The Vestry is leading our parish in a discernment process that will culminate in a Vestry decision on May 28, 2008. The basic issue has to do with a chronic financial instability that has plagued this parish for many years.

Parishioners who joined the church after the year 2000 continue to ask about the cause of our financial trouble. They don't understand why, although the parish revenue is higher today than at any other time in its history, we are struggling financially.

The answer is hidden in our Legacy, one of our Five Root Values.

To value our Legacy means two things. It means, first, that we name and celebrate moments in the past when we clearly perceive the Lord blessing our faithfulness. We bring these moments forward into the present to serve as models of faithfulness and to give us hope as we face current challenges.

Second, to value our Legacy means that we remain open to learning the lessons from the past. We are not imprisoned by errors, mistakes, or misjudgments. We do not survey our Legacy to cast blame. We are forgiven. Rather, we grow wise as we face our past mistakes with courage believing in God's power to restore and heal.

Our General Manager Jim Tracy and I have been reviewing the parish legacy in regard to parish finances. This post reviews what we have discovered about our indebtedness.

On May 21, 1998 representatives from this parish met with the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Virginia.

The Standing Committee is a 12-member council of advice to the Bishop elected at the annual meeting of the Diocese, called The Annual Council. The Annual Council consists of delegates representing every parish in the diocese. The Standing Committee functions in many ways as “the Vestry” of the Diocese. Four members (two clergy and two lay) are elected to three-year terms each year.

The Canons (rules) of the church require that before a church acquires any debt, it must receive the approval of Bishop and the Standing Committee.

Representatives of this parish met with the Standing Committee on May 21, 1998 to receive approval to acquire “additional indebtedness of $1,675,000.”

According to the formal minutes the delegation from the parish made a presentation to the Standing Committee discussing building plans, congregational growth and budget issues. After deliberation the Standing Committee expressed four concerns.

1. The Standing Committee expressed concern that although the delegation projected an increase in giving to the parish, it had not projected an increase in parish giving to the Diocese.

2. The Standing Committee asked that “special outreach projects” be reflected in the parish operating budget. At that time it seems mission trips were not being documented as part of the normal Vestry budgetary process.

3. The Standing committee affirmed the founding Vicar’s role in the parish.

4. Finally, the Standing Committee asked the parish delegation “to acknowledge the enormity of the risk involved in approving the indebtedness.”

The minutes state:

President Coffey related the Standing Committee’s approval and reiterated its concerns to Mr. McWhorter (who was the founding Vicar) and the representatives....

A letter from the Standing Committee to the parish dated September 28, 1999 reveals that the following year, the Standing Committee approved additional indebtedness of the parish. The debt increased to $2,391,000.

The total pledge base of the parish in the year 1999 was $286,442.

It remains unclear how the parish managed to pay the mortgage when church revenue was so low. It also remains unclear why a bank would loan such a large sum to a church with such limited revenue.

(Note: Last year Jim Tracy approached several banks in an attempt to refinance the loan. Every bank turned him down, based on our limited parish finances. And this is with parish revenue 300% higher than it was when the original loan was made.)

We encourage anyone who can enlighten us on our parish legacy related to parish finance, to please share what they know. We value our Legacy: For the hope it gives us in the faithfulness of God; for the wisdom it teaches as we learn from our mistakes.