SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS
PARISH MEETING FEBRUARY 11, 2018
2018 Annual Parish Meeting Agenda February 11, 2018 10:00 a.m.
Opening Hymn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Church’s One Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hymn 525 Opening Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Rev. Dr. Christopher Girata Rector . Welcome and Call to Order. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Rev. Dr. Christopher Girata Rector . Election of New Members to the Board of Trustees of the Saint Michael’s Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Skochdopole Chancellor Election of Officers for 2018-2019 Women of Saint Michael . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Squeaky Connolly Parliamentarian Wardens’ Reports Senior Warden Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eric Conner Junior Warden Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Margaret Spellings Finance Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grady Schleier Treasurer Rector’s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Rev. Dr. Christopher Girata Rector . Questions and Responses Adjournment and Doxology
Rector’s Report our church, as well as establishing a proper setup for our contemporary worship. Initially, we hoped to raise $300,000, to match a pair of generous gifts we received, to restore our beloved creation window in the church. But what began as a small matching campaign exceeded my expectations! We raised more than twice our goal—nearly $1 million—allowing us to expand our renewal efforts to our chapel, too. I do not want us to take for granted how incredible this “small project” became and how much it means to our future. The work completed through this project energized so many and will help us be more hospitable to our guests, helping them see the face of Christ through us.
Greetings to you in the name of Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
The Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Girata Rector
We hit the ground running in 2017, and we didn’t let up. As you will see, this annual report is full of creativity, innovation, and vision. But before we get to the details of what we have done together this year, my job is to put it into perspective. Through all the business and busy-ness of 2017, one overarching goal was in mind: to become the church of the future.
The theme that recurred in conversations on the vestry, with the staff, with our lay leadership, and with our city partners centered on the idea that business as usual will not work in the future. Instead, Saint Michaels is called to become more and more what Christ hopes we will be. That shift takes courage, vision, and commitment, and I believe we are growing into those highest ideals.
When we reduce our purpose to its core, we are called to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. The love of Christ we share is rooted in scripture, developed through worship, and expressed by faithful living. In each of those ways, we renewed our investment in some meaningful ways.
When we reduce our purpose to its core, we are called to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. The love of Christ we share is rooted in scripture, developed through worship, and expressed by faithful living.
With the hopes of becoming the church of the future, your vestry, clergy, and staff leadership began a visioning process in the first quarter that resulted in a high-level, thorough set of values and goals. Under the leadership of our Senior Warden, Eric Conner, we settled on three core values, or what we call imperatives: Feed the Spirit, Find Your +1, and Build the Future. Beneath each of these three umbrellas, we developed specific, measurable goals for many of our ministry areas, articulating quarterly steps needed to reach those goals through 2018. This process was a remarkable amount of work, but the clarity it provides, including the prioritization of our shared resources, is amazing. As you will see in Eric’s report, there is plenty of work left to do in 2018, but the process begun in 2017 will reshape our church quickly and faithfully!
New small groups, particularly bible studies, began or expanded in 2017. Knowing the Bible seems like a given for any Christian community, but without intentional effort and energy, our knowledge of sacred scripture is never as good as it should be. The Bible is God’s story of redemption through love—a cosmic rescue mission that we all share.
This year, as our Bible studies have grown, scripture has been opened to new people in new ways. I’m particularly energized by the group that gathers with me on Wednesday mornings in the Saint Michael Chapel. More than one hundred people come to the chapel each week, with hundreds more listening each week online. It’s an amazing experience for all of us, and I’m privileged to be a part of a study that impacts so many lives each week. Our worship life has also seen a shift. In 2017, we moved some worship services into new spaces, as well as adding a children’s chapel experience to our 9 a.m. worship service in the church. Those shifts have all been good for our future, setting us up to reduce the workload of our volunteers and staff, as well as offering more unified experiences to everyone.
In addition to high-level visioning, we invited everyone in the parish to participate in a small project to renew and refresh 2
helped purchase, pack, and send more than 500,000 shelf-stable meals to victims of the storm around Texas and beyond. The quick response to the storm, including hundreds of volunteers and even more hours of work, is a testament to how we put our faith into action.
In addition, we made some strategic shifts to our worship life by transitioning our music leadership, which shifted completely in 2017. For our traditional worship, we welcomed our new Director of Music and Organist, Jonathan Ryan, along with our Interim Assistant Organist, Glenn Stroh. For our contemporary worship, we welcomed our new Director of Modern Worship Music, Justin Brooks. I am fond of saying that music is the foundation for a good worship experience, and these three leaders excel at providing inspiring music that praises the glory of God.
It goes without saying that the work we do together involves hundreds of people, generously giving of their time, talents, and treasure. Yet I do not take any of that generosity for granted. Thank you to those who give their time in public ways and to those who serve in the background. Every time anyone gives of themselves for the glory of God here at Saint Michael, we extend the Kingdom.
Faithful living is a hallmark of any Christian community, and Saint Michael is no exception. In small ways, members of our church share the love of Christ with our neighbors every week. Whether members are tutoring children, delivering meals to shut-ins or to those living on the streets, or empowering partners through international ministries, Saint Michael has made a big impact in 2017.
Thank you to my clergy and staff colleagues for their tireless advancement of our shared mission and ministry. Their commitment to Saint Michael is inspiring.
Two particular moments standout as representative of our shared mission and ministry. In 2017, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of Jubilee Park and Community Center. Founded by Saint Michael twenty years ago, Jubilee Park has become a critical ministry in the city of Dallas, serving a 62-block neighborhood near Fair Park, and has become an inspiration for other cities around the country. For its 20th anniversary, Jubilee is moving confidently into the future, serving more people in our community in new and innovative ways.
Finally, thank you to the vestry and warden teams who contributed so much in 2017, beginning with Matt Waller and Kay Whelan in the first couple months, and then with the flawless hand-off to Eric Conner, Margaret Spellings, and Arnold Spencer. Together, we can do so much—and we have proven that this year—and will carry on the torch in 2018. To God be the glory!
Saint Michael also responded to the incredible devastation of Hurricane Harvey. By partnering with other faith communities, specifically Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church, Saint Michael
The Rev. Dr. Christopher Girata Rector
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Senior Warden’s Report It is with great energy and excitement that I update the parish on the events of the last year. Two major objectives rose to the top of the 2017 list: developing a fiveyear Vision Process, and shifting the Vestry to be more generative and strategic. Therefore, I wanted to offer some specific thoughts on these two objectives as completed by the Vestry, Clergy and staff. Eric Conner Senior Warden
Find Your +1 As has been beautifully engrained in us throughout the year, membership at Saint Michael is about more than just attending. Exploring how SMAA defines membership encourages parishioners to find or enrich their +1 (a particular ministry group or small group offering) and gain a deeper sense of community. Highlights include: • Hiring a Membership Coordinator dedicated to this series of Initiatives • Developing the Welcome Center Concept and expanding the Greeter program • Linking the “+1” concept with the Discovery class and overall marketing efforts.
FIVE YEAR VISION
Last year’s Senior Warden, Matt Waller, commented that the 2017 Vestry would “work to reimagine what SMAA might look like in 5 and 25 years” and “dare more boldly under Chris’ leadership”. I am thrilled to report progress on both fronts.
This theme should lead to inviting others to experience this parish, to thoughtfully welcome them, and then to connect them to a “+1” experience that feeds their spirit. Build the Future This is a unique time in Saint Michael’s history. Several transformative events are in process that will help shape the future of the parish for the next 5, 10 and 50 years. Major accomplishments include: • Development of an on-line member portal. • Filling 8 key positions in Membership, Music, Communication, Formation, Youth, etc. • Streamlining the org chart and developing standardized staffing practices. • Expanding live streaming, integrating social media and developing initial branding strategy for SMAA as a whole. • Identifying “Big Rock” massing for the current campus and continuing conversations with our development partner in concert with the Preston Hollow Task Force Report. • Developing a Shared Life Committee and joint communication plan with SMES as it obtained accredited status (note; the Saint Michael Episcopal School is now an independent entity).
Over the course of three months, clergy, staff and the Vestry developed a series of Imperatives (cornerstone themes) and Initiatives (organizational priorities) to help set the course through 2018. Hopefully, these are not unfamiliar terms at this point, but a recap is provided below (along with the full list of Initiatives on the next page). Feed the Spirit We are all Disciples of Christ with a need to be spiritually fed. That feeding (while ultimately personal) can be shaped by developing formative and educational opportunities for all ages, by insisting on excellence in the overall worship experience, and by offering new and uplifting ways to serve and be served. The collective team (vestry, clergy and staff) has accomplished a lot in a short time including: • Redefining the Confirmation process and expanding the opportunities for Youth and CFM on several levels. • Upgrading technology and overall worship quality/consistency in all services • Deepening elements of youth involvement in music and establishing new choir norms. • Crafting a plan to market SMAA Remarkables to the disconnected and disengaged.
Most importantly, this theme urges us to think boldly, to change the way our systems and technology work, to alter the way our campus looks, to adapt and target the ways we communicate, and to develop partnerships that expand our outreach and enhance our growth. As part of the five-year process, new Initiatives will be generated annually. The Vision will be further unveiled in the coming months, thus tying together the entire plan (www.saintmichael.org/imperatives). This process encourages
Proudly, this theme emboldens us to define and own what makes us great and what enriches our own spirit, so that we can fully engage the greater community and share with them the enormous gifts SMAA has to offer.
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strategy to guide the budget process and focuses our available resources and talents on achieving organizational goals.
SMAA 2017/18 INITIATIVES
STRATEGIC AND GENERATIVE VESTRY
While the Vestry certainly maintains primary fiduciary and operating responsibility for the parish, it was also important to shift the governance model to include equal focus on the Church’s mission and strategy. Thus, an effort was made to ensure the Vestry remained at a higher level, thus empowering the very capable clergy, staff and lay leaders to focus on the operational and executional aspects at which they excel. Highlights of this effort include: • Reshuffled the leadership cycle (Vestry and Foundation) to coincide with the calendar year, thus allowing for Stewardship and budgeting to be more fully integrated into the natural calendar cycle. • Committed to a series of enhanced communication initiatives (quarterly Rector Forums, website enhancements, redesigned graphic elements and publications) to ensure we are adequately informing our parishioners. • Implemented the five-year vision process as discussed above. • Revamped the relevant Vestry subcommittees and Ministry liaisons to take on a more “strategic business practice” role.
• Define, leverage and promote our “Remarkables” to recruit the disconnected and disengaged • Develop formative experiences for our children and youth and extend engagement beyond confirmation by committing appropriate resources (financial, volunteer, staff) • Re-build and elevate the music programs to enhance worship, formation and educational experiences • Define and market traditional and modern “tracks” of worship that celebrate the Anglican traditions
• Build a sense of community by expanding and strengthening our small group offerings • Communicate and track a concept of membership that includes attendance, engagement and commitment • Implement our member integration program by expanding the Invite*Welcome*Connect model
This parish is blessed with outstanding leadership at all levels, and I am thankful to all who have served SMAA over the year. I want to offer special thanks to our ever-faithful and ever-present Margaret Spellings, who served as Jr. Warden this past year and will lead us in 2018 as Senior Warden. It has been a privilege and an honor to serve over the past year. I am supremely confident in our new Vestry leadership and officers, and I am thankful for the support and encouragement from all of you.
• Implement dynamic technology systems (CRM, web and mobile) to engage and serve our members • Attract, develop and support high performance and collaboration among staff • Develop and implement a comprehensive communication strategy • Support the transition and growth of SMES and the partnership with SMAA • Finalize north land development options and plans, enroll key stakeholders, and discern strategic use of proceeds • Finalize a campus plan that will transform SMAA
Eric Conner Senior Warden
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2017 Vestry OFFICERS
TERM ENDS
Eric C. Conner
Senior Warden
2017
Margaret Spellings
Junior Warden
2017
Arnold Spencer
Warden-at-Large
2018
Margaret Cervin
Clerk
Charlie Sartain
Chancellor
Treasurer
Grady Schleier
MEMBERS
TERM ENDS
Mark Demler
2017
Kathy Kelley
2017
J.C. Snead
2017
Whitney Grogan
2018
Elizabeth L. Selzer
2018
Sally Schupp
2018
Chris Wiley
2018
Bonner Allen
2019
Marla Jacks Briggle
2019
Warren Houser
2019
Ben Leal
2019
Christine Paddock
2019
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New Vestry Members THREE YEAR TERM
(December 31, 2020)
John Ellerman
John Ellerman has been an active member of Saint Michael and All Angels for 24 years. He chairs the Saint Michael Farmer’s Market Committee and participates in the Men of Saint Michael. His past ministry involvement has been as a Lay Reader, Sunday School Teacher and volunteer for the Jubilee Project. John has expertise in corporate finance, accounting, tax and business strategy. He has one son. Jane Greene
Jane Greene is a lifelong Episcopalian and has been a member of Saint Michael and All Angels for over 30 years. Jane has been an active, involved communicant at SMAA. Her ministry experience includes Stewardship Committee member, Confirmation teacher, and 15 years as a Good Shepherd. She has served on the Women of Saint Michael Gifts Committee several times, has been Youth Ministry Chair, and has served on various Women of Saint Michael committees. She brings expertise in community affairs, as well as business and financial skills. Jane and her husband have three children, and one grandchild. Jay Lipscomb
Jay Lipscomb is a lifelong Episcopalian and was confirmed at Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church more than 44 years ago. His primary involvement in our parish has been with the Music Ministry as a member of one of the Saint Michael and All Angels choirs for 47 years beginning with the Men and Boys Choirs. He and his wife met in the Oratorio Choir, married and have been singing in the choir since. He has served as a member of the Saint Michael Presents Advisory Committee. Additionally, Jay was a member of the original Young Singles Steering Committee and remained active with the group for several years. Jay also served on the Audit Committee for six years and chaired the committee for the past three years.
Kyle Moore
Kyle Moore has been a very involved member of Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church for 19 years. He currently serves on the Mission and Outreach Committee, has been a member of the Brotherhood of Saint Andrew for nine years, served as Co-Leader and Tribe Leader for the Confirmation Class, and taught Sunday School for eight years. He served on the Stewardship Committee for 10 years, acting as Chair in 2008. He is a former member of the Evangelism/Alpha team. Kyle and his wife have two children.
Anna Paccone
Anna Paccone has been an actively involved member of Saint Michael and All Angels for 28 years. Anna taught Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for three years, 4th and 5th Grade Sunday School, and served as a Tribe Leader for Confirmation. She has also participated in the Prayer Shawl Ministry, is a member of the Intercessory Prayer Team, Altar Guild and a Bookshop volunteer. She also served as Hurricane Katrina volunteer and frequently helps with the Jubilee Christmas Party. Anna is active in the hospitality industry. 7
New Diocese Convention Delegates THREE YEAR TERM
(December 31, 2020) DELEGATES: Terry Demler
ALTERNATES: Heather Lorch
• Acolyte • Chalice Bearer • Good Shepherd • Intercessory Prayer Team • Co-Founder Project Moses • Altar Guild • Friends in Christ • Welcome Committee
• Vice Chair Stewardship Committee (SMAA) • Congregational Council – Trinity Wall Street (TWS) • Community Steering Committee Chair – (TWS) • Founder and Co-Leader of Young Adults Diocese of New York (TWS)
J.C. Snead
• Acolyte • Chalice Bearer • Master of Ceremonies • Verger • Bible Study Leader • Former Vestry • EDOD Executive Council • Nominating Committee Chairman Scott Wilson
• Current Assistant Chancellor • Catechesis Leader • Children and Family Ministry Committee • Former Audit Committee member • Former Vestry
Blair Oden
• Sunday School teacher • Confirmation Mentor • Building and Grounds Committee • Farmers Market Committee • Chair, Fredericks Square Title Holding Company 8100 Lomo Alto Jack Rubarth
• Mission and Outreach Leadership Team • Stewardship Committee • Men of Saint Michael Bible Study Leader • Jubilee volunteer • IT Committee for ISP selection • Leading Vestry IT Initative
Nominees for Trustee of the Saint Michael and All Angels Foundation The following persons have been nominated to serve as a Trustee of the Saint Michael and All Angels Foundation, beginning on March 1, 2018 and ending on December 31, 2023. Harriet Cousins Larry Galvin Alan Lassiter Darrel Rice Matthew Waller
The following person has been nominated to serve the remainder of a term vacated by the resignation of a Trustee, for a term ending on December 31, 2019: Katherine Blachly 8
Finance & Operations
Saint Michael and All Angels – Church Finances than desired or ideal due to the budget limitations because of our modest Stewardship Campaign results.
HIGHLIGHTS
Our finances are sound and our cash reserves are adequate. In 2017, we posted a deficit of ($54,176), approximately 1.1% of net expenses versus a budgeted surplus of effectively breakeven at $1,000. (See 2017 Financial Results). Our 2018 officially completed Stewardship campaign resulted in $5,235,000 in pledged support, about Grady Schleier 2.7% better than last year. We Treasurer also concluded the incredibly successful Refresh Campaign raising $911,639 in contributions and commitments toward improvements in our worship spaces. Unfortunately, other sources of revenue are expected to decline slightly in 2018. The net result of almost flat stewardship and reduced other revenues is virtually flat budgeted revenues for 2018 compared to 2017. Expenses have been somewhat realigned to continue to meet our most important needs. (See 2017 Financial Budget)
STATUS OF OUR FINANCIAL GIVING
I can report that the total pledges for 2018 were $5,235,000, a $140,000 or 2.7% increase from adjusted pledges of $5,095,000 in 2017. The average pledge for 2018 is $4,754, an 8 % increase over the average pledge in 2017 of $4,385. The number of pledges decreased 6% from 1,166 in 2017 to 1,096 in 2018. The 2018 pledges included over 600 either new or increased pledges. Many that participated in Refresh also increased their pledge. That is wonderful, however we need even more to join this group. As Treasurer, I am often asked: what is the average pledge required to meet the needs of our ministry areas without program cuts and with support for growth. My answer is an average pledge of $5,250. As a point of reference, the average pledge at other large Episcopal parishes comparable to Saint Michael range between $5,000 and $8,000. That level of stewardship would provide a full and robust funding of all ministry “wish list” items as well as providing sufficient capital to maintain our ageing campus. We are grateful to every person who pledges and contributes to Saint Michael at every giving level. In a world of non-profits that ask for our support frequently and in such sophisticated ways, it is so important to prayerfully consider where we want our church to be in the future. As I know so many of us believe, this is an exciting time at Saint Michael with almost limitless opportunities to grow and expand our faith in Dallas and the world. Let us hope we do not run out of fuel as we proceed down the runway.
2017 FINANCIAL RESULTS
Our financial results for 2017 were adequate and consistent with our budget. Operating revenue came in at $4,980,935, a $13,015 decrease over 2016 and $130,065 worse than budget. This budget revenue deficiency is largely attributed to lower than expected collection of prior year pledges (2016 unpaid pledges). The clergy and staff completed the year with expenses below budget by $74,889. We therefore ended the year with a modest loss of $54,176.
FINANCE TEAM
I have been Treasurer for four years and have seen the focus and efforts of many people that support this effort. Rob Baber, our Director of Accounting is one of the hardest working most diligent people I know. He is the backbone of our financial processes. He is supported by his staff and a conscientious Finance Committee who oversee this process on behalf of the Vestry. The Finance Committee is composed of Stuart Brown, Barry Hancock, Kathy Kelley, Jeff Kilpatrick, Stacey Malcolmson, Andy McRoberts, Jim Smith and Katie Webb. We owe this entire group a debt of gratitude!
2018 FINANCIAL BUDGET
The Vestry and its Finance Committee have approved the 2018 budget based on pledges at the conclusion of the Stewardship Campaign of $5,235,000 compared to adjusted pledges of $5,095,000 the prior year. This along with non-pledged revenues results in total projected 2018 revenues of $6,026,000 versus $6,013,000 in budgeted revenues and $5,880,944 in actual revenues, for 2017. This 2018 budget incorporates an overarching goal of enhanced formation and discipleship and integrates a particular focus on the initiatives outlined in the Senior Warden’s Report. The operations budget also continues to identify for replacement certain capital items identified in our Facilities Audit or otherwise. These needs are reviewed, prioritized and undertaken in consideration of budget constraints. All these activities for 2018 will be materially less
AUDIT
We received an unqualified (or “clean”) audit opinion for our 2016 financial statements, and the 2017 audit will be performed this spring. The church Audit Committee reports to 10
2017 Revenue and Expenses, 2018 Budget
Current Year Pledges Prior Year Pledges Unpledged Plate Other Credit Card Fees Total Revenues
2017 Budget $ 5,124,000 186,000 490,000 91,000 162,000 (40,000) $ 6,013,000
2017 Actual $ 5,114,473 107,480 445,161 75,502 175,310 (36,982) $ 5,880,944
2018 Budget $ 5,257,000 149,000 411,000 86,000 161,000 (38,000) $ 6,026,000
Diocese and NaJonal Church Seminaries Mission & Outreach Total Outreach
$ 750,000 7,000 145,000 $ 902,000
$ 750,009 5,000 145,000 $ 900,009
$ 664,000 7,000 145,000 $ 816,000
Net OperaJng Revenue
$ 5,111,000
$ 4,980,935
$ 5,210,000
$ 3,653,000 892,000
$ 3,683,363 881,083
$ 3,940,000 873,000
1,545,000 1,375,000 $ 7,465,000
1,633,826 1,441,047 $ 7,639,319
1,570,000 1,348,000 $ 7,731,000
Expense Offsets ESD Expense AllocaJon Saint Michael Episcopal School Net Expense aUer Offsets
$ (611,000) (1,744,000) $ 5,110,000
$ (672,462) (1,931,746) $ 5,035,111
$ (601,000) (1,921,000) $ 5,209,000
Net Surplus/(Deficit)
$ 1,000
$ (54,176)
$ 1,000
OperaJng Expenses Ministries CompensaJon & Benefits Other FaciliJes & AdministraJon CompensaJon & Benefits Services, UJliJes, Supplies Total OperaJng Expenses
The above contains certain reclassificaJons to improve comparability year to year.
the Vestry and is independent of the staff, the Treasurer and the Finance Committee. Its members in 2017 were Jay Lipscomb (Chairman), Ben Leal, Eric Conner, Arnold Spencer and Darrel Rice.
resources. The church’s financial health is, however, in your hands as you decide how to use the material gifts you receive from God.
CONCLUSION
Respectfully submitted, Grady Schleier, Treasurer
We trust this conveys that the clergy, staff, and lay leaders at Saint Michael and All Angels are careful stewards of the church’s 11
The Saint Michael and All Angels Foundation estate plans and become members of the All Angels Society. The Foundation’s Current Gift Acceptance Policy is available online at the Church website.
MISSION AND PURPOSE
The mission of the Saint Michael and All Angels Foundation of Dallas is to solicit, manage and steward funds to enhance the ministries of the Church we love. By encouraging and assisting Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church with philanthropic initiatives, it enhances and supports its mission. Rowland K. Robinson President, Saint Michael and All Angels Foundation
GRANTS
Grants from the Foundation support the mission of the Parish, and are consistent with priorities established annually by the rector and the Vestry. During 2017, approximately $ 633,006 in grants were approved to support Clergy Housing, Courtyard Columbarium, Church Maintenance Fund, Saint Michael School, North Land Pursuit Costs and to upgrade Church Software. Grant requests can be submitted at any time and are first vetted and approved by both the Finance Committee and the Vestry prior to any consideration and commitment by The Foundation. A grant application form is available online.
ORGANIZATION
The Foundation is a separately chartered, non-profit corporation exempt under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is governed by a 15-member board of trustees, five of whom are elected to six-year terms by the parish at large every other year.
Rowland K. Robinson President
The trustees oversee professionally managed funds which are invested prudently for capital growth and preservation. The Foundation assets are separate from Church assets but very closely coordinated and aligned in spirit. The President of the Foundation serves as ex-officio participant on the Vestry and the Finance Committee, and the Rector, Treasurer, and a Vestry Representative serves in ex-officio capacities on the Board of the Foundation.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES CURRENT OFFICERS
Term Expires
Rowland (Robin) Robinson President 2018 Tricia Monfrey VP Development 2018 Missy Boone Secretary 2018 Bill Peeler Treasurer 2020 TRUSTEES Jay Grogran 2018 Karen Pardoe 2018 Kalita Blessing 2020 Margot Habiby 2020 Charles (Charlie) Sartain 2020 Peggy Carr 2022 Dare Gillette 2022 David Martin 2022 Tamara O’Connor 2022 Stewart Thomas 2022
DONATIONS TO THE FOUNDATION
Contributions to the Foundation are encouraged when individuals want to give beyond their annual operating support. These contributions may be made to the Foundation in support of unrestricted, temporarily restricted or permanently restricted funds representing such areas as Operations Endowment, Clergy Housing, Music, Pastoral Care, Youth Ministry, Outreach/Mission, Columbarium, and the Ratelle Speaker Series. Traditionally, gifts made to the Church from an estate are transferred to the Foundation thus allowing the donor to continue to support the Parish in perpetuity. ALL ANGELS SOCIETY
The Foundation established the All Angels Society to encourage all parishioners to designate the Church in their wills. Membership in the All Angels Society signals a parishioner’s commitment to include Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in his or her estate planning. All members of the Parish are encouraged to include the Church that they love in their 12
The Foundation Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Fund Balances - 2017 STATEMENT OF ASSETS, LIABILITIES AND FUND BALANCES December 31, 2017 ASSETS Cash and Temporary Investments
$
Securities (At Market) Mutual Funds Total securities, at market
663,342 6,435,322 6,435,322
TOTAL ASSETS
$
7,098,664
$
2,112,941 89,854 2,202,795
LIABILITIES AND FUND BALANCES Net Assets Undesignated Corpus Income Total Undesignated Designated Corpus Income Total Designated
4,503,094 392,775 4,895,869
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
$
7,098,664
REVENUE, EXPENSES, GRANTS AND CHANGE IN FUND BALANCES Fund Balance-Corpus Beginning Balance Contributions to Corpus Grants from Corpus Dividends, Interest, Royalties Realized (loss) on Securities Unrealized Gain on Securities Corpus Before Transfers to Income Transfers to Income Ending Fund Balance-Corpus Fund Balance-Income Beginning Balance Income Transfer-Current Year Grants from Income Expenses
UNDESIGNATED
DESIGNATED
TOTAL
$
1,919,056 2,587 82,433 (23,009) 214,108 2,195,175 (82,234)
$ 3,995,242 486,900 (345,000) 158,324 (46,308) 423,906 4,673,064 (169,970)
$
5,914,298 489,487 (345,000) 240,757 (69,317) 638,014 6,868,239 (252,204)
$
2,112,941
$ 4,503,094
$
6,616,035
$
413,400 169,970 (169,477) (21,118)
$
549,538 252,204 (288,006) (31,107)
$
392,775
$
482,629
$ 4,895,869
$
7,098,664
$
136,138 82,234 (118,529) (9,989)
Ending Fund Balance-Income
$
89,854
Total Fund Balance
$
2,202,795
15
Stewardship 2017 Your financial participation in the ministries of our church is paramount to the work that we are actually able to accomplish. Your active hands in the work of our ministries is what helps to make the spiritually transformative experiences occur. You are here at Saint Michael for a reason. Walk with us in being the reason why we grow and prosper!
As I finish my first full year at Saint Michael and All Angels, it has been a joy to discovery what a beautiful community of people you are. Your hearts for giving of your time, talent and treasure is tremendous! The response that you showed to the Refresh Campaign not only exceeded our expectations but absolutely blew them away! With a goal of raising a matching Caroline Marak Stewardship Manager $300,000, you answered with a total of $911,639. Wow! The breath of new life that YOU enabled to happen on updating our worship spaces was far more than anticipated.
2017 Parish Statistics
The spring and summer provided a wonderful opportunity to spend time visiting with so many of you. Learning your stories, the histories of your families, and the footprint that you have made and continue to make of Saint Michael, is what has made it into the church community it is today. I look forward to meeting so many more of you in this coming year!
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Daily Office:
Sundays Weekdays
Stewardship 2018 certainly saw some successes! Many thanks to those that served on the Stewardship Committee and helped with this year’s push! The average dollar raised increased by 7% going from $4385 to $4776. Nearly 520 people answered the call to increase their pledge in 2018 compared to 493 in 2017. We had a total of 126 new pledgers which was a 53% increase from 2017. The participation rate of total registered members in the Stewardship 2018 Campaign was 37% of our congregation. There is momentum in understanding the importance of Stewardship participation, but the opportunity is still great.
66 89
Marriages Burials Other Baptisms-Adults Baptisms-Children Number of Families
12 69 66 1 68 2,941
All Baptized Members as of December 31, 2016
6,498
Communicants as of December 31, 2016
4,762
Confirmed Adults Confirmed Children Receptions Transferred Communicants Reactivations Other Adds Total Additions
6 79 1 59 39 0 184
Transfers Out-Active Deaths-Active Inactivations Other Losses
16 31 166 0
Total Losses
213
Stewardship committee members (from l to r) Heather Lorch, Peggy Carr, Stacey Malcolmson, Ken Malcolmson, Stewardship Manager Caroline Marak, Phil Ritter, Heather Lorch and Katheryn Francis. 14
Communicants as of December 31, 2017
4,733
All Baptized Members as of December 31, 2017
6,417
Junior Warden’s Report – Building and Grounds • Repairs were made to the iconic bell tower, including repointing of deteriorated mortar joints and replacement of a cracked piece of marble. • A new water line serving the western part of the campus was installed using directional underground boring. This complex project allowed us to abandon one of the cast iron pipes installed in the 1940s that had experienced several failures over the last few years. • All plans and specifications for the campus—many of which dated back to the original construction and were decaying— were digitally scanned, updated to “as-built” condition and safely stored.
Our lovely Saint Michael’s campus was significantly enhanced in 2017. Some of these changes add joy to our worship experience, others improve the efficiency of our building, while some are less visible but a vital part of our infrastructure. The year began with a highly successful Renew and Refresh campaign. The generosity of Margaret Spellings our parish allowed our church Junior Warden leaders to make some long wished-for enhancements to our worship spaces. In the main sanctuary, the audio/visual system was enhanced, new pew cushions, hymnals and prayer books were purchased, and lighting was improved. The contemporary worship space in the Parish Hall was improved by significant upgrades to the audio/visual system and lighting, and a new altar design. Repairs to the Creation window and the bell tower (described below) were also part of the Refresh campaign.
Beginning in mid-September Tom Stewart, Rob Baber, the operations staff and others spent countless hours on our campus when a waterline failed under the ESD parking lot on the southwest side of the campus. It took several weeks to identify the problem, excavate and determine the best solution. The problems continued over the next few months with additional pipe failures occurring. Fortunately, all of the original cast iron pipes have now been replaced or abandoned, although the repairs were a significant expense for the church. The church has been segregating funds from the operating budget to be used for capital expenses. Thus, the church did not have to use funds that were otherwise designated for ministries to fund the repairs. However, these segregated funds have now been drawn down, and additional funds are needed for a reserve that is appropriate for a campus the size and age of St. Michael’s.
St. Michael’s is blessed with an active and very dedicated Building and Grounds Committee, which is led by Tom Stewart. The members of this Committee include Warren Houser, John McFarland, Stephen Miller, Bill Pardoe, Bob Patton, Marvin Thedford, Tom McConnell, Todd Howard, Blair Oden, John Stull, and Chris Wiley. These parishioners work very hard on behalf of Saint Michael’s to keep our campus in excellent repair while being mindful of cost. I am very grateful to them for their ministry. Rob Baber and our Operations staff work closely with the committee and carry out much of the day to day work. I am also grateful to them for their work on behalf of the Parish.
It has been an honor and privilege to work with these talented people as Junior Warden. I would like to give special thanks to Eric Conner, our Senior Warden, a talented leader with the ability to see the big picture as well as minding the details. He applied his tireless energy to his service as Senior Warden, and the Church benefitted greatly. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with this ministry team.
The projects that the committee oversaw this year include: • The Creation stained glass window behind the choir loft in the main sanctuary was removed for restoration. A new powder-coated aluminum frame, which will not rust or require painting, will house the restored window. We expect the Creation window to be re-installed in early-to-mid-2018. • The Church purchased a new energy-efficient boiler that provides heat to the nave and other areas, and a new backup natural gas powered emergency generator. These “behind the scenes” capital projects were recommended by a facilities audit in 2017.
Gratefully,
Margaret Spellings Junior Warden
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Operations The operations and administration of Saint Michael and All Angels saw numerous changes and activity in 2017. Most of the work completed by this team goes on behind the scenes in the daily maintenance and operations of the church in addition to preparing the campus for all the services and events Rob Baber each week and throughout the year. I Director of Operations like to say that the less you see or hear about operations and administration, the better, but of course we are always here to serve and assist our parishioners and church ministries! All of our operations and administration staff enjoy serving this congregation and being part of this church family, even if some of us worship at different churches.
Saint Michael Farmers Market was recognized as the "Best Neighborhood Market" by D Magazine in 2017
The Rector and others kicked off a successful Refresh Renew and Revive campaign that raised over $900,000 early in the year. Numerous projects were completed during the year including a new audio, visual and lighting system for the services held in Parish Hall. The Discovery and Celebration services are now oriented differently and have a large background curtain along with a beautiful white multi-panel screen behind the stage. Large monitors replaced the projector and screen for the readings and words to the hymns. These improvements also add versatility to the space for other meetings and uses. The main sanctuary also received updates in lighting and video capabilities. The brides room was converted to a control studio for the video production and live streaming of services both in the nave and Parish Hall. Remote control cameras in each area give the technicians the ability to zoom-in and move the cameras for a variety of different angles given the activity. Our bell tower received some much needed attention to the brick and marble faรงade near the top of the tower. New pew cushions were fabricated and installed in the nave along with new hymnals and the prayer books. The largest project of repairing and refinishing the Creation window should be completed by the fall of 2018.
market we all enjoy. If you have not visited the market, come out this year, the first market is April 14th! Under the direction and guidance of our Junior Warden and the Buildings and Grounds Committee, several projects were completed during the year around our campus. Most of these projects are meant not to be seen, such as the new boiler in the Parish Hall that serves the ESD education wings of the building along with a new waterline that replaced an existing waterline under the south parking lot that was well over 60 years old. The more visible additions include the LED patio lights that illuminate our beautiful garden cloister. This addition makes for a great evening entertainment venue for gatherings and receptions. The clergy office area received a facelift by tearing down a couple walls to make an open area that we fit with modern office cubes to better utilize our limited office space. Our Operations crew has done a wonderful job staying on top of the many needs of our large campus. Don Martin led the crew the majority of the year before his departure in the fall. CJ Johnson primarily heads the operations staff in the afternoons along with directing the afterhours cleaners. Marco Reyes, Edgar Porras and Elsa Sanjuan do an excellent job keeping our rooms and worship areas clean and polished. Dollie Smith and Leon Farmer are the staples here at Saint Michael to assist staff and parishioners in a way only they can. When you see any of the operations staff be sure to say hi and introduce yourself. The Administration staff of Saint Michael supports all of our church ministries. We have two wonderful receptionists Diane Hollie and Bonita Frederick. They continue to keep happy
D Magazine recognized our SMAA Farmers Market the Best Neighborhood Farmers Market in 2017! Our market is continuing to grow as we averaged over 650 visitors and an average of 28 vendors per market. Again, this year we did not have a paid market director, but the market was led by two volunteers that worked as hard, or harder, than directors in the past. They were supported by a terrific team of volunteers that show up in the wee hours on Saturday morning to run the 16
Ever wonder about all the family address changes, family additions, email address changes, etc.? These church membership records are kept very organized by our registrar, Celise Stephenson. She also logs all of the births, baptisms, confirmations, weddings, transfers in and outs, and deaths.
faces and a positive first impression for us with all the events and activities on our campus. Our receptionists are assisted by great volunteers during the lunch hour and on days they are off. Our accounting team consists of three hardworking individuals. Angelia Hunter and Cheryl Kaschak work together on everything from processing all contributions to paying all of the campus invoices and keeping all financials in line for the Saint Michael ministries and the Lomo Alto office building. Darla Osterhout assists our team working with month end closes, audit support and special projects. The Saint Michael Episcopal School was created as a separate legal entity this year which increased the volume of the required reporting and the complexity of our daily tasks.
Our Operations and Administration teams work with each ministry area on a daily basis to ensure all needs are met for parishioners, employees and our expansive campus. It is an honor to work with these dedicated employees in serving the church and parishioners. Of course we all appreciate the volunteer hours given by the members of Saint Michael in addition to the pledges and financial support of this wonderful community. Respectfully Submitted,
Scott Lawrence, our Information Technology Coordinator, left during 2017 and we now utilize an outside IT support company. We have a large number of workstations, servers, switches and routers that require constant maintenance and upgrades to keep the flow of information and connectivity available to our staff and parishioners.
Rob Baber Director of Operations
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Ministry Reports
Worship TRADITIONAL MUSIC MINISTRY
2017 saw a new chapter in the music program for traditional worship! Easter Sunday concluded the nearly 20-year ministry of James Diaz and Hyeon Jeong at St. Michael. Glenn Stroh then began as Interim Organist/Choirmaster, continuing this program year as Interim Assistant Organist/Choirmaster. I’m Jonathan Ryan Music Director grateful for Glenn’s work during & Organist the important interim period, his continuing contributions to our music program, and James and Hyeon’s many years of music ministry.
In anticipation of launching our full chorister program for children and youth this coming fall in the English cathedral tradition and based in the principles of the Royal School of Church Music, we organized a group of boys and girls in grades 3-7 to rehearse and sing for Advent Lessons & Carols and Christmas Eve. We were overjoyed at a turnout of almost 20 choristers! Their enthusiasm and talent not only show a bright future, it begins to give us a taste for the coming program year. For example, not only did our choristers practice music for the services, they were also trained in the other parts of being a liturgical choir, such as processing, finding hymns in the hymnal, learning the congregational liturgical responses, and how to wear their red cassocks. Although we have not yet begun our “official” chorister program, we are already laying solid foundations!
In early September, I was honored to begin serving as Director of Music and Organist. Central to the vision for our music program, outlined in the music director search process, was growth. While we are just getting started, I’m very excited at all that’s happened in just a few months! Our adult choirs, who sing for our 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Eucharists in the church, have seen development on so many levels. Our numbers have increased to some 50 members total, the repertoire of the choirs has expanded to now regularly include new pieces, and I dare say the overall sound has improved. They have surpassed my expectations for our first few months! The choirs’ dedication and capability has allowed us to realize such blossoming as incorporating a Communion motet and a Psalm sung by the full choir at 11:00 a.m. each Sunday, expanding our Advent Lessons & Carols with much new repertoire and processions, and adding our upcoming Ash Wednesday evening service to their schedule. This is alongside growth in their primary role of musical leadership in our Sunday morning liturgy.
The Saint Michael Presents Concert Series continued its outreach and artistic enrichment with a holiday program on December 3 by the highly acclaimed male vocal octet Cantus. Their return performance at St. Michael’s brought a nearly packed church and a highly enthusiastic audience response. The spring SMP concert will offer a new venture of growth and collaboration by joining forces with our parish to host one of the finest collegiate choirs in England, the Choir of Men & Boys of Magdalen College, Oxford, on Sunday, April 8. Not only will they sing our spring SMP concert, they will serve as the choir for our 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. services. Further, some of our choristers will join them for select pieces in the evening concert. Again, this will give us a window to see part of our music program’s future, especially because the Magdalen Choir is an outstanding example of what is inspiring our chorister program’s rejuvenation. This is all the more important because nothing like this exists in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. It’s also quite rare for a choir of their caliber to adjust their US tour on such short notice, so I hope you will mark your calendar for an extraordinary day on Sunday, April 8!
We started two new, smaller choral initiatives this fall, both on Sundays nights. Our 5:30 p.m. Chapel service now includes two singers to help lead the congregational singing. Our ministry at Southern Methodist University began in October with a choral service of Compline at the SMU Canterbury House at 8:00 p.m. during the academic year. A new Compline Choir, a stipendiary octet, was formed to sing for this service. One of the singers also serves as Compline Choir Coordinator to assist in the organization of the choir and music. If you’ve not yet had a chance to attend, please come! Its particular way of liturgical celebration, with light coming only from candles and much chant, adds even more breadth to our diverse worship offerings. This could be a wonderful addition to your prayer life this Lenten season. 20
grow, and couldn’t be happier to have the musical leadership of Ashley Westgate for that service. She brings a high level of musicality, yet familiarity in the songs that serve as tools to hide the Word of God in our children’s hearts. In addition to our Joy service serving the needs of our pre-elementary children, Discovery has commenced in the Parish Hall. Catering not only to our elementary students by giving a children’s sermon and opportunities for them to serve, but it also contains a sermon for the adults as well. We keep this delicate balance in mind in our song selections and strive to develop a musical repertoire that will appeal to the worship needs of parents and children alike.
2017 also saw a brilliant new relationship with the Church Music Institute. The CMI is an independent, lay-run organization offering education, advancement, and one of the most extensive online libraries of organ and choral music. The CMI now has their headquarters in our Lomo Alto building, and offers their considerable library resources to our music program. Their Executive Director, Dr. Charlotte Kroeker, also serves as the organist for our Sunday 7:30 AM Chapel Eucharist. With all of the ways our music program has already grown and added so much to our worship, 2018 will see yet more! As I’m still a “new guy” here—not even 6 months yet— I look forward to continuing to get to know you all and this wonderful parish community. I couldn’t be happier that God has brought me to this place, and I can’t wait to see the ways we will continue our journey of faith together through music. Jonathan Ryan Director of Music and Organist
MODERN MUSIC MINISTRY
Justin Brooks Modern Music Director
2017 has certainly been an exciting year for the Modern Worship Music branch of our Music Department. Tiffany and I (along with our two children, Taylor and Grayson) were ecstatic to join Saint Michael and All Angels in July and have already been blessed, not only by the wonderful people we have met here, but by the vision for this parish and the role of modern music in it.
Upon adding new musicians and instrumentation, Celebration has experienced growth this year and continues to draw people to the parish with it’s mix of traditional hymns re-imagined in a modern format, original music and hymns, and contemporary worship songs. One of the initiatives with modern worship is to develop the music within the student department and steps have been taken to create a regular atmosphere of worship music in Wednesday night meetings, as well as the youth retreat. I am excited to see this continue to develop.
Saint Michael has had a wonderful tradition of making guitardriven music a part of the worship expression of this parish and am proud to continue that tradition with some of the long-serving members of these endeavors. One of our hallmark victories for this year was the addition of a new sound, lighting, and visual system in our Parish Hall, where the Discovery and Celebration services take place. Before this installation, the musicians that led these services were relegated to a temperamental portable sound system. The addition of this new equipment, so expertly piloted by Cedric Buard, has allowed a new level of professionalism and sound quality that has taken the entire program to the next level. We are extremely grateful for all who made this possible.
2018 will hold exciting things on the horizon as we look to open our doors to contemporary concerts for the community and continuing to write original worship songs and hymns for our congregation. Please pray for us as this ministry expands and looking forward to a great year! Blessings, Justin Brooks Director of Modern Worship Music
It has been a year of trying new things, one of these being the re-location of the Joy service to the Chapel, which continues to 21
ACOLYTE, CHALICE BEARER, AND LECTOR CORPS
More than 200 parishioners, ranging in age from 12 to 80, assist the clergy in celebrating Holy Eucharist and other worship services. From major feasts, weddings, and funerals to daily services, the acolytes and chalice bearers served alongside Saint Michael’s priests at God’s Altar for more than 1,200 services in 2017. Additionally, some 50 lay readers are responsible for delivering the Old and New Testament lessons, the Psalms, and Prayers of the People at the many worship services in the Church, Saint Michael Chapel, Bishop Moore Chapel, Parish Hall, and the Theater. Tony Briggle Acolyte & Chalice Bearer Director
The Altar Guild prepares the sacraments for Holy Communion.
ALTAR GUILD
Every service actually begins and ends with the work of the Altar Guild. Each week members assist the clergy and serve the Parish by preparing the sacraments and maintaining all supplies necessary for worship services and offices of the church. Caring for the sacred vessels, vestments, bread, wine, linens, candles, torches and prayer stations in all the worship spaces is a true ministry. The 100 members are organized into teams of 15-17 that serve on a rotating basis every five weeks. Membership is open to anyone who is willing to be trained in the proper procedures and wishes to serve God and the Parish with dedication and faith. This past year the Guild welcomed 12 new members.
The Saint Michael Acolyte Corps is one of the largest in the Episcopal Church.
The Altar Guild is committed to enhancing the worship experience by carefully preparing for daily services, Sunday services, special services during Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent and Easter, and also serving at baptisms weddings, funerals and inurnments. Working together to set the Lord’s table fosters a strong, meaningful bond of friendship and support among the members.
USHERS
The Usher Corps consists of more than 115 men and women dedicated to making all people—parishioners and visitors—feel welcome, and to helping provide a quality worship experience. Our ushers are typically the first people that visitors see at our worship services, providing a friendly, welcoming spirit, and a warm greeting. Ushers hand out programs, assist people in finding seats, manage the offerings, and direct the orderly movement of people to and from communion.
Carol Hill, Directress Saint Michael and All Angels Altar Guild
Six usher teams serve at worship services in the Church, the Saint Michael Chapel, and the Parish Hall. A team, led by Bill Johnson, is specially trained for funerals. Ed Ladd Usher Corps Director 22
Christian Formation My role at Saint Michael is to help create and sustain a lifelong Christian education program. I want to ensure that each of us, part of the Saint Michael family, is continually growing in our Christian discipleship. Contact me if you would like assistance in finding a class or program that meets your current stage of Christian Formation. Please participate in our great formation offerings and encourage your friends and family to do likewise. Continue to read, mark, learn, and meditate on God’s holy Word, and let me know how I can help you in your spiritual journey.
It has been my great pleasure to join and to help lead our Formation staff and programs. Arriving in mid-August in a church is like showing up at a marathon just before the starter goes off! Lots of hustling and finding the best pace and place to stay The Rev. Dr. Eric Liles on track. Our Formation staff is tops in Associate for the Episcopal Church; we are blessed Formation by their leadership, commitment, and quality of personality and work.
God’s Peace,
I want to echo our Rector’s remarks from last year’s annual report about Formation. Chris said, “Formation is critical to our growth, and our formation ministries have plenty of room to grow.”
The Rev. Dr. Eric Liles Associate for Formation
2017 has seen some of the beginning of such growth. We added to our staff with our Assistant Director of Youth Ministry, Chase Monson, and our third Youth Ministry Intern, Allie Farmer. Both add lots of energy and enthusiasm to our youth programs including Confirmation and Small Groups. We have a few more pieces to add to our team and some very exciting plans for the coming year and beyond! I am very grateful to Julia Giles and Jill Delabano for all of their administrative help and support during 2017. These two are the unsung heroes of our formation department. You might not see them on a Sunday morning, but they are here during each work week helping the whole Formation staff with numerous tasks, setups, contacts, communications, and tons of other things so that we can best be prepared for our weekly and special Formation offerings. Please join me in thanking Jill and Julia for their wonderful work and presence.
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ADULT FORMATION
The particular task for Adult Formation is to provide opportunities for education, fellowship, and spiritual formation by continuing to ask questions, discover answers, and grow in our relationships with each other and with God. The classes, study groups, quiet days, and lecture series Saint Michael offered to Julia Giles Adult Formation both our congregation and the wider community are designed to educate and challenge all people in their life-long Christian formation. During the year, the twenty members of the Adult Formation Council met to plan, implement and evaluate the offerings to our parish and community.
Dr. A.J. Levine discusses the theme of Biblical Tales of Community during the Distinguished Lecture Series.
The following events took place in 2017 to aid the formation and transformation of our parish: • In the spring, Dr. A. J. Levine completed her two sessions as Saint Michael’s Scholar in Residence for our Distinguished Lecture Series. She addressed the theme of Biblical Tales of Community: Identity, Conversation, and Engagement. • In the spring, congregants could choose from three Sunday classes: The Forum, the Adult Bible Study class, and Fellowship led by the Rev. Dr. Bill Murray. • The Women of Saint Michael hosted the Lenten Quiet Day and 100 parishioners heard Brother James Koester from the Society of Saint John the Evangelist in Cambridge, MA. • The summer adult Sunday offering continued the popular “Faith and Literature” series with successful titles including Life of Pi and The Handmaid’s Tale. • In the fall, adults could choose between three Sunday classes: The Forum – A class that welcomed a variety of speakers exploring aspects of our faith Fellowship Class – Led by the Rev. Dr. Bill Murray on Heresy Faithful Living – A class that explored issues of faith with an eye not just to understanding how it is addressed in Scripture, but how we are to intentionally incorporate it into our day to day living • Seventeen weekday study groups met in the spring and the fall, including two new classes. Poetry & Faith, a discussion group, met to explore Christian poetry and how it may speak to our faith. In Stories of Sin & Redemption, members reflected on the characters’ actions, reactions, and looked for insight and connections to scripture and our own life stories.
• In the fall, we hosted the Rev. Dr. Eric Law as part of our Distinguished Lecture Series. He discussed his book Holy Currencies: Six Blessings for Sustainable Missional Ministries, a holistic guide to developing gracious leaders who discern the Truth together so they can utilize resources to build communities. • The Advent Quiet Day was hosted by the Women of Saint Michael. Our speaker was author, retreat director, and spiritual leader The Rev. Dr. Jane Patterson, the Associate Professor of New Testament and Director of Community Care at Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. • Lenten and Advent Meditations, written by staff and parishioners, were published in hard copy and offered online. • The Prime Timers continue to minister to the senior members of our congregation with monthly lunches and monthly field trips.
Julia Giles Administrative Assistant of Adult Formation
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Worship • Children’s Chapel was a new addition to the 9 a.m. worship service in the church. Shortly after the service begins, children ages 4-7 are invited to follow the cross to the Power Library where they are led in a simple service of songs, scripture readings, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd presentations, and a children’s discussion and prayer time. They return to their parents in church at the Peace and participate in the Eucharist. • On December 6, the Feast of Saint Nicholas was celebrated with an evening prayer service in the Saint Michael Chapel. During the service, Saint Nicholas visited, candy canes were blessed, the advent wreath was lit and Justin Phillips led the group in song. Afterwards, milk and cookies were enjoyed by all. Jingle Bell Mistletoe was sold with proceeds going the North Texas Food Bank. It was a special night marking the beginning of the Advent season.
CHILDREN AND FAMILY MINISTRY
This has been a year of change and optimistic vision for the future. Staff, parents, children, and clergy have come together to create meaningful and fulfilling ministry with our parish and community. A few highlights are: Formation • Spark: Activate Faith! for kindergarten through grade 3 is a mixed-age rotational model that presents a different story every three weeks. Classes begin with a large group gathering and move to a classroom to explore the story with an art, science, cooking, drama, or game response. These classes are led by both parent volunteers and paid teachers. • Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is an approach to the religious formation of children in which adults and children share their faith life together. They meet in specially prepared rooms called atria where the children use simple, beautiful materials to meditate on the scriptures, liturgy and sacraments. It is based upon the educational principles of Maria Montessori. We have 4 atria available on Sunday mornings – two for 4-6 year olds and two for 6-9 year olds. Classes are led by parent volunteers and paid teachers. The catechesis program is in partnership with the Saint Michael Episcopal School. Kristen Beckman and Gabrielle Ott present lessons to 5 pre–K and kindergarten classes on Mondays and Wednesdays. • Bible 101 is a class for fourth and fifth grade students that meets in the Blue Room located in the Youth Center. In this class, the children learn about the Holy Bible and the books the comprise it. The Bible 101 class is led by parent volunteers and paid teachers.
Gabrielle Ott Children and Family Ministry
Children enjoyed the Feast of Saint Nicholas.
• During the weeks of Advent, children were invited to light the Advent candle in each service in the parish. On Christmas Eve, children placed the Christ child in the crèche during the worship services. • The Feast of Lights Epiphany celebration was a delightful blend of worship, s’mores, and a deep sense of community. The magi were presented by children and their families. Outreach • In the spring, 4th and 5th graders collected, assembled, and delivered 150 bags filled with healthy snacks to the afterschool program at Jubilee Park for their Spring Break Backpack Project. • The Bible 101 class (children in grades 4 - 5) completed their service project benefiting the VNA in November. VNA
The Reverend Bob Johnston III prays during the Backpack Blessing. 25
was enjoyed by all. VBS was open to children ages 4 through 5th grade. • The outreach effort benefitted Promise House, a local organization focused on ending youth homelessness. Donations were collected throughout the week.
provides the popular Meals on Wheels program as well as the Holiday Gift Project, which facilitates the delivery of 4,000 toiletry items on Christmas. After learning about the VNA, the Bible 101 class wrapped 72 bars of soap and over 100 wash clothes. They also decorated 50 gift bags. Christi Morrow took the lead on this project. • In January, the Bible 101 class made fleece blankets which were donated to the Austin Street Shelter. They also made fleece pet beds for Operation Kindness. • Spark and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd classes (children age 4 – 3rd grade) collected winter clothing items during the months of November and December. The items were donated to The Gathering, the outdoor downtown church for the homeless at Thanks-Giving Square. Nativity Pageant • Over 100 children and youth participated in sharing the story of the coming of the Christ child through song and
Children and their families enjoy Fun in the Sun Easter Egg Hunt.
Family Fellowship • The Fun in the Sun Easter Egg Hunt brought families of younger children together with fun, laughter, and the thrill of the hunt. • At the Glow in the Dark Easter Egg Hunt, families of 3rd through 5th grade students gathered to hunt eggs and enjoyed dinner and s’mores in the evening. Growing Edges of Ministry • Continue to strengthen our families’ involvement by supporting lay leadership in all aspects of our ministry • Help support and reenergize participating members • Reach out to families on the fringe • Expand resources for family and individual faith development • Continue to create a more focused and meaningful program schedule • Build on meaningful ways for families to participate in ministry and parish life.
The Nativity Pageant involved more than 100 children from the church.
story in the church on December 17. This year the pageant was part of the 11 am worship service. • The pageant was webcast in real-time for friends and loved ones who could not be present in person. Professionally edited DVDs of the performance were distributed to the cast members.
Submitted by: Gabrielle Ott Interim Director/Catechesis Coordinator
Vacation Bible School • The families of Saint Michael and their friends headed to Rome where they learned about Paul and the underground church! It was a week of fun games, snacks, Bible stories, and science experiments. There was also a marketplace that 26
YOUTH MINISTRY
Lauren Wainwright Youth Director
2017 was filled with many amazing opportunities for our youth program at Saint Michael and All Angels. In July, Chase Monson joined the team to serve as the Assistant Director of Youth Ministry. We also added Allie Farmer as a college intern working with Patricia Hale-Siedler and Daniel Stanelle. We are currently searching for a Youth Minister for Small Groups and Digital Media to join our growing team in 2018. Chase Monson leads one of many youth activities.
Highlights from the year included: • In January, we had 15 youth attend our Youth Retreat at Camp All Saints. • In May, our Disciples Confirmation program confirmed 79 youth. In August, we began another class with 78 youth participants that will be confirmed in 2018. We also moved the Confirmation retreat from April to August in order to build a better foundation of community from the beginning. • This will be the last year of our 6th grade Confirmation. In the future, we will move to an 8th grade class in order to better engage our youth. Youth will be more mature in their faith at this age and it will also give us a couple of years to help form them and better incorporate our 6th graders into our youth programs. This will also provide a healthier
transition in to our high school youth programming rather than a graduation from formation. • In July, 10 youth and 3 adults went on a mission trip to Bolivia working with Amistad. • Youth have participated in many intergenerational activities this year including helping out at the Pancake Supper, Nativity Pageant, VBS, and the Veteran’s Day Service. • Our Youth Ministry Task Force continues to meet monthly to discuss such topics as volunteer recruitment, mission and outreach, and intergenerational activities in hopes of setting a foundation and building a thriving youth program at Saint Michael. Members include: Pressley Peters, Dee Dockery, Claire Hagenbuch, Heather Marburger, Mike Tanner, Wendy Harris, Gwendolyn Chestnut, Hays Haney, Ann Hardaway, Hallie Lawrence, Christi Houser, Kristi Wilson, Elizabeth Selzer, Lauren Wainwright, Chase Monson, and Eric Liles. • Throughout the year, youth have also served in mission/ outreach, including helping at The Gathering, serving at Austin Street Shelter, reading to dogs at the Dallas Animal Services, and working with Interfaith Family Services and Promise House. • This year, we split our Sunday morning Christian Formation classes into 2 groups. One for middle school youth and one for high school youth. • We also made several changes to our weekly youth programming including renaming our youth group EYC (Episcopal Youth Community) from the previous LiveWIRE name. JR. EYC (6-8th grades) was moved to Sunday evenings from 4:30-6:00 p.m. This time slot provided a better opportunity for those youth to gather. Our SR. EYC continues to meet weekly on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8 p.m.
Youth enjoyed time together during a Christmas outing.
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• We also added in 2017 a very successful middle school girls small group that meets weekly on Wednesdays for a lesson and fellowship. • Our theme for our 2017-2018 EYC is “Journey.” We had serious discussions throughout the year about the Bible and the role of the church and God in our everyday lives. We also participated in fellowship and fun activities that included the Amazing Race, a Halloween Party and Christmas Parties, sending care packages to our college students, participating at the Escape Room, move outings and Ice Skating. Mission Trips for 2018 • Alaska (current 6-12th grades) July 18-25 • Bolivia (current 9-12th grades) June 24-July 1
Middle school girls gather weekly for a lesson and fellowship.
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Saint Michael Episcopal School
Katie Riley Executive Director, Saint Michael Episcopal School
MISSION
2017-2018 EVENTS:
To provide a nurturing, individualized, inclusive preschool and kindergarten experience that is based on our four pillars: love, faith, education and service. We offer a curriculum to stimulate children’s intellectual and spiritual growth with activities that foster creative thinking, develop strong character, and build a foundation in faith
• We had a very successful and well attended Barnyard Boo Bash on October 29, 2017. The SMES Parent Advisory, school parents and grandparents, and the SMAA church community sponsored the event. The Parent Advisory voted to use the extra funds to create a much needed outdoor classroom space with help Faithfulness is developed from an early age. from the church in building a new fence on the north side. This space will be used for art, yoga, and outdoor learning. BIG thanks to the parents, SMAA, and Bill Pardoe. • Trainings, SAES Conference, National Boards, and SMES Staff Community Service Day We have continued to offer our staff professional development in all different types of growth areas. The administrative team traveled to Houston in October to attend the annual SAES conference. We are able to visit and learn from other Episcopal schools across the Southwest part of the country. We had our very own Janet Hanks complete and pass her National Teacher Certification board test. We had our first annual SMES staff service day in November at Jubilee Park where we spent a half day working in the Jubilee Community Center, O.M. Roberts, Jeanie’s Place, and David’s Place.
CORE VALUES
• At Saint Michael Episcopal School, we seek to love, nurture and educate each child in every class. • We strive to make each child feel secure and encouraged to learn. • We encourage teacher/student relationships that are both loving and mutually respectful. • We support our students and their families to individually to prepare them for the future. • We are teaching them to serve others through hands-on service opportunities. • Teach them about the love of God. Include the Episcopal Identity and values in our daily school life PROGRESS!
The 2017-2018 school year has been moving fast here at Saint Michael Episcopal School here are a few of the highlights: • We welcomed 174 families with 212 students into our school this year. • SMES added three new classrooms this Fall to ensure that all parishioner families had a spot in our school. • In July the first Board of Directors was established to support and guide the school as we continue to grow and develop. • Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools has scheduled their school visit to SMES for December 2018. This is the final step in the accreditation process and we are very excited to show them our wonderful school. • The Rev. Dr. Christopher Girata has started an SMES Mom’s Fellowship Group that meets every Tuesday at 8:45 a.m. There has been a lot of interest and it is a wonderful opportunity for moms to talk about the challenges of raising children.
Pre-K children prepare for worship procession.
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Our Handwriting Without Tears program casts a wide net on some very important preschool skills. Starting in PreK our children are exposed to the Handwriting without Tears Readiness and Writing Curriculum that engages students in creative, interactive, child-friendly lessons that range from letter and number recognition and formation to multi-sensory core-reading activities. All PreK and Kindergarten classes are using the Jan Richardson Method to explore phonics through Working with Names, Working with Letters, Working with Sounds, Working with Books and Interactive Writing.
Kindergarten children enjoy games that teach math skills.
ACADEMICS
Saint Michael Episcopal School has implemented The Everyday Math program in all the 3’s, 4’s and 5’s classes. This program is based out of the University of Chicago Science and Math Program (UCSMP). The PreK 3’s classes use the foundation lessons to explore new concepts in operations, data and chance, geometry, patterns and number concepts. The PreK 4’s classes build on these same concepts with foundation and building lessons and end the year focusing on exploratory lessons in operations, data and chance, geometry, patterns and number concepts. Our Kindergarten classroom works through the Everyday Math Kindergarten curriculum. This program leads them through concepts in all three avenues of foundation, building and exploratory lessons.
Please join us FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018 FROM 7PM11PM at Royal Oaks Country Club for the Saint Michael Episcopal School FIESTA, benefitting Teacher and Academic Excellence, along with a new STEM program specifically designed for our school’s curriculum. We are excited to announce that the new STEM program will reach each age and every classroom. With your generous support, we will be able to launch an introductory version of our STEM program this spring and roll out the program in its entirety for the 2018-2019 school year. Please find below the many ways you can support. We are looking forward to seeing you at the #smesfiesta
Saint Michael Episcopal School staff.
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Pastoral Care
The Rev. Greg Pickens Associate for Pastoral Care
2017 has been a wonderful year of ministry with its usual ups and downs. We continue to enjoy a strong bond with parishioners and leadership – it is that relationship that fuels the volunteers and staff who serve God’s people at Saint Michael and in our neighborhood. The whole year was built upon strong ministry that happened in 2016.
NEW CREATIONS
It is a truth that ministry in this age is a blessing and a balancing act. Our lives are so scheduled that it takes real dedication to create equilibrium between church, family, work, and friends. To address this, I invited all in Pastoral Care to gather into one “Ambassadors” meeting twice a year – for no other reason than to be together. Our first Ambassadors meeting speaker was the Rev. Dr. Fran Shelton from Dallas’ own Faith and Grief Ministries. We were so grateful to have her as our guest and the one to kick off something new and dedicated to renewing relationships among our core volunteers. The speaker for our second Ambassadors meeting was Dr. Bob Fine from Baylor Scott and White Health. The audience that day was a wonderful balance of parishioners, Pastoral Care ministers, and guests from the neighborhood.
The Mission Statement for our ministry is very simple: Our Pastoral Ministries love, support, and bless our parish family and friends by caring for them through life’s joys and challenges. Only 21 words long, but taken as a whole, it represents who we are as members of Christ’s Body in this corner of God’s Kingdom.
While Friends in Christ is not a new creation, it is a reboot of a very special visitation ministry that does nothing but bring Christ and his church to those who are unable to be with us on Sunday. Sally Hartwig and Gus Seeberger have been fantastic in this restart of a great offering.
MINISTRY
Pastoral Care is comprised of four segments: Cards, Phone Calls, Support, and Visitation. Each of these is a specific endeavor to engage the families of our parishioners and their friends. Through these segments, we have reached out 10,327 times to parishioners, their families, and friends. To look at the number, it strikes one as an impressive amount of work and it is but the ministry is not in the metric – our ministry is in the interaction between two people – there will Christ be found and there you will find Pastoral Care.
STAFF
The Reverend Dr. Hiltrude Nusser-Telfur continues to be a gift to our parish. She began her ministry with this parish in 2016 and has since found ways to continually enliven and expand her work with us. The largest portion of Hiltrude’s time is spent visiting, celebrating the Eucharist, and praying for our parishioners both in hospital and in rehabilitation facilities. She spent many years as a chaplain specializing in hospice and acute care/trauma in a hospital setting. Her prayer life and
LEADERSHIP
We had some leader shifts in 2017 and we give thanks for the strong ministries of Jean Coleman, Sandra Klingeman, and Ruthie Garrett. Each of these strong women ran a vital ministry at Saint Michael and while each are now called to serve in a different way, they made it possible for new leadership to take hold. I give thanks that each of you bore the burden as well as made visible the joy of ministry leadership. Thank you for your service. Ministry is by its very nature bittersweet. It is a sadness to see leaders transition even as we welcome new ministers into our embrace. I can report that Stephen Ministry under Mary Kardell, Lay Eucharistic Visitors under Charlie Smith, and Caregiver Support group under Gayle Braymer are doing well and are continuing serve parishioners and our neighbors. Pastoral Care Good Shepherd Luncheon. 32
skills are firmly founded on her life in Christ; she is such a blessing to us now but look for more offerings from her in the new year. Finally, I wish to thank three people: Katherine Bowen, Administrative Assistant for Pastoral Care, Terry Demler, our Lay Leader of Pastoral Care, and Members of the Pastoral Care Good Shepherds. Marillyn Seeberger, Pastoral Care Communicator. The ministry of this parish is built upon people who have encountered the risen Lord and have become his feet and hands in the world, through Saint Michael. Each of these leaders, in conjunction with the other 23 ministry leaders of Pastoral Care work tirelessly to assure our work is done in a quiet and respectful manner. We owe a significant debt of gratitude to all volunteers and especially to those who willingly take up the extra challenge of leadership. Thank you to all who labor in this corner of the vineyard.
The Rev. Greg Pickens Associate for Pastoral Care
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Mission and Outreach Mission and Outreach experienced a great deal of change in 2017. We started the year with the steady hand of the Rev. Hunter Ruffin. He left to start a new church in the Diocese of Fort Worth. After a period where the Rev. Dr. Bill Murray helped to lead the program, Oleta Salyards was named Interim Director of Mission and Outreach. Rev. Dr. Bill Murray Vicar Oleta served for three months and helped plan the response to the Texas hurricanes. Even with that change in leadership, the ministries and programs supported by Saint Michael in Mission and Outreach have continued to thrive. Here is a brief snapshot of all that has been happening. GIVING BY SAINT MICHAEL OUTREACH IN 2017: Saint Michael parishioners prepare and serve meals to the homeless at The Gathering
• Easter Plate Offerings totaled $26,908. • Christmas Plate Offerings totaled $58,372. • The Mission and Outreach Grants Committee awarded grants totaling $145,000. • The Heart of Giving donations during the holiday season raised $17,215. • Saint Michael and All Angels packed over 250,000 meals for hurricane relief.
20 help serve the dinner. In the fall of 2016, Saint Michael and All Angels began offering Evening Prayer in the Austin Street Chapel. The prayer service had an average attendance of 20 people per month and included lay volunteers as readers, officiants, and prayer companions. Meals on Wheels In 2017, 178 volunteers drove 14 routes and delivered 20,000 meals. A large majority of the drivers are members of Saint Michael and All Angels with the remainder being friends or relatives. By Our Love On the third Monday of each month, volunteers serve nutritious meals to about 50 people with AIDS who live in housing provided by AIDS Services of Dallas. The Gathering During 2017, six Sunday meals were served by adult and youth volunteers to approximately 600 homeless persons. Saint Michael clergy celebrated multiple times at the services for this church for the homeless in downtown Dallas.
Volunteers help prepare meals for hurricane relief.
FOOD MINISTRIES – FEEDING THE HUNGRY:
Genesis Cooks On nine first Mondays during 2017, a group of parishioners prepared and delivered meals for women and children at Genesis Women’s Shelter.
Austin Street Shelter Each month Saint Michael buys and prepares food for 400-450 homeless people at Austin Street Shelter. On the first Tuesday of each month, 12 to 15 parishioners cook and prepare a fullcourse homemade meat loaf dinner. On Wednesday, the food is delivered to the shelter and later that day, another 15 to 34
North Dallas Shared Ministries North Dallas Shared Ministries provides emergency assistance to people in need with over 60,000 client visits. In addition to 3 parish food drive months each year, volunteers provided job counseling, and helped with the clothes closet, food pantry, and other areas of assistance. The Rosebud Hunger Initiative As a result of our Rosebud Indian Reservation mission work, the Hunger Initiative provides dinner and homework assistance daily to about 30 children of the Black Pipe community in South Dakota. In addition, scarves and hats knitted by the prayer shawl ministry were given to the parish in Rosebud for children and families in need of winter clothing.
Saint Michael volunteers administer flouride treatment during their mission trip to Honduras.
Jubilee Park Through Saint Michael’s seven member Connection Team, 400 parishioners contributed countless hours of time, energy, and money to the wide array of opportunities at Jubilee Park. These opportunities include: • Children in after school programming • Jubilee’s summer camp programs • Installing Lending Libraries throughout the neighborhood • O.M. Roberts’ reading program • Back to After-School Bash • National Night Out • Annual La Posada re-enactment • Thanksgiving and Christmas Senior Luncheons • I Believe in Angels
MISSION TRIPS IN 2017
Honduras In February, Saint Michael missionaries returned to Tela, Honduras for 7 days, partnering with Espiritu Santo, the Episcopal Church and Day School. Our group worked with local parishioners and senior class members to provide over 350 children with fluoride treatments, toothpaste and toothbrushes, fitted and distributed over 200 pair of eye glasses; served over 300 school lunches; and shared Bible stories through music, crafts, and laughter with more than 450 students ages 3 Honduras Threads Honduras Threads missioners went to Tegucigalpa to work with the women in the five nearby embroidery coops. The excitement this year is that the women have been officially recognized by the government as a business organization.
HOLIDAYS FOR OUR FRIENDS IN JUBILEE PARK:
I Believe in Angels This once a year ministry provides toys and gifts for children, teens and the elderly in the Jubilee Park neighborhood. Thanksgiving Senior Luncheon at Jubilee The Thanksgiving luncheon featured volunteers who delivered and helped prepare traditional Thanksgiving food, provided decorations, and helped serve 150 senior citizens at Jubilee Park.
The Rev. Dr. Bill Murray Vicar
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Fellowship WELCOME MINISTRY
Part of this year’s vestry initiatives was a focus on how we welcome and incorporate newcomers. The creation of the role, Membership Coordinator, filled by Anne Schmidt, brought more intentionality to this ministry. In August a Welcome Center was set-up in the Parlor to receive guests between 8:30-and 12:30 on Sunday mornings. Visitors to the Welcome Center receive a gift bag and information about Saint Michael. We get the opportunity to more personally greet and welcome our visitors and to receive information from them. The Welcome Center has been well received and is most effective when our members bring visitors to it. Ann Rudacille Schmidt Membership Coordinator
Newly confirmed adult members with The Rt. Rev. Michael G. Smith.
In September we had a Greeter reception to thank our current Greeters and welcome new ones. Our Greeters are the first contact many of our visitors have with our church and they are a dedicated group of volunteers who love Saint Michael and roll out the red carpet for our guests and members alike each week. Intention to growing this ministry will continue to be a priority of the Welcome Ministries. Thank you to Jessica Clements who organized our volunteers. Our Saint Michael 101 Luncheons, which occur three times a year, continued to be an entry point for those seeking to know more about our congregation. Led by Chris Girata and Mary Lessmann these classes introduced the ministries of Saint Michael to our newcomers and laid out the path toward membership. Thanks to those members who have helped host these lunches throughout the year. These classes were moved from a dinnertime event to lunch to make them more family friendly.
Bishop Smith confirmed 79 students in the 2017 Disciples class.
allowed for relationships to be established quickly and guests did respond well to the welcome. Thank you to all of the welcome volunteers who gave of their time and talent to this ministry in 2017.
Discovery classes serve as our adult confirmation preparation. These classes were held twice this year and led by Chris Girata. Discussions gave attendees an overview of the history of the Episcopal Church and Saint Michael and helped build community among them.
Submitted by: Anne Rudacille Schmidt Membership Coordinator
Any guest or visitor who filled out a Communication Card received a personal email or call within 2 days of us receiving the card. Visitors were thanked for their visit, invited to upcoming events and offered general information. This 36
PARISH LIFE EVENTS
Fellowship is critical to the life of the church! To some, fellowship involves shaking hands and passing the Peace at worship, or it might take place when two people share a cookie and cup of coffee in the hallway, or better yet breaking bread and enjoying a conversation with other parishioners over a meal, or Tish Visinsky Director, Parish Life it just might consist of a huge parishEvents wide event attended by hundreds. The exciting news is that we were blessed with opportunities to do each of those things and MORE during 2017 at Saint Michael and All Angels!
Cooks enjoy fellowship while preparing the meal for Shrove Tuesday.
• Mother’s Day Flower Distribution - Annual tradition of honoring the women in our congregation with beautiful roses distributed by the children and youth of our parish before the worship services on Mother’s Day. • Summer Receptions - Pentecost, Pie for 4th of July & our fall Back to School Kick Off continue to be crowd pleasers and help keep our parishioners engaged over the summer break. • Blessing of the Animals - Hundreds of furry friends are blessed annually by our clergy and given St. Francis medallions for their pet collars. • Veterans Day - This annual service and reception is a community-wide event we host to honor our brave veterans. This year we were thrilled to feature guest speaker, Staff Sergeant Johnnie O’ Yellock, an Air Force Special Operations Combat Controller who sustained life-threatening injuries while serving in Afghanistan. • St. Nick Nite - A new celebration for the youngest in our parish. We partnered with the CFM and Youth teams to plan a Feast of St. Nicholas night service in Saint Michael chapel led by The Rev. Eric Liles with music provided by our Modern Worship Music Director, Justin Brooks. Cookies and milk were served afterward.
Every single ministry here at Saint Michael provides a wide variety of experiences, small and large, for fellowship throughout the year. Our Parish Life Events are typically ones that involve the ENTIRE parish (all ages) and most often follow the liturgical calendar or highlight special Holy or Feast Days, but some are just for fun! Here is a sampling of the Parish Life Events we hosted in 2017: • Epiphany Feast of Lights - Annual Worship Service and Burning of the Greens Reception on January 6th with s’mores and hot chocolate in the Garden Cloister. • Shrove Tuesday Pancake and Gumbo Supper - Annual multi-generational dinner complete with Mardi Gras beads, authentic New Orleans style gumbo and hot pancakes flipped by the Men of Saint Michael. • Easter Reception - A deliciously SWEET reception in the Parlor on Easter morning.
One of the highlights of my role as Parish Life Events Director is that I have the joy of partnering with our different ministries to help promote and execute events for all ages. From planning welcome and farewell receptions for staff and clergy, to helping coordinate the Wardens’ Dinner for the Vestry to assisting the Women of Saint Michael with their monthly luncheons or Parish Parties...each day there is something new to dream about, brainstorm, plan and produce!
Worshippers gather in the courtyard for the Feast of Lights celebration.
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Saint Michael’s veterans were honored at the Veterans’ Day worship service and reception.
Our Parish Life Events simply couldn’t happen without the support of our Saint Michael Staff and Sextons, as well as the hundreds of Parish Life Events volunteers who shared their time and talents in 2017. We welcome members of ALL AGES, so let me know if you want to join the dynamic crew who helps support the fellowship and fun here at Saint Michael!
WOMEN OF SAINT MICHAEL
Tish Visinsky Director of Parish Life Events
Tricia Stewart WOSM President
The Women of Saint Michael is comprised of all the women who are members of our parish. Our purpose is to “be the extension of Christ’s Kingdom by uniting the women of the parish in a program of worship, study, service, fellowship, and leading them into the service for the Church, in the parish, the community, the diocese, the nation, and the world.” Our theme this year comes from the first and greatest commandment, “to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” “Heart, Soul, Mind, Strength.” Our year has been shaped by these four words as we endeavor to glorify God in all that we do.
• The St. Michael’s Woman’s Exchange is celebrating it’s 60th Anniversary this year. With its more than 150 volunteers, SMWE has had a great year and will be able to return a significant dollar amount to outreach through the WOSM Gifts Committee. Stay tuned for the big announcement in May.
The Rev. Michael Harmuth administers a blessing during Blessing of the Animals.
• The members of the Gifts Committee will research and carefully review grant requests and award support to Dallas agencies fighting poverty in our community and to Episcopal organizations doing good work locally, nationally 38
Band, great food, SMAA trivia, corn hole and more. • In March, the WOSM will partner with Jubilee for their Mother Daughter Tea. • In April, the Women of Saint Michael will host the second annual WOSM Day of Service at Jubilee Park and Community Center. Volunteers will work together at several stations throughout Jubilee for a morning of volunteering together as one ministry. • The Women of Saint Michael will wrap up a wonderful year with the annual spring luncheon featuring Benita Long, an author who will discuss Christian Hospitality. The date of the luncheon is Wednesday, May 9th, 2017. Benita will sign books that afternoon at the SMWE. Women of Saint Michael Spring Luncheon is one of the year’s highlights.
Few efforts in the history of Dallas can match the positive change created by the St. Michael’s Woman’s Exchange. For more than fifty years, many dedicated women have donated their time and talents to the Exchange. The profits from the Exchange, combined with the bi-annual Parish Party, the Mardi Gras party, and generous donations from Tom Thumb’s Good Neighbor program, have enabled the Women of Saint Michael to give $9 million to non-profit charities since 1958. This rich tradition continues.
and internationally. • The Fall and Winter Speakers Series was a tremendous success. We welcomed the Satellite Sisters in September to a completely full Parish Hall. The Sisters continued their visit with a book signing at the Exchange that afternoon. Lily Weiss with the Dallas Arts District enlightened us in October about what is going on in our own backyard. Our November luncheon featured Katherine Krause from VNA to give us the facts on hospice and end of life care. We ended our series with an incredible evening event and reception with an interfaith panel comprised of The Rev. Dr. Chris Girata, Rabbi David Stern, and Imam Omar Suleiman moderated by The Rev. Amy Heller. We had over 800 in the church, ambulatory, and choir loft. The interest was overwhelming and a follow up is in the works. Thank you to all the parishioners who welcomed and made our guests feel comfortable. Thanks also to our luncheon season subscribers and underwriters who made all the programs possible.
And few organizations in the history of Saint Michael and All Angels can match the energy, enthusiasm, and passion of the Women of Saint Michael and its members, for whom we are all grateful. As members of the Women of Saint Michael, we continue to use our entire selves: Heart, Soul, Mind, Strength to glorify God’s Kingdom right here on earth. Tricia Stewart Women of Saint Michael President 2017-2018
• The nominating committee met and slated the following officers for 2018-2019 • President: Christine Paddock • President elect: Allison Bovard • Vice President: Lydia Addy • Communications: Bitsy Hudnall • Newsletter: Melissa Hensarling • Recording Secretary: Jenny Lichty • Treasurer: Holly Peña • Assistant Treasurer: Sylvia Hood • Parliamentarian: Tricia Stewart • The Mardi Gras Party was held Friday, February 9 at the Four Corners Brewery and featured Justin Philip Brooks
The Women of Saint Michael past presidents. 39
Clergy of Saint Michael and All Angels The Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Girata Rector The Rev. Dr. William S. Murray IV Vicar The Rev. Bob Johnston III Associate for Modern Worship The Rev. Lisa Musser Associate for Worship and Liturgy The Rev. Dr. Eric Liles Associate for Formation The Rev. Greg Pickens Associate for Pastoral Care The Rev. Mary Lessmann Associate for Spiritual Growth The Rev. Rich Towers Associate for Student Ministries at SMU The Rev. Michael Harmuth Priest Associate for Worship The Rev. Dr. Hiltrude Nusser-Telfer Priest Associate for Pastoral Care
Photography generously provided by Ray Hand, Mike Horvath and Haal Photography.
Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church 8011 Douglas • Dallas, Texas 75225
www.saintmichael.org @smaadallas