On Friday June 5th Bishop Stokes will be releasing a series of protocols for reopening the church buildings. We are currently putting together a small committee to review this document, and to ensure that we are able to make St Mark's as safe as possible. I'm hoping to be able to make some sort of announcement on Sunday morning (6/7) as to when in-person services will be able to resume. I'm anticipating that the first Sunday will be June 21st, but that is just a guess. From our little survey I sent around last week, and from personal conversations, I know that there are many in our community who will not feel comfortable coming to church for quite some time. I TOTALLY understand, and I completely support anyone who has worries for their health and safety in their decision to stay at home. I will be doing everything I can to continue to make our services available online, and to continue to have those who are not able to join us in-person to be able to submit readings, prayers, etc. I am so grateful to everyone who has been supportive and understanding as we've wrestled with the technology to keep us connected!

Fr Rick

We received our shipment of Day by Day (Daily Devotions for Disciples) for May though July.  We have both the large and pocket-sized editions. Please give the office a call if you would like to have one mailed out to you.

As many of you know, the Veterans were hit very hard by the COVID -19 pandemic. This Memorial Day collection is especially important. The men and women of Community Hope are in need of non perishable food items such as:

Cereals and oatmeal

Pasta and Mac and cheese

Canned fruits and vegetables

Canned meats

Soups

Snacks (chips, crackers, cookies etc)

Community Hope has also requested masks, handmade or single use.  

There are coolers stationed by the Red chapel door for you to put your donations in. You may also leave money in an envelope in the mailbox by the church office and I can go shopping for you!

Thank you for your support in this trying time!

Emie Williams

Thanks to all who participated in the blood drive in May.  There were 37 donors and 108 lives will be saved as a result of the drive!  There are two more blood drives scheduled for June 16th and June 22nd.  Look for details in the weekly blast about how to schedule time to donate.

The garden is not officially open for work sessions just yet.  We’ll keep you posted and are hoping for June or July pending the County’s lead.  The great news is that we have been able to keep the garden going and are set for another great year of donations.  We have already donated 20 lbs to Community Hope with more going as I am typing.  :)

2020 YTD Financial Results (through May)

·Operating Income is $185K, -$12K (or -6%) below budget.  Full and partial year pledge income received earlier in the year and higher donations have been offset by lost income from the cancellation of the March Rummage Sale (due to COVID-19 social distancing), reduced Building Use Donations (due to COVID-19 and generally reduced utilization), and reduced plate income (due to no in-person worship services from COVID-19).

·Operating Expenses is $147K, $9K (or 6%) below budget, driven by Buildings and Grounds favorability (snow removal savings, insurance), reduced workship expenses (no in-person workship services), and timing of expenses.     

·Operating Net Income is $38K, $-2K (or -5%) below budget, driven by COVID-19 induced shortfalls and lower building use donations. 

·The Vestry and Finance Committee are monitoring closely the impact of COVID-19 on St. Mark’s finances and are working through steps to mitigate financial risk, including postponing notable non-essential expenditures. The Vestry and Finance Committee will apprise parishoners of any financial implications and mitigation plans as the pandemic evolves.

Hello,

Our thanks for your continued support to St. Mark’s.  We continue to rely on your generosity as part of pledging or other donations to help in our mission as a church community.  The vestry members are also doing their best to minimize any expenses in the routine upkeep our buildings and maintain essential programs such as outreach.  Together we can get through this!  Even though we are not getting the opportunity to see each other in person, we are strong in spirit and continuing to meet and worship through the power of social media, so please try to join us if you can.  The office is also open to accept any donations or pledge commitments, but if you need further information on minimizing risks from travel or contact let me know and I can help with alternatives such as direct debit.   Every little bit helps.  Our budget has taken a hit in the last few months, particularly as one of our major fund raising activities (the rummage sale) had to be cancelled in the Spring.  We are all hopeful to have a bumper sale in the Autumn (which I believe is translated into American as the ‘Fall’), so we appreciate your patience in holding on to donations. But we are also considering some new ways using social media to have a virtual sale.  Social media platforms such as ‘Marketplace’ and ‘Ebay’ are examples.  So if you have any particular larger items such as furniture, larger toys (e.g., bikes), antiques or similar that you would like to donate and we can try to sell online let me know.  I will do my best to accommodate as many as I can and we can see what we can do during the upcoming months.

Best wishes and see you soon

Gerry McDonnell, Stewardship

gerry_lesley@hotmail.com

As parks and businesses are slowly opening we can start to look forward to once again worshiping in our Sanctuary.  When the Bishop opens our buildings for worship it will be interesting to see how church may have changed, will we all return to the pews right away?  Will be continue to participate online until we see how things are going?  And how will we have coffee hour, brunch, the Rummage sale? 

This pandemic has changed life in so many ways and it seems like we will have a new normal.  Yet, even though we don’t see people in the pews right now we can see from the YouTube numbers how many of our fellow parishioners and guests are joining Father Rick in the Sanctuary.  We will eventually figure out coffee hour, brunch and the Rummage sale. It may take time, but I have faith that we will be able to have those gatherings in person again.  It will be so joyful!  Please complete the online survey sent by Father Rick to give us an idea about your feelings as St. Mark’s opens.   

On a business note, the new roof is on the Rectory.  Thanks to John Lyga for managing the roof replacement.  This summer we hope to have the inactive solar panels removed from the Church roof at no cost to St. Mark’s, many thanks to Jim Lunny for negotiating and John Lyga for managing the roof repair.    

 

Stay safe and well. 

Sincerely,

Joan Graff

Senior Warden