Dear Friends,<\/p>\n
Today marks our 215th<\/sup>\u00a0Annual Meeting! I thank God for the ministry we share in this sacred place. It is a joy and the honor of a lifetime to serve as your seventeenth rector.<\/p>\n When our first annual meeting was convened in 1810,\u00a0James Madison was president of our young nation\u00a0still finding its footing in the world.\u00a0Since then,\u00a0we have weathered the Civil War that tore our nation apart,\u00a0persevered through two World Wars that reshaped global order,\u00a0endured the Great Depression\u00a0and numerous economic challenges,\u00a0witnessed the struggle for civil rights,\u00a0experienced the technological revolution, stood firm through pandemics both past and recent,\u00a0and navigated the complex social changes of the 21st\u00a0<\/span>century. Through it all\u2014through times of national triumph and tragedy,\u00a0through periods of social upheaval and transformation, through moments of doubt and renewed conviction\u2014our mission has remained steadfast:\u00a0to serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ.<\/strong><\/p>\n This constancy is not due to our own strength or cleverness;\u00a0it is due to our response to the mercy, grace, and power of the call of Christ,\u00a0who reveals himself to be the center of our lives, and the center of human history. As Saint Paul reminds us, \u201cI can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.\u201d\u00a0With the Spirit of our Crucified and Risen Lord shaping our mission and ministries, we continue this sacred work\u00a0passed down through generations.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s Annual Meeting is an occasion for us to take seriously\u00a0the holy and important work of governance. In case you are wondering, you did not mishear me\u2014governance is holy work!<\/em> I was reminded of this on Tuesday of Holy Week when we gathered with our Bishop\u00a0and the priests of the Diocese of New York to renew our\u00a0ordination vows.\u00a0In that solemn liturgy at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, we were asked again: \u00a0\u201cWill you be loyal to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of Christ as this Church has received them?\u201d\u00a0This Anglican understanding of ordered liberty\u00a0within faithful tradition\u00a0guides not only priests\u00a0but all who share in the governance of\u00a0Christ\u2019s Church\u2014and that is all of us!<\/p>\n Earlier this week during our annual priests\u2019 retreat, we took stock of our shared life as a Diocese and the particular challenges facing our communities today. The message was clear: we will need good governance and wise servant leadership to carry out our work and mission in these complex times.<\/p>\n This past Friday and Saturday, our Vestry gathered on Long Island for a similar purpose\u2014to reflect on our shared life of governance and to consider how we might continue to live into our service as trustworthy leaders at St. James\u2019 Church: called to follow Jesus Christ,\u00a0to bear witness to the joy of the gospel, and to be wise stewards of the gifts entrusted to us by previous generations.\u00a0It is now our turn to carry this legacy forward. Our Chancellor, Fraser Hunter, provided a thoughtful presentation on the distinct yet complementary roles of the Vestry and Rector.\u00a0And as we spent the day together,\u00a0I was encouraged by the clarity of our shared vision\u2014we are indeed\u00a0rowing in the same direction,\u00a0with a common understanding\u00a0of what this season calls for.\u00a0In our mutual ministry we share the responsibility\u00a0to be faithful stewards of this holy place\u00a0as we serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our day.<\/p>\n As your servant leaders,\u00a0we are called to equip you\u2013 the saints\u2013to join us in the work of ministry. Each of us brings our distinctive gifts, we offer them to God, and we share them with each other for the building up of the body of Christ. Together, we are called to holiness of life, to be heralds of the Gospel in both word and deed,\u00a0and to be wise stewards.<\/p>\n Today, as we welcome Alexandra Bacon and Larry Hunter as Vestry members,\u00a0and give thanks for Bob Stinson and Dolly Geary\u2019s service on the Vestry,\u00a0we recognize that governance in the church\u00a0is never merely administrative\u2014it is apostolic.\u00a0We stand in a line that stretches back not only to 1810,\u00a0but to those first disciples who were entrusted with the good news of God’s unimaginable love made known to us\u00a0in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.<\/p>\n As we close this 215th Annual Meeting,\u00a0let us recommit ourselves to serve the Gospel. With thanksgiving for our past, steadfast commitment to our present, and a holy hope for our future, let us be about the apostolic work of building up the Church as a sign to the world that the kingdom of God has come near.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” top_margin=”10″ text_color=”dark” text_align=”center” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” gradient_type=”default” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_custom_heading text=”From the Treasurer” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left|color:%23ffffff” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1715885413833{padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #dd3333 !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]\n Sunday, May 4, 2025 \u2022\u00a0\u00a0St. James\u2019 Church The Treasurer provided the following updates:<\/p>\n Dear Friends,<\/p>\n It has been a great honor to serve as your Wardens this past year alongside our remarkable Rector. It has been a joy to watch Zack embrace and fill out more broadly his distinguished rectorship with his Christ-centered vision and preaching, warm pastoral care, and joyful relationship building with parishioners of all ages and within this growing parish.<\/p>\n We are fortunate to be joined by a talented and dedicated group of Vestry members. From that group, we want to offer our gratitude to Dolly Geary and Bob Stinson. Dolly and Bob have been valued members on the Vestry for the past six years and are rotating off. We appreciate their dedication and service and they will be missed!<\/p>\n The Rector, Wardens and Vestry were on retreat a few weeks back.\u00a0At the suggestion of our Chancellor, we engaged in a Mutual Ministry Review of the Rector and the Vestry which was a first in recent memory. This review was facilitated superbly by our retired Priest Associate, Jay Sidebotham.<\/p>\n For a fulsome three hours,\u00a0we considered the ways the Rector and Vestry have been living into our mutual ministry this past year. It was a chance to explore with gratitude and honest reflection of the work we do together. Jay asked three questions in advance for us to answer before the retreat:<\/p>\n The result was an abundance of love in the room as the Rector and Vestry are actually working quite well together while also allowing for some transparent feedback to constantly grow and improve as we move forward. We could not be more thankful for Jay and his guided facilitation of the morning.<\/p>\n As we announced to the parish in May\u00a02023, the Vestry is committed to a three-year plan to increase sources of income, reduce our expenditures, and bring the finances of the parish to a model of sustainable operating efficiency. We are currently in year two of that plan, and our financial endeavors continue to be led brilliantly by our Treasurer, Nina Huffman. We are encouraged by the significant progress we have made and we are optimistic about our future.<\/p>\n Waddell Stillman and Nancy Murray, as appointed Vestry officers for Strategic Advancement <\/em>and Stewardship <\/em>respectively, have been instrumental collaborators to our work. The Investment Committee ably chaired by Martin Dessofy has also been an important partner in their care of overseeing the endowment.<\/p>\nAnnual Meeting Treasurer<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s Presentation<\/span>
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\nNina Huffman, Treasurer<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]\n\n
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\n\u2022\u00a02024 goal: single digits – with a target of 8%
\n\u2022\u00a02025 goal: 5% – 7%
\n\u2022\u00a02026 goal: 5%\u00a0and<\/u>\u00a0<\/strong>balanced budget with zero deficit spending<\/div>\n<\/div>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” top_margin=”10″ text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” gradient_type=”default” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_custom_heading text=”From the Wardens” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left|color:%23ffffff” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1715885578629{padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #dd3333 !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]\n\n