​The Vestry met on Thursday, October 17, and we want to share some highlights from that meeting:

1. We reviewed recent successes:
   1. The Parish Profile has been posted on the CHS website and the position of Rector has been advertised by the Diocese, as well as on the Episcopal News Service website. Interested candidates will apply to the Diocesan Transition Officer and the Diocese will conduct a “red flag” review. Candidates passing the “red flag” review will then be presented to the Search Committee. Rex van Veldhuisen, Chair of the Search Committee, reported that no candidates have been presented to the Search Committee by the Diocese as of last Thursday. Parishioners are encouraged to spread the word about the open position of Rector.
   2. Theology on Tap has been restarted on Tuesday nights at 7:00 pm in Dove Hall and via Zoom.
   3. The members of the Vestry and Search Committee attended a required Anti-Racism training session presented by the Diocese.
   4. The third quarter Stewardship Giving Statements have been distributed.
   5. We have received the $50,000 proceeds of the loan from the Diocese to fund the replacement of the roof on Dove Hall, upgrade our fire alarm system and repair the walkway to First Step.  Sally Bird, our Treasurer, has written an explanation of why we applied for the loan. It can be found in the Warden and Vestry News section of the church website.

 
2. Fr. Calandriello reported on his first six weeks as Interim Rector. He also discussed the plans for the Worship Committee. All will be welcome at Worship Committee meetings where worship, liturgy and music will be discussed. The Committee will review the feedback from the congregation gathered by the Search Committee, as well as other suggestions made by parishioners.
 
3. The preparations for the Service Auction that will be held on November 16 were reviewed. Please purchase tickets for the Service Auction online through the website or after the Sunday services in the Narthex.
 
4. Eva Lesniak reviewed the Annual Pledge Campaign that will kick off on November 24.
 
5. Jane Anderson reviewed the various outreach ministries and identified who is responsible for each of those ministries.
 
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact John Andrews or Diane Hrozencik.

Why did CHS ask the Diocese for a loan for $50,000?

The Vestry and Finance Committee of CHS work tirelessly to ensure that we are faithful stewards of the funds that are entrusted to us.  It became apparent that three major renovations/upgrades needed to be completed to our facility to keep it safe and in good repair.  First, a new roof was needed over “Dove Hall” due to several leaks and the age and condition of the roof.  Next, our fire alarm system is out of date and we need to upgrade this system to keep the church protected in case of a fire.  Lastly, the entrance to the church near the memorial garden floods with any major rain storm or snow melt.  This needs to be repaired to ensure the safety of those entering our building.  The total cost of these projects is close to $50,000.  The Diocese offers a loan assistance program to churches at a rate of 4%.  We opted for a term of 10 years, with no penalty to pay it back early. 

Why not use our savings account instead?  Again, as good stewards, we feel it is important to keep about 4 months of our monthly expenses in reserve (as many of us are advised to do in our personal finances).  The rate on the Diocesan loan is close to the rate we are making in our savings account.  It made good fiscal sense to apply for the loan.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me or either of the wardens.

Sally Bird
Treasurer
[email protected]