Grace Church Stewardship 2012

Share God’s Gifts and

In All Things Give Thanks!

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Stewardship Is…

• Our response to the gifts that God has given us in our lives and in the gift of Christ Jesus for our salvation.

• Begins with our Baptismal Covenant.

• All that we do with all that we are and all that we have after we say, “I believe!”

 

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Our Budget Hasn' t Grown Very Much Lately

$974,500$987,200 $1,003,000$976,597 $1,002,727$985,755

$0

$200,000

$400,000

$600,000

$800,000

$1,000,000

$1,200,000

2010 2011 2012

Income

Expenses

+0.9% +1.7%

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We Depend Upon Our Pledge Income for Most of Our Needs

(Projected 2012 Income)

Pledge Income, $891,500

Other Income, $15,500

School Cost-Sharing, $41,000

Loose Plate & Other Offerings,

$55,000

For 2012, approximately 60% of the parish made a financial commitment

to give regularly to Grace Church.

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Where Does the Money Go? What Are the Needs?(2012 Budget)

Participation in Diocesan & National

Church Activities, $94,700

Parish Outreach, $59,490

Salaries for Clergy & Staff, $610,777

Administration, $41,080

Building Upkeep, $154,582

Other Programs & Ministries, $42,098

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 A Narrative Budget Summary for 2013

 Our 10 program areas have prepared narrative statements

that outline a vision for each ministry, and what is possible if additional resources are available in 2013.

There are three needs that must be considered:

1. Support for our professional staff;2. Grow our programs, especially communications,

education and outreach; and3. Care for our physical plant.

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Our Professional StaffGrace Church is truly blessed –

• By clergy who touch our lives in many ways, guiding and sustaining us in the liturgy and through their inspired preaching, encouragement, counsel, comfort and prayers.

• By church staff who perform tireless work for all of us, regard their work as a “calling” and often giving freely of their time beyond the level for which they compensated.  For example: Enriching the music program at Grace with wonderful 

musical gifts and leadership of our choirs and other musical events;

Leading the spiritual education and development of our children and youth, young and growing families, parents and adult faith formation;

Administering the daily activities of the parish – and the parish office – so that everything gets coordinated, accomplished, provided and communicated;  and

Ensuring that the fabric of the church is clean and presentable every single day. 7

Our Professional Staff (cont.)• For 2013 the Diocese recommends a minimum increase of 

+2% in total compensation for currently-employed ordained and lay  staff.  

• Compensating our staff fairly and adequately has been a long-time priority at Grace Church.  

• Continued commitment to sacrificial and generous giving in our financial pledges will ensure this priority is supported, and that consideration can be given to increasing staff support to mission, ministry and program areas.

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Worship

• Grace Church is a special place, characterized by a deep and abiding love of God and focus on the weekly and daily celebrations of the Eucharist in all the glory of the liturgy. We are a loving people, sustained and inspired by the Holy spirit in our common worship together.

• Led by our clergy and supported by our acolytes, Lay Eucharistic Ministers, choirs, Altar Guild, lectors, ushers and element bearers, liturgical worship is central to our life at Grace Church

• Additional resources would - Replenish vestments, many of which are

threadbare, faded, ill-fitting or do not match Underwrite activities like participation in the

National Acolyte Festival, development retreats for LEMs, acolyte educational materials and fellowship programs to thank parishioners for their service.

Grow and evolve the Grace Church music program in the most effective way possible in order to enhance the parish’s rich tradition of “worship in the beauty of holiness.” 

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name:Worship the LORD in the

beauty of holiness. (Psalm 96, 7-9)

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La Gracia• A healthy congregation with about 45 people for an average

Sunday attendance and as many as 54 this fall. The Latino population in the church is now established and maturing.

• We want to strengthen the bridges between the Anglo and Latino congregations in intentional steps. Shrine Mont and the several bi-lingual services have already begun that work.

Mutual mission to our common community for outreach opportunities. We have new volunteers from La Gracia in the Food Pantry and with Meals on Wheels.

Participation in Sunday school and adult forums for theological education.

Integrated presence will enrich the whole of Grace Church.

• We hope for scholarship funds that could encourage members of La Gracia to go to Work Camp or on other short mission trips to deepen their Episcopal identity.

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Education and Spiritual Development

• The Education budget supports Nursery, Children’s Chapel, Sunday School, adult faith formation (including Sunday forums, monthly parent forums and Inquirers’ Class), Lenten simple suppers and lectures, Education for Ministry, as well as the Lenten silent retreat and the newly offered monastic retreat at Society of Saint John the Evangelist in Boston.

• Additional resources could provide - Increased support for spiritual growth of children,

parents and teachers through richer curriculum development, vital parent forums and more teacher enrichment;

Theologically-based adult forums, evening classes, and silent retreats -- and to give parishioners opportunities for meaningful, thoughtful discussions;

Updated supporting technology including a devoted PowerPoint projector, increased audio capabilities and updated televisions and DVDs; and

More diverse adult education programs and further development of adult education opportunities.

 

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Youth• The Journey to Adulthood (J2A) is a complete

youth ministry program of spiritual formation for 6th – 12th grades. Three 2-year program segments– Rite 13, J2A, and EYC - use Bible study, prayer, rites of passage, outreach ministries and both serious and playful activities to underscore two guiding principles: Manhood and womanhood are free gifts from God; and Adulthood must be earned.

• The Youth budget curently provides funding for group activities including the Sunday evening youth group fellowship dinners, sponsorship of seasonal calendar event (Church Picnic and Easter Egg Hunt) and seed money for the J2A pilgrimage and Youth mission trips.

• Additional resources would permit building on the existing foundation of youth-oriented programs:

• New curriculum on formative theology and guidance for high schoolers;

• More robust and dynamic group activities; and

• Program to help our seniors transition to life after high school and in college (both spiritually and practically).

“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and all people.” (Luke 2:52)

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Communications• The Communications Ministry serves to spread

Christ’s Good News, using all the tools our digital society offers, through the parish’s technology infrastructure and the ‘messages we transmit” over that infrastructure.

• The Communications Ministry (Grace Notes, the website and technology refreshment) averages about 0.5% of Grace Church’s total budget – not enough to improve our current infrastructure and more robustly share the word about our church both inside and outside the parish.

• Grace's technological infrastructure requires substantial investment in the near future.

• Internet infrastructure and wi-fi are under-powered, and the hardware and software needed to do our work requires “faithful maintenance.”

• Investment in a more robust technology infrastructure would permit us to bolster the church’s audio/visual offerings through recorded sermons and other parish events, and to take Grace’s growing photo ministry beyond the foyer photo wall.

• Additional resources would also permit us to widen our church's digital footprint - and undertake a more robust public outreach campaign using Grace Notes and Grace’s active Facebook, Twitter and webpage sites.

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Evangelism• Jesus told His disciples to “go and make disciples

of all nations.” To complete this task, Christian must evangelize, or bring the “good news,” to everyone they meet.

• Grace's St. Andrew's Guild ensures that greeters meet and welcome visitors after services. The Guild provides welcome folders and name tags, staffs the newcomers' table at coffee hour, makes follow-up calls, and sponsors newcomer. All parishioners are ex-officio members of the Guild when it comes to offering a warm welcome.

• Grace also runs a booth at Art on the Avenue, a festival held on Mount Vernon Avenue in Alexandria each October – distributing balloons, water for our four-legged friends and information about Grace Church

• We can always do more to spread the good news! We'd like to expand our presence in Del Ray, Arlandria, Beverly Hills, and the surrounding community. We’d also love to increase our use of signage to inform passersby about what’s going on at Grace.

  

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Outreach-Mission• Excepting personnel and physical plant, Outreach-Mission

is the largest item in the Grace budget, reflecting this church’s ongoing effort to help build god’s kingdom in our neighborhood and in the larger world.

• Financial contribution to local charities make a difference in the lives of thousands of northern Virginia residents. Grace Church Food Pantry is an invaluable resource for hundreds of local families.

• We are a positive force in the world through the mission projects we support: Haiti Micah Project in Mirabalais, Haiti; Our Little Rose home in San Pedro Sula, Honduras; St. James Anglican Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

• We accommodated all needs dentified this year 2012, but at the cost of reducing contributions to some organizations

• Additional resources would permit us to –• Restore organizations with reduced funding to their

original programmed levels – or even to increase them.• Expand impact outside Alexandria : Haiti Micah,

Honduras, and Tanzania.• Provide increased scholarship support for youth and

adult mission trips.

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Pastoral CareThe Pastoral Care program seeks for all of us to “love one another as I have loved you.” Using our time, talents, and treasures to reach out to parishioners and friends with needs and ease their concerns with our support and caring.  • Stephen Ministry - Training for lay people to

provide caring support to individuals in crisis or transition in life.

• Flowers from the Altar – Taken weekly to those hospitalized or homebound.

• Card Ministry - Sent to fellow parishioners who need encouragement, prayers, or congratulations.

• Care Packages - Sent to college or boarding-school students and those serving in the military or abroad.

• Parishioner Care - Rides to a doctor’s appointment or church, a visit to someone who lives alone, meals for someone recovering from surgery or with a new baby, or longer-term help.

• St. Francis Garden Pet Cemetery – burial of cremated remains of pets

• Grief Share - 13-week program to assist those through the grieving process.

In the coming year, through the growth of our Stephen Ministries program and other areas, we would like to be able to increase the number of Grace Church parishioners we care for on a day-to-day basis.

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Twenties & Thirties (TNT)• TNT provides an opportunity for young adults (those

in their 20s and 30s) to interact with their peers within the parish and the broader church -- and to grow spiritually and intellectually. There is a large young adult population in the Arlington/Alexandria area, and Grace's TNT would like to grow into a group that can be meaningful in their lives -- and be their entrée into the Episcopal Church.

• Our TNT group is currently small, but no group is riper for evangelism than young adults. Grace TNT views its mission as one of attracting young people into the church. With additional resources we can make a concerted effort to expand the reach of our existing activities -- including weekly bible study and regular social events like happy hours and Chili Bowl -- outside the church's walls and into the Arlington/Alexandria community.

 • A larger group could sustain more activities of

interest to young adults -- like career or networking events, mentorship programs (with TNTers serving as both mentors to younger people and mentees to more established folks) and community service

efforts. 17

FellowshipThe Fellowship Program and Committee provide the support for the many receptions, dinners, coffee hours, meeting refreshments, and other events that help our Grace community grow in faith, friendship, and support, in times of joy and sorrow, throughout the church year. The kitchen is the meeting and preparation place for so many programs in Outreach, Youth ministries, and Altar Guild.

Over the years, the kitchen has undergone several small additions and renovations, but with the growth of the parish and its various programs,the demands on this space have increased significantly. To keep pace with these demands, and to support our community focus on environmentally friendly and healthy practices, several efforts merit consideration, including:

Upgraded stove, ovens and refrigeration; More efficient and hygienic work space; Flexible storage and gradual elimination of

consumable paper and plastic products in favor of washable dishes, etc.; and

A complete inventory of kitchen equipment and reception/event supplies, with the purchase of supplemental supplies as necessary.

 

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Stewardship of the Environment

Grace's Environmental Committee was formed in response to the Episcopal Church’s Genesis Covenant, which commits our national religious community to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum of 50 percent within ten years. The committee strives to identify ways to reduce energy and water consumption and has worked with the day school and Junior Warden to implement projects and track their impact on the facility’s utility bills.

New energy efficient windows were installed throughout Merrow Hall using funds provided from the Grace Anew Capital Campaign.

The committee invested significant time and energy in development of a plan to install solar power panels on the roof of Merrow Hall, but roof structural limitations prevented carrying through on this project.

Plans for upgrading the church's lighting system are under consideration, thanks in part to an energy audit conducted by the school.

A workshop presented by the City of Alexandria is being hosted to inform and involve other churches in the area on environmental issues.

A parish vegetable garden has been established to provide fresh produce for the Food Pantry.

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Stewardship of Our Physical Plant and Infrastructure

The Junior Warden’s budget includes utilities (gas, electric, water, telephone, cable, waste removal), housekeeping, grounds maintenance, security and routine maintenance; a small reserve for unprogrammed repairs or replacement of minor systems; and major repairs and replacement of major systems nearing end of their service life or major system/infrastructure upgrades largely dependent upon emergency funding from parish reserves or from funds raised for major capital improvements (e.g. Grace Anew, 1992 Building Fund).

The 2010 Vestry established the Property Committee to look beyond the current budget year to assess needs, alternatives and recommendations for near, mid, and long term; and identify capital repair/replacement needs exceeding annual JW budget.

The 2011 Vestry created a Capital Improvement account in Parish 2012 budget to prepare for major refurbishment and replacements expected over the next decade.

2013 Physical plant and infrastructure budget needs include:• A modest increase to the budget for annual maintenance/repair; and• Sustained commitment to growing the Capital Improvement Reserve.

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The Bottom Line

• The Grace Church parish budget for 2013 will not be determined until the 2012 Pledge Campaign is completed and the results are known.

• Our goal this year is that ALL parish families and individual households will make a financial pledge to support Grace Church mission and ministry in 2013.

Give Generously and Sacrificially!Grace Church Ministry and Mission

Depend Upon You! 21

Share God’s Gifts And In

All Things Give Thanks!

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