From the Rector
Thank you to everyone who has contributed photos to the Stewardship slideshow project. Right now, we have 55 photos that have been submitted- please look through your phones and photo albums for images that remind you of times, people, and aspects of life at CHS that you treasure.  The Scotts also reached out to a few folks to invite them to share a “view from the pew”- if you were part of that group of households, please make sure you get your selfie video to us so that we can include it in our communications in the Fall. 

From the Leadership
Minister of Music Search Committee– The Minister of Music Search Committee met for the first time.  The committee consists of 5 members who are working to create a job description for the ¼ to 1/3 time position which we plan to advertise beginning on August 1.  We hope to begin the interview process after August 20 and call the new staff member by mid-September.  Please keep the search committee in your prayers as the summer continues. As with all searches in the church, this process is confidential, and committee members will not share details about applicants or their interviews or auditions with the parish.  We will advise when the position is open and accepting applications so that members of the parish can share with anyone who may be interested in the job.  If you have questions, please contact Mother Kim. ​

The Budget- Over the last 11 months, the members of CHS expressed their hopes, dreams, and desires for the various ministries, missions, and programs that they hope continue, desire to see instituted, and believe God has called us to.  This summer, Mother Kim, Sally Bird, and Diane Bendhemene have worked to create an “aspirational” budget.  This budget includes the operating expenses, program costs, and property needs, as well as some items that we hope to fund for next year. This aspirational budget will be shared with the congregation as part of the 2027 stewardship campaign.  The finance committee, vestry, and wardens will then create a proposed budget for our annual meeting in 2027 based upon anticipated pledged income as well as the hopes expressed in the aspirational budget.  
Summer Pledge Payments – Please remember to keep up with your pledge payments while you are away.  Our bills are ever present.  Payment can conveniently be made using the PayPal button on our website or by mailing a check to the church.

​Minister of Music Search Committee– This past week, Mother Kim returned from vacation, and she reached out to folks who have either self-selected to serve on the search committee or whom the wardens thought would round out the team.  If you offered to serve on the committee and were not contacted, please be aware that all offers to serve in this capacity were greatly appreciated, but we couldn’t have a committee larger than the vestry take on this role.  The hope is that the job description will be created and we will begin accepting applications after August 1. Information will be shared as it becomes available, but please be aware that search and call processes are intentionally confidential, as applicants may be currently serving in other contexts while in active discernment.  

​Music Ministry - Over the past months, through listening sessions, planning meetings, budget discussions, and sharing hopes and dreams across the programs and ministries in the parish, the vestry and the rector are moving forward with the intention of hiring a staff member to serve as the Minister of Music. We are forming a search committee of 3-5 members to create a job description, select candidates for interview, serve as the interview team, and determine which candidate is the best fit for the call to serve.  If you are interested in serving on this committee, please contact the office or Diane, our Senior Warden.  This committee will officially meet for the first time during the week beginning July 13.  

​The vestry met on Thursday, June 18.  They gathered for a meal at 6 pm and during the working portion of the meeting discussed the plans for stewardship, including the appointment of Mary and Gary Scott as the Stewardship Co-Chairs for the Plenty Good Room Pledge Campaign in 2026 for 2027; the building of the narrative budget; as well as a discussion about the dreaming session with the Music Program.   

​The vestry met on Thursday, May 21, 2026. During the prayer portion of our time together, we reflected on the nature of Agape love, inspired by C.S. Lewis.  The possible transfer of up to $25,000.00 from the Money Market account to the checking account to cover anticipated summer expenses was approved.  In an effort to expand our understanding of what the congregation desires to do with all the gifts God has given us, we brainstormed and began outlining the narrative budget for 2027, which included repairs, upgrades, events, programming, and formation ideas.  If there is something you want to make sure is included in the 2027 budget, please share this information with a vestry member, senior/ junior warden, or Mother Kim.  The narrative budget will hopefully be completed before September- if you would like to be part of the team creating that proposal, be in touch with Mother Kim, Diane H, or Ron M.

​At April’s Vestry meeting, we discussed stewardship and agreed to use the 2026 The Episcopal Network of Stewardship (TENS) campaign. We are working to establish a stewardship committee for the coming year. 
 
The vestry also agreed to give $200.00 to the Episcopal Community Services, a diocesan ministry which CHS help fund, as well as the non-pledge offerings collected on Sunday, May 3,
 
Finally, we discussed and reviewed the Good Friday Day of service and next steps in our discernment and shift from volunteering to ministry.  

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• The vestry approved minutes for the November 2025 and December 2025.
• The contributions of members rotating off the Vestry, including Jane Anderson, Jeff Anderson, and Eva Lesniak; and Gary Scott ending the term of Junior Warden, were acknowledged with appreciation and we celebrated with a cake in their honor.
• Successes, including conclusion of the “Being” Stewardship Campaign, completion of the bathroom remodel project, and successful Christmas services were highlighted.
• Eva Lesniak reviewed the Stewardship campaign results indicating that 60 people have pledged with a median pledge of $2,600.  For 2026, 30 pledges increased, 6 decreased and 18 pledges remained the same.
• We reviewed plans for the Annual Meeting to take place on January 25, 2026.  A reminder that there will be a single service at 9:00 a.m. and the Annual Meeting will start at 10:00 a.m..  The Annual Report will be published prior to the meeting and reports will be accepted as a group at the meeting.  Mother Kim plans a short exercise to determine what ministries the parish is most interested in.  We discussed recognizing the Property Team for the work they have done in 2025; however, there was concern that such recognition may be unnecessary and possibly unwelcome.
• Sally Bird presented the Nominating Committee’s list of candidates for open vestry positions.  Candidates for the class of 2029 include Judy Cahall, Richard Southwick, and Eva Lesniak.  The candidate for the Junior Warden term to end in 2028 is Ron Mahoney. 
• Suzanne Higgins provided an update on the Epiphany Outreach Kits we are making for adults and children being discharged from the hospital, and for women leaving prison.  Donations are coming in and we ask the congregation to use the sign-up sheets and to purchase the right size and quantity of products.  Suzanne said we are doing well with sweatshirts but are short on body wash and similar personal care products.  The hospital asked for some kits earlier than the end of Epiphany, and the vestry agreed that Suzanne would create around ten kits to deliver to the hospital at her earliest convenience.
• Sally Bird provided an update on the 2025 final year-end spending.  Final revenue was $342K and expenses were $309K.  We ended the year $34K to the positive, although we had expected a shortfall at the time the 2025 budget was approved.  We finished the year ahead of budget because of several unexpected personnel situations that lowered expenses, primary that our new rector started four months later than had been budgeted; and we had greater revenue from the auction and interest income than budgeted.  The vestry approved a motion to reclassify $12K of Mo. Kim’s compensation to a housing allowance as permitted by Section 107 of the IRS code. This reclassification as no impact on CHS finances.
• The 2026 budget was presented by Sally Bird.  After discussion and revisions, the vestry approved the 2026 budget with revenue of $340,615, expenses of $$366,974 and net income of -$26,359. 

Diane Hrozencik
January 20, 2026

Great news on the music front at CHS.  Thanks to a generous contribution from “The Bible and Common Prayer Book Society of The Episcopal Church”, a donation of 60 copies of hymnal “Wonder, Love and Praise” was gifted to our church.  This is a supplemental hymnal to the 1982 hymnal and will give us more options for new music.  It has 200 hymns, songs and service music, including music from Taize as well as bilingual versions.

Sixty copies should give us enough so everyone can follow along with a hymnal.  Ushers will hand out with the bulletin before the service and will collect them afterwards because we don’t have enough copies to keep at every pew.  If you see a specific hymn you like, please contact Tricia Simpson-Curtin or Alexei Tartakovsky to ask if it can be included at the appropriate season.