Vestry Corner ~ December 2022
Thank you to all who have submitted your 2023 Pledge to support the ongoing work and mission of St. James Parish! The momentum of the current Stewardship campaign is good, but we really need each member to consider how you can step up to help St. James “turn the corner” on furthering our progress on our Strategic Plan. As you consider your pledge we think it only fair to let you know some of the considerations the Vestry must keep in mind as we plan our budget for 2023. As every household is experiencing, there are increased prices in a variety of areas. Maintenance of our historic property and utilities to keep it running continue to increase. Staff costs have likewise continued upward, with the cost of living adjustment (COLA) being set at 5.6% and 8.7% for 2022 and 2023, respectively. To compensate our hard-working staff appropriately, our budget (and, thus, the Stewardship Campaign) must increase to meet demand.
Separate from the facilities and staff, the resurgence of attendance and activities at St. James has provided multiple new opportunities for growth and outreach in Christ. These new opportunities do often require additional resources, so the Finance Committee and Vestry appreciate your help in pledging to St. James. Without these gifts to “count on” it may not be possible to include these great and worthy programs and outreach events in 2023. If you have not provided your pledge, or did not initially feel you could increase your previous pledge (to help St. James keep pace with inflation), please prayerfully consider this time-sensitive request. As others have mentioned, additional donations in the plate are wonderful (and we do budget on them coming in), but it is really critical to the sound planning of our Annual Budget to have all pledges in before Christmas. Now is the time to trust in God and make your pledge. We thank you so much for your generosity!
During our last vestry meeting our special guest was Ansley Trask. We are so blessed at St. James to have her serving as both the Director of the Day School and as the Children’s Ministry Coordinator. Prior to the start of the school year she put countless hours into decluttering, organizing and simplifying the day school classrooms and Sunday school classrooms. They look and feel so welcoming and peaceful. If you get a chance to walk by on your way to faith formation on a Sunday, you will see the upstairs classrooms full of children! A huge thanks to Ansley and the volunteers for providing a nurturing learning environment for the children of St. James! Additionally, she has implemented some new curriculum in the day school for the 4’s classes (‘Handwriting without tears’ and a ‘Phonemic awareness’ program)! Did you know that 80% of reading problems can be solved with phonemic awareness! Ansley’s unique perspective having been a Kindergarten teacher for many years gave her the ability to identify areas to improve so that our Day School Graduates are best prepared for elementary school. While hard to catch as she leads Children’s Chapel, helps John Sullivan with the Children’s Choir, teaches Sunday School and more, please extend appreciation to her for her incredible work!
We wanted to highlight a few other notable news items from the past month. In November the Evangelism Commission hosted an incredible Newcomer Orientation! This collaborative event highlighting the history, ministries, clergy and opportunities at St. James was well attended by newcomers and current parishioners. Please consider attending when you hear about this great event next year!
We appreciate your patience over the last couple months due to filming around our campus. These unique opportunities occasionally arise given our location in Wilmington and historic buildings. We do not allow filming in the sanctuary but our many other enticing buildings are sometimes featured in movies. The proceeds from this work is used for building upgrades and repair. In August, ‘movie proceeds’ were for fresh paint along the hallway, day school classrooms and children’s chapel.
One final spotlight and thank you to our fantastic facilities team that keep our campus safe and clean for the many events and activities we have going on every day of the week! We are so grateful for our fantastic Facilities Manager Wes Clewis who continues to bring joy to his work and those around him. It is with relief and joy that we welcome back, Norman Sutherland to our team at St. James to add part-time assistance as a Sexton. BIG thanks to Wes for keeping everything running and clean for so long by himself!
Steve Thomas (Senior Warden) & Leslie Jarrett (Junior Warden)
