. We have been greatly supported in that work by our new Stewardship Team. We want to take a moment to share the things we have been paying attention to in anticipation of our Virtual Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 24 at 11 a.m. Please note that even more details about the meeting will be forthcoming in early January.
First, know we are on sound financial footing. There are several factors which have helped keep us on such solid ground:
We also discussed our thoughts on withdrawing funds from the endowment to supplement the budget for 2021, if necessary. There was a general awareness that withdrawals from endowed funds should always be done with a great deal of caution, care, thoughtfulness, and prayer. It is preferable to leave the funds be so they can continue to grow. However, we also agreed that should the unique circumstances of the global pandemic require us to consider making a one time draw on the endowment to supplement our 2021 budget, that we were open to that possibility. The Finance Team accepted the challenge, and over the course of several meetings (as per our usual course) built a budget as best as we were able. Third, we adopted a deficit budget at our December Vestry meeting which will be presented at our Virtual Annual Meeting. The budget is realistic about the costs of maintaining our campus and staffing levels, and it also greatly expanded our budget for Mission. At our December Mission and Vestry meetings we also adopted Sunday Sandwiches as an ongoing ministry for the foreseeable future. Each meal costs $2.65 per person, and we anticipate it will cost us $12,500 in 2021, though it seems to grow every single week-- now serving over 100 people each Sunday. The budget anticipates a $39,000 deficit. And yes, it is a sobering amount. In ordinary times, we simply would not have adopted a budget with that kind of deficit, and instead would have resorted to making significant budgetary cuts. However, the sense of the Finance Team and Vestry, is that this is a once-every-hundred-years-global-pandemic kind of budget. Income that we ordinarily generate from plate offerings ($11,900 in a normative year; $4,700 anticipated in 2021) and property use ($45,000 in a normative year; $27,500 anticipated in 2021), coupled with expanded efforts in mission, ongoing care of property, and maintaining staffing levels is what has created this deficit. These are all factors we anticipate starting to course correct in the second half of 2021. Fourth, we have plans for how to address the deficit. As mentioned, the Finance Team is working double-time, and we have plans to re-assess the budget in June. The diocese is currently building a program of zero-interest loans that they will be launching in the new year, and there are two diocesan grants for mission and technology that we plan to apply for. We have high hopes that we can heavily shrink this deficit. We also had the very real conversation about whether to supplement our operating budget with a special draw from the endowment. Our endowment is approximately $647,000. The Vestry voted that in 2021, the church can draw up to $39,000, if necessary. We would not draw the total amount approved, rather we anticipate only resorting to a draw, should cash flow become an issue down the line, and limiting the draws to what is necessary at that time. Please note, at this point that is not an issue as we are still operating with a surplus. In a perfect world, we would not be writing to you about church finances in the days leading to Christmas. Yet this has been a strange and difficult year, and we want to be transparent with you. This is a lot of information to take in, and know there will be opportunities to discuss and that we are always happy to answer your questions and listen to your concerns. Most importantly, thank you for your faithfulness and generosity. This parish’s capacity for change, your agility, and your overwhelming love of God and neighbor is a diamond in the rough. You amaze us every day. Happy Advent, and very soon, Merry Christmas. Yours, Rev. Heather & Rev. Molly Budget Q&A Do you have questions about the church’s 2021 budget? You are invited to join members of Finance for a Zoom meeting to answer any questions you may have. This meeting is part of our preparation for our annual meeting, where each year we present the budget that has been adopted by the Vestry. Join us on Thursday, January 7 at 6:30 p.m. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84368021870 Dial by your location +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) Meeting ID: 843 6802 1870 Virtual Annual Meeting Save the Date! On Sunday, January 24 at 11 a.m. we have a virtual annual meeting using Zoom, which will be broadcast from 73 Federal Street, Greenfield, MA. You can use the coffee hour link on our website to access the meeting. Stay tuned for more details in early January. Everyone reacts differently during stressful times. I’ll always remember Canon Pam Mott’s sermon to the small, anxious congregation of the former St Andrews. We had just begun contemplating a huge change and challenge in our lives; one that ultimately led to the joyous union we call James and Andrew. When Pam visited, however, we were feeling stressed. She told us the story of her cats; they travelled with her to her vacation home, and upon arrival each reacted in their own way. One crawled under the bed and pretty much stayed there for the duration. One sniffed and explored carefully and curiously and finally found a comfy spot. I suppose another might have misbehaved in ways only a cat-lover can imagine! Social distancing, quarantine and isolation can be overwhelming and can cause strong emotions in adults and children. This can manifest itself in emotional and physical ways: fear, worry and anxiety, changes in sleep and eating patterns, difficulty concentrating, worsening of chronic health conditions including mental health, and increased use of tobacco, alcohol and other substances. Here are some thoughts on how to cope with stress:
There’s the simple “Breath Prayer”; a phrase on the inhale, a phrase on the exhale. When anxiety builds, a few minutes of this can diffuse that anxiety, slow your heart rate and restore some of those helpful, relaxing endorphins. There’s a beautiful practice called “Viseo Divina” . We invite God to speak to our hearts as we gaze at an image. For me it often is the antics of our favorite hen (her name is Lovey!), or the blossoms on the purple foxglove in our garden. Simply pray, “God speak to me”. Any activity can be transformed into a spiritual practice; how about all that hand washing we are doing these days. A tiny litany for washing: “May I be centered in God’s presence, may my family be centered in God’s presence, may my community be centered in God’s presence”, etc. Your reactions to these unusual times are your own and they matter. Take time to talk them over with someone you trust. I keep hearing God reminding me that she is always here, in the backyard, at the desk top and in the grocery store. Here is a beauty of a little poem by Terry Tempest Williams. I pray to the birds. I pray to the birds because I believe they will carry the messages of my heart upward. I pray to them because I believe in their existence, the way their songs begin and end each day, the invocations and benedictions of earth. I pray to the birds because they remind me of what I love rather than what I fear. And at the end of my prayers, they teach me how to listen. In love, Kathryn Aubry-McAvoy, Faith Community Nurse Coping Resources
SsJA Pastoral Care Team You can contact any clergy person by reaching out to the office to reach the Pastoral Care Team. If you have a pastoral emergency, our office number is forwarded to an answering service after business hours. Email Office Call (413) 773-3925 The Department of Mental Health https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-department-of-mental-health The state government's Department of Mental Health website (CSO 24-hr access number) 1-800 562-0112 First Call For Help https://www.communityaction.us/communty-services Providing referrals to a number of community resources and supports in the Franklin, Hampshire, North Quabbin and Hampden County areas. 413-774-2318 National Alliance on Mental Illness of Western Mass https://www.namiwm.org/ Providing support and resources to individuals diagnosed with a mental illness, their families and the community in Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties. 413-786-9139 or toll free 1-800 295-2121 New England Learning Center for Women in Transition (NELCWIT): https://www.nelcwit.org/ Serving individuals who have experience domestic or sexual violence in the Franklin County/North Quabbin area. 413-772-0806 or toll free 1-888-249-0806. Clinical & Support Options: https://www.csoinc.org/ Mental health and crisis services in Hampshire and Franklin County. 413-773-1314 ServiceNet, Inc. https://www.servicenet.org/ Mental health services primarily in Franklin and Hampshire counties. 413-772-2935 Western Mass Recovery Learning Community https://www.westernmassrlc.org/ Healing and recovery through peer support. CHD (Center for Human Development) https://chd.org Community-oriented human services. Dear People of Saints James and Andrew,
It is hard to believe we are now three months into a global pandemic. These new circumstances have required us to find new and meaningful ways to cultivate and nurture community through virtual worship and zoom gatherings, phone calls, emails, and sending cards in the mail. It is your faithful participation in these new avenues and our church’s full court press approach to our outreach ministries which have allowed us to thrive even under the most challenging of conditions. You are the very definition of resilience, and for that we are both full of pride and gratitude. Thank you. We wanted to give you an update on the working groups progress in our process for moving forward, the closure of our buildings, clergy presence and worship this summer. Working Groups In late May the Vestry adopted a Process for Moving Forward, in which three working groups would make recommendations to the Vestry. While following the guidelines of the CDC, WHO, the Commonwealth, and our diocese we quickly realized an important difference in language. The Commonwealth refers to things in ‘phases’, while our diocese refers to ‘stages’, and outlines stricter requirements for moving from one to another. The diocese is working with an epidemiologist who will help determine what stage Franklin and Hampshire counties are in as we move forward. (Learn more about the public health indicators for diocesan stages here). Here is what we know so far about what these groups will be recommending to the Vestry after completing our research and conversations about how to safely reopen. When the Vestry has approved a plan after hearing parish feedback, the plan will then need to be approved by the diocese.
Building Closure Bishop Fisher, by pastoral directive, closed all diocesan buildings through July 1. As each congregation discusses how to safely reopen according to diocesan guidelines, it is up to each individual parish to extend the closure of their buildings. Based on the amount of work that still lay ahead before we can safely reopen, the Vestry voted that the buildings of Saints James and Andrew will remain closed until at least September 8. In the meantime, we will keep being the Church in both virtual and traditional ways for as long as necessary. Our love of God and neighbor comes before all else. Clergy Presence this Summer Vacation Time: Due to the pandemic, the two of us will be taking our vacation time in slightly different ways than we have in the past. Rev. Molly, who is ⅓ time and receives one Sunday off per month in addition to her vacation time, will be in Maine from June 24-August 26. During this time, she will not be leading virtual worship, but on her work weeks, will engage in virtual meetings and pastoral care. Rev. Heather, who is full time, will be taking Thursdays off throughout the summer and parts of the fall, along with three Sundays in June, August, and September. She’ll also be away for a week in November. Medical Leave: Rev. Heather will be on medical leave for 4-6 weeks, starting July 13, for a non-emergency surgery that was postponed in the early days of the pandemic. For the first three weeks she will be disconnected from parish life, and then presuming she feels more like herself, plans to work a reduced schedule during the remainder of her leave. During her leave our licensed worship leaders will continue to lead virtual worship on Sunday mornings (for the first three Sundays), the Vestry will host virtual coffee hour, we have a team of folks ready to cover pastoral emergencies, and Rev. Molly will be working remotely during that time. Please note due to this shift, we will be taking a break from the weekly video updates we started offering in May. Virtual Worship this Summer: While we have been offering Spiritual Communion and Morning Prayer a couple of times each month, during the summer things will shift depending on who is presiding at worship. For the next couple of weeks we will have Spiritual Communion. During Rev. Heather’s leave, we will have Morning Prayer, which we may continue when she first returns. By mid-August we plan to resume alternating between Morning Prayer and Spiritual Communion again. Questions? Concerns? If you have any questions or concerns about any of these updates, please do not hesitate to speak to us or a member of the Vestry. Thank you for all that you do in your prayers and in your actions to support the mission and ministry of Saints James and Andrew. Your faithfulness inspires us, and we are beyond grateful for each and everyone of you. Please join us in praying for our world and our community as we take this one step at a time and navigate the path of reopening. May God bless you and keep you, this day, and everyday. Yours in Christ, Rev. Heather & Rev. Molly |
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