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Tuesday, October 01 2019
Greetings! Our Pledge Campaign for 2020 has launched, and I’d like to offer my thanks to everyone who has worked so hard to make it happen: Sarah Clifthorne and Gerry Apple, co-chairs; Mary Law, Evie Fagergren and all our office workers who come in during the week; our speakers who share their faith on Sunday mornings this month; and our shepherds who are making sure everyone in the parish has a pledge card. Thank you to each of you for your ministry! I mentioned this in The Messenger last week, but it bears repeating here in The Chronicle: I have been diagnosed with advanced arthritis in the left hip, and on the advice of my doctors I have scheduled a total hip replacement for December 31. I will be away from St. John’s all of January recovering from this procedure. Thankfully, the Church Pension Fund provides insurance for active clergy in these circumstances, so we will be able to hire an interim to take over for the month that I’m gone. I’ll announce who that person is as soon as we have finalized all the details. In the meantime, my sincerest thanks to our Wardens, Mark Hampton & Ric Weatherman, and to the Vestry, who have been incredibly supportive as I’ve been evaluating treatment options and developing a plan in these last months. I’m deeply grateful for their support, and for that of the parish. Blessings, +R.C. Tuesday, October 01 2019
Sanctuary Renovation Planning Update Planning continues for the renovation of our Sanctuary. You’ll recall the Feasibility Study conducted in July by the Episcopal Church Foundation found a high probability that a capital campaign could raise $964,000, and perhaps more toward our “stretch” goal of $1.6 million for the entire project. Since then we’ve worked with Clint Pehrson Architects of Seattle, our architectural consultant, to further refine the project scope and budget details based on the ECF’s conclusions. In late August, Clint, Father R.C., members of the Vestry, and I met with KMB Architects of Olympia, to discuss hiring them as the primary architects. While not specialists in church architecture, KMB brings a wealth of design experience in weatherproofing and structural improvements that may improve the efficiency of our project. A local firm, they have completed many public-sector projects in education, hospitality, and health care. We are now working with KMB to clarify all project details and costs in anticipation that we will soon contract with them for design services. Clint Pehrson is under contract to remain as the Owner’s Representative throughout the design phase. He will assist us in negotiating the owner/architect agreement, guide KMB’s design work for the aesthetics and acoustics of our worship space, evaluate and advise us on that design, assist with project permitting, and help us select a general contractor. At our option, we may retain Clint during the construction phase, which is planned for summer 2020. Over the next several weeks, KMB will move forward on schematic design, including drawings that will help us envision what the renovation will look like. These should be available when we launch our capital campaign later this year. I will update you with any renovation developments in the November edition of The Chronicle, and as needed until then. For the Sanctuary Renovation Committee: Lou MacMillan, Chair Tuesday, October 01 2019
We are excited by this year’s annual pledge theme, “Shining Our Light.” This theme, taken from the fifth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, speaks to us as individuals and as a community of faith. Individually, each of us is called to make sure we are letting God’s light shine through our work, our friendships, our service, and our giving. We are called to be light bearers. This is a powerful calling. As a faith community, St. John’s | San Juan’s must shine the light of Christ through our worship, welcome, pastoral care, and outreach ministry to our wider community. We are often amazed by how members of our Church use their time, talents, and treasure to keep their light shining brightly. Some of us make sure the snacks at the coffee hour are delicious and abundant. Others participate in our worship either by singing in the choir or assisting in the service. Still others prepare the worship space with flowers or altar vestments. Many of us also represent the church in our participation of various community service programs. While during this pledge drive, each of us asked to make a generous financial pledge for the coming year, we are also grateful for the many gifts of time, food, and skills from each member of this church. We hope you’ll join us as we work together to shine our light in church, in our community, and in our lives. Pledge cards and return envelopes should have arrived in your postal mail, but are also available at the Church Office. We will collect them at the end of our campaign on Sunday, October 27th (although you may return earlier to the Church Office). Faithfully, Sarah Clifthorne and Gerry Apple Tuesday, October 01 2019
Sing to the Lord a New Song Capital Campaign Update With the successful completion of our Feasibility Study, we are moving ahead diligently with plans for our Capital Campaign. The Feasibility Study Report suggests a primary goal for the Campaign of $964,000 and reflects the clear consensus of our members that the top priorities for the funds raised should be replacing the sanctuary roof and resolving the life safety issues in the building. Discussions with our architect confirm that the primary goal should (within a small margin of error) be sufficient to address these two priorities. Jerry Campbell, our partner with the Episcopal Church Foundation, will continue to guide us as we prepare for the Solicitation Phase of the Campaign, which will launch in January 2020. This month, we will recruit the Gift Workers for the Advance Gift (“Quiet”) solicitation phase of the Campaign. We will also begin work on printed materials for the Campaign, including the brochure, pledge card, and content for the website. Thanks so much for your interest in and support of our Capital Campaign. We look forward to keeping you informed as our preparations continue. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact me at bobleroy05@gmail.com. Onward together in faith… …Bob Le Roy, Capital Campaign Chair Tuesday, October 01 2019
Our Financial Statements (Financial Position, Income and Expense, Budget v. Actual) through August 31, 2019 are available on the parish website by clicking here. Work on our 2020 Budget will begin in later this week (October 3). We will build this budget collaboratively. Each ministry will be provided a template for use in projecting their needs in 2020 and preparing a narrative describing the purpose and impact of their work in the life of our parish and community. We plan to present the 2020 Budget to the Vestry for approval at its November meeting, following completion of the 2020 Pledge Campaign. If you have any questions or would like additional information regarding our financials, please contact Cynthia Knapp, our Bookkeeper, at cynthia@stjohnsoly.org, or me at bobleroy05@gmail.com. Both of us can also be reached by calling the church office, 360-352-8527 On a Sunday in November, during the Forum between the services, Cynthia and I will present a workshop on how to read our Financial Statements. Stay tuned for the exact date. You’re welcome to join us! Respectfully submitted… …Bob Le Roy, Treasurer Tuesday, October 01 2019
Fall seems to be upon us. Time to square things up around the church for winter. Dan our sexton mentioned there is a florescent light out in the parish hall that apparently has a bad ballast. Is there anyone that has the wiring experience to help install a new one? Our yard service crew takes care of our leaves, thank you our anonymous doner who provides that service. Keeping the gutters clear is always a job until the leaves are all down. We'll be visiting with Ray Willard about what trimming we need to do this fall and schedule a work party. We also need to do some sidewalk repair and I'll organize a work party for that when I get back in town. Anyone have concrete experience? If you have time for any of these projects let me know and we'll plan for it. Ric Weatherman, jr warden Tuesday, October 01 2019
9/24/19 Dear Members and Friends, Greetings from the Great Smoky Mountains! What beautiful scenery we've been lucky enough to see. Certainly different from the Pacific Northwest, but just as grand it its own way. We've come about 2,800 miles on this venture and have another 500 or so to go before beginning the trek west and heading home. In addition to the gorgeous scenery we've seen, Lin and I were quite impressed with the focus on family. Last Sunday, we found a picnic area in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where we could have lunch. As I dragged out our small cooler with sandwiches etc., we noticed families arriving by the car load. They unpacked tables, chairs, grills, coolers in amounts I've never seen. Families gathered to celebrate each other with food and fellowship. Church buses arrived and members unloaded to find table after table (with tablecloths, I might add) laden with food ready to be savored. Wherever we are fortunate enough to go, we are always reminded of our families and our relationships- some of the greatest gifts bestowed on us. In the attempt, |
