Cari’s Notes re: receipt reimbursements

Thank you for alerting me to the need for greater restraint, accountability, and group process, when it comes to pastoral expenditures. That all makes sense to me, and I apologize that I haven’t been more careful of late.

I have been considering all the points Annie mentioned, and brainstormed some possible ways forward, along with a few points of clarification:

• I will keep a more careful eye on finances in the future, and to help me do so, it would be great to be reminded on what the specific numbers are for the different categories (worship, admin, pastoral care, sacraments, children, hospitality, etc.), with a reasonable amount to spend on things most needed.

• I will run parsonage needs by the property committee, with the hope of a timely response on urgent matters.

• We will stick to $10 maximum on visitor bags, as the group and I assemble those regularly. For now, Sue Ulrich has volunteered to supply the food for those, as a donation on her part, so that will save considerably on the money for perishables.

• I will limit all pastoral visits to coffee only, not meals, to save money.

• If treats are to be purchased for a church event, I will ask a church member to donate them, and accept that we won’t have them if no volunteer is available.

• Clarification on the Advent dinners (a rare and special occasion):

These came out close to a net-zero, because the participants all contributed cash and check. I turned all that in to the incomes bookkeeper and explained the situation, and then had my food costs reimbursed to me through the church, rather than “paying myself back” with those donations. I realize now that that method wasn’t clear to Sandy and Candy and FOC, so in the future I will better explain and communicate that. The church did not lose money on those dinners. There were a few necessary one-time costs for tables, dishes, and silverware (the least expensive possible), but those will serve the parsonage for years to come, for church-related events.

• I’d like to be part of the discussion going forward, as we think about how much we’re budgeting for each area, and how to have realistic / appropriate categories and budget amounts for the important expenses that come up. I think it’s important that the full consistory be a part of talking it through, so things can be discussed together, questions asked, and items clarified. I will accept your guidance and be approachable in receiving correction and acting on it. But I believe that budget-related meetings for consistory should include the consistory president and all members, rather than just some.
• The clergy vestments are a one-time cost, and I’d like to submit for consideration that the church pay a third of the cost, since they are essentially a church uniform, and the ones that last, do cost a fair amount. I did not have a white one, which goes with the parts of the year where the paraments are white, and the purple one I had, got destroyed at the cleaners.

• I have made other adjustments to the reimbursement application from March-April, with the request that the parsonage garden expense and electricity filter expense, be considered for 50% reimbursement. The front flower beds are not the parts Wayne and Barbara are tending to, and Marie and others used to do some volunteer gardening from time to time, but haven’t had time lately. The front beds are the first things people notice, and they haven’t received much attention since I moved here in fall of 2020. I therefore sought out an affordable landscape helper. On the Green Wave energy filters, Steve Romine came over, spent about an hour testing the air and electricity in the parsonage, and made a compelling case that this is a serious health concern. I did some research on my own and felt Steve’s recommendation was sound.

I recognize that I need to cut back on costs in order to be fiscally responsible, to be a good steward of the church’s treasure, and to help us balance budget. And I will happily comply with this.

But I do ask that we have appropriate amounts categorized in our overall budget for repeated needs that come up; and for an agreed-upon guideline for reimbursements and expenditures.

It’s also helpful to trust we have a workable method for dealing with parsonage needs moving forward. I called the plumber last month and arranged for the tub to be fixed, because my experience in the past was that I didn’t have a truly functional shower for the first 6 months I lived here.

Now that we have Bob the sexton working alongside Mike Cooter and the rest of the property committee, I will go through them in the future.

Thank you for considering,

Cari