Warrant of Annual Meeting

Pursuant to the By-Laws of the Episcopal Parish of St. John the Evangelist, the Annual Meeting of the Parish shall be held on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, in the Church Parish Hall immediately following the 10 a.m. service.

• To receive reports of the Priest & Wardens, the Officers, and Chairs of Committees, and other organizations of the parish;

• To elect members of the Vestry;

• To receive the budget for 2025;

• To receive and act upon resolutions and to transact such other business that may be brought before said Meeting.

With the concurrence of the Rev. Edward Thornley, and Wardens, Jody Jones Turner and Perrie O’Tierney-Ginn.

From the Rector: Finding the heart of St. John’s

Dear Friends,

I sat down at my desk this past Monday morning to begin writing my annual report for our upcoming annual meeting on January 26. It was a curious experience. For one thing, I haven’t been here for a year, and so I had to begin writing in such a way that acknowledged my somewhat limited experience. And yet, as soon as I started writing, I found myself recalling all the things Devon and I have already shared with you all in our mere six months with you. And while my first draft still very much feels like a long list of “thank yous”—which I’m sure isn’t a surprise—it was in the listing of events, the naming of individuals, and the seemingly endless thanksgivings that something special emerged. I became more aware of what holds this place together.

So, what holds this place together? Well, God, obviously. But how? One of the things that struck me, indeed as we were saying farewell to Buffy Gray on Sunday, was the deep interconnectivity of this parish. One of the hardest things to establish in any community, let alone a parish church, is a culture where people are genuinely embedded in each others’ lives in ways which are healthy, pastoral, and fruitful; where people truly care about each other, and where the connectivity is authentic and unforced. It may sound funny to say, but one of the most difficult jobs any parish has is nurturing such a Christian relationality; not because people, or indeed priests are that difficult, but because, especially in a wider culture of suspicion, skepticism, and irony, fostering such deep relationships is unusual, to say the least. And yet, it is possible. One of the great gifts of St. John’s, especially for someone entering the community afresh, is that this deeper level of engagement is already prevalent and heartfelt. It’s organic, and you sense it as soon as you walk through the door. And from there, having established that level of connection, one can then set about the “business” of worship, spirituality, and prayer in ever new ways.

Indeed, this is another unusual aspect of St. John’s. From the theological point of view of many in parish ministry, such community is often seen as the product of worship rather than something which we then bring to worship. Yet, as someone remarked to me recently, what often currently brings people through the door of St. John’s is the sense of community, and from there the worship begins. Those of you who first discovered this community through the Not-So-Spooky Haunted House, the Holiday Boutique, Summerfest, or one of our many social gatherings, for example, will perhaps testify to this. And so, we begin from a different angle, where community brings together the people for worship, and this is not unusual in the contemporary church. However, here lies our task as a parish: whatever may bring one through the door, how can we then nurture that sensation of being compelled? Once we are together in worship, how do we then grow that connection? Put in more spiritual terms, how do we pray? And how do we go on praying even when we leave? It is in questions such as those that we discover the heart of our shared journey in the heart of God.

---

The Rev. Edward Thornley

Rector of The Episcopal Parish of St. John the Evangelist

Annual General Meeting is Jan. 26

Save the date of Jan. 26 for our Annual General Meeting!

Please plan to attend after church for a light lunch, hear about highlights of the year, plans for next year, elect vestry members, and approve next year’s budget.

What to do with the kids? Not to worry: we have Munsey’s Magic coming to entertain them in Lower Weld! Reviews of Jim Munsey are fantastic, people say “he’s awesome,” “a must-see” and gets “lots of laughs and wows.” It should be a great experience!

Final St. John’s Stewardship & Budget Status Update

Good Morning, St. John’s.

Thank you to everyone who has responded to the call to submit your 2025 pledge of support to St. John’s. We are very pleased with the progress we have made during this Stewardship Season.

We are reaching out today to update the Parish on Stewardship efforts.

Our Annual Meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m. on January 26, 2025, in Upper Weld Hall, at which time we’ll vote on the 2025 budget.

Ahead of the Annual Meeting, we are hosting an open budget discussion for parishioners to meet with leaders from our Finance Committee and Vestry, to address questions and hear input from parishioners: Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, at 9 a.m. in Upper Weld Hall (and online). Please attend!

Our Stewardship Season began in October, and during the last ten weeks, we have sought to provide available information to the parish, through three pairs of Stewardship Sermons, four announcements (every three weeks) from our Stewardship Chairs, and weekly email updates. 

We’ve seen such generosity these last few months. It also brings into focus limitations on financial resources.

We want to address a question that many have asked: Will we have enough to fund a second priest in 2025?

Together, we have a chance to answer that question. Throughout the Stewardship Season, we have mentioned that:

• A budget encompassing our current activity level (with a single full-time Priest) is expected to require pledges of approximately $625,000—compared to last year’s total pledges of $540,000.

• A full-year of more “programmatic” activities (with two full-time Priests) is expected to require pledges in the range of $750,000.

We believe we will meet or somewhat exceed the initial $625,000 goal. New pledging families or additional increases from existing pledging families are needed to achieve our Program Level goal of $750,000, and fund a second priest in 2025.

We are so pleased that have received 38 pledges from new families this year, and over 95% of last year’s pledgers have pledged again.

• In total, about 60% of this year’s pledges are from either new pledgers or families who have increased their pledges from last year.

• As we know, life doesn’t always allow us to increase our pledge each year—about 30% of this year’s pledges remained the same as last year and about 12% declined. Our stewardship campaign reflects what is happening in the broader community and in our own financial lives, and we are grateful to have this continued support.

• The important work of Stewardship is supported this year by a corps of three dozen “Ambassadors” who have helped us reach out to families for the last 3 months. And so we do expect some additional pledges in the coming days.

We have reviewed these figures, discussed with many of you, and considered our opportunities. We are energized—as you can see—by Father Ed’s arrival, and there is indeed widespread support for being in a position to have two full-time priests.

But, again absent a substantial additional increase from pledges, we do not see an opportunity to fully fund a second priest in 2025.

• To get to the $750,000 figure (for 1-year of an additional full-time priest), we would need an additional $700 on average from every family that has already pledged, or new pledges.

• Hiring a junior position (a curate) would be a savings of only $20,000 per year.

• If we were to bring on a second priest, even if only later in the year, we would also want to be sure that we can sustain giving at the higher level to support the full-year position, without facing the painful choices that come with over-shooting our financial resources.

Whether we pursue an associate rector (a senior position) or a curate (a junior position), there is a long lead time associated with that. Based on the strength of your support so far, and with expectations for strong financial support into 2026 and beyond, we plan to begin the process now of preparing a search process that would conclude with hiring a second priest in the beginning or middle of 2026.

Thank you to each of you who have made our Stewardship Season a success; we look forward to this opportunity in 2026 that your support makes possible.

Every pledge matters, in any amount. All of our pledgers have helped our Vestry and Finance Committee develop a budget that will support our parish next year—and every single pledge contributes to this process.

Our Parish has done what we set out to do at the beginning of the season: to prayerfully consider what we can share together for a vibrant and active parish in 2025.

It is very important to us that you have access to this information, so that you can consider for yourselves what comes next, and discuss that with members of the Vestry if you would like to explore other opportunities.

There is indeed support for a second priest, in time, and all that we have heard is a commitment to continue to grow and be a part of our Church community in the coming year.

We are grateful for your generosity and participation in this process. Thank you!

Thank you.

Faithfully,

Andy Strehle, Stewardship Chair

Jody Jones Turner, Senior Warden

Perrie O’Tierney-Ginn, Junior Warden