Sr. Warden's Report

This past year was a remarkable year in the life of our church, full of events that brought energy to our halls. Some (but certainly not all) of these notable events include the Interfaith Panel: Islam, Judaism and Christianity presented by the Women of Saint Michael in January, the Bible read-through in August, the conversation between the Archbishop of Canterbury and our Presiding Bishop Michael Curryin September, Saint Michael Presents concerts, a Human Trafficking Symposium,and the summer Pub Theology series. Ongoing outreach efforts such as the Farmers Market, the St. Michael's Woman’s Exchange, and our partnership with Jubilee continue to grow and thrive.

In the past few years, the vestry has put more emphasis on strategic matters, while still fulfilling its duty to manage the secular affairs of the Church. This year’s vestry continued the five-year vision process that was developed by the 2017 vestry under Eric Conner’s leadership. As you may remember, the 2017 Vestry worked with clergy and staff to develop a series of imperatives and initiatives that served as a strategic plan for the church. This year’s vestry members, the clergy and staff continued to implement these initiatives. We also held a retreat with clergy and staff in which we reviewed the Initiatives together and revised them as needed.

An important part of the vestry’s work is to oversee the financial health of the Church. I encourage you to read Treasurer Kathy Kelley’s report for detailed information on the Church’s finances. Kathy, Rob Baber, and the members of the Finance Committee did an excellent job in overseeing the church’s budget and expenses. We were thrilled to end the year with a budget surplus. Revenues exceeded the budget for this year, due to the generosity of our pledging members and to those who made unpledged contributions. On the expense side, our clergy and staff worked diligently to keep expenses in line with the budget. The budget surplus will provide additional funds for the School Transition Fund (in advance of the move of ESD from Saint Michael to its Merrell Road campus) and the Facilities Maintenance Fund.

The vestry also spent substantial time preparing for the future of our Church. In early September, Saint Michael filed a zoning application to allow a mixed-use development on the land to the north of the church. The plan is a culmination of years of planning by church leaders, including successive Vestries and special committees, to determine the best use of this property for the church’s benefit. This project has the potential to not only transform our campus, but to allow Saint Michael to be a better steward of all our assets and increase our investment in our mission and ministry. The rector and members of the Campus Planning Committee held meetings with parishioners from late summer to the end of the year to update parishioners on this project. Vestry members were available to parishioners who had questions or comments about this project.

Determining how the funds from any future development of the north land might be used by Saint Michael is an important strategic issue. Even though no funds have been received yet, lay leaders from the vestry and the Saint Michael Foundation have been meeting to consider Saint Michael’s priorities, and how north land proceeds could be preserved and used over the long term to advance those priorities. While these questions are still hypothetical since zoning has not been approved, we recognize that we need to have a thoughtful, well-considered plan in place that aligns with our collective values and the needs of our church.

We have a lot to look forward to. Church clergy, staff, and lay leaders are preparing for ESD’s move from our church campus, which will give the Saint Michael Episcopal School the opportunity to expand. A group of parishioners have started to plan for the 75th anniversary of the founding of Saint Michael, and the St. Michael's Woman’s Exchange will soon celebrate its 60th anniversary.

I have learned a lot serving as Senior Warden. I was continually reminded that a church is unlike any other organization. Our parishioners care deeply and personally about our church. I developed a profound appreciation for the lay leaders, in all areas of the church, who came before me and will come after me. I only served for a year, but we have leaders who work for years on Altar Guild, or as ushers, or in the choir. I hope that the work we accomplished last year will benefit both those who are here now and those who come after us. Finally, as I spent so much time here week after week, I felt my priorities in every part of my life start to change as I watched others serve God in His Church. In the end, this is what I am most grateful for.

It has been an honor to work with our Rector Chris Girata, the clergy, and staff. I want to especially thank Sally Schupp for her contributions as Junior Warden. She was always there to talk over problems and offer solid advice, and her knowledge of the Church was invaluable. I also am grateful to the entire vestry for their hard work and dedication. Finally, Warren Houser, who served as Warden-at-Large last year, will be a fantastic Senior Warden. I look forward to the future here at Saint Michael.

Margaret SpellingsSenior Warden