2018

A N N U A LR E P O R TM A N A G E M E N T

B O A R D

The past year has proved to be a continued time of

transition for Foundry, full of the joys and challenges

change can bring. We have lived into the strategic shifts

made by the Board to the church’s executive structure

and sta�ng, launched a new website and improved

livestreaming, and engaged deeply at the forefront of

LGBTQ advocacy e�orts within the United Methodist

Church. We have enjoyed robust programming which,

in keeping with the strategic priorities adopted by the

Board, has encouraged us to share our stories with one

another. Similarly, quarterly leadership forum meetings

have enhanced communications across ministry

teams and the broader congregation.

Our church building has also experienced change this

past year as we have been happy to lease space to the

D.C. Jewish Community Center as it undergoes a

building renovation. Hosting our neighbors in this way

has not only generated income but also nurtured our

relationship with the surrounding community. With the

Board’s support, sta� will continue seeking opportuni-

ties for building use income that are consistent with

Foundry’s mission and values. This, we hope, will

augment the estimated gifts that fund the vast majority

of Foundry’s annual budget. The Board’s endowment

committee and asset working group are also looking at

other potential sources of revenue.

Following the plan established last year, the Board held

a retreat that contributed to the development of the

program calendar for the coming year. The retreat

allowed the Board, clergy, and sta� to brainstorm about

implementation of the Board’s strategic priorities.

In addition to advancing an agenda of LGBTQ inclusion

LETTER FROMTHE PRESIDENT

Friends,

Gwen Williamson, President

Amanda Peterson Beadle,Vice President and GovernanceCommittee Chair

Matt Hansen, Treasurer andFinance Committee Chair

Leigh Carter, Secretary andFinance Committee Member

Noel Bravo,Personnel Committee Chair

Doug Steele,Nominating Committee Chair

Nick Jessee,Facilities & OperationsCommittee Chair / MP-II Liaison

Tracy Collins,Personnel Committee Member

Sam Kilpatrick, Audit CommitteChair

BoardMembers

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GwenWilliamson

Yours in Faith,

Gwen Williamson, PresidentFoundry Management Board

GwenWilliamson

We trustin the journey

God has setout for us

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and justice within the United Methodist Church and creating

space for storytelling intended to build deeper connections and

understanding, our final priority is to foster a stronger culture of

generosity and financial stewardship. Today and always we are

encouraged to give fearlessly and generously!

As the following reports illustrate, the committees of the Board

accomplished amazing work again this year. From refurbished

front doors to the adoption of a nut allergy policy, our servant

leaders have been hard at work tending to the needs of the

Foundry community.

Plans for the months ahead include continued work towards a

racial justice and equity assessment at Foundry, strategic

planning in response to the 2019 special general conference and

in advance of the 2020 general conference, and reworking of our

program space to better accommodate the myriad of activities

and vital community outreach services Foundry o�ers. We also

look forward to welcoming Rev. Dr. Kelly L. Grimes as our Director

of Hospitality and Congregational Care in July.

As the 2018-2019 term of the Board draws to a close, Foundry is

alive and thriving! While there may be moments that seem

uncertain as to where the path may lead us next, we are

reminded that God is yet at work. Just as the long road that led to

the commissioning of our dear friend T.C. Morrow by Bishop

Easterling at the annual meeting of the Baltimore-Washington

Annual Conference in late May, we trust in the journey God has set

out for us.

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Foundry’s audit firm, Citrin Cooperman, LLP, issued the 2017 audit in

August 2018. The Audit Committee Chairman worked with

Foundry’s new Director of Finance, Julie Hansen, to prepare for the

audit and recommended that she generate the year-end draft

financial statements for the auditors. For the first time at Foundry, the draft audited financial statements were prepared by the Director of Finance and the auditors did not have any significant adjustments to the statements. The auditors gave an unqualified opinion of the financial statements and commended Ms. Hansen for her excellent e�orts in preparing for the audit.

The auditor’s management letter included recommendations to

improve Foundry’s financial operations including: 1) Updating the

accounting manual, 2) In preparing for the audit, improve the

year-end procedures to better organize files, account

reconciliations and financial records, 3) Submit Forms W-2s and

1099s on a timely basis as the 2017 forms were submitted late and

4) Consider alternative investment options for Foundry’s bank

balances that exceed FDIC’s insured limits. Management

responded to each concern and will complete all necessary

improvements.

Members: Sam Kilpatrick (Chair), Nancy Groth, Allison Kramer,R. Davis Taylor, Jason Danielson

AUDITCOMMITTEEREPORT

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This past year has been an exciting time for the Facilities & Operations Committee. We have maintained a strong, core group of servant leaders and have taken on a wide range of tasks from maintenance and upkeep items to broader strategic initiatives. A few highlights include:

• General Repairs. Substantial progress was made to

repair lingering items such as deteriorating exterior

handrails, room 208 plaster needs, roof and downspout

leaks, and warping millwork acoustical panels in the

Commons.

• Facility Upgrades. Exciting improvements were made

to the building through the installation of new cameras

for live streaming, an impactful rain garden project at the

corner of 16th and Church St., and the refurbishment of

our historic exterior wooden doors through Mission

Possible Phase II.

• Community Partnerships. Foundry’s physical building

resources are a gift not only to our community, but others

within the city, as well. The Facilities Committee

continues to assist in coordinating outreach e�orts with

Friends of Stead Park, DC YMCA, the DC Jewish

Community Center, and others to enliven the building

through an expanded o�ering of uses, and

supplementing financial resources through unique

partnerships.

• Looking Ahead. The Committee is aware that one of

the primary challenges as we seek to facilitate/manage

the growth in our ministries, is space. We have set a goal

to discuss a short and long-term strategy for how to

address these challenges over the coming months. The

strategy will need to take into account various iterations

of our building and Mission Possible plans as well as the

needs of the Sta� and Ministry Teams.

Members: Nick Jessee (Chair), Allison Kramer, Beth Scott, Lani Willbanks, Karissa Minnich, Eric Kawasaki

FACILITIES& OPERATIONSCOMMITTEE

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Over the past year, significant progress was made in Foundry’s three-year capital

campaign for Mission Possible Phase II renovations. In 2018, we received pledged

gifts totaling $662,882. By year’s end, $269,008 had been used to fund the following

projects:

• Casavant Pipe Organ: Stage 3 of our Casavant pipe organ was completed. The

work involved upgrading the organ’s right pipe chamber, blower motor, and

humidifier. We signed contracts and down payments were made to commence

with the fourth and final stage of organ repair and completion by the fall of 2019.

• Columbarium: A new skylight and downspout were installed and the walls were

cleaned.

• Historic Door Restoration: Restoration of Foundry’s historic exterior wood doors

started and is expected to be completed July 2019.

• Rain Garden: Our church was awarded a grant from the D.C. Department of

Energy and Environment and the Anacostia Watershed Society to create a rain

garden, which was dedicated this spring. The exterior projects are being overseen

by an Exterior Welcoming Ministry Team that was established in 2018.

Other MP Phase II projects that advanced in 2018 include a completed draft of the

Mission and Vision Statements by the Co�eehouse Ministry Team, and the creation

of an ad hoc committee to address ways to repay the debt from Mission Possible

Phase I. In addition, the achievements of MP Phase I, we celebrated our members'

gifts with the dedication of three spaces; the Welcome Center, the Community

Commons, and the Fellowship Hall.

We believe the accomplishments of 2018 helped keep Mission Possible Phase II on

a solid path toward its goal of “spreading radical hospitality,” to accommodate and

include more people in Foundry’s community.

MISSION POSSIBLE PHASE II Co-Chairs: Paul Hazen, Brian Walker, Tracey Webb

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The primary purpose of the Finance Committee is to provide financial oversight by monitoring financial activities and establishing financial policies for Foundry Church. The Committee holds public meetings every month on the third Tuesday and the Treasurer is required by our bylaws to make a report to the Board at each of its meetings.

The signature achievement of the 2018-2019 Board year was on-boarding and building relationships with a new Director of Finance and Foundry Business Administrator. There were a number of “firsts” with the new sta� team: the first audit was completed with no real concerns, the first stewardship campaign, Fearless Generosity, was Foundry’s largest ever with the help of our new sta�, and the Committee collaborated with the new sta� on their first budget process (for calendar year 2019). We’ve all gotten to know one another and are in a good rhythm of reporting information and being in shared ministry. The Finance Committee also contributed to a re-write of Foundry’s employee benefits manual to modernize our benefits package and make benefits for clergy and non-clergy sta� more equitable.

The Finance Committee and Finance sta� worked over the last year on a one-time project to combine and streamline a list of over 60 donor-restricted or Board-designated special funds down to 30. This gives program directors more flexibilitiy in using funds and also helps the Committee and Board understand at a single glance, the large areas receiving special giving.

Members: Matt Hansen (Treasurer), Leigh Carter , Bryant Johnson, Dylan Rassier, Jane Ross, Bill Ellett, and Kelly Johnson.

FINANCECOMMITTEE

Two special subcommittees were formed over the last year for planning and safeguarding Foundry’s future. The first is the Subcommittee on Church Debt – this group is actively working on options and strategies for repaying our $3M (original balance) Loan for Mission Possible Phase I, as well as advising the Board on healthy financial practices that can make those repayment options easier down the road. The second group is the Asset Protection Working Group – this group is analyzing and planning for changes resulting from the General Conference in 2019 and 2020 and what those changes could mean for Foundry’s building or financial assets.

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The Governance Committee’s role, according to its

charter, is to enhance Management Board members’

e�ectiveness. This includes reviewing the policies of the

Board, providing policy guidance, and ensuring proper

succession via the Board nomination process.

The Governance Committee started the year by

updating the Safe Sanctuaries policy to better fit the

needs of Foundry’s growing Family Ministries program

and ongoing church needs. The committee also drafted

an authority policy for Foundry to better clarify what

roles are covered by members of Foundry sta�, the

Foundry Board, and board-designated committees. To

wrap up the year, the committee is working on

orientation materials for incoming board members to

help ensure a smooth transition of new members onto

the Board.

All of the e�orts in the last year help make Foundry’s policies understandable and applicable to current needs. The Governance Committee will continue its work to revise policies and draft new ones as needs arise. The Governance Committee aims to support the Foundry community through e�ective material development and review of existing documents.

GOVERNANCECOMMITTEEREPORT

Members: Amanda Peterson Beadle (Chair), Jill Barker, Will Carden, Libby Noyes-Palmer, Cathy O’Sullivan, Doug Steele

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Members: Ginger Gaines-Cirelli (Chair). Doug Steele, Paula Blair, John Harden, Chris Hong, Gwenda Martin, Sharon O’Donoghue, Lorea Stallard.

NOMINATINGSUB-COMMITTEEREPORT

The Nominating Committee is a

sub-committee of the Governance

Committee tasked with identifying, recruiting

and nominating servant leaders for key lay

leadership positions at Foundry, including:

candidates for membership on the

Management Board, its committees, and lay

members for Annual Conference.

In 2018/2019 the Nominating Committee

worked with each Board Committee Chair to

identify committee needs and the people in our

community who could meet those needs. The

Nominating Committee also nominated a slate

to fill the four open positions on the

Management Board for 2019-2022 and

individuals to fill the two open positions on the

Nominating Committee for 2019-2022 as part of

the routine staggering of terms for these

groups. Elections for these nominations will

occur at the June 2019 church conference.

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In 2018, the Personnel Committee focused

on strengthening the performance

management structures and processes

used by Foundry leaders to set priorities

and to align key management activities

with those priorities. This work included

developing a performance management

timeline that identified all of the key

planning processes and adjusting their

timing so that major priorities could be

defined early, and these priorities could be

cascaded through the senior pastor's

goals, program goals, sta� goals, and our

annual budget.

The Committee also assisted the

Management Board in clarifying key

policies and procedures related to sta�ng,

compensation and decision-making.

Finally, the Personnel Committee

developed a revised congregational

survey to gather an expanded set of data

on our congregational life, our

programming, our senior pastor, and our

worship experience. The results of this

survey will be used by the Management

Board, the sta�, and other leaders and

members of Foundry to continuously

shape and improve the activities that

make Foundry a special place.

Members: Tracy Collins (Chair), Patty Elder, Cheryl Gibbs, PJ Taylor, Noel Bravo, Aimee Cooper, Michael Lawson

PERSONNELCOMMITTEEREPORT

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Preparing for the Special Called General Conference in St. LouisMuch of the LGBTQ Inclusion Advocacy Team’s work

in 2018 was focused on preparing for the Special

General Conference in St. Louis, which occurred from

February 23-26, 2019. A large portion of the team

attended the Love Your Neighbor Coalition

Convocation in July 2018 in St. Louis, “For Everyone

Born”. This convocation featured inspiring Bible study,

preaching and worship led by queer clergy, including

Foundry’s T.C. Morrow. Attendees participated in small

group meetings to develop regional strategies to

advocate for passage of progressive legislation at the

General Conference and to discuss briefs for matters

then pending before the UMC Judicial Council.

Other preparatory work included volunteering with

strategy e�orts of the One Church Coalition and other

groups to assist with building relationships across the

global connection and to assess likely voting

outcomes for the plans to be considered at GC19. This

work featured leadership by Rev. Ginger Gaines-Cirelli

in collaboration with other progressive and centrist

leaders but also the special expertise of several

Foundry lay persons from the Ministry Team. We also

sought to support the work of Reconciling Ministries

Network (RMN) in its preparations for GC19. Our Team

provided the expertise for the design, manufacture

and distribution of the rainbow stoles that were used

for GC19 and will also be the “o�cial” RMN stole for

GC20.

Advocates prepared for participation in GC19 through

organizing housing, transportation, and group dinners

and in making 300 prayer flags carrying messages of

God’s inclusive love.

Leader: Ann Brown Birkel

LGBTQADVOCACYUPDATE

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Annual Conference 2018One of Foundry's lay members of Annual Conference, Guy Cecil, spoke

from the floor in favor of a motion by Dr. Phil Wogaman that included

support for striking the "incompatibility" language from the Book of

Discipline and other measures to begin to change church law. A strong

Foundry presence at the ordination service gave witness as two LGBTQ

candidates in same-sex marriages were removed from consideration for

commissioning and ordination.

Pride MonthOur famous lemonade stand during the Pride Parade continued to provide

hospitality and cheer to parade participants! We helped organize churches

and campus ministries from DC, Maryland and Virginia for the United

Methodist contingent in the Pride Parade! We decorated a float and

designed signs to convey an inclusive message to the thousands who line

the parade route. Foundry clergy and members joyfully joined the parade.

Foundry wraps its building in rainbows to serve as a visual witness

throughout the month of June.

No matter where you come from or where you goNo matter what you believe or doubtNo matter what you feel or don’t feel

No matter your immigration status or whom you loveyou’re welcome to come just as you are and be met by our God who knows you by name and who loves you,

and wants to have an ever closer relationship with you.

Learn more about how to participate in social justice missions and challenging study programs on the Foundry website www.foundryumc.org

All photos used by the expressed permission of Phil Carney