[St. Margaret Vestry] Feb 10 Vestry Meeting Cancelled
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
I wish I could claim it Prudent to cancel our meeting tonight, but the weather is so inclement that pretending to have a choice in the matter borders on the ludicrous.
Would each of you who planned to report at the meeting take thirty minutes to write that report and to share it with this list by 8:30 pm tonight?
The questions I would have brought to the table include these:
1. How are preparations for the annual meeting progressing?
2. Has the vicar's remuneration been exactly halved from its 2009
total, and how is it distributed among salary, housing, pension, insurance, etc?
3. Are any special or exceptional pastoral issues developing?
Stay warm and indoors, praying for those with no shelter or food.
Best,
Howard Stringfellow
The Venerable Howard Stringfellow
333 Wyandotte Street
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015
(610) 691-5655, ext. 222 archdeacon@diobeth.org
St. Margaret’s Church in Emmaus
Vestry Meeting
10 February 2010 at 7:00 pm
Agenda
Devotions
Approval of Minutes January 13
Report from Canon Shallcross on Parochial Matters
Discussion of Transition to One Service
Plans for February Annual Meeting
Day School Committee Report
This Committee is charged to learn and to evaluate the mission and operation of the Day School; to analyze its financial position; and to make any appropriate recommendations to the Vestry.
Sunday Schedule Committee Report
The Committee is charged to recommend to the Vestry a worship schedule that furthers St. Margaret’s mission and ministry.
Parish History Committee Report
This Committee is charged to develop and to present to the Vestry a parish history from a systems perspective, so that automatic patterns of functioning can be improved and changed to assist the mission and ministry of St. Margaret’s.
Financial Report: Committee/Budget/Vicar’s Remuneration
Other Business
On 9 Feb 10, at 10:48 AM, Jeannette Wager wrote:
Problem: The finance report is not yet printed...I cannot have it done and at the church by tomorrow if we get the snow that has been predicted. It's a 50 mile highway round trip for me...I'll probably be snowed in tomorrow...even if the main roads are clear by evening I won't go out.
I can't e-mail the report. I've recently moved and am not yet connected to internet. I've been depending on my work computer for e-mail and I won't put church files on there...even temporarily.
However, the good news is that we did end January in the black for ordinary budget income and expenses. We caught up Lexa for 2009 except for pension and medical...we have a $900 bill for the furnace repair which we can probably honor this month...the Toshiba maintenance agreement is still outstanding. That's all I can recall right now.
Jenny
The Lord grants his loving kindness in the daytime...in the night season his song is with me.
The Rev. Anne E. Kitch
Canon for Formation in the Christian Faith
Diocese of Bethlehem
333 Wyandotte St.
Bethlehem, PA 18015
610-691-5655 x237 akitch@diobeth.org
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
To: St. Margaret’s Vestry
Re: Report from the History Committee
Members: Connie Archer, Joe Cardinale, Anne Kitch (chair), Maggie Werner, Mac West.
We met for the first time on Tuesday, January 26, 2010. M. Werner was not able to meet with us but remains interested in supporting the work of the group.
The Committee discussed the Bishop’s charge and had a brief introduction to systems theory. Copies of Generation to Generation were given out to each member.
Committee agreed on approach to analyze leadership, ministry and mission trends of the parish in order to look for patterns of functioning that may be hindering parish growth.
Committee discussed approach to gather data to create parish leadership timeline.
Committee has a meeting scheduled on Thursday, March 18, at 7:00 p.m. to analyze data and prepare to report to the April Vestry Meeting.
AK prepared and sent to committee members a basic timeline of parish leadership since its founding along with other documents. CA has begun interviewing St. Margaret members to gather historical data.
The chair wrote and submitted a report for the Annual Meeting.
Note: I am unable to attend the Annual Meeting on February 22, 2010. I believe that the report I submitted is sufficient. Certainly J. Cardinale and M. West can answer any questions regarding the work of the History Committee.
Anne
Report to St. Margaret’s Vestry
February 10, 2010
St. Margaret’s Nursery School Committee
I have invited Thea Prostko of St. Andrew’s Nursery School and Pat Owsiany of St. Gabriel’s School to join our committee, which already consists of Dave Leber and me. I am still waiting to hear back from Thea and Pat.
I attended the St. Margaret’s Nursery School board of directors meeting on Monday, evening, February the 8th. The board members were cordial and happy that I came to the meeting. Almost all the members are current or former parents of students of the school. Lexa was present. Those who are current parents were quite anxious about both the future of St. Margaret’s Church and the presence of a vestry acting on behalf of the diocese looking into matters concerning the school. They wanted reassurance that the church would not close; that the school would not close; that if the school were to open in fall it would remain open until the end of the academic year.
I assured them it is the goal of the diocese and of the current vestry of St. Margaret’s to bring the church to a point of stability and sustainability and that no one wants to see the church close. I told them all that is being done is for the purpose of preventing that from happening. But I told them there can be no guarantees offered. I said whether the school continues is really up to enrollment and finances, that it has to carry itself because St. Margaret’s is not in a position to carry it. By the end of the meeting, the members seemed less anxious and said going forward they would like a member of the St. Margaret’s vestry to attend each of their meetings. I said I would bring that request to the vestry.
If you would like me to attend the meetings, I would be willing to do so. Perhaps others from this committee or the larger vestry will be able to attend as well. I would welcome company. Their next board meeting will occur on April 12, 2010 at 7 pm.
The board members wanted to know if our committee is looking to change the school’s curriculum or program. I told the board members I am mostly trying to get a handle on the school’s finances. They presented a new “budget” sheet through January. This report shows a projected operating deficit for the year (Sept 2009 – Aug 2010) in the amount of $10,829. The September budget sheet I had previously received forecast a deficit in the amount of $19,720. The improved picture, the director reported, has come from increases in enrollment and spending cuts.
I told them their “budget” figures are at best a cash flow report with some guesses at the future and that they are not sufficient to seriously analyze the school’s financial picture. I told them it would be good to produce a proper income and expense report and balance sheet in Quick Books. They told me that have the software and pay for the technical help but the volunteer former parent who does the financial reports does not know how to work with Quick Books and cannot understand the technical assistance provided. The current treasurer, Rochelle Bachman, indicated a willingness to learn. I would recommend that she be trained to work in Quick Books and the transition to a more acceptable financial reporting system be undertaken.
After the meeting, I sent a scan of the financials to Dave Leber. Here are his comments:
Thanks for the reports—they were a little hard to read, but it seems as though the losses are still substantial, especially on top of St. M’s losses.
I’d like to suggest that Andy Werner and his office look at setting up Quick Books for the nursery school , but probably not til after April 15, with tax season now in full swing.
I don’t know who Andy Werner is but perhaps he is a member of St. Margaret’s. If he were available and willing to help, that would be great. Otherwise I was going to suggest we might ask Bruce Reiner of the diocese to help set up financial reports and train the treasurer to use Quick Books.
Prior to this year, the school had built up a small cushion in the amount of $9000 or so. Therefore with a projected loss of about $10,000 for this year, they will use up that cushion and their ability to continue to operate will depend upon having enough students to produce a balanced budget, or surplus, next year and then staying within the guidelines of that budget. Their registration for next year is just beginning, so it is too soon to know what their enrollment for the fall might be.
During the meeting the director presented tuition information she had gathered from St. Anne’s Roman Catholic Nursery School in Emmaus and Asbury Methodist Nursery School indicating the rates they are charging are competitive.
One additional piece of information I learned is that the school is not licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, the state organization that oversees all child care centers. The director told me they are not required to be licensed because they only offer programs that last 2 ½ hours per day. I plan to do some research to be sure that information is accurate and will report back on what I discover.
Libby House
Dear Libby,
Thank you very much. I am taking your report to mean that the deficit of the school you projected at the Dec vestry meeting stands except for economies introduced since that date. In other words, while we are working on the school's accounting, the deficit was not a
misrepresentation: it is real.
Again, thank you.
Best,
Howard
Vestry Report 2/10/2010
Re: Parochial Matters, Preparations for Annual Meeting,
and Canon Shallcross' Remuneration
[Preparing this at home; some pieces of information are missing as they are in my office at Church- I will try to identify these lacunas.]
A. Annual Meeting
Annual Report, minus financial information which has to be approved by Vestry,
has been prepared. Handed out to worshipers on Sunday, 2/7 and mailed to others. Reports were to be handed at a tonight's cancelled meeting to Vestry members.
(Thanks to Tim Merrill for doing up two sets of labels. These cannot be prepared in office.)
Parish Office will duplicate updated parish contact list to hand out at the meeting.
The meeting date and time has been communicated in Sunday bulletins and on website.
Food and physical arrangements are being made. Two people have been identified to be thanked.
B. Building
1. PA License and Industry arrived at building around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday
2/09 to inspect the elevette. They never call ahead. I let them in and opened machinery room. We passed the annual inspection. Bill for about $100 will come in the mail with written report.
2. Center ceiling lights in Parish Hall and in the Atrium do not work.
Several people looked at fuse box in furnace room. The circuit breaker kicks back open. There is a short in the system. An electrician is needed for repair.
3. Parish kitchen sick under the windows has a leak in the U pipe. Water is being collected in a bucket. Plumber needed.
4. Have two names of roofers to repair flashing that came off the peak of the church roof. Names at Church. Also have a claim number with Liberty Mutual at Church.
5. Tools needed to take off outdoor hanging sign listing 8 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. worship. There may be parish members who can repaint it with new information.
C. West Valley Presbyterians
A leadership group came to re-visit St. M's on Monday evening, Feb. 1st.
They had forgotten what the space looked like. I let them in and answered questions. They will get back to us.
D. Clergy Remuneration
There has been no discussion of stipend, housing, benefits.
Jenny has handed me January checks that equal ½ of stipend and ½ housing based on last year's information.
When this is mutually settled, I will declare a larger portion to be housing for income tax purposes and ask for a Vestry resolution to that effect.
The Church Pension Fund has called St. Margaret's to inquire about the back payments for pension. I do not have woman's name and extension number here at home. I tried to call back twice and got voice mail. To whom should I refer her?
E. Parochial Matters
1. YTD Average Sunday attendance is 34. At this time last year it was 36.
2. Attendance at first 9 am Sunday worship was 29. The roads were snow covered.
Usher, chalicers, lay readers, Crucifer and servers schedules have reworked.
Change of time was advertised in newspapers, website, Sunday bulletins, posters around the building and on the doors. I met with Alice Luetzel, Organist, to plan music up to Palm Sunday.
3. I continue to visit and provide pastoral care/ home Communions.
I went to Lehigh Valley Center Hospital on Monday, Jan. 25 mid -day for Charlotte Peterson as I had been given message that she was in emergency and family was asking for clergy. Charlotte is now at Phoebe for Rehab.
I am scheduled to see both the Howland and Petrohoys again as Frank is in Hospice at Cedarbrook and Mike is in the end stage of ALS.
Thomas Malcolm Fehnel was born on February 2. I have talked to Mom on the phone. We can anticipate a baptism in the near future.
4. The Parish will have a Pancake Supper on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 5 to 7 p.m.
5. Ash Wednesday worship has been scheduled.
F. Family School
Good start. There are 10 adult learners. They bring between 4 to 8 children.
There is a good core of volunteers: 10 to 12.
Curriculum has arrived.
Peace,
Lexa
Friends,
In consultation with the committee comprised of St Margaret’s members, and approved by the Archdeacon, I am very happy to announce that Tim Merrill has agreed to become the new Senior Warden from St. Margaret’s. Congratulations and thanks Tim. I would be happy to announce this at Sunday’s meeting. Perhaps this should be our first order of business and then we can turn the floor over to Tim who will conduct the meeting.
Best,
Charlie Barebo
