Author: Nonsequitor

revisited Homemade MEAT PIES

Posted by on Monday, September 12th, 2016 in Clerk of Session

     In the past, Karen Nixon with the Beth McIntosh Groups’ oversight led this magnificent legacy and literally "thousands" of pies were sold in short order. Karen’s skills at St. Andrews are both legendary and earned through years of dedicated down in the trenches hard work. I doff my chef’s toque to her and the groups she led in virtually every task at the Church.
     
In all honesty, we need all the help we can get on this challenge. This is an open invitation to join the team. 

 “The Angels are in the details" according to Canon, Karen Kovacs”

This Session sanctioned Fund-Raiser has been implemented to reduce debts and make us self-sustainable. The merchandising starts October 23 and all orders must be received on or before November 13th. Pies will be released to customers on Saturday the 26'th., Sunday the 27 and Monday the 28th.  In between then and now, the magic has to happen. All and any are welcome to join us for an hour or the full 3-4 days it takes. A detailed schedule for times will be delivered shortly including morning/evening and afternoon slots for your participation. The rest of the details will be revealed soon.

Rob H, COS



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Posted by on Monday, September 5th, 2016 in Clerk of Session

 At the Annual General Meeting in 2016, the congregation moved that "Session will research and implement programs that will  eliminate the current debt as well as, create a sustainable long-term monetary strategy for St. Andrews." Session quickly implemented a Task Group to meet your expectations. This recovery operation has been brought to you by a group of dedicated individuals and I’d like to tell you who they are. Members of the Sustainability Task Team are; Ray Godin, Jane Neath, Scott McAndless, Ron Paddock, Vern Platt, Steve Marsh, Joni Smith, Donald Paddock and Patrice Wappler. Cooperating and assisting these members include the Stewardship Committee, the Operations Committee, and Session. In every sense this was a team dedicated and detail oriented, working to make St. Andrews’ Hespeler vital and sustainable for another 160 years with Gods’ helping hand.

Below you will find the path forward to sustainability.

St Andrews Long Term Revenue & Expense Sustainability:
Background Issues:
  • St. Andrew’s is carrying $24,225 plus in debt that has accumulated between 2013 and 2015. This amount does not include additional debt that may be created in 2016.
  • While substantial efforts were made to reduce expenses for the 2016 budget year, the initiatives envisioned as revenue generators in 2016 are unsustainable in the long term. Those initiatives include at least 4 events/fundraising initiatives to be scheduled throughout 2016 with a target of raising $20,000 in revenue.
  • Capital expenditures and maintenance costs need to be compiled and prioritized to mitigate surprises and emergency repairs also.
  • The church has become involved in a valuable outreach program that includes Hope Clothing, a site for a Food Bank depot, Thursday Night Supper and Social, Alcoholics Anonymous support groups and counseling services provided by a community organization. The church needs to determine whether it wishes to provide funding to sustain these outreach programs from its own resources in 2016 and beyond.
Projects/Liabilities Needing Consideration:
  • Estimates show that budgeted costs will be $10,000 less than anticipated and plate offerings will be 10% less than anticipated. This means $26,000 in Special Event Sponsorship of bulletins (details are not fully developed). [Recommendation #6d ]
  • Please Note: Session will charter a task team in September to focus on systematic, growth/outreach to the community. Also formally reaching out to those who we do not see at church. [Recommendation #7]
  • fundraising would be needed to break-even on the 2016 budget.  This excludes the cumulative year deficit of approximately $24,225. 
  • Due to changes in office staffing, there will be anticipated savings of $6,000 in 2016.
              Share the Warmth has $14,252 remaining in unspent funds. These funds were donated       
              to St. Andrew’s for the purpose of funding the heating project at St. Andrew’s in 2014.
·         Various non-endowment funds have positive balances that could be used to alleviate the overall indebtedness. Funds available for capital projects (as of March 31, 2016):
·         Capital Purchase Fund - $10,449  
·         Share the Warmth Fund - $14,252 (funds remaining from 2013/2014)
·         Video Project Fund - $1,615
·         Capital Endowment Fund - $3,476 in earned income available
·         The 0% interest loan/grant from Presbytery of Waterloo repayable at 10% of $25,000 principal yearly (we have an 8-year repayment schedule left) needs to be managed in the most advantageous way possible.
·         The roof over the church extension, that house: the offices, gym and Sunday school level needs replacing at a quoted cost of $19,500. Shingles are starting to curl so we recommend that we do it this year before leaks appear.
·         The Audio/Video equipment project with an estimated cost of $30,000 - $33,000 has been approved by the congregation “when the funds are available.” $1,615 has been donated to this project as of March 31, 2016.
·         Hope Clothing has received gifts and grants that will sustain the organization until mid-July 2016. The current contract of the coordinator has been extended to June 30, 2016 at $590 per month. Sustainable funding needs to be realized.
·          Recurring scheduled maintenance of the Organ needs to be started before damages accumulate. The est. cost of cleaning/adjustment of the organ is $9,750.
The plan to recovery:
  • That remaining funds from Share the Warmth, the Capital Endowment Fund and any giving doors opened in response to the need to re-roof be used to replace the “new” addition roof in 2016 [Recommendation #1 ]
  • We fundraise specifically for the Organ repair (“Buy a key” campaign) [Recommendation #2 ]
  • We keep the Video projection system on a “warm pause”. [Recommendation #3 ]
  • We fund any shortfall in our commitment to Hope Clothing not raised by donations as follows (70% from the Mission fund and 30% from the Memorial Fund).  [Recommendation #4 ]
  • With respect to the loan from Presbytery, we recommend repaying it over the remaining term ($2,500 per year over next 8 years). No use of the balance is currently scheduled. If you will it is a savings account or emergency fund held in reserve. [Recommendation #5 ]
Session endorses the following fundraisers between now and the end of the year:

  • A late September Meat Pie sale (estimate of $4,000 in proceeds).  [Recommendation #6a ]
  • A late November Christmas Dream/Wish Auction (estimate of $7,000 in proceeds). [Recommendation #6b ]
  • A fun and visible initiative to collect loose change (estimate of $3,000 in proceeds). [Recommendation #6c]
  • Sponsorship of bulletins (details are not fully developed). [Recommendation #6d ]
  • Please Note: Session will charter a task team in September to focus on systematic, growth/outreach to the community. Also formally reaching out to those who we do not see at church. [Recommendation #7]
Your comments and suggestion are appreciated and needed. All submissions will be held in confidence if sent to Clerk of Session.   Rob H.
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Posted by on Monday, September 5th, 2016 in Clerk of Session

August 3, 2016
To: Rev Scott McAndless and the Session of St. Andrews Hespeler

Effective December 31, 2016, I am resigning  as Clerk of Session. Jeff Veenstra asked me to dedicate five years to the position on the retirement of Charley Klaeger.  Much longer than 5 years has passed and in that stretch, we have accomplished: many excellent strategies, grown in spirit and shared more than a laugh or two. The time with you has been interesting and every meeting led me to thoughts I had never considered. Truly, this group, in all its iterations has care in their hearts. You are the vanguard of church in the truest sense; feeling deeply, loving long and true servants of faith.

I have reached a point in my life where my need to sustain all the requests for my time has changed. At this time, I need to concentrate on fewer demands and family comes first.

I wish you well in your mission and will make every effort to help wherever I can. Good luck and God bless you all.

I thank each of you for this time well spent.

Rob Hodgson
Clerk of Session



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Posted by on Wednesday, June 15th, 2016 in Clerk of Session

Interesting factoids from St. Andrews Hespeler COS Blog

Country                                                   Page views


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Well seem to be a hit in the USA > have to kinda dismiss this as computer bots searching the internet for tidbits and big data trends.

The France/Netherlands hits are cute.

Pageviews all time history is a welcome indication someone's reading > always a writers concern?


Page views today
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Page views yesterday
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Page views all time history
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Posted by on Tuesday, June 14th, 2016 in Clerk of Session


Just a  note to confirm that the Congregation has been made aware of the imminent re-roofing of the newer section of the church. The shingles have exceeded their lifetime after 12 years. Before we have water damage we are being pro-active to move in the summer when working and a satisfactory "seal" can be achieved before the cold of winter.


Session approved in June the roof quote, for the newer section of the church, from Thompson Roofing Inc. in the amount of $19,549.00 including HST and dated October, 2nd 2015. This has been confirmed as the lowest quote of three  by Operations.  Thompson Roofing has completed work for the church previously (to our satisfaction) and that they will honour the October, 2nd 2015 quote.

  • Thompson Roofing  included a statement indicating all employees are covered by Workers Compensation and are fully insured. 
  • The shingles being used are stated as Gaf Timberline HD shingles with Timbertex Ridge Capping. Their quote indicates shingles have a lifetime warranty and includes a transferable 10-year guarantee to workmanship.
  • The funds to cover this project are: 

    the HST residue of funds on hand of +/- $14,200.00 from the Share the Wealth project; (2) approx. $3,400.00 from Capital Endowment fund; (3) any giving from the congregation or others for this project;  (4) There will be an HST  refund of about $1,200.00 in connection with this project; (5) $2,100 from the General Endowment fund income previously allocated by Session to the Video projection system, to be redirected to the roof project.

  • The work will start in July 2016.
  • The Operations Committee supports the above details. 
  • A modest additional cost (we would get an estimate in advance of moving forward)  of adding additional vents on the one side of the building to provide better air circulation is being examined but not confirmed.
for/ Session, Operations, and Stewardship
Rob Hodgson, COS




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Posted by on Friday, June 10th, 2016 in Clerk of Session


On June, 8th I wrote of the changes required to right-size the financial plans of St. Andrews. Below is a change being implemented for a lot of the same reasons.

As you can expect there will be other changes that track the realization we can no longer just follow normal operating modes into the future. One aspect of worship that needs a tweak is the way communion has been staffed. For those of you that pay attention, a full communion required ten Elder/Deacon/Servers. Full communions are observed in March, June, October and December in any given year. The dates move a bit in response to the calendar year but remain relatively static. I’d like to demonstrate how we can reduce the servers from ten to just seven without affecting the service or efficiency. It will as well maintain the solemn decorum of these proceedings. 

Back in the day, we had a very large Session of almost 30 Elders at any given time. Scheduling was relatively easy – well scheduling is never easy but you get my point, I hope. Today we have roughly 20 some Deacon/Elders to choose from with the same four full communions and four intinction communions. Even allowing additional servers from non-commissioned members of the congregation has not been enough to fill the roster for communions. Note Session informally revised the requirement from only Elders to allow Deacons and longtime congregational members some time ago.

Trying as we might, finding sufficient servers for any particular service remained daunting. Some of you have commented on why the flurry of activity at the last minute…now you know. Life has changed dramatically since the day of 30 Elders. The number of servers at full communions needs to be reduced. Intinction services require much fewer servers (between 0 and 6) to complete and will remain unchanged.

So the diagram shown arranges the same full communion with just seven servers. You may have never seen the communion roster depicted and I'd like to allow all to see the mechanics of it. There are two servers on the dais assisting Rev. Scott and the five remaining each serve an aisle as shown. Easy pea’sy  we have created a solution to scheduling issues (hopefully).  


Comments, suggestions, and advice are always  appreciated – give me a ring sometime!  Rob, COS
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Posted by on Wednesday, June 8th, 2016 in Clerk of Session



“If you were unable to attend the Annual General Meeting on Sunday, February 28, 2016, you may not know that the 2016 budget has been refined to eliminate some of the year-end shortfall.  In the past few years, we have witnessed debts that have been recurring and even increasing. Session, the Operations Committee, the Stewardship Committee and task groups, empowered by Session have struggled to find a solution to these shortfalls.  As a result, a motion was passed at the AGM to identify how to retire the accumulated debt in 2016 - 2017. In the near future, a team will be assembled to recommend how this can be accomplished. More information will be available after the plan has been formulated.” Clerk of Session Blog early 2016




I wrote the above early in the year to advise the congregation of the way St. Andrews’ would change in 2016 – 2017.  Everyone attending our church in the past few years could tell you that:  attendance is down, finances are strained and many hours of intentional work had not found a solution. Every attempt to explain why has been in vain also. There is hope to this dilemma and I will explain the path forward that many feel will make lasting change at St. Andrews.



Last night: Session, The Operations Committee, the Stewardship Committee and a new Task Group you may not have heard of; called the “Sustainability Task Team” finalized a spirited assault on the issues. We believe that with the program laid out and everyone playing a part lasting results can be made.  In order to explain the plan, I’ll need to detail what we see as the obstacles in front of us and then the remedies.

Background Issues:

St. Andrew’s is carrying $24,225 plus in debt that has accumulated between 2013 and 2015. This amount does not include additional debt that may be created in 2016.

While substantial efforts were made to reduce expenses for the 2016 budget year, the initiatives envisioned as revenue generators in 2016 are unsustainable in the long term. Those initiatives include at least 4 events/fundraising initiatives to be scheduled throughout 2016 with a target of raising $20,000 in revenue.

Capital expenditures and maintenance costs need to be compiled and prioritized to mitigate surprises and emergency repairs also.

The church has become involved in a valuable outreach program that includes Hope Clothing, a site for a Food Bank depot, Thursday Night Supper and Social, Alcoholics Anonymous support groups and counseling services provided by a community organization. The church needs to determine whether it wishes to provide funding to sustain these outreach programs from its own resources in 2016 and beyond.

Projects/Liabilities Needing Consideration:

Estimates show that budgeted costs will be $10,000 less than anticipated and plate offerings will be 10% less than anticipated. This means $26,000 in Special Event fundraising would be needed to break-even on the 2016 budget.  This excludes the cumulative year deficit of approximately $24,225.  

Due to changes in office staffing, there will be anticipated savings of $6,000 in 2016.
Share the Warmth has $14,252 remaining in unspent funds. These funds were donated to St. Andrew’s for the purpose of funding the heating project at St. Andrew’s in 2014.
  
Various non-endowment funds have positive balances that could be used to alleviate the overall indebtedness. Funds available for capital projects (as of March 31, 2016):
  üCapital Purchase Fund - $10,449   
  ü Share the Warmth Fund - $14,252 (funds remaining from 2013/2014) 
 üVideo Project Fund - $1,615 
 ü Capital Endowment Fund - $3,476 in earned income available

The 0% interest loan/grant from Presbytery of Waterloo repayable at 10% of $25,000 principal yearly (we have an 8-year repayment schedule left) needs to be managed in the most advantageous way possible.

The roof over the church extension, that house: the offices, gym and Sunday school level needs replacing at a quoted cost of $19,500. Shingles are starting to curl so we recommend that we do it this year before leaks appear.

The Audio/Video equipment project with an estimated cost of $30,000 - $33,000 has been approved by the congregation “when the funds are available.” $1,615 has been donated to this project as of March 31, 2016.

Hope Clothing has received gifts and grants that will sustain the organization until mid-July 2016. The current contract of the coordinator has been extended to June 30, 2016 at $590 per month. Sustainable funding needs to be realized.

Recurring scheduled maintenance of the Organ needs to be started before damages accumulate. The est. cost of cleaning/adjustment of the organ is $9,750.

The plan to recovery


That remaining funds from Share the Warmth, the Capital Endowment Fund and any giving doors opened in response to the need to re-roof be used to replace the “new” addition roof in 2016

We fundraise specifically for the Organ repair (“Buy a key” campaign)

We keep the Video projection system on a “warm pause”.

We fund any shortfall in our commitment to Hope Clothing not raised by donations as follows (70% from the Mission fund and 30% from the Memorial Fund).

With respect to the loan from Presbytery,  we recommend repaying it over the remaining term ($2,500 per year over next 8 years). No use of the balance is currently scheduled. If you will it is a savings account or emergency fund held in reserve.

Session endorses the following fundraisers between now and the end of the year:
ü  A late September Meat Pie sale (estimate of $4,000 in proceeds).  
ü  A late November Christmas Dream/Wish Auction (estimate of $7,000 in      proceeds).
ü A fun and visible initiative to collect loose change (estimate of $3,000 in      proceeds).
ü Sponsorship of bulletins (details are not fully developed).

Please Note: Session will charter a task team in September to focus on systematic, growth/outreach to the  community. Also formally reaching out to those who we do not see at church.

This recovery operation has been brought to you by a group of dedicated individuals and I’d like to tell you who they are:

Members of the Sustainability Task Team are Ray Godin, Jane Neath, Scott McAndless, Ron Paddock, Vern Platt, Steve Marsh, Joni Smith, Donald Paddock and Patrice Wappler. 

Cooperating and assisting members include the Stewardship Committee, the Operations Committee, and Session.

In every sense this was a team dedicated and detail oriented, working to make St. Andrews’ Hespeler vital and sustainable for another 160 years with Gods’ helping hand.

The next step is in the congregations hands to help make the dream a reality. We simply need to work the plan and you are invited to help whenever and however you can.

Rob Hodgson, COS












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News from the Annual General Meeting February 28, 2016

Posted by on Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016 in Clerk of Session


If you were unable to attend the Annual General Meeting on Sunday, February 28, 2016, you may not know that the 2016 budget has been refined to eliminate some of the year end shortfall.  In the past few years we have witnessed debts that have been recurring and even increasing.  Session, the Operations Committee, the Stewardship Committee and task groups, empowered by Session have struggled to find a solution to these shortfalls.  As a result, a motion was passed at the AGM to identify how to retire the accumulated debt in 2016 - 2017. In the near future a team will be assembled to recommend how this can be accomplished. More information will be available after the plan has been formulated.


In accepting the 2016 budget as presented, changes to staff schedules are outlined below: 

Due to some of the budget decisions made last week at the Annual Meeting, there have been some changes in staffing arrangements at the congregation. In particular, we will see these reductions:
·        The Church Custodian will work, on average, 23 hours a week
·        The Youth Coordinator will work, on average 6.5 hours a week.
·        The Administrative Assistant will work 24 hours a week.
The session would like the congregation to know that these reductions are a reflection of financial reality and should not be seen as a reflection on the job performance of our dedicated and much appreciated staff.

One effect of this change will be that the office will not be open on Fridays. If staffs are in on Friday, they may be able to welcome visitors, but we cannot promise to open the doors. We suggest you call first if you need to come by on a Friday.

If you would like to know more, or offer advice, either Rev. McAndless or Rob Hodgson are available as always.   

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