ST. THOMAS’ CHURCH Annual Parish Report opt.pdf · Parish Directory 1. Clergy & Staff 2. ... Part...

Grounded in Faith ~ growing in service

ST. THOMAS’ CHURCH

2019 REPORT TO THE CONGREGATION

PARISH ANNUAL MEETING

FEBRUARY 23, 2020 Page

Parish Directory 1

Clergy & Staff 2

Officers & Vestry 3

Parish Statistics 4

Rector’s Report 5-6

Children’s and Youth Ministries 7-8

Cemetery Report 9

Stewardship Report 9

Altar Guild/Flower Guild 10

Buildings and Grounds 11

Country Cooks/Night Owls 12

Music Ministry 12-13

Outreach Report 14-18

Lay Readers 18

Pastoral Care 19

Ushers Report 19

St. Thomas’ Preschool 20

Treasurer’s Report 21-26

PARISH DIRECTORY

The Right Rev. Eugene T. Sutton, Bishop of Maryland The Right Rev. Robert W. Ihloff, Assisting Bishop of Maryland

CLERGY

The Rev. Anjel Scarborough, Interim Rector

WARDENS, OFFICERS AND VESTRY

*J. Mitchell Kearney Senior Warden Anthony M. Seville Junior Warden Betsy B. Brennen Treasurer Edward H. Worthington, IV Assistant Treasurer Heather Buerger Registrar Christa Absolom Vestry Glen Cole Vestry Bill Gallagher Vestry Kevin Kowalski Vestry Beaumont Martin Vestry *Denise McIntosh Vestry Page Seville Vestry *Jesse VanGeison Vestry **Arinze Okpala Vestry **Tuck Washburne Vestry

STAFF

Wanda Waller Music Minister Georgi Funderburk Children’s & Youth Minister Barbara Parks Parish Administrator Kimberly Baumiller Financial Secretary Ricky Sigai Buildings and Grounds Manager Chris Reynolds Assistant Sexton Laura Colvin Sunday Sexton Kristin Morrow Preschool Director *Term Expires 2/23/2020 **Nominated for election to the Vestry on 2/23/2020

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Clergy & Staff

The Rev. Anjel Scarborough Interim Rector

Kim Baumiller Financial Secretary

Wanda Waller Music Minister

Barbara Parks Parish

Administrator

Laura Colvin Sunday Sexton Chris Reynolds

Assistant Sexton

Ricky Sigai Buildings & Grounds

Manager

Georgi Funderburk Children’s Minister

Kristin Morrow Preschool Director


Officers & Vestry

Betsy Brennen Treasurer

Heather Buerger Registrar

Kevin Kowalski Vestry

Tony Seville Junior Warden

Denise McIntosh Vestry

Jesse VanGeison Vestry

Beaumont Martin Vestry

Page Seville Vestry

Christa Absolom Vestry

Glen Cole Vestry

Bill Gallagher Vestry

Mitch Kearney Senior Warden

Arinze Okpala Nominated to Vestry

Tuck Washburne Nominated to Vestry


PARISH STATISTICS December 31, 2019

Total Number of Baptized Persons

Communicants Last Report 1,307

Total Additions (Baptisms, Transfers, Confirmations and added by Restoration)

Total Loss (Loss by death, transferred to other parishes or inactive status)

Present Number in Good Standing

Sunday School/Confirmation

Enrolled Teachers Youth Helpers

St. Thomas’ Preschool Enrolled Teachers Helpers

Official Acts – 2019 Baptisms Confirmations Reception Marriages Burials

Services in 2019

Holy Communion Other Offices

Interim Rector’s Report January 2020

Worship Since November, we have had two more baptisms and come through the Christmas holidays. Christmas attendance was markedly lower this year. Based on last year’s Parish Records, the attendance for Christmas was:

All three services experienced a drop in attendance. The surprise was an almost 50% drop in the Lessons & Carols service and an over 25% drop for the Christmas Pageant & Eucharist.

In conversation with fellow clergy around the country, there are several phenomena we are seeing. First, outside of urban churches with very notable music programs, “midnight mass” or late worship is rapidly declining. Our denomination is aging and those who are staunch churchgoers no longer want to drive late at night. Our older members are often going to earlier services to avoid this so they will come to a 4 pm or 5 pm service, even if it is deemed a “children’s” service.

Second, when Christmas falls on a Wednesday, there is almost always a drop. Not as large as 25% or 50%, but noticeable as people usually need to work on the days surrounding the holiday. They have limited time with their families after traveling so going to church takes a back seat. Finally, the pattern of being a “Christmas and Easter” Christian is rapidly disappearing. The rise of the “nones” means “twice a year” church attenders are just opting out completely.

Church attendance patterns are changing dramatically, and we need to respond to these realities. Several Episcopal churches are finding having a 2 pm service for “tots and toddlers”, a 4 pm children’s service with pageant and an 8 pm formal Eucharist are working well, and the growth is in the two earlier services. This may be a format we want to consider next year.

One additional observation is St. Thomas’ did not undertake any promotion of Christmas services. With a location “off the beaten path, promotion needs to be a part of the evangelism strategy. Evangelism is everyone’s responsibility, but it also needs to be supported by promotional efforts. I took out a $15 Facebook boost ad the week before Christmas to raise awareness of our services but that was the only promotional effort.

Adult Formation After a few month’s hiatus and with much thanks to Suresh Koshy, the Adult Forum has “rebooted” for this Winter/Spring. Because so many of our members are coming from other traditions, we are beginning with the basics of Anglicanism and the Episcopal Church. We’ll also be covering an instructed Eucharist called “how2charist” which are videos detailing the elements of our Sunday worship. Anjel+ will offer lectures of using the Book of Common Prayer and a Holy Week Pilgrimage to explain the rites of Holy Week. We’ll conclude with a series on the origins of the Bible. Our first session last Sunday has about 20 participants.

Service 2018 2019

Christmas Pageant & Eucharist 400 275-300

Christmas Lessons & Carols 160 84

Christmas Day 42 29

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Interim Rector’s Report


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Administration & Staff Relations

Information Technology Updates

Google Team Drives are beginning to be deployed. Outreach was the fir st team drive to be set up for their use for storing documents which need to be accessed by more than one person. I have just set up a Vestry drive where we can upload our Vestry documents for our meetings (including minutes) so that there is a central, accessible location.

We are rolling out Ministry Scheduler Pro for our liturgical ministers. Right now, we have the Readers set up and are getting them scheduled. Barb will be adding the acolytes next. I’m doing some demonstrations on the program for our members between the services on Sunday mornings.

Communications

We have migrated our email to Mailerlite.com as we found MailChimp had imposed too many restrictions on small accounts to be useful. We are now able to track our emails, clean “dead” addresses and eventually get a sign-up form on our website (once we move the web hosting). Training for Liturgical Ministers

Glenn and I hosted a “lunch and learn” with the Altar Guild in December. We had about 10 members of the Altar Guild and spent some time learning about the mystery of the missal ribbons. I am hoping we can continue to do these “lunch and learn” programs on a quarterly basis. I’m still working to find a date where I can do a training with the bulk of the acolytes to help boost their confidence and skills.

Vestry Coaching

Part of my role here is also to assist in coaching the vestry on their roles and responsibilities as the vision casters for St. Thomas’. To that end, if you have not yet subscribed to the Vestry Papers (https://www.ecfvp.org/vestry-papers), I strongly urge you to do so. This is a free resource to suppor t the leadership development of vestry members and wardens. I also urge you to subscribe to the Diocesan E-News (https://episcopalmaryland.org/resources/diomaryland-enews/) to keep informed about what is happening in and around the Diocese of Maryland. Stewardship Conference

Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 28th from 10am – 3 pm for the Diocesan Stewardship Conference (at St. Andrew’s, Glenwood). The topics of planned giving for non-traditional families, grant writing resources, online giving and the role of social media will all be discussed. I will be presenting as part of the panel discussion on social media. It would be great to get some St. Thomas’ members involved to prepare for next year’s Annual Giving campaign. Time Away

I will be away on Thursday, February 27 & Friday, February 28 leading an icon painting workshop for the clergy women of the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania. I will be back in time for Sunday services but am seeking a guest preacher that Sunday. Respectfully submitted, The Rev. Anjel Scarborough, SCP Interim Rector

Interim Rector Report continued from page 5


Dearest St. Thomas’ Families, What a year it has been! Just like any area of our lives, the Church goes through many seasons. We have experienced a deep season of loss as we said goodbye to the Rev. Erdman and the Rev. Ellis. For many months, that took our focus, as well as welcoming in the Rev. Scarborough. Adapting to new ways of worship, new voices, even different pauses in worship can throw us. Adult anxiety seeps down to our children and they feel the apprehension as well. Nonetheless, life moves ahead and we must move with it or be left behind. Throughout the many transitions of 2019, the children and youth continued to approach the Gospel and learn many lessons from it.

The season of Epiphany brought a well-attended BINGO event that raised money for our summer mission trip. Children began bringing the food donated for the Crisis Center forward each month to be blessed. Children were baptized into faith and the congregation made promises over each one.

During Lent, families of all kinds came together each week to explore hands on worship and share a meal. We learned to pray in ways that allowed us to use more of our body than our just our hearts and minds.

Holy week brought preschool families to the pancake supper, a rainy Palm Sunday, terrific youth and child worship leaders, lots of children and families, and a very fun

egg hunt!

During the Easter and Pentecost seasons, cookies made for Paul’s Place, final details were put into place for the youth mission trip, 14 students were confirmed by the bishop, and Sunday school finished the year strong with dedicated students and teachers.

Children’s Ministry


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During Ordinary Time – ironically, or maybe precisely, is where the transitions happened. Twelve youth spent a

week in Nashville followed by another completely different dozen youth spent a week of service in our

own community. We said farewell to Nathan and Rachel, Rebekah and Natalie (which was a loss for the

children’s ministry and a different type of transition for us), to Malcolm and Tessa, closing a chapter on St.

Thomas’ and preparing for another one.

As the fall approached, we welcomed Rev. Anjel as well as a host of new Sunday school teachers. It was during this time that I began overseeing youth activities, of which Confirmation was the biggest. I worked with the wonderful teachers to roll out confirmation and reach out to any and all potential confirmand. I polled parents and

youth about the 2020 mission trip and put together a presentation with the two youth (out of 24) who came to help share about their summer service. I began to speak with Rev. Anjel about where I’d like to take the youth group –

for starters, having something in place after confirmation so that they have a community of their own in the church. Story time began in the St. Thomas’ Preschool which I led (and still do!) for children and their caregivers. It’s a

great relationship between the school, the church, and our wider community. Out of this relationship, we hosted a Family Fall Festival which was very well attended. I worked with amazing volunteers during the Advent season to

help the children proclaim the gospel through the Christmas Eve pageant.

In last year’s report, I shared that I wanted 2019 to be the year that we shared our story. For me, this is one of the basics of our faith. A life of faith is about one thing: sharing the story. We learn the story of Jesus and share it with others. We figure out who we are and learn how to share our own story. We listen with open ears and hearts to hear the stories of others.

This year instead became a year of transitions, writing a new part of our story instead of sharing it. I still want to work towards sharing our story and having the children learn to tell their story as well. Perhaps 2021 will be our

year. For 2020, I hope to restructure our existing programs and provide a path forward for children’s and youth ministries. It is going to take hard work on the part of the staff and the laity to actively listen to God as we construct

new guidelines for confirmation, lay the groundwork for a high school youth program, and expand the possibilities for our elementary aged children. I truly believe that St. Thomas’ Church is filled with dedicated and loving people who want to serve God in meaningful ways. Our children and youth want to be a part of those meaningful ways

today, not just in the future and it is my responsibility and privilege as their minister to lead the way.

Blessings,

Georgi

Georgi Funderburk Children’s & Youth Minister


Mission Statement: To encourage appreciation and respect while supporting and preserving the beauty, tranquility and rich heritage of our cemeteries. To honor the past and be good stewards for the future.

This past spring we had representatives from three separate monument companies visit at the Churchyard and the Cemetery. They looked at the stones and made recommendations for repair and conservation. We have an historic cemetery that needs yearly maintenance.

One of the ongoing projects undertaken this fall, is to locate and record on a new map, as many of the original stone survey markers that we can find

in the cemetery. These markers are essential for laying out graves, and placing headstones accurately. Many have sunk into the ground or been covered by sod. This year the Vestry approved that there can be up to four cremations in a grave site. We allow one upright headstone and up to three flat markers in one grave.

The Cemetery Committee has had many discussions about the current plantings, especially the lack of grass, and the trees along St. Thomas’ Lane. The cemetery was laid out in a field that has clay soil which is not favorable to growing much of anything. The trees along the road are old and their roots and shade cause problems. However, replacing the hedge brings up other choices such as plants or a fence, each with attendant problems. We are aware the other members are frustrated by the lack of grass and the problems associated with shade and roots. The Committee is in favor of creating a five-year plan that can include yearly maintenance, improvements to drainage, new signage, and planting.

For years this committee has benefitted from and depended on parishioners (and Barb) who had/have a lifetime of knowledge about the church, its members, and its history. We realize that it is important to have this knowledge written down for the future. Committee members are working on written descriptions of important cemetery processes.

Cemetery Report

Respectfully submitted,

Betsy Baetjer Cemetery Warden

2020 Stewardship Report

Summary:

As of 2/23/2020 our pledges and gifts have reached $438,948. Of the pledges and gifts received thus far 32% include those members who increased their support over 2019. New pledges represent 8% of the total. Of this year’s pledges, 50% are unchanged from last year and for various reasons 10% were reduced. A total of $67,361 is still missing from pledges made in 2019, but yet to pledge in 2020. We hope to receive the majority of those pledges.

Our members have been thoughtful and most generous in their financial support of St. Thomas’ Church. We are grateful indeed.

The Future: Looking ahead, we continue to face the challenges of a fluctuating pledge environment. The vestry is working on how best to deal with this situation, including a direct solicitation effort and ideas to leverage our land and building assets. As for 2020, we must do all we can to cover our increasing operating expenses and the day-to-day needs of the programs described in this report.

Thank you, Glen H. Cole

2020 Stewardship Chair


Altar Guild & Flower Guild

The members of the Altar Guild are charged with "setting the table" for all the celebrations in the church. That includes regular worship services, weddings, baptisms, funerals and memorials, and special occasions. We work with brass, silver, linen, and candle oil to provide a beautiful and appropriate place to welcome all to God's presence. We generally are divided into monthly teams; but some of the group choose to work two weekends of two different months.

Again this year, we were happy to have several new members join us, but we can always use more help. No experience is necessary. We offer on-the-job training. It is a great way to meet new people or to catch up with church friends, all the while serving the church in a very satisfying way. Please email or call Glen Cole (410-363-4932 / [email protected]) if you have questions or want to sign up!

Respectfully submitted, Glen Cole, Chair Altar Guild

The flower guild is responsible for arranging the flowers for the services in the church. This includes Sunday services as well as weddings, funerals and memorial services. We are very fortunate to have so many willing and talented people arrange the flowers. Not only do we have monthly chairs but also volunteers who are a tremendous help at Easter and Christmas. Thank you all very much! If you would enjoy arranging the Sunday memorial flowers, please call or email Mary Hogan, 410-356-3516/ [email protected].

Respectfully submitted, Mary Hogan, Chair Flower Guild

Thank you to all of our 2019-2020 Altar/Flower Guild Volunteers for sharing your talents. You are certainly appreciated!

January Ann Forbes Liz Blue Clare Stewart February Hopie Wright Kathy Pugh Laura Moore Sue Wyche Donna Eden Kristin Nightwine Page Seville March Kathy Capp Phyllis Shettle Nancy Bender Anna Smith

April Susan Kearney Betsy Brennen Missy Wells Wendy Bond Joye Kowalski Meg Walton Carol Obrecht May Denise McIntosh Cindy Gies Heather Killefer June Glen Cole Kathy Clevenger

July Sally Thompson Zipp Carolyn Hedges Jesse VanGeison August Glen Cole Jane Bagby Carolyn Hedges Frances Horich September Leigh Bolton Tacy Bolton Catherine Arthur Melissa Thompson Ginny Joyce

October Karen Alban Kathy Capp Carolyn Hedges Mary Hannah Arnot November Wynne McCormick Denise McIntosh Betsy Baetjer December Sana Brooks Glen Cole Frances Rockwell Dudley Mason Nora May Beverly Moore

Once again our Buildings & Grounds Manager, Ricky Sigai, has

maintained our campus under budget. This is the fourth year in a row

that Ricky has kept our buildings and grounds expenditures under

budget. Ricky and his team have worked hard to keep the campus in

tip top shape, and they have done so with the added work associated

with the St. Thomas’ Preschool. Their work behind the scenes keeps

our campus beautiful, welcoming, and safe.

Over the last year, we have replaced the outside lighting with L.E.D. lights, which are more cost and

energy efficient. We have replaced the air conditioning unit which serves the Office and repaired the

roof over the Office, thanks to the help of John Ward and Tony Seville. We also replaced the heating

and air conditioning controls in the Parish Hall, which will help us use energy more efficiently.

As reported last year, the Rectory needs work. It has not had significant upgrades since 1999. We have

begun the process of getting the Rectory in shape to house our new Rector.

If you have any suggestions for the committee, please feel free to discuss them with us.

Louis Hogan Frances Horich Jack Holt Paul Obrecht, III Duffy Hart Jenny Washburne Sarah Eastman Terri First John P. Ward Lawrence Smart Michael Deveau


Gregory L. VanGeison Chairman

Buildings and Grounds Report

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Music Ministry

There are currently three teams of volunteers who each produce 6 large pans of luncheon casseroles each month. These nourishing and tasty recipes contribute to Paul’s Place community programs for the people living in the Pigtown (Southwest Baltimore) community. Each group meets monthly on a Tuesday: first Tuesday is a 9:00 am morning team, and the evening cooks meet the third and fourth Tuesday at 7:00 pm.

In addition to the kitchen chefs, Wesley Finnerty regularly provides delivery to Paul’s Place, and Dakota Dalton, Ricky Sigai and Kathy Pugh currently do the purchasing.

Our cooks include: Garland Alban, Kathy Benjes, Kathy and Walter Capp, Monica Dyal, Donna Eden, Babette Edgar, Cindy and Marc Gies, Caroline Johnson, Nora May, Phyllis Shettle, Sally Thompson and Robert Wells.

Sadly, we said farewell to Judy Shutt, who led the “Tuna Team” for many years. We also take this opportunity to thank Kathy, Dave and Missie Pugh, who will be stepping down at the end of January.

We salute Carol and Jack Roeder for their decades of leadership and support. And we welcome Kathy Capp as the Chair of the Country Cooks and Night Owls.

We invite interested volunteers to join our cooking ministry for two hours of fellowship and fun! No experience necessary, and we provide the aprons!

Respectfully submitted: Carolyn Hedges and Kathy Capp

Special appreciation goes out to Carolyn Hedges and Kathy Capp who were instrumental in coordinating the

cooks through the end of 2019. We are grateful for their wisdom and leadership.

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Country Cooks/Night Owls Report

Hello, St. Thomas’ Parish!

2019 for St. Thomas’ Choir was a remarkable year. The year was complicated, challenging, bittersweet and filled with moments of astounding joy and beauty. We have come upon some choral arrangers that create either original works or arrangements of known works that really speak to me as Music Minister, while speaking to the individual singer and therefore to the collective body of singers, the Choir. When that happens, the listener can more easily be touched and spoken to in worship. Based on the number of appreciative and heartfelt remarks we have all received on numerous Sundays, I think

we may have found our voice, if you will. Thank you for your encouragement and appreciation.

In the fall of 2019, the Choir continued its part in providing music for Blessing of the Animals Sunday in the fall and for Advent and Christmas Eve programs, reflecting the beautiful messages of each season. With the additional gifts of our own parishioners, Bill Gallagher (flute) and Benson Hardesty (cello) we have been able to enhance the musicality of several anthems. We are blessed to have them at St. Thomas’ and always look forward to having them with us!

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We continue to be blessed with the incredible talents of Brent Flinchbaugh (trumpet) on Christmas Eve and Easter Day. Brent is a treasure and we are so blessed he keeps his calendar open for St. Thomas’ for these important church services.

As you will hopefully remember, the Vestry,

Malcolm and Nathan made it possible for the

Choir to prepare and present Gabriel Faure’s

Requiem on Sunday, April 7, 2019 at the 10:00

a.m. service. With their support, we were able to

hire a harpist, a violinist, and cellist to

accompany the Choir along with the piano.

Bringing out the colors and serene beauty of this

moving work was indeed gratifying to the singers

as well as to the congregation. We are very

grateful to have had this opportunity.

As summer came to an end, the Choir lovingly and with mixed emotions, prepared a few

selections to sing in honor of Malcolm’s retirement and Nathan’s moving on to the next chapter

in his ministry. Malcolm and Nathan were such supporters of the music the Choir and I offered

to enhance worship at St. Thomas’ each Sunday. For that, I will be forever grateful. As I have

attempted to navigate my way through this position over the past six plus years (sometimes

awkwardly or clumsily) I have always felt supported and appreciated by everyone. I have

learned so much and feel more capable to work with and lead this amazing choir.

As Anjel has taken on the role of Interim Rector for St. Thomas’, we continue our journey of

learning. We are experiencing different musical aspects of the Episcopal service and what that

means for us all as worshippers.

I cannot stress enough how fortunate we are to have the Choir. Not only are they talented, but

they are devoted, reliable, and caretakers of each other. Our soloists are amazing young

people…constantly sharing their vocal talents, their humor and profound love of music. What a

lucky Music Minister am I!

As we approach Lent, we look forward to sharing more inspirational music with you in hopes

that your ability to worship is heightened and meaningful. Thank you again for all your trust,

support, and prayers. Please keep Jim Wolgamott, one of our dear Choir members, in all of your

prayers in the days and weeks ahead. (We love and miss you, Jim!)

Blessings and peace to you all…

Wanda

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent. -Victor Hugo

Music Ministry

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Mission Statement The mission of St. Thomas’ Outreach is to advance the work of Christ by sharing the many resources (defined as “time, treasure, and talent”) of our worship community. With these resources, we will develop opportunities for parishioners of all ages to find both spiritual fulfillment and uplifting fellowship through service to the neediest members of our immediate neighborhood and of the greater Baltimore area. This year was another busy year for Outreach at St Thomas’. Through the generosity of the St Thomas’ community, we provided hundreds of volunteer hours and over $37,800 in financial support to a wide variety of worthy causes. Due to a $10,000 budget cut for 2019, we had fewer dollars to spend, but we were blessed with a number of donations from parishioners allowing us to spend more than our $35,000 budget; thank you to all generous donors. As a community, we were able to express our faith through service to make a difference and directly impact the lives of the men, women and children in our community. A summary of our Outreach highlights in 2019 is listed below. BLOOD DRIVE 2020 Goal: 25 Registered: 27 2RBCs: 3 (Power Reds Donation) Deferrals: 5 QNS: 2 (Quantity Non-Sufficient) Collected: 23 On behalf of the patients in our community, THANK YOU to all those who donated. For each unit of blood collected, 3 lives can potentially be saved. That means we were able to help save up to 69 lives. WOW! Well done, all donors! St. Matthias/ Loaves & Fishes

A soup kitchen and food pantry operating within St. Matthias Episcopal Church, Loaves & Fishes provided 7,506 meals and 4,704 bags of groceries to needy Baltimore City individuals (10,547) and families (2,854) in 2019. Approximately 25 St. Thomas’ parishioners volunteered at L and F over the year, preparing three full-course meals (including Christmas Lunch), pre-cooking turkeys for Thanksgiving, filling food bags, greeting patrons, entertaining children, and providing welcome and good cheer.

In addition, the summer “Lunch Bunch” program, funded by St. Thomas’ in 2018, continued to be successful. The custom lunch bags were filled with special “kid-friendly” foods and the children were asked to return them the next time for refilling. Many children returned with their bags over the course of the summer and into the fall, with an

increased sense of “belonging” to the L and F community. Over the year, 194 lunch bunch bags were distributed. Due to 2019 cuts to our Outreach budget, we were not able to fund the program for Summer 2020, but perhaps by then, new resources will come into play.

St. Matthais’ is currently without a priest and faces challenges related to being a small and aging parish. However, the critical role that Loaves and Fishes plays in the community cannot be overstated, and, for now, this ministry is very much alive and well.

In 2019, we provided $5,799 to support the pantry and to prepare and serve meals.

Outreach Report



Outreach Report Continued

Habitat for Humanity

Our Habitat for Humanity efforts continue, and we welcomed a number of new volunteers this spring/summer, which was great! Between February and October 2019, our church, working in partnership with the Church of the Redeemer, had 19 Saturdays of service. Volunteers worked either in Sandtown or Govans, and enjoyed both learning new skills and working with new people, including aspiring homeowners. Some volunteers supported the work by delivering hearty and much appreciated lunches to the work crew!

Habitat continues to be a great way to involve new parishioners who are excited that our church offers the opportunity. Also, a number of parent/child teams participate

every year as well, which is a memorable and positive experience for both participants. And the Habitat mission itself is truly transformational for the families who participate. All that said, the Outreach Committee remains concerned that managing the number of volunteers is challenging, as some weeks we have too few volunteers and others we have too many. We are watching this ministry closely to be sure that it continues to be a good fit for our parish.

In 2019, St. Thomas’ contributed $10,000 to HFH. Stay-cation Service Camp, July 22-26, 2019 When we learned that Paul’s Place would not be able to send campers to the camp that St. Thomas’ has hosted for the 14 years, Nathan came up with an exciting but ambitious alternative: a service week for the twelve youth who would have been counselors at the camp. With only a few weeks to put the idea in play, Nathan and Georgi planned a five-day camp in which the youth engaged in a different service opportunity each day. And we were blessed that our amazing Camp Director of 13 years, Susie Silberstein, agreed to pivot from a camp for little kids to a service camp for teens.

Over the five days, the campers did service projects at the Community Crisis Center (CCC), Irvine Nature Center, Paul’s Place, and Little Gunpowder Farm. They learned a lot about food insecurity, and what various programs, like the CCC and Little Gunpowder Farm, do to help address it. At Paul’s Place, they met the many guests who face the daily challenges that poverty brings, and our youth contributed to both the lunch and clothing ministries there. They learned about Irvine’s mission to protect and celebrate the natural world, and they worked hard, clearing trails. All the campers said they got a lot out of the week and they are encouraging us to offer it again next year! Thank you for the invaluable support we received from the parent volunteers.

In 2019, the Outreach Committee spent $ 4,577 on the Stay-cation Service Camp.

Owings Mills Elementary School (OMES) Reading Ministry and Odyssey School

The St. Thomas’ Reading Ministry supports young readers who have fallen behind in their grade level reading skills or who cannot practice reading aloud at home because their parents are working or do not speak English. Since the Spring of 2015, 8 St Thomas’ parishioners have volunteered to listen to individual students read a book of their choice at OMES. The teachers are delighted that we are helping the students and report that the students are excited about reading with their volunteers. Like the CCC, volunteering at OMES offers a way to volunteer that is close to home for many in our parish. continued on page 16


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For the third summer in a row, Odyssey School and St. Thomas’

partnered to send four Owings Mills Elementary students with learning differences to the five week all-day, intensive reading/math Summer Camp at Odyssey School. Steward, Koji, Carter and Brandon all enjoyed the full-day experience, having so much fun they did not realize all the important academic strides they were each making.

With generous financial help from the Odyssey School Outreach Committee, we shared the cost of the tuition, and the OMES students who were struggling academically got targeted help from highly trained teachers that they could never have afforded otherwise. Because Marty Sweeney, the Head of Odyssey, allows the OMES students to pay for the half-day camp but stay for the full day, the students get to participate in the full afternoon of fun and games organized by Coppermine staff. All to say, the OMES students each had a wonderful and educational time! During the camp, a

few St. Thomas’ parishioners went to have lunch with the OMES students, and to learn what they have been doing. The principal of OMES also visited the camp and was so appreciative of this unique learning opportunity for his students.

Importantly, all the students who have attended camp to date have had measurable academic improvement. We will be meeting in February, 2020 with the OMES Principal for a report on the academic status of the four 2019 campers. In addition, the OMES and Odyssey leadership have become so connected that they continue to trade teacher-training ideas and invite each other to professional programs.

In May 2019, St. Thomas’ allocated $3,800 to this partnership, and in December, 2019, we sent $3,200 towards the program for 2020.

In tribute to Judy Shutt

Our community was deeply saddened by the sudden loss of Judy Shutt, our passionate champion for children and literacy. She died in November and staff from both OMES and Odyssey attended her service, in recognition of her invaluable contributions to both schools. In her obituary, people were invited to support the Judy Shutt Literacy Fund at St. Thomas’, and we received $2,615 in her name. In 2020, we will discuss how best to use these funds in honor of Judy. We also collected books in her name at the Christmas Extravaganza and received well over 100 books, some for the third grade classroom where Judy volunteered and some for the OMES Library. The Community Crisis Center

The Community Crisis Center, Inc. (CCC) is located just a fewmiles from our Church’s front door. CCC provides essentialhelp for the homeless and working poor in Reisterstown, Owings Mills, and Glyndon. It is one of the largest food banks in Baltimore County and provides food assistance all through the year, school supplies and personal hygiene products for those in need, financial literacy assistance, and grants for eviction-prevention and utility assistance. Like OMES, the CCC offers a way to volunteer that is close to home for many in our parish. St. Thomas’ currently has five regular volunteers there. We very much want to add more volunteers in the next year because this “in the trenches” ministry provides essential help for many of our neighbors

In 2019, St. Thomas’ gave a cash donation to assist with utilities for those who have encountered an unexpected financial downturn but have the means to get back on their feet. The CCC is also the beneficiary of our monthly food collection.

In 2019, St. Thomas’ allocated $4,000 to this partnership.

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The Handicrafters Outreach Ministry

The St. Thomas’ Handicrafters hosted the 7th Annual White Elephant Sale and raised over $3,500 for the youth of St. Thomas’ for their mission trip. They also had two impromptu craft sales raising approximately $600 which was

donated to the Community Crisis Center in Reisterstown. Many knitted and crocheted hats and scarves were donated to Paul’s Place, while an additional 30 hats went to students in need at Owings Mills Elementary School and special “Preemie” hats were donated to local hospitals.

Food of the Month In 2018, we began a formal monthly food collection. We provided parishioners with a “shopping list” pad that includes the item we are collecting each month, plus additional space to write their own list. This creative idea has increased our donations, which we try to bless monthly during the church service. Each month, an Outreach volunteer takes the donations to the Community Crisis Center where they are much appreciated. Christmas Outreach Extravaganza, 2019

Thanks to our generous parishioners and many of the families from the Day School who supported the annual St. Thomas’ Christmas Outreach Extravaganza, Christmas was a more joyful and tasty holiday for many in our community. With the help of many hard-working volunteers, we collected hundreds of gifts for the Christmas celebration at St. Matthias Loaves and Fishes and at Paul’s Place, as well as food, baby supplies, and children’s books.

The Extravaganza evening began with a delicious dinner made and served by volunteers, and it is worth noting that every seat was taken at the event. St. Nicholas made his joyful appearance, after which everyone got to work sorting, wrapping, bagging, labeling, and more. By the end of the evening, we had over 100 bags of food and well over 200 gifts for men, women, and children.

Specifically, the following causes benefitted from the Extravaganza:

*St. Matthias Loaves and Fishes: we filled more than 100 bags of groceries and wrapped 100 packed toiletry bags, 50 for men and 50 for women. We also collected many new gifts for men, women, and children for the Christmas boutique at St. Matthias’. A few days after our event, about 12 St. Thomas’ parishioners took the food and gifts in an enormous and packed truck, along with a scrumptious Christmas dinner, to St. Matthias, where guests could dine and shop for loved ones for free (wrapping included!).


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St. Thomas’ continues to have a vibrant and growing Lay Reader ministry, which has been enriched by the participation of new members, including seventh- and eighth-grade confirmation students. The Lay Readers are responsible for reading the lessons at both the 8am and 10am Sunday services, as well as at special services, throughout the year. We are especially grateful to all who serve as St. Thomas’ Lay Readers—adults and young people alike— and recognize them for their faithful service.

Lay Readers Report

READERS: Garland Alban Catherine Arthur Betsy Baetjer Jean Baker Sana Brooks Kernan Brooks Jean Campbell Jill Coleman Jane DeCosta Astri Doub

Margaret Green Leila Hardy Skylar Harris Gerry Hedges Dawn Hyde Nathan Koshy Suresh Koshy Wynne McCormick Steve Meck Toby Noyes Kim Parks

Barritt Peterson, Jr. Jenepher Piper Courtenay Shure Lanny Springs John Tracey Nina Tracey Bill Trimble Ridgeway Trimble Lea Ward Ned Welbourn Robert Wells

Maya Wilcox David Wilmerding Don Workman

*Paul’s Place: we collected many gifts for the Paul’s Place Holiday Boutique. Parents from Paul’s Place go shopping at this Boutique for their children, bringing joy to both givers and receivers. *Owings Mills Elementary: in honor of Judy Shutt, we collected over 100 new books, which were gratefully received by the teachers and the librarian.

*Community Crisis Center: Our Youth shopped for a “Baby Shower for Mary and Joseph,” gathering much needed baby supplies which the Center gratefully accepted and distributed. Additional 2019 Outreach grants

Paul’s Place costs for cooking ministry: $5,886

Paul’s Place year-end gift: $1,000

Respectfully Submitted on behalf of St Thomas’ Outreach Committee,

Betsy Wilmerding; Chair, Outreach Committee

February, 2019



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The St. Thomas’ Usher Corps consists of a wide and dedicated group of both men and women, who’s main function is to greet our parishioners and guests, with a warm and friendly smile! Other duties include handing out the church service program, assisting with finding the right pew, offering the small children’s activity bags, record the number in attendance and deliver to the priest, assisting all who come to worship during the service, and collecting any left behind papers and straightening pews, after the service ends.

A member is typically asked to serve any where from four to five services per annum. The 8:00 AM service has a small group of wonderful members, who handle the duties and will welcome assistance if you ask to be included. The 10:00 AM service, along with major services is rotated amongst the balance.

If you wish to explore or even wish to join our group, please reach out to Jeff Burnett at [email protected] and Jeff will answer your questions or ensure your involvement, at the earliest opportunity. We are continuously on the look out for new members to join our group, which is congenial and always with a smile!

8 a.m.: Margaret Green Don & Gloria W orkman Josie W orthington L iz Blue Steve & Donna Meck

10 a.m. Jay Acker Ted Waters Tommy Obrecht Jay Schmidt Larry Smart Frank Bonsal Roy Smith Kevin Kowalski Jeff Burnett Meg Walton Ray Zollinger Leila Hardy Michael DeVeau John McCormick Toby Noyes Steve Marsh Sandy Martin Arinze Okpala Denise McIntosh Tom Shettle Stuart Absolom

Respectfully submitted, Jeff Burnett, Chair

Our Pastoral Care Committee continues to reach out to members of our congregation. We have a group of people who are willing to send notes of sympathy at times of loss, support during illness, congratulations for births or anniversaries. Some members have provided rides to church while others have made and delivered food during illness or recovery from surgery. We welcome input from members about parishioners who might need our help and support. Also we look to you, our parishioners, to keep us abreast of current news and events. We are very grateful to the helpful and caring team who represent pastoral care: Glen Cole, Donna Eden, Carter Franke, Nora May, Tom & Phyllis Shettle, Jenny Washburne, Betsy Wilmerding, Josie Worthington, Sallie Worthington, Robert Wells, Jeff Burnett and Annette Brown. We always welcome new members on board to write notes of support. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to let me know!


Denise McIntosh, Chair

Pastoral Care Committee

Ushers

mailto:[email protected]


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St. Thomas’ Preschool


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Treasurer’s Report

Dear Parishioners:

I am pleased to report that St. Thomas’ finished 2019 with a budget surplus of

$29,374. We fell short of projected inflows by $11,000 due to lower than

expected pledge income and a deferral of income from the St. Thomas’

Preschool into 2020. Outflows were generally higher than anticipated across

most spending categories, but were significantly lower in Pension & Benefits

spending due to the mid-summer departure of Nathan Erdman and the

September retirement of Malcolm Ellis. The reduction in expenses in this category stemmed from

lower salary and health care spending than anticipated.

Our projected operating budget for 2020 is $958,000, lower than our 2019 budget of $1,050,289. We

are projecting a lower budget need because our immediate pension and benefit expenses during this

transition year, and search for a new Rector, are projected to be lower due to the presence of one priest

versus two. Additionally, the church adopted a new health care plan for all staff which happily resulted

in much lower projected health care costs for 2020. We recognize that lower projected 2020 expenses

will be a temporary reprieve for the church financially, and that we will likely ramp back up to 2019

levels following the selection of a new Rector and a decision on the placement of an Assistant Rector.

As a reminder each year, the annual budget is supported by two primary sources of “revenues”; pledge

and non-pledge income and a draw from our endowment. Your pledges support our Building and

Grounds maintenance, all Clergy and Administrative and Campus staff salaries and benefits, Childrens

and Youth Education, and Music and Outreach programs. Pledges are always a critical source of

income and this year we undertook an early stewardship campaign that was limited to the month of

November. Despite the shortened appeal period, we received pledges of $426,000, and we are

projecting pledge income of $500,000 for 2020. This is lower than 2019 projected pledge income of

$515,000 and closer to actual 2019 giving of $507,000.

Given the decrease in our operating budget needs for 2020, we would typically reduce our draw from

the endowment, however the Vestry has decided to draw a portion, 1.0%, from the endowment to

resume funding of our Capital Expense (“CapEx”) fund which had been suspended in 2017 due to

budget constraints. The CapEx fund is currently valued at $240,000 and funding will increase the

balance by approximately $100,000 in 2020. This fund is used for long term capital improvements to

the church property and facilities and the Buildings and Grounds committee, in addition to the

Cemetery committee, are producing a plan for capital spending needs for the entire campus. This

activity will also include projected spending needs for necessary improvements to the Rectory before a

new Rector is hired. In addition to the draw for CapEx funding, for operating budget needs, the Vestry

has approved a 3.5% draw using a 3 year average year ending endowment balance for the calculation.

The draw for operating needs and CapEx funding will result in combined 4.5% draw from the

endowment in 2020.

In February 2019, the Finance and Investment committee (FIC), after a search which included

proposals from 5 prestigious investment management firms in Baltimore, selected T. Rowe Price



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The Finance and Investment Committee had a productive year. We successfully

transitioned the management of the endowment assets to T. Rowe Price in May. We

are pleased to report strong investment gains for the 2019 calendar year. Our

endowment produced a total net return of 21.38 %, which is close to our new

benchmark’s return of 21.93% in 2019.

Recall that, prior to our transition, our endowment was managed by Passive Capital.

With the change of investment managers, the Committee took the opportunity to

develop a new, more simplified global benchmark going forward. This benchmark is

comprised of a 50% S&P weighting, 15% MSCI ACWI ex US , and 35% Bloomberg Barclays US

Aggregate……freely translated to 50% US equities, 15% international equities, and a 35% fixed income

asset allocation.

Our committee members include Betsy Brennen, Anna Smith, Ned Worthington lV, Ted Waters, and

Jay Acker. I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to each of them for their service to our parish.

As for plans in 2020, we will be working with the Vestry to implement a planned giving initiative. It is

our hope this effort will facilitate an increase in bequests to our endowment, a very necessary goal.


Andrew M. Brooks

Chair

Finance/Investment Report

to manage the church endowment assets. T. Rowe Price assumed management of our endowment

accounts in May 2019. FIC Chair, Andy Brooks will share investment performance information in his

report, but I am also pleased to report that as of December 2019, the endowment account balances

(excluding the CapEx fund) totaled $10,417,093. This represented an increase from the endowment

account value of $8, 950,122 at the end of 2018.

In closing, last year at this time I announced that Ned Worthington, IV was named as our Assistant

Treasurer. Effective immediately, I am pleased to announce that Ned will assume the role of Treasurer,

and I will continue serving St. Thomas’ as the Assistant Treasurer, with primary responsibility to work

with St. Thomas’ Preschool as they continue to grow and balance financially. It has been a pleasure

working with the leadership in St. Thomas’ for these past 4 years and I look forward to staying a part of

the community for more years to come.


Betsy B. Brennen Treasurer

Treasurer’s Report continued from page 21


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