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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 Next, our fire alarm system is out of date and we need to upgrade this system to keep the church protected in case of a fire.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] The Parish Profile is now on the CHS website. This is our first step in the process of hiring a new Rector. The Profile provides interested candidates with an overview of our congregation and parish. Advertising for the position of Rector will start shortly. Many thanks to the Search Committee for their hard work on this!  Vestry Meeting Highlights from September 19, 2024 Meeting
We reviewed recent successes:
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact John Andrews or Diane Hrozencik.  Dear Family and Friends of CHS, On behalf of the Vestry, we are very pleased to announce that Fr. Andrew Calandriello has been called to become the Interim Rector of the Church of the Holy Spirit. Fr. Andrew was a Roman Catholic priest from 1975 to 1980. He then had a 32-year career in marine insurance claims management with several major insurance companies. After retiring from the insurance business, he felt God calling him back to active ministry. He became a parishioner at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in New Providence, NJ. With the encouragement of the Rector at St. Andrew’s, he became active in the parish and eventually met with Bishop Chip Stokes, who encouraged him to become a priest in the Episcopal Church. Fr. Andrew’s Holy Orders were received into the Episcopal Church on September 20, 2020. Since then, he has been serving as a supply priest in the Diocese of New Jersey. During our search for an Interim Rector, Bishop Sally French presented Fr. Andrew to us as a candidate for the position. Fr. Philip Carr-Jones, who as Dean of the Watchung Convocation has gotten to know Fr. Andrew, encouraged him to seek the position. Fr. Andrew will be serving as Interim Rector on a part time basis. He will work an average of 20 hours per week. In addition to preparing for and officiating at Sunday services, he will maintain office hours one day per week. He is committed to providing pastoral care, including accompanying LEVs on their visits to home-bound parishioners. He will attend Bible Study, Theology on Tap, and our social events. He will also assist in developing Formation programs for adults and our youth. He will attend Vestry meetings in his capacity as Interim Rector. Fr. Andrew’s extensive experience as a manager and administrator will also be helpful to us.
Fr. Andrew resides in Watchung with his wife, Mary Caterson. He has two adult sons and three grandchildren. He enjoys reading, listening to music, cooking, and rooting for the New York Yankees. Fr. Andrew looks forward to leading our parish through this period of transition and his comments are enclosed with this letter. We are excited to have Fr. Andrew join us. Please join us in welcoming him. Sincerely, John T. Andrews, Jr. Diane F. Hrozencik Senior Warden Junior Warden We are pleased to announce that the supply priests in September will be:
 Fr. Ed is, of course, a long-time friend of Church of the Holy Spirit and we are always happy to see him.  We are excited to meet Fr. Andrew Calandriello, a priest in the Diocese of New Jersey. He has served as a supply priest for St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Pittstown.
 This is a letter from Bishop Sally French to the Diocese concerning the financial status of the dioccese. Go to the online letter > Dear Members of the Diocese of New Jersey, I write today with difficult news. Last week, as part of our ongoing work to complete outstanding audits, I was made aware that there are significant discrepancies between the reported and actual values of some of our diocesan trust accounts. While financial reports presented over the past 5+ years indicated that a total of $885,944 of funds received as loan payments were returned to the Diocesan Investment Trust (DIT) accounts, it appears that those funds were never transferred out of the operating budget. Instead, they were spent in support of diocesan operations. This discrepancy affects the value of three of our Loan and Grant Fund Accounts. Please be assured that while these new concerns are related to our Diocesan Investment Trust, there is no indication that any funds belonging to congregations have been impacted. Further, we have learned that interest payments due to other diocesan accounts were also inappropriately placed in the operating budget and spent to resolve cash flow issues. While we have not completed our review of these accounts, we estimate that the missing interest payments may total as much as $350,000. In addition, as I wrote to you in February, we continue to address the issue of outstanding payments due to the diocese for mortgages and congregational assessments.
For a number of years now, our diocesan income has been lower than anticipated, and our expenses have been higher. The funds credited but not paid to the DIT and other diocesan accounts appear to have been used to sustain diocesan operations and support congregations and clergy in times of need. As we work to return to financial health, this news is deeply concerning. The loss of these funds has harmed us as a diocese, today and for years to come. I am grateful to our finance team, our Trustees and our Diocesan Treasurer for their work in uncovering these irregularities, and for the progress made as we seek to complete outstanding audits and reconcile our accounts. Over the past week, I have met with the Trustees of Church Property, the Trustees of the Diocesan Investment Trust, the Standing Committee, Diocesan Council, and the Finance and Budget Committee. I have been in conversation with our Chancellor and Treasurer, and with our senior staff. We are committed to full disclosure and transparency as we seek to resolve these challenges. Effective immediately, we are working to limit or decrease diocesan spending where we are able, including reviewing the budget for open positions and assessing current expenditures. Our efforts to increase income continue, but we know this situation will impact the availability of funding for congregations in 2025, because it means that we have much less money than we believed in the funds we use to support congregations. In the coming months, I will work with our Board of Missions, Diocesan Council, and Standing Committee to discern how best to support our churches and honor our commitment to prioritize ministry with our multicultural congregations and historically marginalized communities. In particular, we have several properties no longer in active use, and we will assess development and sales opportunities that might generate funds to restore DIT balances to the levels we previously believed them to have. On Thursday, July 18, we will offer two online meetings. Please register to attend online: for Clergy (11AM); for Lay Leaders (7pm). The meetings will not be recorded and are for members and clergy of the Diocese of New Jersey. If you have questions or concerns, I invite you to bring them to those meetings. I ask for your prayers, for the Diocese of New Jersey and our congregations, clergy, and lay leaders, for our finance team, and for all those working to restore appropriate financial practices and strengthen our diocese to equip us for God’s mission. Faithfully, The Rt. Rev. Sally French, D.D. Bishop of New Jersey What’s the Difference between a Supply Priest and In Interim Rector?
Who is covering services this summer?While we wait for our Interim Rector, the Vestry has secured a full roster of Supply Priests this summer.
Don’t miss the opportunity to hear from dear friends of our parish, as well as new voices. This is a great opportunity to expend your spiritual growth. June 30 Rev. John Rollins July 7 Rev. Tim Mulder July 14 Rev. Ed Murphy July 21 Rev. John Rollins July 28 Rev. Elizabeth Wigg-Maxwell August 4 Rev. Ed Murphy August 11 Rev. John Rollins August 18 Rev. Elizabeth Wigg-Maxwell August 25 Rev. Tim Mulder When is Fr. Phil’s final sermon and Eucharist as Rector of Church of the Holy Spirit?
Do I need to sign up to attend the party?
Are paper or digital tickets required at the door?
4-5pm Evensong Celebration 5-6pm Drinks / Happy Hour 6- 7:30pm Dinner 7:30- end Retirement Recognition Will we have a chance to share remembrances with Philip?
Will there be extra seating at the Evensong at 4pm?
We want to share with the parish how the Vestry will handle confidential discussions related to the rector search and hiring interim support during this period of transition.
The Vestry will add confidential Executive Sessions to the beginning of vestry meeting.
John T. Andrews, Jr., Senior Warden Diane Hrozencik, Junior Warden |
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