Good Samaritan, Sauk Centre
Our Saviour's, Little Falls
St. Stephen's, Paynesville

February 10, 2003

Council Financial Report to Vestries

NARRATIVE REPORT

Pat Gillespie, Pastoral Mentor, Grant Administrator & EFM Administrative Mentor

1999 to 2002 History

Spirit of the Heartland accounts have included income from three sources.

1 - Grant Money

2- EFM money, tuition and donations

3- Other donations, usually dedicated for a need for all three churches.

Expenses fall into similar areas.

There has been a financial administrator or treasurer keeping the accounts under Pat's supervision. At first the money was in a diocesan custodial account and more recently in a regular checking account.

1. GRANT - Pat is grant administrator. Most of the money is dedicated for specific expenses and has been spent accordingly. However on some line items, there was money leftover, which was re-allocated by Pat for other ministry development or team needs. The accounts are open and reports go to the grant committee.

2. EFM - Pat is administrative mentor for EFM. Income is from tuition from students and churches, grant money marked for EFM, and scholarship donations. Three of the four co-mentors have chosen to have all mentor honoraria paid to the administrative mentor; Pat in turn donates those honoraria. Expenses include tuition for the groups to Sewanee, EFM operating and mentor training fees, and travel reimbursement for mentors. Because of the mentor honoraria donations, this account often has extra money; Pat has chosen on occasion to transfer some of that to the Spirit of the Heartland general fund to help with salaries and team travel reimbursement. Because of confidential scholarship help and donations, the accounting here, though open to audit, is at the discretion of the administrative mentor rather than public.

3. OTHER - Individual donations to Spirit of the Heartland are confidential and may or may not be dedicated. The newsletter expenses and other non-grant, three-church expenses are billed out to the churches here. Money from the diocese to pay for a consultant for the ministry team also is accounted for here. The accounting is open.

2003 Update

1. The grants have ended. The balance of any grant money was spent in 2002 on team travel and salary expenses. The few remaining expenses or purchases will be covered by donations, which Pat will find.

2. The EFM account is stable. Pat transferred a $1000 gift to the Spirit of the Heartland in January. An additional transfer of $1500 this spring is anticipated. Pat recommends that any balance of the EFM money be moved to its own account at the end of June, at which time there will be a new administrative EFM mentor collecting tuition and donations for the 2003-04 September startup.

3. In 2003 this account should receive $2000 per year from each parish church to cover shared expenses in support of total ministry, which at this time are primarily salary for Kathy and reimbursement of team expenses. Various shared or team expenses are billed through to the churches (e.g,. newsletter) or the diocese (e.g., consultant for team). Pat's salary is accounted separately through the diocesan payroll processing program. Mary Ann is treasurer for this account and the Council serves as administrator.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Kathy Bies-Jaede

Restructured Position: Communications and Educational Program Coordinator

Reports To: Pastoral Mentor.

Duties:
1. Serve as telephone receptionist/"switchboard" for 3 small churches using home telephone and answering machine. Line provided by SOH. Check machine regularly between hours of 9-3 p.m. Direct calls as needed to various Team Ministers.
2. Design, edit and produce monthly SOH newsletter. Solicit information and articles from team members and church members. Mail by 28th of each month to be received in homes by the 1st. Mail extra copies for distribution to visitors at each of the 4 churches (includes St. John's.)
3. Maintain and update monthly calendar.
4. Serve as an information resource person for children and youth issues and programs in church life.
5. Develop and facilitate 4 all-age community-building liturgically based events for SOH per year. Rotate location of events between the three churches (e.g., Advent, Lent/Easter, Pentecost, and All Saints/All Souls)
6. Attend Team SOH meetings as needed and communicate through cyberspace as needed

Position Time and Compensation:
1. Approximately 30 hours per month for $300. No benefits/self employed status.
2. Keeps records of expenses and files for reimbursement on a regular basis.

ACCOUNTING REPORT

by Mary Ann Erdmann, Council Treasurer and Representative from Good Samaritan

Balance in the Spirit of the Heartland account 1-1-03 $ - 541.27

Projected EXPENSES for 2003

Figures in italics are the same as 2002.

*The newsletter probably should be billed separately and proportionally, as it was in 2002.

That would leave our budget at $ 7,516.

**(Pat's note) Continuing education should be in parish budgets.

That would leave our budget at $ 7,024

Projected INCOME for 2003

***EFM mentors donate their honoraria for scholarships and EFM expenses.
Pat as administrative mentor occasionally passes on some EFM money to SOH.
In the past this helped cover mileage and the part of Kathy's salary that exceeded the grant.
The amount available next EFM term depends on how many groups and the need for scholarships.

There is also a dedicated pledge to cover fax machines for the churches. Any extra from that will go into the operating budget.

BUDGET ISSUES

1. SALARY

In response to questions about continuing employment for Kathy Bies-Jaede in Communication and Education, the Council at the November meeting reduced her monthly salary from $500 to $300. At the February meeting they reaffirmed this decision and approved her Job Description, which is attached.

2. MILEAGE

A. Reimbursement

In response to questions about the Council's November decision to reimburse team ministers at $0.20 per mile rather than the $0.365 (now $0.36) professional rate (but more than the $0.14 volunteer rate), the Council has reconsidered that decision. At the February meeting, the Council agreed to reimburse at the professional rate of $0.36 for January and February and to ask the Vestries if they would support continuing at that rate, which will mean increasing the amount that Vestries budget annually for team expenses.

B. Number of miles

The estimated annual mileage has also been revised. Based on team ministers commitment to serving in all three parishes, the Council's revised "guesstimate" for annual team travel is 26,400 miles. [Until Total Ministry has been in operation for at least a year, it is difficult to arrive at clear figures. For comparison, Pat's annual unreimbursed church travel miles averaged around 30,000.]

This guesstimate is 14,280 more than the 12,120 miles included in the estimated EXPENSES above.

VESTRY RESPONSE needed regarding mileage reimbursement.

Are the parishes willing/able to increase the amount budgeted for team ministers' expenses to allow them to continue to be reimbursed for travel at the professional level of $0.36 per mile? Here is a comparison chart of reimbursement rates. Respond to your council representative.

* In addition to the already budgeted $500 per church per quarter.

Return to Spirit of the Heartland INDEX

Index of Council Minutes