Annual Meeting Reports for January 31, 2010
The following links will take you directly to any specific report you want to read or you can just read to the bottom for all the reports.
Minutes of January 25, 2009 annual meeting
Rector's Report
Senior Warden's Report
Junior Warden's Report
Assistant Priest's Report (Carol Tookey)
Youth Committee Report
Outreach Committee Report
Ministry of Music and Arts Report
Fellowship Committee Report
St. Lawrence Library and Archives Committee
3rd Avenue Arts Report (formerly Lion's Book Corner)
Daughters of the King Annual Report
Newcomers Report
St. Mark’s Endowment Trust – Board of Trustees
Treasurer's and Finance Committee Report
Report on New By-laws
St. Mark’s Vestry and Endowment Trust Nominees
2009 Annual Meeting Minutes
Submitted by Luri Owen
Clerk of the Vestry
ANNUAL MEETING-January 25, 2009
The Annual Meeting of St. Mark's Episcopal Church was held on Sunday, January 25, 2009. A brunch followed a combined worship service, and the Rev. Andrew Cooley convened the meeting at 11:15 a.m. with prayer. Susan Stamets moved to approve the 2008 Annual Meeting minutes, and the motion carried. Andrew appointed Luri Owen to take the minutes for the 2009 meeting, and he also asked that the annual reports, which had been made available during the previous week via the parish website, be approved as written. Chandler Jackson moved for acceptance, and the motion carried.
Andrew referred those gathered to his written report and gave highlights from it. He said that he has made it a point to shovel the sidewalks around the church when it snowed, and has reflected on how they connect the church to the larger community. St. Mark's is the closest church to downtown Durango. He reminded us of how St. Mark's has been blessed with clergy; currently, we are served by the Revs. Carol Tookey, Bob Newby, and Bob Seney in addition to Andrew himself, as well as Deacon Ginny Brown. He also spoke of the loss of the Revs. Mike Darmour, who died in June 2008, and Mary Hardy, who moved away last fall. He reminded us of several significant parish events, notably the retreat last September and Vacation Bible School in July, and he thanked the numerous volunteers who contributed to the success of both. He presented the Christ Candle to Jim Wimp in absentia for his exemplary service to St. Mark's over the past 2½ years as he has come in weekly to keep our books and do payroll and year-end statements, spending several hours in the office on Mondays and Fridays. Andrew concluded by telling us that it is a great joy to be rector at St. Mark's and serve us at this time.
Elections--Andrew then introduced Jim Bundy, Susan Stamets, Liz Callard and Lea Leach, the four parishioners who had been nominated to stand for election to the Vestry. He also thanked the Vestry members whose terms have expired: Steve Kiely for his executive skill set as Senior Warden, Moni Helling for her indispensible help as Treasurer, David Shipps for ably representing the Vestry at the 8:00 a.m. service, and Jim Bundy for his enthusiasm. He further explained that there were three three-year terms to be filled and one one-year term that would be created with his appointment of Preston Knight as Senior Warden.
Andrew asked us to approve the appointment of Preston Knight as Senior Warden; Chandler Jackson moved to accept the appointment by acclamation, and the motion carried. Andrew then asked us to ratify the continuing appointment of Darren Wales as Junior Warden; June Hahl moved to ratify the continuing appointment by acclamation, and the motion carried.
Andrew opened the floor for further nominations for Vestry members, and Chandler Jackson nominated Ted Carr. Andrew asked for other nominations but there were none, so he closed the floor to nominations and proposed that the Rule of Elections be that the top three vote-getters be elected to serve the three-year terms and the fourth get the one-year term. Chandler told us, however, that Ted would prefer to serve the one-year term; Priscilla Shand moved to accept the Rule of Elections, and the motion carried. Ballots were distributed, marked and collected; Len Hahl and the Rev. Bob Seney served as tellers to count the votes.
Senior Warden-Steve Kiely began his report by reminding us that a church's biggest assets go home at night. He told us that it had been a pleasure to serve five years as part of the Vestry, the last three as Senior Warden. Last year, Andrew asked the Vestry to do its best to bring Scott and Cheryl to full time; Scott's salary is funded through designated gifts, which were increased in 2008, and Mary Hardy's salary has gone to bring Cheryl to full-time as a result of the Rev. Carol Tookey donating her time. Steve told us that Scott is "Chief Marketing Officer" of St. Mark's and has brought us to the attention of the community in a way that we couldn't have imagined without him. Cheryl does wonders in the office. The other "Yes We Can" at St. Mark's is the 9th Street property, which we acquired knowing that the two buildings would need renovation. One of those has been rented since January 2008, and thanks to Bob Prentice's expertise, the other one has been renovated and was rented since September 2008. The rental income gives us some headroom in terms of figuring out what we want to do with the property in the future. A third priority last year was to make this a more welcoming church for families with small children; we have gotten better at this as a result of Vestry members with small children keeping us mindful that they and other families need childcare in order to participate fully in the life of the church. The recent Stewardship campaign was disappointing; half of our income comes from ten families , and when a big donor leaves, it hurts. If we take our those ten families, the average pledge among the other parishioners is about $1,200.00 annually, but we have a cost of about $1,800.00 annually per member. We will make our 2009 budget, but only by being stringent.
Site Planning Commission
—Five parishioners were appointed last year to consider what we want to do with the 9th Street property. Steve Kiely showed slides to illustrate their work. The seller financed the mortgage, which expires in five years. By then, the Commission will have decided what the parish wants to do with the property, and that answer will come from our mission. The group wants to continue to meet as the Mission Strategy Commission. They don’t think St. Mark’s needs a new worship space at this time. The “Emerging Church” model will help define our future connection to the community, and the Commission wants to articulate the direction of our parish, whose hub is the traditional church, including the building. Non-traditional things are happening outside the core hub, and the Commission wants to understand these micro-communities and how they interact with the hub. The Commission will have some meetings through the year to keep parishioners updated about its progress.
Treasurer—Moni Helling told us that our net income was -$12,047.00 at the end of 2008; pledges fell short, some families left the parish, and we overestimated loose plate offerings. Emil Nagy asked how the allocation for the Western Diocese going back into the overall Outreach budget would affect our contributions to local non-profits, and Andrew said that we made some reductions as a result of that; unless something happens, we will end up in the same place next year that we are in this year. We cut everywhere we could and we are still at a deficit. Insurance premiums went up significantly this year; it is cheaper for Scott and Cheryl to get their own insurance than for us to provide it. Susan Stamets asked if the mortgage payments included our insurance; Moni said that they do. Brad Stamets asked about our deficit excluding the music ministry, and also how much our payment will be when the mortgage balloon payment is due in five years on the property next door. All of us have to step up to the plate and give; all gifts make a difference. Chuck Williams asked about Outreach and Diocesan contributions being lumped together; Moni will separate them.
Vestry election results were announced as follows:
Three year terms:
- Susan Stamets,
- Liz Callard,
- Lea Leach
- Ted Carr
Other business:
Endowment Trust Committee—We need to elect two members; Steve Kiely and Moni Helling were nominated. Susan Stamets moved that they be elected by acclamation; the motion carried.
Point of Privilege—The Rev. Bob Seney reported that he is serving on the first and third Sundays of each month at South Fork, Monte Vista, and Crede, and the second and fourth Sundays in Mancos, but that St. Mark’s is still his home parish. The Rev. Bob Pope is returning from his second retirement and will take over the eastern churches. This parish is a blessing and a joy; 2008 was a rough journey with death and illness in the family, and support from St. Mark’s made it easier.
Budget Clarification—Moni Helling pointed out that we aren’t making any salary increases in 2009, and our staff deserves far more than we are giving them.
Discussion and Comments—Sam Burns facilitated interaction among parishioners based on the five Objectives for the Future from the Site Planning Commission. Participants were asked to reflect and respond on handouts. Andrew asked us to consider “What would you want the Vestry to know?” People could leave or stay and discuss; the meeting was projected to adjourn at 12:45 p.m.
Announcement –The Rev. Bob Seney reminded us of the Safeguarding God’s Children workshop on Saturday, February 7, here at St. Mark’s.
The meeting adjourned with singing of the Doxology at 12:45 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Luri Owen
Clerk of the Vestry
Rector’s Annual Report
Submitted by Father Andrew CooleyRector
2009 was a difficult year for many people and for many churches as well, so I'm deeply grateful to share with you that last year was perhaps our best yet. We saw growth in our membership, programs and giving and we significantly improved our administrative infrastructure. But I'm also so aware of the wonderful ministry we offered to many people and the excellence and care with which we did it.
For me, 2009 was demanding, as my father was with us for part of the year and needed care, and then my wife Terri underwent treatment for breast cancer. Both of them are doing well, but I felt a bit distracted at times last year. Even so, I was so deeply aware of your care, your love and concern for us; and appreciative of the many gestures and expressions of real support.
One of the big transitions of the previous year was the ability to bring Scott and Cheryl to full time status and now their energy and passion for the ministries they do has been unleashed. I believe that the level of excellence in our worship, our music and arts programs, our hospitality and welcome, and our attending to the needs of the parish family has grown dramatically. I believe we are all deeply blessed (I certainly am) to have such a faithful, caring and talented staff working for you.
We are once again blessed by an excellent Vestry which continues to offer great leadership for our parish. Last year saw more work behind the scenes to get our finances, books and building in sound shape. We will be presenting a new edition of our governing bylaws to the parish which the Vestry adopted at the January meeting. It seems that we are all paying more attention to details here and the results are bearing fruit now and will continue to do so in years to come.
We offered our second Parish Retreat last year, bringing back Fran McKendree. Those of us who attended had a great time, but we learned some things as well. Durango is such a busy place with so many opportunities for families to do things that doing a Parish Retreat at that level, trying to cater to families may not be the best use of our resources. We will be trying to do more recreational based activities and focus Faith Formation activities to the church.
Perhaps the most innovative event of 2009 was our offering a worship service with an Arts and Drama focus in October (11th). That service seemed to combine some of the learnings many of us heard when 14 of us went to a conference on the Emerging Church in Albuquerque last March; and the artistic expression of the Sacred Arts Festival. We are so blessed to have so many creative and visionary people here and we are all enriched when we hear the good news of Jesus Christ in new ways.
In recognition of the work we do here to offer excellent worship, I was asked to present a workshop at the Diocesan Convention in October. It was the best attended workshop there and we should all feel honored to be getting that kind of visibility around the church.
I also represented St. Mark's and the Diocese of Colorado at the General Convention in Anaheim California last July. It was gratifying to see the church take steps to be more welcoming and accepting of the diversity that is common at St. Mark's; but I was also thrilled to be involved in a number of other behind the scenes activities that help, it seems, to make the wider church look more and more like St. Mark's. There are a number of statistics that we report to the National Church every year (see the table below). These numbers show we haven't grown in the last few years, which although is consistent with national statistics, is worrisome in a community that is growing.
| 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | |
| Average Sunday Attendance | 140 | 139 | 141 | 140 | 141 | 133 | 145 | 163 | 153 |
| Attendance on Lent 1 | 160 | 124 | 144 | 138 | 112 | 122 | 159 | 152 | 148 |
| Attendance on Easter | 353 | 283 | 334 | 358 | 313 | 285 | 333 | 289 | 326 |
| Attendance on Pentecost | 129 | 139 | 118 | 141 | 144 | 130 | 143 | 146 | 173 |
| Attendance on Advent 1 | 141 | 154 | 139 | 149 | 132 | 125 | 107 | 156 | 186 |
| Attendance at Christmas | 546 | 439 | 510 | 503 | 550 | 560 | 540 | 470 | 577 |
| Baptisms | 5 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Confirmations | 14 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 0 |
| Weddings | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Funerals | 5 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 4 |
I often think of our role in Durango being part of a conversation. I believe we offer a voice that Durango needs; the voice of good news that cries out in the wilderness. God's love is pouring out, yet people are suspicious of churches. And yet, we are seen as a Sanctuary from Cynicism: a place where fear, hopelessness, scapegoating and vindictiveness are not dominating our language. We are also seen increasingly as Source of Beauty: a place where in our music, art, liturgy, architecture and grounds people find refreshment and inspiration. I believe we are also called to be Bearers of Hope in hard times. Our message is particularly relevant and needed in this time and place. I believe we are called to be a Wellspring of Compassion to those who are broken and marginalized in our community. And I also believe we are uniquely positioned to be Truth Tellers. We are keepers of the narratives that reveal the need for personal sacrifice, moral integrity and justice and righteousness. We can offer this, combined with the language of grace and forgiveness, in a way that all would benefit. If we do this, we would indeed be agents for the transformation of the culture of our community.
Senior Warden’s Annual Report
Submitted by Preston Knight
Senior Warden
2009 was a very positive year for St. Mark's. The strength or our programs continues to increase God's presence among those who not only attend our church, but for the community as a whole.
The church did not have any major issues to contend with, thankfully, so the vestry was able to concentrate on some sorely needed housekeeping items that will improve the stability of the church moving forward. Some of these items included attaining health insurance for our staff members through the Episcopal Church Pension Group and rewriting and updating the church's by-laws. A special thanks goes to Liz Callard for the countless hours she put into the new by-laws. At this point, we are working on getting the church to a point where it "doesn't burn oil." Issues will always arise that we need to contend with, but hopefully we'll have the systems in place that allow us to tackle those unforeseen issues without the added stress of making sure the church is functioning well.
Our youth program has grown exponentially, thanks to the efforts of members like Trisha Richie, Lea Leach, and Renee Knight. Many parents have stepped forward to help teach our youth in Sunday school, and this has helped the program's success immeasurably.
Our stewardship campaign was altered last year, and I believe overall the changes we made proved successful. Considering the challenging economic times, our congregation should feel good about what we were able to achieve with our campaign, for we are not in the dire straights that many churches find themselves in. Can we do better? Yes. While we did well in the campaign, the church is not fat and happy, and we must continue to work hard to keep it on a solid financial footing. We should all be thankful for the work Susan Stamets has put in as treasurer. She has been a very positive force for the church. With the momentum of the Holy Spirit at our backs, we should strive to do and give more, so St. Mark's can change the lives of more within the community. Many are in need of God's help and grace, and our programs and people can be the vehicle God uses to help them.
I would like to close by thanking the congregation for offering me the opportunity to serve the parish as Senior Warden. I hope everyone realizes what a very special, blessed, place we have here. I also want to thank Andrew, the church staff, and the members of the Vestry for their continued tireless support of our church and its mission. St. Mark's is a great place to be because of all of you. Let's work in 2010 to make it even better.
Junior Warden Annual Report
Submitted by Darren WalesJunior Warden
As we knew at the beginning of the year, our major expense was the replacement of the boiler. We installed a two-boiler system at a cost of approximately $15,000. A significant benefit of the new two-boiler system is that it is much more efficient, heating one boiler first and then only heating the second if the demand is great enough. The system also utilizes an outdoor thermo-sensor that controls the boiler so that it will turn on and off automatically based upon the outside temperature.
We made repeated requests to the City of Durango to address concerns regarding the upheaval in the sidewalks. After assessing the low priority placed on this by the City, we hired a contractor to grind down the worst seams in the sidewalks in an effort to make them less hazardous for pedestrian traffic.
We had some other, more typical expenses, including some electrical work, but nothing more than should expected for general maintenance of the building.
This year, I hope to spend some additional time assessing building needs for both the Parish Hall and the Sanctuary. I expect that might include roof repairs and painting the interior of the Sanctuary. I hope to produce a list of items so that funds can be allocated as available to address items this year and in the future, as priority dictates.
Priest Assisting at St. Mark’s
Submitted by Carol TookeyI am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of St. Mark's and to share with this community. The past year has been a great blessing to me.
As to my activities for the previous year:
- I have led worship at the Healing Eucharist on Wednesdays at noon in fellowship with a great team of folks who share in leading music, leading reflections and meditations. Deacon Ginny Brown has been the other half of the leadership team for this service.
- I have celebrated and preached on Sundays to fill in when Fr. Andrew has been gone and at other times when requested.
- I have organized the Adult Formation program on Sunday mornings and led some of the programs.
- I have been a participant in Caring Communities and, with Lynn Emerson, have participated in some parish nurse activities: health screenings, parish education on health promotion and wellness, and providing personal consultation and support to individuals in the congregation dealing with health related issues.
- I have been able to make some pastoral calls over the past year to homes, hospital, and nursing homes. When able I've been blessed to participate with St. Mark's Choir in sharing in the music ministry of the congregation.
- In addition to these activities, I continue to assist at St. Luke's in Navajoland 1-2 Sundays a month and on Feast Days providing worship leadership and pastoral assistance.
Ministry of Music and Arts Annual Report
Submitted by C. Scott HaglerMinister of Music and Arts
2009 was another great year for music and the arts at St. Mark's Church.
The St. Mark's Choir continues to grow and take on a wide variety of interesting, high-quality music, from ancient to contemporary, classical to Gospel, from English to Hebrew. We kicked off our 2009--2010 choir season with a day-long retreat at the church in September; the majority of our singers spent a Saturday learning new music and enjoying the fellowship. Preparing for the retreat is a huge task; big thanks go to Cheryl Birchard and choir librarian Paul Duggan. We hosted Pasta & Pops, the choir's annual fundraiser, in October. Thanks to the culinary talents of Cheryl Birchard and musical talents of choir members and guest artist Gemma Kavanagh, and your support, we raised money to support the music budget. We continue with our two weekly rehearsals: Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. All are welcome to join the choir, and no auditions are required.
We experimented in the fall with a children's choir for our younger children, under the direction of Connie Cummins. Our kids second grade and up are enjoying playing the chimes, rehearsing about four weeks out for special services throughout the year.
Now in its fifth season, the Recital Series is going very well, even receiving critical acclaim. I appreciate both your financial support and your attendance at these wonderful recitals. I opened the 2008--2009 season with an organ recital, Shelley Mann played flute in January, followed by Gemma Kavanagh & Friends in March and Kasia Sokol on violin in April. The 2009--2010 series is underway; Nan Wagner returned to Durango to kick off the season. Gemma Kavanagh had a good crowd, despite feet-deep snow! The season continues with James Jon Bader on cello in February and Danielle Menapace on oboe and English horn in April. In addition to the four recitals on the series, Shelley Mann and I continue our annual Christmas recital tradition at St. Mark's.
The second year of the Durango Bach Festival was more astounding than the first; about 900 people came through the doors of St. Mark's in March to perform and hear the music of J.S. Bach, enjoy the luncheons and elegant receptions, and hear interesting lectures. The opening recital in 2009 was a performance by music students, which was very well received. The 2010 festival is slated for March 14--20; watch for details.
The Durango Chamber Music Festival kicked off in 2009, with Kasia Sokol, violinist extraordinaire, serving as Artistic Director for this new series of concerts here at St. Mark's. Mark your calendar for May 14, 21 and 28, 2010; these will be exceptional concerts you won't want to miss!
The 2009 Sacred Arts Festival was fantastic! More artists than ever created works of art for ICON that graced our Parish Hall and downstairs hallway. The opening receptions brought many new faces into St. Mark's, and the show garnered some great coverage in the local press. Three events added in 2007 -- a panel discussion, Poetry for the Spirit, and Music for Sacred Spaces -- and a Preview Benefit Luncheon with keynote speaker Judith Reynolds, labyrinth and meditation garden introduced in 2008, were also quite successful and well received. We published a beautiful 48-page book of poetry to accompany the evening poetry reading. The Sunday afternoon Music for Sacred Spaces concert brought a variety of original music, expressing the composers' varied views of the sacred, into the Sanctuary of St. Mark's. We also collaborated with the Durango Arts Center to feature an exhibit entitled "The Sacred" in the Barbara Conrad Gallery. Thanks to everyone who made the Sacred Arts Festival possible, particularly Caroline Corey, Dan White, Cheryl Birchard, Ginny Brown, Marti Kiely, Fr. Bob Seney, and all who brought food, helped with set-up and clean-up and served as hosts for the luncheon and receptions.
The Artists of St. Mark's held their first exhibit, "IIllumination," in May. Thanks to Jill Carlson for facilitating a 12-week study of Julia Cameron's book, "The Artist's Way." which met on Sundays between services.
The World AIDS Day and the Blue Christmas services are a means of touching the lives of people who do not regularly attend St. Mark's, and I'm pleased to be part of a church where that is important. Thanks to Fr. Andrew and Deacon Ginny Brown for helping me make these services a reality.
In addition to my duties in music and arts, I continue to work for St. Mark's in the area of communications, including producing the monthly newsletter, editing the Sunday bulletins, designing pieces for the information table and updating the welcome packets, creating ministry fair displays, designing signage for the marquee, and newspaper ads, posters and brochures for all of our music events. Cheryl and I are constantly working on the church's website; you can almost always find something new! Check out the links page, and remember the detailed church calendar and newsletter are online.
I couldn't do this job alone! Huge thanks to Cheryl Birchard for daily support, expert reception hosting, and great musicianship; to Sue Evans and Jim Bundy, for weekly help with bulletins and ushering at musical events; Steve and Marti Kiely, for unending support and making the festival and recital receptions extra-special; to Dan White for wonderful support, managing the house at musical events, making our performance spaces even more beautiful, and always jumping in wherever needed. St Mark's is blessed with so much amazing musical talent; my thanks to all the singers and instrumentalists who have given of their time, energy and talents to enhance our worship.
The truth is, Cheryl and I can always use more help. Whether you're available for one-time or short-term projects, or willing to help on an on-going basis, please let one of us know how we can put you to work!
I began my sixth year at St. Mark's on November 1, 2009. My thanks to Fr. Andrew, the Vestry, all the participants in the music program and to the congregation of St. Mark's for all your support and encouragement.
I'm looking forward to another great year in 2010!
Youth Committee Report
Submitted by Lea Leach and Trisha Rickey, Youth Committee ChairsYouth Committee members: Renee Knight, Lea Leach, Ivey Patton, Sharla Stephens, and Darren Wales
Our St. Mark’s youth programs continue to demonstrate steady growth in terms of the number of young people served and a wider variety of programs each year. 2009 in review:
- February-March 2009: Fifteen of our youth participated in the “I Will With God’s Help” confirmation class led by Lea Leach and Trisha Rickey. We ended the classes with a Wednesday Lenten Service which the confirmands participated in along with an overnight retreat at Electra Lake. Of the fifteen youth participants in the class, the Bishop confirmed nine.
- June 2009: Trisha Rickey led and developed the second annual Vacation Bible School, with the theme “Under the Sea.” Twenty-seven children participated in this fun program, which included re-enacting Bible stories, playing games, singing songs, and making crafts together. Thank you to Renee Knight, Sharla Stephens, Sarah Larsen, and Ivey Patton for serving as teachers in Vacation Bilbe school and to Max, Bella, Grant, Heath and Shayla for serving as teen helpers. Amy Kleindienst, Anna McBrayer, Tanya Wales and other parents provided the services to help make snacks, register children, assist teachers, create artwork for the program, or to decorate. Your help was greatly appreciated.
- September 2009: Monthly EYC meeting were started for fifth through twelfth graders. Lea Leach, Ivey Patton, and Trisha Rickey prepare dinner and social networking activities for the youth. Activities have included a photo scavenger hunt, solve the mystery dinner, gathering and distributing firewood to the needy, and Christmas caroling at the Four Corners Health Care Center.
- September 2009: A younger children’s choir began meeting with Connie Cummins on a weekly basis. Their first performance occurred at the Fall youth service. Scott Hagler leads the older youth in a bell choir and they performed during the Christmas Eve Children’s Service.
- Our Godly Play program for preschoolers to second graders is coordinated by Renee Knight. On average, we serve seven children each Sunday (although we have had as many as 16 children on some occasions!). Classes are taught by Renee Knight, Sharla Stephens, Kelli Stanley, Genna Kidd and Anna McBrayer.
- Living the Good News, for our 3rd through 6th graders is run by Lea Leach. On average we typically have four children each Sunday and classes are taught by Lea Leach, Trisha Rickey, Sarah Larsen, Kim Pierce and Caroline Kinser.
- Father Andrew led two Youth services during the past year in which a number of children have written their own prayers, served as readers, chalice bearers, or ushers during the youth-themed services.
- December 2009: the Christmas pageant this year, coordinated by Scott Hagler, saw record attendance. A special thank you to our wonderful narrator, Caroline Knight, to our costume designer, Sharla Stephens, as well as to Tonya Wales and to all of the many volunteers and participants who make this special evening magical.
St. Mark's Outreach Committee Annual Report
Submitted by Jean Robinett, Bob Morriss, and Elsa NagyDuring the 2009 year St. Mark's once again showed its loving, giving heart. In addition to the 10% of plate and pledge contributions allocated to outreach, parish members donated time and resources to many community and nationwide projects.
2009 was a very busy year for the Manna Soup Kitchen. It saw a large increase in the number of individuals coming to the Kitchen for warmth, fellowship, and hot meals. St. Mark's continued to help prepare and serve the first Friday of each month. A record was set on the first Friday in November when almost 200 meals were served. During the year there was a complete turnover in paid staff, and there seems to be more stability in these important positions than ever before. St, Mark's Caroline Kinser and her husband, Clark, have played a major role in the Kitchen's progress over the past year. There was a good turnout for each of St. Mark's three blood drives in 2009. In addition to the traditional Ash Wednesday Blood Drive, drives were held during the summer and fall. A total of 39 donors gave 36 units of blood. Three drives are scheduled for 2010.
St. Mark's has worked with Habitat for Humanity in La Plata County in the building of 13 housing units over the past four years. This past summer two duplex units were built on Fox Farm Circle in Bayfield. Two more units will be built in 2010.
Five years ago St. Mark's provided seed money to start a new high school in the village of Kamweleni in Kenya. It began with a freshman class of 14 students and has added a class each year since. It finished 2009 with a total enrollment of 95 and has graduated two classes of students. St. Mark's continues to support the school.
St. Mark's is also a major supporter of several other local groups: Alternative Horizons, the Safe House, the Durango Community Shelter, and CEAC, the community emergency assistance coalition. Other outreach contributions are designated for the Episcopal mission in Utah, St. Mary's in the Moonlight; the Adopt-a-Native Elder program; St. Jude's Youth Ranch; the General Theological Seminary (Father Andrew's alma mater); the El Hogar orphanage in Honduras: Episcopal Relief and Development: Cathy Donahogue, a missionary in the Dominican Republic; and the SW Region of the Diocese. Funds are set aside monthly for the Rector's discretionary fund and gas vouchers. In addition St. Mark's is actively engaged through various hands-on projects such as the Loaves and Fishes ingathering of food and the Trimble Lane highway cleanup. The parish generously donated to the Christmas project this year which helped a parish family through a difficult time.
St. Mark's support of Haiti through the Colorado Haiti Project will become even more of a major focus after the recent devastating earthquake there.
Thank you to all for your support during 2009. If you would like input into outreach projects, please feel free to attend a meeting, the first Tuesday of each month at 10:30, e-mail Elsa Nagy at enagy@frontier.net, or talk to any of the other committee members. Respectfully submitted,
Fellowship Committee Annual Report
Submitted by Mark MishouFellowship is described as the companionship of peers in a congenial atmosphere, or a close association of friends sharing similar interests. By providing fun events throughout the year we hope to further this sense of companionship.
We had a number of events this past year including a couple of Meat to Greet get-togethers in the parish hall, a very successful Oktoberfest event that we called "Oktober Blest as a kick-off to our stewardship campaign, and our annual night at the Bar D. We also had Divine Diner groups going through the course of 2009. These were all events that helped our parishioners come together and share in a time of food, fun and fellowship.
We have already started to put events together for 2010. Please keep an eye on our e-newsletter as dates, times and places will be posted as the details for each event becomes available. We encourage you to get involved in as many of these activities as possible and share in the fun times of fellowship with those we call our St. Mark's Family.
St. Lawrence Library and Archives Committee Annual Report
Submitted by Nellie Boyd, Chandler JacksonThe mission statement for the St. Lawrence Library & Archives Committee:
To bear witness to Christ’s resurrection and to serve St. Mark’s Parish by:
- Promoting Christian literacy for the spiritual, mental, and emotional well-being of the people of the parish;
- Providing Christian books of artistic and spiritual merit for the inspiration and education of the children who attend St. Mark’s worship services;
- Preserving the identity of St. Mark’s Church as a unique people of God through archiving a variety of historical documents, by exhibiting documents and photographs, and by recording the church’s non-monetary gifts and memorials.
2. Youth Materials---The library moved most of our youth books and cds onto a shelf in one of the basement Godly Play classrooms. These books have book cards and there is a circulation box nearby so that children and parents can easily borrow these materials. We also added a number of picture books for the children's library located in the church. Parents, please let the library know if you can think of other ways we can serve our children.
3. St. Mark's History---Chandler continues to work on the St. Mark's history started by Tom Eckenrode.
4. Basement Collection---Almost half our library is located in the basement adult classroom. The basement collection includes Bible Study, Church History, Women's Studies, Biography, Mars Hill Audio Journal, Episcopal Church Resources, Cleric and Counseling Resources, Theology/Philosophy/Ethics, World Religions, and more. To borrow these materials, bring your book upstairs and check it out at the library table in the Parish Hall.
5. Parish Donations to the Library---Visit the St. Mark's website for details on how to donate materials to the library.
The Lion’s Book Corner Annual Report
submitted by Cheryl BirchardThe Lion's Book Corner is currently undergoing changes including the board voting on a new name "3rd Ave Arts." 3rd Ave Arts is being restructured as the umbrella organization for the bookstore and the arts and music programs, which were previously under St. Mark's watch.
Our greatest benefit in this change is that eventually 3rd Ave Arts will be able to apply for grants that will support the arts and music projects. We are in the process of formulating our new mission, which will include a percentage of sales from the bookstore, now named "3rd Ave. Corner Shop," going to needy causes and a portion of earnings from the arts and music program going toward scholarships.
Stay tuned as we begin to implement these exciting changes!
St. Mark’s Daughters of the King Annual Report
Submitted by Priscilla ShandThe year 2009 saw St. Mark's Chapter of D.O.K. meeting monthly and praying daily, which has been our goal since our chapter was established in 1982. D.O.K is an international organization, whose mission as stated is, "The extension of Christ's Kingdom, especially among women and girls, and the strengthening of the Church's spiritual life."
Locally, our focus has been and will continue to be intercessory prayer for the Church in the world and specifically for our community of St. Mark's in Durango. We meet at noon on the second Sunday of each month, downstairs in the Parish Hall. We invite all women of our church to visit us and find out what we are all about.
This past summer two of our members attended the Triennial Convention of D.O.K, which was held in Anaheim, California, during the days just prior to the National Convention of the Episcopal Church. We experienced every extreme of emotion as we saw the depth, breadth, strength, and yes, even the weaknesses and the dark side of the struggles of the national Church played out in the elections of our organization. But when we left, we knew that the love and commitment shared by all of the women we met there will be enough to carry D.O.K through the many challenges that face us in the days ahead.
God continues to guide and bless our work throughout the world and here in Colorado, one new chapter was added this past fall in Montrose at All Saints Anglican Church. Another group at Ascension Church in Denver is currently studying to form a chapter later this year. Despite the fact that some chapters are losing members (and we would love to ADD more members to our own chapter!) the enthusiasm of the international DOK members in poor and developing countries inspired us to move ahead, praying and listening for God's direction and reaching out for His strength at every turn.
Our goal for the new year is to reach out to women of all ages to share the spiritual growth we have gained over the years through our commitment to prayer. It occurred to several of us charter members that the support we gave each other as young mothers and career women was invaluable. Some of these same women have become the "older and (hopefully!) wiser" among us who would like to pass on that same love and support. Together in prayer, through times of laughter and tears, we will continue to minister to the world at large and to our St. Mark's family.
Newcomer’s Committee Report
Submitted by Caroline KinserThe Newcomer's Committee is excited about our commitment to trying to make everyone who visit's St Mark's feel cared for and welcomed. We are especially grateful to June Hahl, Kelli Stanley, Elizabeth Collins, Marti Kiely and Linda Dunaway for the wonderful job they did in 2009, and to Ginna Harbison who organizes the wonderful bread ministry.
Thanks to June Hahl and Scott Hagler we were able to produce a new brochure and they are now in the pews and are sent to each visitor to St Mark's. We were also able to produce a comprehensive list of the committees and volunteer opportunities at St. Mark's. We hope this will make it easier for everyone to get involved with the life of the Parish.
We held an orientation luncheon for newcomers on April 19, 2009.
Looking forward to 2010, our committee consists of Jackie Stahlecker, Jim Bundy, Ginna Harbison (who will continue organizing the bread ministry as well), Janet Williams and Sara Larsen.
We will continue to contact our visitors to let them know how glad we are that they came and to offer to answer any questions they might have. We hope to continue to embody the spirit of hospitality in the name of Jesus that St Mark's is so famous for.
St. Mark’s Endowment Trust – Board of Trustees
submitted by Preston Knight, Senior WardenThis year the endowment committee's only significant action involved the church paying off a loan from the endowment for a total of $22,400 with interest. No changes were made in the church's investments.
St. Mark’s Treasurer and Finace Committee Report
submitted by Susan Miller-Stamets, TreasurerReport of Treasurer and Finance Committee
2009 Highlights
- Unable to hold line on budgeted expenses because of ever increasing activities
- The increase in expenses was more than covered by
* The arrival of help from a perennial "blue bird," and
* Additional and welcome financial support from you
* These more than made up for once again missing the mark on 2009 pledges by $5,000 - As health care premiums increased with prior carrier, we moved to a Church-sponsored plan which minimized impact
- Bought a boiler that not only functions (in itself an improvement) but is also more efficient -- this purchase was capitalized
- Endowment value plunged in the first quarter but has shown gains through the last three quarters
- We paid back the "loan" from the endowment with the Colorado Episcopal Foundation
- The same "blue bird" provided additional monies which allowed us to deposit an additional $25,000 into our Endowment Account and designate funds for future major repairs
2010 Looking forward
- As you all know, Morley Ballentine died this last year. You may not know that for many years she has been our "blue bird." We're not only going to miss Morley, we're going to have to stand on our own financial feet without her help.
- Fortunately, it looks as if we are prepared to do that. Pledges are up again.
- We are projecting a budget deficit again but of only $6,125 plus $605 from the rentals.
- Finance committee and Vestry feel the budget is conservative on the income side -- we depend on you to make this true
- We have given staff a 3% increase and are very pleased to be providing Cheryl with participation in a pension plan.
- We have reformatted balance sheet presentation which we hope will serve to turn "data" into "information"
