St. Michael’ Parish Meeting January 12,2014 Opening Prayer Vestry nominations and election 2013 Ministry reports: Sr. Warden ~ Sharon Artley 2013 Budget report and proposed 2014 Budget ~ Jim Vaden The Rev. Joe Weatherly Closing Prayer Reetor’s Remarks My prayer for our community of believers is captured in the prayer Paul offered for the believers in the region of Ephesus, “I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you(us) a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you(we) come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your(our) heart enlightened, you(we) may know what is the hope to which he has called you(us),”(Eph 1:17-18a NRSV) (bold added for my perspective) Tam extremely grateful for the life St. Michael’s has given me. The community has blessed and continues to bless me and my family, as it blesses and cares for each other. The faithfulness of Father Herb Catlin in continuing his ministries and counsel here is a daily reminder to me of God’s Grace continued. I marvel at the gifts and talents possessed by Michael Choate as he leads our music ministry. For the nurture of the young, the teens, and the young adults, I am grateful for the leadership of Rachel Robinson. A personal and special thanks is offered for Wendy Woods, parish secretary/assistant treasurer/manager of the kitchen/manager of the Rector, etc., who continues to prove more valuable each day in support of St. Michael’s ministry and mission. Finally, I wish to thank the Vestry, especially our Senior Warden, Sharon Artley, for leadership and commitment to the well-being of St. Michael’s and growing God’s Kingdom in this place. We will miss the three Vestry members completing their terms in 2013, Sharon Artley, Doc Jones, and Pat Phillips. Without these who are willing to serve as leaders, St. Michael’s would not be what it is today. Thanks be to God! During 2013, I believe the parish continued to maintain focus on our parish ministries. Your dedication in honoring God through worship, your thoughtful support of each other, and your commitment to helping others outside yourselves are a faithful witness to the ministry of our Savior, Jesus. Looking at “life events” in the parish, we welcomed into Christ's Body, via Holy Baptism, six new travelers on the journey. Four were infants/children and two were adults. We lost five members via requested transfers and gained three to/from other churches. We celebrated the entrance into the larger life, via the office of Holy Burial, two long time members from our midst. We also celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation/Reception for one teenager and four adults. Finally, we celebrated the marriage of one young couple.In my opinion, your Vestry consistently demonstrated a willingness to act in faith based on defined needs of the parish, even though there was concern for adequate resources for the future, I applaud this courageous and forward thinking; and, in one sense, this faith was rewarded as the parish realized a large gift given to the parish through the sale of David Rodak’s former home. An example of decision making courage to move forward was evident in a new outreach opportunity involving the use of the Alberta St. property. Also, a renewed effort to reach TTU students was initiated. With all organizations or communities, there are challenges as well as accomplishments. ‘The challenge I would like to focus on again is our average attendance at Sunday worship services decreased, during 2013, 5.2%. This makes our fourth year in a row of lower weekly worship attendance. In trying to understand this trend, I also looked at attendance on Christmas Eve and Easter. The attendance for these services remained fairly steady over the same four year period. My assessment is, even though the parish life is considered important to members, the weekly sense of commitment is not as strong as it once was. We are not alone in this cultural trend as most main-line denominations are suffering a decline trend in commitment. Thus, we have a survival challenge as a community to increase membership/commitment in the parish. Inviting others to journey with us is not a comfortable area in our tradition, but it is the calling our Lord. This effort will require we “reach out” to others, welcome others, guide others in understanding our community of believers, and finally getting others involved in all phases of the parish to the point they identify this community as theirs. Even though programs help in this process, it will ultimately be dependent on one-on-one efforts. Finally, I am grateful to minister among you and to continue to learn from you. Your affection for St. Michael’s is very clear and an inspiration to me; however, God is always calling us to be more than we are. The power of community, especially Christian community, is how God works so uniquely in the world. We are not all Sunday school teachers, choir members, members of the Vestry, acolytes, etc.; however, we are all special and unique in the building up of the community of Christ. The key step is to offer ourselves — our time, talents and treasure. ‘The parish needs everyone and everyone needs to be a part. When we look at the parish’s history or Christian history, we discover even small communities, when committed to the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ our Lord and offering of themselves, can accomplish wonderful things. May we continue to move, in 2014, towards our potential as children of God and respond to Jesus’ call to follow him in his Ministry and his Mission. Thanks be to God! In Christ, Joe Weatherly, Blessed to be the ninth minister-in-charge of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church. Senior Warden Annual Report 2013 Itis hard to believe that 2013 over and with it my three years on the Vestry! in some ways, it has been a long three years, but in other ways the time has flown by! Thank you for the ‘trust you placed in me in voting me onto the Vestry. It has been an amazing experience.Vestry worked hard during 2013, grappling with many major decisions. Here are some of the highlights of the year. * Reorganization of Vestry ministries, including the new Evangelism/Communication ministry to emphasis the importance of communication both within and outside of the Parish. ‘* Continued emphasis on Youth & Family with the addition of two intems and a reworking of the Teen Sunday School teaching format and curriculum. ‘* Completion of a new Parish Pictorial Directory * Completion of the Parking Lot project including the southside walkway (Thank you, Doc Jones for all your hard work on this project!) * Use of the Alberta St. property for a new Outreach program in conjunction with Genesis House. * Sale of the house that David Rodak bequeathed to St. Michael’s Ithas been a good and productive year with all ministries moving forward. I look forward to a great 2014 at St. Michael’s! Peace, Sharon Artley Worship & Music Ministry Report Jan. 2014 The largest issue facing the Worship & Music Ministry this year has been the repairs to the organ. At the annual parish meeting in January 2013, Michael Choate presented a proposal from the Milnar Organ Co. (the original builder of the organ) for repairs to the organ totaling $15,000. The contract outlined the items included in the repairs. ‘The vestry approved going ahead with the repairs on a faith budget, although we didn’t have the full amount, After a plea for help from the congregation for funds, the additional amounts needed were donated. During the summer Milnar made the repairs included in the contract. However the organist realized that all the problems were not fixed. Milnar Organ Co. responded with the information that more money will be needed to fully repair the organ. Milnar’s organ builder and his assistant came to St. Michael’s to meet with three members of the vestry, along with the organist. They indicated that there was missed communication/misunderstanding and that the completed repairs were just an initial phase. The Milnar Organ Co. informed the group that there are a number of options for finishing repairing the organ depending on the desires of the vestry and the funds committed. ‘The organ builder will prepare a new proposal with options for the repairs. One positive part of the work on the organ was the installation of new chimes. On Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013 the choir and the organist were installed during the 10:00 AM service. ‘The new organ chimes were also dedicated in honor of the many years of service to the music ministry of Elaine Pegram, who serves as the assistant organist, often filling in with very little notice. The congregation showed their approval with loud applause. She was surprised and pleased,One of the goals for Worship & Music continues to be Recruitment. Each of the areas of Worship & Music, especially ushers, need additional members. Eucharistic Ministers have increased their numbers and the acolyte master continues to recruit new young people as seniors graduate, We have been blessed by the addition of a few new recruits for altar guild. We still need more people for the choir and the flower guild. Another goal for Worship & Music has been incorporating youth into the worship service with music. Youth members are now leading the psalms — we would like to have them read at least twice a month. We would like for them to also take the lead with music on a more regular basis. This endeavor is in partnership with the Director of Christian Education and the Sunday School teachers. ‘The organist has recruited young people to sing solos for the offertory and also sing regularly in the choir beginning this past fall. The Director of Christian Education asked for help with the children’s costumes for the Christmas Pageant during the Christmas Eve service. The vestry person for Worship & Music recruited five seamstresses who went through all the costumes to determine which ones were usable. They washed and repaired all the remaining costumes. They also made some additions to enhance the pageant. ‘An ongoing goal has been the addition of new burial niches for the columbarium. ‘The Chair of the Columbarium Committee found a foundry that will duplicate the brass designs of the existing niche doors. A carpenter from TTU who originally built the wooden niches will build the additional new ones. ‘The contract has been signed and partial payment sent to the foundry. ‘The various ministries in Worship & Music — acolytes, altar/flower guilds, choir, Eucharistic Ministers, and ushers — each contribute to the total worship experience for the community of St. Michael’s. They fulfill their duties at every service and find themselves blessed as they give back to God their time and talents. Resources Report This parish community is blessed with many resources that can be used by us to “Know God and to make Him known.” Many, many parishioners give untold amounts of TIME to many parish and community projects, to our worship services, to the building and grounds maintenance, etc. The TALENT of parishioners are used by the parish community collectively as we worship together and as we interact and make God’s presence known in our community. Our TREASURE is used to enable our parish to serve our individual and collective needs as parishioners. It is also used to sustain many areas of endeavor on behalf of our fellow man, not only in Cookeville, but in our world. As we look to the year 2014, we must be ever mindful of the fact that it is a blessing to be able to share all three — Time, Talent and Treasure — in order to help our parish achieve its mission —'To Know God and To Make Him Known,Parish Life Ministry Report for Annual Meeting 2014 January 12, 2014 Parish Life Ministry tries to provide parishioners opportunities to work and play together for the betterment of the congregation and to provide care for parishioners including prayers, food and friendship. * Men's Group of St Michael's ‘The Men's Group has met monthly and has worked at the Spring Picnic in May, at the Ladies Appreciation Fish Fry, the Cameron Hess Golf Tournament, and St. Michael's Day Picnic in September. They participated in the Chili Cook Off and organized a canoe trip for the parish. + Episcopal Church Women ‘The women of the parish have met for fellowship at an evening of Bunco in May and at a Christmas/Omament Exchange party in December. © Prayer Ministry Ginger Ensor continues with the Prayer Ministry. She provides email notices to parishioners of prayer requests, needs of assistance and status updates to those who have asked to ‘be informed. © Dinners for Eight Gordon King has organized dinner get-togethers in participants’ homes and in restaurant. * Special Events have included Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper and the Parish Retreat at Fall Creek Falls State Park in September.EVANGELISM and COMMUNICATIONS MINISTRY To know God and to make Him known Annual Report — January 12, 2014 ‘The goal of this ministry is to initiate a communications plan that supports and publicizes the good works of St. Michaels. If we are truly committed to increasing our membership, we must be diligent in our efforts to involve all parishioners to donate not only their treasures, but their time and talents. This past year, the Evangelism and Communications Committee (EC) has done just that. ‘As we identified existing resources and publications used by St. Michaels, we realized our first challenge was to select a graphic design that “branded” us within the parish, the community and across the Diocese. The architectural drawing of St. Michaels is now used on the newly designed Prayer Request and Visitor Welcome found in the pews, and on St. Michael’s notecards and magnets. We are hopeful this branding (logo) will appear on all future ministry brochures, fliers, programs, newsletters, stationary, announcements and social media outlets. This is a wonderful marketing technique used to establish one’s individuality (Golden Arches = McDonalds). Graphic designs, logos, and templates will be made available for committee and individual use. Our committee is available to work with you. Let us know your needs and how we can devise a strategy to help you accomplish them. ‘Evangelism and Communications Committee Name Contact, Responsibility Barbara Goodson ‘Web Master Rachel Robinson Face Book Marti Crawford | ProofReader Bettye Vaden ‘Newcomer Ministry Ruth Jones Newcomer Ministry ___| Claire McMillan ‘Marketing Techniques Esther Rohr Photographer Sandra Koczwara - ‘Vestry[ Communication Venues [Web Site | www.stmike-tn.org Barbara Goodson Facebook “Michael's Episcopal | Rachel Robinson [Newsletter | Wendy Woods 7 = _ | | Parishioners_| Membership Directory _| TBD. | of | Connections Cathy Hendrix | Challenges for 2014: Welcome to St. Michaels - Brochure Ministry Bulletin Boards - Revitalize Newcomer Ministry - Guest Registry- Greeters at all services Marketing - Episcopal car decals, aprons, magnets Software solutions (user-friendly) design templates for Sunday bulletins, monthly newsletters, special activities and events such as weddings, funerals, baptisms, confirmations, etc. Challenges for 2014 — Help Wanted Photographers Greeters Proof Reader Graphic Designer Data Entry (Membership Directory) Social Media enthusiasts — willing to conduct “how to” classes (e-mail; Facebook; Internet) I truly believe we can increase membership by promoting and publicizing all the wonderful things happening at St. Michaels and through our outreach program. We must consciously remember to “toot our own hom” because, simply put, no one else knows the tune. Faithfully submitted, Sandra KoczwaraYouth and Family Annual Report - 2013 EYC Worship + Several youth from St. Michael’s attended the Annual Diocesan Convention in Nashville, Fellowship + Scheduled hike to Picket’s State Park was rained out. + Java time continued where it left off in 2012 with average attendance between 12 to 15 per week. + EYC made a trip to Sewanee and served as acolytes for the Diocesan Youth Eucharist on September 15th, Service + Inaugural “Resolution Relay — 5k” operated in the black in 2013! Special thanks goes out to Becky Magura and Jen Lefevre from TN Race Timing for braving the cold and wet elements in order to provide top notch service. A sneak peek at the January 1, 2014 event revealed a magnificent increase! + Several youth attended the Annual Diocesan Convention in Nashville and assisted with their talents in providing social media coverage of the event. St. Michael’s was respectfully represented by these youth! + Several youth assisted with cooking and serving during the Shrove Pancake supper. + Youth supplied plastic eggs, fillings, and hid them during the Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday. + There were two opportunities to assist with the Backpack Program in April. These events were attended by three youth on one occasion and one on a second. + We had a record number of youth helping to stuff backpacks after sharing a meal at El Tap beforehand, Administrative . Rachel attended the second Diocesan Youth Eucharist on March 10 at St. George's and served as chalice bearer.+ Rachel continues to attend Youth Steering Committee meetings when she can and keeps in touch with youth ministers in the Diocese. She is also going to the Diocesan offices once a month for Standing Committee meetings. + Rachel and David tended the Family and Youth table at the Spring Parish ministry fair. There was low attendance and traffic through the hall during the event. + Rachel accepted an offer to teach at CHS beginning in August. She has agreed to work for one more year as the DCYM. She worked as much as she can of her 25 hours per week until ‘August. However, beginning Aug. 15 2013, she reduced her hours while she balanced her time between PCS and St. Michael’s. + Youth Ministries Intern 2013-2014 - For the 2013-2014 school year, Youth and Family is still interested in hiring a Youth Intern (someone out of high school and pursuing some sort of higher education). This person would be paid for 5 hours of work a week, at a pay rate yet to be determined, and this money would be paid out of the 25 hours that Rachel already been budgeted. The Intern would report to Rachel, but also be under the supervision of Joe and David. For the latter part of 2013, Mary Boring has been assisting with administrative tasks and working out very well. She and Rachel are meeting once a week after school to review the weck and provide her with a "to-do list" for the week Talent Show: Many thanks to the faithful youth and Mary Boring who prepared and served the meal and also to those in attendance. While the draw in attendance and funds raised were down over previous years the talent was exceptional and entertaining as always. Sunday School — K through 12th grade Our first Christian Education Retreat was held Saturday, April 6th. Rachel and three parents discussed current problems with Christian Education for K-12 and potential solutions. Notable problems that were discussed included low attendance, lack of young families, and teacher burnout. We surveyed parents that have children in the K-12 age range. The survey covered 1) children counts by age group, 2) attitudes toward Christian Ed, and 3) suggestions for improvement. Survey results were published in the monthly Vestry minutes and copies were made available during the Ministry of the Month time for Youth and Family. One idea that we implemented quickly is a Family Night to provide an opportunity for fellowship. The inaugural Family Night was held on May 4th in the Parish Hall. Five families were in attendance to share a catered meal and then teamed up for Tinker Toy competition. Sunday School Fall + Many thanks to Mark Clark and Reilly Reagan for service to Sunday School over the past few years. Each decided to take a much-needed break beginning in the Fall.+ We currently have one joint class with ages ranging from PreK. (age 4) to 6th graders. This class takes place downstairs in Wendy’s room, with both Susan and Wendy co-teaching whoever shows up. If the group continues to grow, children will be split into two groups between Wendy and Susan. We are quickly approaching the need to split the class into two groups with attendance steadily increasing and averaging around 10 children per week. Should the class need to be split we will use parent floaters. Rachel will devise a monthly schedule of parent volunteers who will assist Susan and Wendy. They will also help distribute snacks at 9:35 to the class. The goal is to have two parent volunteers every Sunday, cycling through the month. Rachel will personally call these volunteers and assure them that volunteering means just helping with the teachers and helping get snacks out and it would be a once a month (or even once every ‘two months) commitment. Hopefully this will encourage parents to become involved, bring their children more consistently, and provide Sunday School with the parental support it needs. + Teen Sunday School for the 2013-2014 year: Rachel, David, Sharon Artley, Craig Fickling, Father Joe and Becky Magura agreed to provide a team-based approach to this class. ‘The curriculum is structured on the three pillars of reason, tradition, and scripture. Rachel created a guide for Christian Ed teachers K-6 provided by VTS (Virginia Theological) - materials are free. Thank you Wendy Woods for printing them out while Rachel organized the finished guide. During the latter part of 2013 we are seeing very low attendance in Sunday School for 7-12. + Rachel created a “Sunday School” Calendar for the 2013-2014 that includes events such as school breaks, Christmas Pageant, Easter Egg Hunt, etc, for internal use to Youth and Family. + A second Sunday School Retreat was held on Saturday, August 17, 2013. Rachel, Sharon, Susan, Wendy, and David met to discuss the results of the Sunday School Survey. + Notebooks prepped with administrative guidelines and photo release forms were distributed to Sunday School teachers. + There was enthusiastic discussion about having a family night every Wednesday with a catered meal. This model seems to work at the United Methodist Church. Christian Education and Homework Help were suggested as possible offerings after dinner. The only other way of creating time for fellowship may be to rearrange the Sunday morning schedule. This idea has been “shelved” by David who is currently working to get the College Ministry dinner and book club started. We do not know how often the college group will be meeting on Wednesday nights and he is currently committed to leading Compline for the students. Perhaps we should wait until the Vestry elections in January to determine whether there is continued interest and assistance from Parish life? + Our second Family Night was held at Bowling World and deemed a success with Father Joe, Rachel, and six families attending. ‘The feedback was positive with interest in having an activity like it again. 10Christmas Pageant. Many thanks to Pat Philips, Pat Cleage, Judy Conley, Marilyn Monin, and Ester Rohr for their enthusiastic efforts in planning and creating new costumes and also for cleaning the existing ones. Additional thanks goes to Rachel Robinson, Dessa Hix, and Michael Choate for the sermon in pageant form and the beautiful music. College Ministries Miss Lydie-Claire Brown accepted our offer to assist in coordinating a College Ministry at TTU. She was in attendance at the mini-ministry fair on September 8, 2013. + First meeting of college ministries was held November 13, 2013 at 6pm. Three were in attendance to eat dinner, begin our book club reading of “How to Live Like a Narnian,” followed ‘by Compline. We hope to get a strong start at the beginning of Spring Semester 2014. + Many thanks to Dale and Ginger Ensor for spreading the word about our college ministry. Both have forwarded several names of students that we have invited. + We received funding from the Episcopal Church in the amount of $1150. The current plan is to prorate this amount across Lydia’s stipend and programming. Nursery + Weare frequently seeing one to no children in the nursery for most of 2013. Jr Warden Summary Year-end, 2013 Report available in Church Office uwOutreach Areas Local Organizations Served Dismas House provides practical support for carefully screened, motivated former offenders paroled from Tennessee prisons andor jails. By helping to build the re-entry and re-socialization skills necessary, residents of Dismas House have a better opportunity of becoming independent, productive members of the community. St Michael's provided and shared one dinner per month at Dismas House (3 Tuesday of each month) until the Cookeville house was closed due to funding problems. Genesis House provides shelter and support for victims of domestic and sexual violence and helps the women become independent. St. Michael's made financial contributions ($1,525) to help purchase prescriptions and other needs for residents and collected needed supplies and clothing to give to them. Helping Hands of Putnam County provides emergency assistance for low income families by providing boxes of food, gas vouchers, and financial assistance with utility bills, rent, and prescriptions. St, Michael's donated $300 / month, plus a $925 year-end donation and held the “Fill the Bed” food drive which generated 334.5 Ibs of paper and misc. goods and $456. Putnam County Habitat for Humanity builds simple, decent and affordable homes in partnership with God and families in need, St. Michael's made a $750 financial contribution. Cookeville Rescue Mission provides housing, meals, and support for homeless and transient people. St. Michael's donated $250 to the mission and $250 to their dental clinic. Other Local Outreach Activities Angel Tree: This year, 56 school children from Northeast Elementary received Christmas gifts from their “angels,” members of St. Michael's who purchased clothing and toys for these children, Backpack Program: St. Michae'’s partners with two other churches to provide funds and volunteers to send food home for the weekend with children from Parkview Elementary who may not have food at home. Every third month, St. Michael's volunteers pick up supplies from Second Harvest and bag food for students. Over $2,500 in donations and funds from the Bake-off were used for this program. Parishioners also provided snacks for the bags. The EYC donated their proceeds from the Pancake Supper and the Sunday School classes contributed donations to the Backpack program. Beneath His Wings: Twice a year, near the end of each fall and spring semesters, St. Michael's sends exam care packages to college students with ties to our parish. This year, 23 packages were sent out spring semester and 17 fall semester.School supplies for local school children: School supplies were collected and donated to Northeast Elementary to be given to students who needed them. Fundraisers: In August, a Bake-off was held with the proceeds ($1,014) used for the Backpack Program. The Chili Cook-off has been held for five years; funds raised this year ($523.25) were designated for our outreach to Uganda. Thanksgiving Boxes: Food for all the items needed for a Thanksgiving feast were donated and purchased and provided to 26 families who would otherwise not have had a Thanksgiving meal. Monterey Girls’ Basketball Team: The young women on this team are coached by Todd Hess. Norma Hess brought to our attention that these young women come from families who cannot afford to provide meals for them before games. Volunteers have contributed food and money to purchase food to ensure they are fed. International Outreach ChildReach Africa provides assistance to orphaned and vulnerable children affected by HIVIAIDS and the war in rural Uganda and their care-givers. St. Michael's provided three scholarships for children to attend schools to further their educations and/or learn a trade, plus the funds from the Chili Cook-off. Sarah Dearnbarger collected donations for cookies and hot chocolate and gave the approximately $200 to this program. Ecuador: We continue to be in contact with our sister church and will continue to support them financially and through our prayers. Episcopal Relief and Development is an international relief and development agency and a compassionate response to human suffering on behalf of The Episcopal Church of the United States. St. Michael's contributed $400 to their relief efforts. Food For The Poor ministers to spiritually renew impoverished people throughout Latin ‘America and the Caribbean; goals are to improve the health, economic, social and spiritual conditions of the men, women and children served, St. Michael's contributed $750 from the Outreach budget. Other Fisher House provides free or low cost lodging to veterans and military families receiving treatment at military medical centers. St. Michael's contributed $500 from the Outreach budget. i3