Dear Parishioners, +JMJ
Two weeks ago we had another finance council meeting. The following are highlights.
-We looked at the parish financial reports, as usual: the balance sheet, the profit and loss statement, the Accounts Payable statement.Also, two members of the council reported on their internal audits from the last couple of months. I’m so grateful to have this additional check on our finances!
-The diocesan Catholic Foundation for endowment investments has now become part of the “Catholic Investment Trust”. This happened as part of the ongoing organization of diocesan finances over the past couple of years. Along with this new Catholic Investment Trust, there now exists the possibility for parishes to invest in a general investment account which will make more interest than our normal deposit and loan account with the Diocese. It was recommended that we move $200,000 of our savings from the deposit and loan account (which makes about 2% interest) into the Catholic Investment Trust general account. The money will grow interest for whatever use the parish has in the future. The money is still very accessible. It is not restricted in anyway. But, it will be earning better interest than with the Deposit and Loan account. We will still maintain about $45,000 in the Deposit and Loan for bill payments each month. Within the Catholic Investment Trust, there are some five investment instruments. We will invest the money across those instruments in such a way that we maintain stability, assuring growth, yet with a modest amount of risk at the same time.
-We mentioned that the idea of some type of grotto at Payne is still on the radar screen – potentially fulfilling a school accreditation goal over the next few years, as well as some parish community interest that was expressed to the pastoral council a few years ago.
-There will be some additional contribution options – called myEoffering – available as of December 1st. We will have a link on the website for this. We also have online giving cards for the collection basket, so people don’t have to feel awkward when the basket passes by them. They can simply put a card in the basket that says they have given online. Along with this will be some new Eoffering envelopes for the same purpose. There will be a mailing to parishioners to explain all the details of the myEoffering opportunity.
-The parish is now signed up with AmazonSmile; so anybody using Amazon to purchase things in the Christmas season can already begin to name Divine Mercy Paulding as a recipient of some payback from that purchase, 0.5% of the purchases, paid quarterly. There will be a link on the website for easty access. See the bulletin for details.
-At the diocesan pastoral conference on millennials this past September, we learned about another social media tool called Evangelus. We are now set up to use Evangelus. Evangelus allows us to streamline communication, creating one message to be sent across various social media venues at the same time – our parish app, text message, Facebook and Twitter. In the near future we will have a teams after Masses helping people sign up for their preferred means for receiving messages. This will be a great way to help all of us stay in touch, especially for special events and weather alerts.
-The vocation endowment committee met a couple weeks ago to review the latest financial report. The endowment started in July 2016 with $100,000. Now it is out at $13,957. The parish is allowed to use 90% of each year’s interest for promoting and supporting men’s and women’s vocations from our parish. 10% of the interest each year has to be put back into the endowment. It was recommended to withdraw $5,000 for vocations events in the coming year: a school vocation awareness day; a weekend with the Vocation Director preaching at our parish, finishing with a boys’ luncheon at the rectory; a summer girls retreat led by religious sisters; and food for our monthly Melchizedek Project high school men’s group.
-There was consensus on donating our Thanksgiving day Mass collection to the food pantry in Paulding.
-The school is applying for a state security preparedness grant. We looked at a whole list of potential improvements for security. Joe Linder has been getting concrete quotes for these improvements to include in the grant application. Ideas include more safety lighting outside, and at the doors; improved control over access into the building; video surveillance around campus; better visitor monitoring with badges and cards; improved internet security and uninterrupted power supply; mass notification systems with a two-way PA system.
-Projects at Antwerp: Lee Construction completed the external sealant on the bell tower, installed some 52 weep-tubes at strategic points in the brick, and removed the loose plaster on the inside walls. The plan is to watch for any ongoing moisture problem. Hopefully we will see things dry out instead. Then we can plan on how to finish the inside again.We still need to add windows to the classroom doors in the hall. The doors from the kitchen to the outside have now been installed with crash bars for quick exit. We think we have a lead on improving the organ speaker system in the loft. We will ask Lee Construction to drill a hole into the basement foundation wall of the Antwerp rectory, so that the dryer can finally be exhausted to the outside.
-Projects at Payne: We think we can coordinate the next step with the bat problem by having Lee Construction and the Buckeye exterminating work together, since Lee Construction has a lift on site. There is an access point along the ridge vent of the Church. The installation of the automatic bell ringing equipment was completed, costing 15,600.
-Projects at Paulding: Lee Construction finished the repair of the Northeast sacristy roof of the church,Costing $10,160.The cracked tub in the guest bathroom of the rectory will be replaced, along with new flooring, vanity, toilet. A donation will cover this. The rectory master bathroom will get new flooring and vanity, again covered by a private donation. We still have to consider eventually what to do about the deteriorating brick in the basement of the rectory. Also, we have to update the electrical sockets in the rectory, many of which are still ungrounded. Recently realized that the garage roof of the rectory is in pretty bad shape. Roof repair will be $6,525. The gutters end up being free, as part of the deal.
–Wish-list: Antwerp bell repair for $13,580 (although we might be able to do some repair ourselves to reduce that significantly.); Paulding bell repair for $8,845. If we need a lift (and we most likely will), the price will go up accordingly.
So, there are highlights from our last finance council meeting.
Have a blessed week!
In cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Father Poggemeyer
