Treasurer's report

What follows is an update of Saint Philip’s financial results through October and an estimate of end-of-year results.

There is significant progress to report since my last update in September, but also some continuing concerns.

First the good news:

As reported previously by Fr Robert, Catalina Hills Pre-school and Kindergarten will open January 1, 2022. This is an excellent replacement for The Beginning School. We are cleaning, painting, and upgrading the classrooms and the playground for the school’s opening.

We have upgraded Saint Philip’s internet service and facilities at the rear of the sanctuary to better support streaming.

We have contracted with Anstar Productions Group, a highly rated A/V company, to manage streaming of Sunday services and Saint Philip’s website.

These changes will add to our expenses this year but prepare us well for resuming regular services next year.

Now some concerns:

The pledge and plate income through October is below the expected range based on the budget. This is due primarily to the loss of “plate” income which is the result of the church being closed or having limited capacity. “Plate” income reflects donations other than pledges placed in the offering plate each Sunday.

Total income is also down due primarily to the closing of the Beginning School, the suspension of pottery classes and other facility use.

We usually see a large increase in pledge income in December as pledges are fulfilled. I urge you to help ensure that this is the case in 2021. It is even more important this year due to the loss of plate and facilities income, and the extra expenses described above.

At this time, I expect we will incur a loss—possibly as much as $100,000 in the operating fund. Please help to ensure that any loss is not consequential.

As I noted in the September update, we’ve managed to come this far through the pandemic because of your faithful generosity. So many have found this place to be a firm foundation when so much seems to be shaky right now. We hope you will help us keep that foundation as solid as it has been throughout this challenging time when we’ve all needed it. Thank you, as always, for your commitment and your faith.

 —Herb Burton, Treasurer