St. John’s Episcopal Church Ross, California

2020 Annual Report

Parish Annual Meeting January 31, 2021

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, ROSS Parish Annual Meeting January 31, 2021

VESTRY President

The Rev. Chris Rankin-Williams, Rector Senior Warden

Robb Baer ('21) Junior Warden

June Sullivan ('21) Vestry Members

Mary Beth Baker (’21) June Sullivan ('21) Amy Taylor ('21) Jennifer Jones ('22) Chris Russell ('22) Paul Kaplan ('22) Kathryn Supinski ('22) Genny Biggs ('23) Joannie Ericson ('23)* Mike O’Brien ('23) Jaco Sadie ('23)

New Senior Warden Jennifer Jones will serve as Senior Warden until the Annual Meeting 2022. The Senior Warden is appointed by the Rector. The Vestry elects the Junior Warden.

Note: Class of 2021 concludes vestry service at this annual meeting. * Erin Budlong resigned from vestry because she moved out of state. The vestry elected Joannie Ericson to serve the remainder of the term.

VESTRY CANDIDATES (Class of 2024) Becky Hlebasco ('24) Kerry Hoeveler ('24) Tim McCandless ('24) Alden Mills ('24)

DELEGATES TO DIOCESAN CONVENTION & MARIN DEANERY St. John’s may have six delegates and six alternates. The Vestry may elect delegates to fill vacancies.

Eleanor Prugh, Chair Connie Granger Vance Frost Anne Pearson Bill See Peter English

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St. John’s Episcopal Church, Ross Annual Meeting Agenda

January 31, 2021

The Annual Meeting will be held on Zoom. To Join the meeting, click here . Please text (415) 275-0115 with any technical issues or questions.

Welcome Chris Rankin-Williams

Church Without Walls Video

Opening Prayer & Call to Order Chris Rankin-Williams

Senior Warden’s Report Robb Baer

Rector’s Report Chris Rankin-Williams

Election of New Vestry Class

Election of Delegates

Presentation of 2021 Budget & Financials Susan Aley

Associate Priest’s Report Ginger Strickland

Q & A with Rector & Vestry

Blessing

Adjourn — Stay on the Zoom meeting for Coffee Hour

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SENIOR WARDEN REPORT Robb Baer, Senior Warden email Robb

In 2020, St John’s accomplished many wonderful things during a particularly challenging time. In January 2020, our Vestry met at the Bishop’s Ranch to discuss St John’s goals and objectives for the next 12 months. At the vestry retreat we focused on three objectives for 2020: 1. Financial Stability: Funding the church without using reserve funds. 2. Communications: Establishing clear lines of communication with all of our stakeholders. 3. Community Life: Emphasizing the broad programing and outreach of St John’s.

In review, it’s my belief that the clergy and vestry accomplished these goals. In such a difficult year, as a congregation we met our annual fund goal of $925,000. This is an amazing result and we ALL should be very proud. We should celebrate it today, but tomorrow the “cash register” resets to zero and we must do this again for the years to come. As a vestry, we have adopted clear lines of communication as it relates to our annual fund needs and will continue to do that into the future. We can’t expect our parishioners to know the dynamic financial needs of the church without a clear strategy to achieve them.

On the communications front, we emphasized clear communication around the financial needs of St John’s and also made changes to our availability of services and programing. When the “Shelter in Place” mandate was initiated, St John’s quickly pivoted our services to an on-line format. We made a large investment in our sound system and technical capabilities. As a result, St John’s services have been viewed in 7 countries and 25 states. Our community life programs kicked into full gear throughout the pandemic. When St Vincent de Paul’s dining room closed in mid-March, St John’s stepped in and continues to be an essential aide in feeding our hungry neighbors – delivering over 300 brown bag lunches a day. Internally, a group of parishioners continued to reach out to our members throughout the pandemic to help ease the stress that has been a result of isolation. Our youth programs continued in full swing while adjusting to the realities of on-line programming. Finally, in preparation for a reopening, several St John’s members joined a “re-opening committee”. The intention of this committee was to establish safe guidelines for our Vestry and Clergy to reference in order to bring our community back together. The Vestry also refreshed St John’s Mission and Vision Statements to better reflect our values and goals. Vision and mission statements provide direction and a target for St John’s. It’s a tool to help the organization fulfill what God has called us to do. The value of these statements is that it gives church leadership, employees and congregants a shared goal. It’s our bullseye, and we need to understand where we are going before we get

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there. In addition, these statements should provide continuity and consistency over the long term as the Vestry implements its strategic plan.

Our vision statement is a statement that explains what we want and aspire to be as an organization – it reads, “St John’s will be a spiritual home that welcomes all, loves and respects all, and serves all in Christ’s names.” Our mission statement reflects what we do, why we do what we do and who benefits from our actions. It reads, “We pray, worship and celebrate the Gospel, responding to the needs of our communities while building relationships to support us on our journey of faith.”

In closing, I’d like to thank the members of St John’s for allowing me to serve on Vestry and as Senior Warden. As Senior Warden, you are privileged to witness the great work this organization completes on a daily basis. As a result, the headaches we experienced in 2020 are buried in a mountain of memories of wonderful acts of kindness and human decency that defines St John’s.

RECTOR’S REPORT 2020 The Rev. Chris Rankin-Williams, Rector email Rev. Chris

It has been said that a crisis reveals the true character of an organization. That has certainly been true for St. John’s during the global COVID-19 pandemic. What is the true character of St. John’s that has been revealed during these challenging times? First and most important is that St. John’s leadership, volunteers and community are highly adaptive and driven to keep our community connected. It also revealed that St. John’s is at its best when a team of people work together, rather than having one or two individuals drive all decisions and actions. Indeed, the most important role of our leaders has been facilitating engagement while ensuring St. John’s is a stable presence in the midst of the uncertainty of the pandemic.

I began a three-month sabbatical just before the first shelter in place orders were issued. The way Rev. Ginger and our wardens, Robb Baer and June Sullivan, along with the church staff and key volunteers stepped up to lead the congregation was inspiring. One of my goals as rector has always been for parishioners to feel most connected and committed to the church community rather than any individual priest or leader. While my sabbatical in place was truly bizarre, it filled me with joy to see our leadership team thrive during an experience that is unprecedented in our lifetimes.

The three characteristics that stand out the most to me are our commitment to worship, serving those in need and caring for our St. John’s community. St. John’s quickly shifted

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to online worship including creative ways to engage people like texting in prayer requests during the service. The desire to serve those most in need during the pandemic has been inspiring. Indeed, our hands-on outreach has increased during the pandemic with broad participation from the church community. New leaders and volunteers have emerged during the pandemic, not only in our outreach ministry, but in connecting with and caring for members of St. John’s who are isolated.

The extraordinary financial generosity of this congregation during the pandemic is inspiring and life-giving.

Crisis management and leadership can only be sustained for so long. As one writer put it, the impact of COVID on churches is less like the crisis of a major blizzard and more long a long winter or even a mini-ice age. Rather than simply try to hold things together until we can return to “normal” we have adapted to a new normal based on what we have learned during the pandemic. The move to online worship has made it possible for members who could not make it to in-person worship frequently to attend every Sunday or to watch our services at a time that was more convenient. Since taking our worship online our services have been viewed in 39 states plus DC and Puerto Rico, and in 18 countries. That is an extraordinary reach for our little church and something that would not have happened without adapting to the pandemic. It also reinforces why we are committed to installing a new camera system so we can stream our services even when we are fully back to in-person worship.

St. John’s has been remarkably resilient during the pandemic. Rather than let COVID stop us in our tracks, we have pressed ahead with important work as a church. The vestry continued its commitment to develop a new vision and mission statement. We engaged in the work of racial justice and reconciliation and are committed to continuing and increasing those efforts.

Perhaps the most important lesson of the pandemic has been how it has reaffirmed that the church is first and foremost the people, not the building. Our beautiful church is, of course, central to who we are and the remodel of the chancel has facilitated online worship in a way that would have been impossible to replicate in the old chancel setup. In many ways, I believe the pandemic and the stay-at-home orders have helped us to see anew the importance of intergenerational church community.

There are more people to thank than I could possibly fit in my rector’s report, which speaks to the depth of this church’s response to COVID. I do want to highlight the work of our Reopening Committee that continues to advise the vestry and me on the criteria for reopening for in-person worship. Dar Labarthe, Genny Biggs and Robb Baer, Rev. Ginger and I are members of the committee. I am so grateful for their expertise and guidance.

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The In-person Worship committee has developed and will help implement our plans for outdoor and indoor worship once we reopen. Both the Reopening Committee and In-Person Worship committee were instrumental in preparing and presenting our plans to the Diocese for approval. Members of the In-Person Worship Committee are Keith Granger, Leslie Limpert, Brian Wittenkeller, Virginia Kosydar and Tom Fregoso. Rev. Ginger and I also serve on the committee.

I want to publicly acknowledge and thank Keith Granger who stepped in to help us get our services online and has volunteered an enormous amount of time and energy to edit videos and run the production side of our Sunday worship and other livestream events.

St. John’s is blessed with a great staff who, through the challenges of remote work, have kept our programs going and our community engaged. I’m inspired by their creativity.

Robb Baer and June Sullivan have been amazing wardens for our church during this time. They have lovingly given so much time and energy to keep St. John’s thriving during the pandemic. The steady, faithful leadership of the entire vestry has been a blessing in these uncertain times. In the midst of the pandemic, we had both a bookkeeper and treasurer transition. Special thanks to Jaco and Anita Sadie for their help ensuring our books were in proper order. Susan Aley stepped up as our new Treasurer in the middle of the year, taking over from Nigel Heath who served us so well for many years.

Finally, I want to acknowledge the Rev. Ginger Strickland. Rev. Ginger made it possible for me to stay on my planned sabbatical and lead St. John’s through the first three months of the pandemic. She has been an incredible partner in ministry for me these past six years. As much as I hate to see Rev. Ginger go, we all knew this day would come. We have all been blessed by her priesthood. I’m going to miss Ginger incredibly, but mostly I’m grateful for the six years of ministry we all shared together. With Ginger leaving I can’t think of a better priest to help us write the next chapter in St. John’s history than the Rev. Heather Erickson who joins us in mid-February.

We are living in extraordinary times. In the midst of all the challenges of this pandemic, the takeaway I believe is that St. John’s looked for and found the opportunities to be faithful to God and our call as Christians and as a church. May we continue to let our light shine.

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ASSOCIATE PRIEST’S REPORT The Rev. Ginger Strickland, Associate Priest email Rev. Ginger

The past year was extraordinary, and it just didn’t seem right to report in the usual way, to go program by program and group by group to report how things have gradually evolved and changed. It’s been a year in which the usual way of doing things suddenly became impossible – and the Spirit has led us to recreate and reinvent.

I am so thankful for the people of St. John’s, who responded to the crisis not with paralysis or nostalgia for the way things used to be, but with a readiness to adapt and an urgent desire to serve God and our neighbor.

That is the story for 2020 for me: the story of how God allowed us to continue to be a church in the face of enormous obstacles. And how God allowed us to be a church in new ways which will change us forever and stay with us even after we return to “normal.”

Here is one way of telling that story – on the subsequent pages, there are two lists. One is of St. John’s ministries and programs pre-COVID. The next is a list of the ministries and programs that happen now, during the pandemic. Some of them are ministries that have found creative ways to continue their work under new conditions. Others are new ministries that have sprung up in response to the needs of our community during this strange time.

I look at these two lists and think of the hard work, dedication, creativity, and love it took to get from one place to the other. The people of St. John’s have done extraordinary things. I think of all the people who tried Zoom or livestreaming for the first time so that they could stay engaged with St. John’s. I think about the hours of brainstorming, creative problem solving, and hard work that volunteers offered in order to help us make this leap. I think of all those who have found community in a time of isolation, all those who have found support as their patience and endurance have been stretched, all those who have been reminded of God’s love because of how St. John’s has responded to the pandemic. I think also of the many people who have joined our church during the pandemic because God’s love is still alive and visible at St. John’s despite the circumstances.

Your hard work and love have been a sign of God’s love, a sign of hope, in the midst of a painful time. Thank you.

On Easter Sunday, we talked about how God calls us to the work of resurrection rather than resuscitation, of new life rather than going back to old ways. As the vaccine begins to promise an end to the pandemic, now is the time to begin asking what learnings and

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practices we might wish to carry forward from this season in our congregational life even after all of this is over.

My heart is full of memories of my time at St. Johns’ and of the great privilege of walking with you during this season. And my heart is full of the thought of all you will do and be together in response to the challenge and joy of the years to come.

ST. JOHN’S PRE-COVID MINISTRIES & PROGRAMS Fellowship/Formation

● Dinner Church ● Women of Wisdom ● Men’s Group and Men’s Retreat ● 2nd d Thursday Eucharist and Lunch ● Adult Education Classes and Retreats ● Preparation for Baptism, Confirmation, Reception, Reaffirmation of Baptismal

Vows ● Advent Quiet Day

Youth and Families: Tom Fregoso, Youth Minister ● Youth Group ● Youth Sunday School ● Mission Trips

Children & Families ● Nursery ● Sunday School ● Adventure camp ● Christmas Pageant

Outreach ● St. Vincent de Paul hot meals ● St. Vincent’s Sack Lunches ● Interfaith Street Chaplaincy ● Gilead House ● Pine Ridge Care Center: Giving Tree and Monthly Worship Service

Mutual Care ● Care Committee ● Newcomer Welcome and Integration

Worship ● Altar Guild ● Christian Meditation ● Ushers ● Communion Bread Bakers ● Acolytes ● Lay Eucharistic Ministers

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● Lectors ● Weddings and Funerals ● Flower Angels ● Coffee Hour Hosts ● Sound

Music Ministries ● Chancel Choir ● Children’s Choir

Reaching Out ● Bike Church ● Yoga at St. John’s

Finances and Governance ● Vestry ● Delegates to Deanery and Diocesan Convention ● Investment Committee ● Finance Committee ● Stewardship ● Annual Fund ● Building and Grounds

ST. JOHN’S PANDEMIC MINISTRIES & PROGRAMS Fellowship/Formation

● Dinner Church: twice monthly on Zoom. ● Men’s Group: twice monthly on Zoom ● Bible Study: weekly on Zoom ● Baptisms: Outdoors, often with godparents joining by Zoom ● Advent Quiet Day: combination of remote and in person/masked/outdoors

attendance. Youth and Families: Tom Fregoso, Youth Minister

● Youth Group: continues with online Sunday School, in person masked/distanced when permitted, lots of great service projects

● Confirmation: continuing online! Children and Families: Sandra Pathik, Director of Children’s Ministries

● Sunday School: weekly by Zoom ● Christmas Pageant: virtual, highest service attendance of the year

Outreach During COVID ● St. Vincent de Paul Brown Bag Meals: St. John’s has been organizing at least

500 brown bag meals per week for the duration of the pandemic, providing food to unhoused and hungry persons throughout the county when the only community kitchen had to close.

● Marin Organizing Committee (MOC) has been doing amazing work getting an eviction moratorium passed in the county, as well as other eviction protections.

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However, a lot of these measures expire in February and there is major work to get them extended in order to prevent a wave of evictions. Parishioners Karen Petterson and Heidi Willets are the key contacts.

● Homeward Bound is another very large homeless services provider. SJ youth led a project cleaning out the backyard of their house for homeless moms and kids.

● The Interfaith Street Chaplaincy is still doing weekly wellness gatherings. SJ has been donating what we would have spent on supplies to allow these meals to continue We also donated the knitted hats folks made at Christmas and some N95 masks through the diocese.

● San Raphael Police Department: We also gave out knit hats to homeless folks through SRPD.

● Pine Ridge Care Center: COVID has hit staff and residents hard and St. John’s has offered gifts of word searches, crossword puzzles, and snacks as well as much appreciated Christmas gifts.

● Art and school supply Drive: Collected supplies for Play Marin, Pine Ridge Care Center, and Adopt-a-Family .

● Diaper Tree: Led by parishioner Lisa Williams diapers were collected for the Novato Postpartum Support Center and Gilead House.

Mutual Care ● St. John’s Cares: Every person in the parish received a call from our volunteer

team, and those wishing follow up calls have someone checking in regularly. Worship

● Altar Guild has continued their excellent work, with only one person in the church at a time.

● Christian Meditation: has continued on Zoom! ● Flower Angels still at work

Reaching Out ● Bike Church when permitted. ● Yoga at St. John’s streamed from church

DINNER CHURCH Marjorie Sun, Co-Leader email Marjorie

Dinner Church became church without the dinner in the past year due to the pandemic. That’s posed big challenges and opportunities too. Up until the pandemic a year ago, Dinner Church, also led by Morgan Darden, had been meeting twice a month with about 15 to 20 people gathering for a home-cooked meal and spiritual discussion. Suddenly cut off from in-person gatherings, the community was hungry--meals aside--to meet online every week. Meeting virtually has had its benefits. It broadened our reach, allowing

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others who wouldn’t normally attend in person to join in the conversation. In the spring, we focused on the theme, “Faith Is a Verb”. We explored how our faith can and should move us to act to make the world a better place for all. We added compline. Last fall we wrestled with the topic, “Great Expectations”--what we expect of ourselves, what God expects of us, what we expect of others. By the end of the year, however, attendance fell to about a dozen. So we’ll meet just once a month at least through the spring. We’re deciding how to change the format to broaden interest, keep building community and nurture our spiritual lives. Next month’s Mardi Gras marks the eighth anniversary of Dinner Church. How can we best meet this moment--many of us understandably Zoomed out--until we can share the table together once again?

STEWARDSHIP Emily McFarland, Director of Stewardship email Emily

In 2020 the Vestry set an ambitious goal to fund the budget without needing to tap funds held in reserve. In order to accomplish this they set an Annual Fund goal of $925,000 which was successfully raised. When the shelter in place order was implemented, the church was incredibly fortunate to see an outpouring of support to meet the needs of our members and the greater Marin community. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed and allowed St. John’s to continue to bear witness to God’s love and mercy through a challenging year.

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2020 Annual Fund Summary

Total Raised $934,251

# of Households that Contributed 275

Average Donation $3,397

Median Donation $1,500

# of Households that Increased Giving from 2019 to 2020

72

Increase Amount by Households that Increased Giving from 2019 to 2020

$154,024

Amount Raised 2019 Annual Fund $755,820

mailto:emily@stjohnsross.org

YOUTH MINISTRY Tom Fregoso, Youth Minister email Tom

I have so much to talk about regarding Youth Ministry, both pre-pandemic and current pandemic. If you are reading this, I'd love to talk to you. How serious am I? I will happily buy you a coffee/lunch, or I'll door dash something.

My report will cover: pre-pandemic highlights a list of the ministry engagements during the pandemic what we have learned during the pandemic.

Some of the highlights before the pandemic : ● Experimental, Sunday afternoon worship service: It was directed to Pizza Club

(3-5th), but it was open to all youth and families. There were outdoor games, followed by a short, creative worship experience. We saw families that generally are not predisposed to early morning worship due to sports and tons of DADS! It was great to talk with them, worship with them, and learn how they and their families were doing. It has the potential to become a permanent service once we can have in-person gatherings.

● Tuesday Night Pizza Club (3rd-5th): Pizza followed by outdoor activities closing with compline. Some families joined Dinner Church's at closing prayer with a bonus of leftover dessert. One of my favorite Pizza Club moments was Mardi Gras, where we made pancakes outside and then did pancake Olympics.

● Sunday Morning Church School: A large group gathered in the youth room from 10-1045. We would have guest speakers, talk about the lectionary readings, share in donuts and join the church service. After church, youth prepared an assortment of espresso drinks for the congregation.

● Confirmation Class : 830-10am in the youth room. Our programming included field trips, guest speakers, mentor meetings, skits, and more.

● Occasional afternoon youth group outings. When able, we would find time to gather and have programming celebrating parts of the church year.

● Pastoral Concerns Pre Covid: As you may remember, two youth died tragically at the beginning of 2020. Our church became a pastoral anchor for families and the larger Marin community in crisis. St. John's led both funerals. We were able to help many families and youth to ritualize a friend's passing.

Then COVID happened.

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I genuinely believe that Ginger and the vestry did a fantastic job. Ginger was pastoral, creative, collaborative, and we got our church moving during unprecedented difficulties. Many thanks to the SJR staff, the vestry, the re-opening committee, and the wardens/treasurers who work tirelessly to keep everything going.

During COVID: it became a throw paint on the wall period of ministry. Zoom was absolutely an option, but many families shared that their kids hated zoom learning. I tried to figure out who needed care and what we could gather to do (sorting out with the re-gathering committee, staff, county, and diocesan guidelines). Here are some things we did during COVID

Pizza Club (3rd-5th) ● Hike at Tennessee Valley, Netflix Party, Zoom art, Zoom Compline, Zoom

basketball games of horse Junior High ● Once a week gatherings on the House Party app, Biking after church, Hikes,

Netflix Party, and D&D party night Senior High ● Many snap chats, texts, phone calls, park gatherings, socially distanced dinners,

and walks around the neighborhood. College Group (several graduating youth didn't leave for school as expected) ● 11pm Zoom meeting, socially distanced lunches

Confirmation ● Socially distanced gatherings, Zoom class, Iconfirm service and talks, Blue

Christmas service, socially distanced mentor gatherings Church School/Morning Youth Group @ 1130am on Sundays ● Zoom weekly lectionary discussions, guest speakers on racial injustice over the

Summer, breakfast deliveries, Donut in the Park Social Service ● Very successful pie baking (Thanksgiving) and cupcake baking (Christmas) for

Martin de Porres (House of Hospitality in SF), Marin women's shelter garden cleaning days, and canned food sorting.

Summer Camp ● Camp Chaplain at the Bishop's Ranch for 4-6th graders, Zoom programming

(morning chaplain time with skits, games, and music). Parent Support ● Phone calls, therapy recommendations, 3 Zoom parent forums (Family, youth

wellness with kind, knowledgeable local therapists), high school recommendations for various youth, family consults on community service opportunities.

What did I learn? An individual connection is the core of youth ministry. Some youth flourished, and some youth continue to have difficulties with the new reality. Some

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families needed activities for their child, and some families, due to medical necessity, were unable to participate in in-person activities. After spending all week on Zoom learning, youth were staying up later and later. Morning programs had to be recalibrated; thus the 11:30am start on Sundays for Church School. Plans, expectations, and thinking about what we were going through had to always be readjusted.

Trying to go to South Africa during a pandemic is a no-go and is postponed till Summer 2022.

Many parents were very nervous about grades and knowledge loss. They wondered about resources to support their learning. Bonnie Seto-Myers is an excellent resource for answering education questions and supporting youth reaching higher for colleges. She also helped me find grief and bereavement resources around the Bay Area for families.

Even during great social upheaval moments, youth will find ways to be active in protests and online social justice.

Parenting resources are out there; families are not alone in going through challenging times. We have great, generous therapists that can share their knowledge and expertise.

Senior High youth respond to snap chat posts and some texts. Food and socially distant gatherings are appreciated.

House Party App gatherings with junior high are fun for a while, but it also ran its course and stopped.

Compline online was an idea, but many kids would rather not.

College youth love gathering late, and I can no longer stay up till their ideal time. Some families have switched their whole routines to stay up.

Pizza Club loves being together (hikes, pancake Olympics for Mardi Gras, eating pizza) and will try once, or twice, Netflix parties and Zoom Basketball horse.

I love tabletop gaming (play weekly online with friends), and youth are much happier in Roblox, Minecraft, and This Is Us. We are exploring this space, and online gaming is a possibility.

I appreciate and thank St. John's community for all of your support during this time. I also want to thank Jon Myers and his wife, Bonnie. We had many conversations about what to do and how to proceed, and he has been a faithful youth mentor helping me on

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Sunday mornings. I also want to thank all the parents and volunteers for their time and support of the various programs. It truly takes a village, thanks again.

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY Sandra Pathik, Director of Children’s Ministry email Sandra

“I will remember your great deeds, LORD; I will recall the wonders you did in the past. I will think about all that you have done; I will meditate on all your mighty acts.” Psalm 77:11-12 GNT

In the beginning of the year 2020, we had a promising start with an increasing number of children coming to Sunday School and nursery care. We started providing a new children’s worship bulletin for our Sunday worship services. In Sunday School, we celebrated the month of February with a Love Feast where the children learned about God’s love and enjoyed special snacks. During the Lenten season, we distributed Lent in a Bag to families to observe Lent at home. Then the lockdown happened in March due to the pandemic. We continued to connect with our St. John’s families and their children through weekly emails with updates and resources and videos recorded by our Sunday School teachers. We started the virtual Sunday School in April and reached out through phone calls and postcards. We also provided books and bibles to children who participated in Sunday School. During the summer, we sadly bid goodbye to some of our children whose families moved to another state. In June, our elementary school graduates were recognized during the livestream worship service and all school children received a virtual blessing in August at the start of the new school year. In December, the concerted effort of parents under the leadership of Nancy Svendsen with music provided by Dr. David Montgomery, made possible the 1 st video presentation of the Christmas Pageant. It was indeed the Best Christmas Pageant Ever with the highest viewership in St. John’s online services.

I feel so privileged in ministering to our children especially our Sunday School participants during these unusual times. Every Sunday I look forward to hearing what they are thankful to God and listening to the stories they share. It's a joy to see the children relate among themselves and slowly develop connection considering the limitation of online interaction. Though our numbers are considerably less during the pandemic compared to in-person gatherings, the bond that we share weekly in Sunday School is very special. I believe the seed of faith is sown in their hearts. I deeply appreciate the emails parents send me updating about their children and family life. It has given me more motivation to pray for our St. John’s family. Heartfelt gratitude to all who taught and helped in Sunday School and nursery care (pre-COVID) – Erin Budlong, Suzanne Egan, Meghan Forman, Donalyn Hellar, Caroline Prezanno, Carolyn Tsai,

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Claudia Vasquez, and special guest Jed Dearing. To Connie Granger, Joannie Ericson and Rev. Ginger Strickland, thank you so much for partnering with me in the Children’s Ministry during these trying times.

Looking back on the year 2020, there were a lot of things that happened in our faith community alone – it was a time of grief, a time of goodbyes, a time of drastic changes. Nevertheless, I am so thankful to God for sustaining us through a very challenging year. Though our routines were interrupted, our lifestyle changed, our priorities shifted, our values and beliefs challenged, there were definitely innovative ways to connect, ample opportunities for growth, an abundance of time to bond with family, and great moments to reflect, meditate on the Word and spend time with God in prayer. I am immensely blessed by the dedication of our volunteers, staff, vestry and clergy as our faith community explores ways of what it means to be the Church, the body of Christ, and what it means to live a life of love as Christ has called us to. Soli Deo Gloria!

ALTAR GUILD Leslie Limpert, Director email Leslie

The purpose of the Altar Guild is to serve and assist the Clergy. In 2020 we all faced many changes and uncertainties. The Altar Guild was no exception. We ceased our regular duties with the Marin County Shelter in Place on March 17 th . The nature of the work the Altar Guild does has many rituals as well as rules. This requires us to be a very tightly knit group.

In order to maintain our team spirit we met on Zoom almost semi-monthly. This turned out to be a blessing for us as some of the members were able to interact with other members they may not have known very well. These get-togethers helped us feel connected and lifted us up during such an uncertain time. We are typically a busy group and in order to keep engaged we decided to do a project together over the summer. We collaborated and created a 42 page book. The book is a collection of recipes, family anecdotes, prayers, and photos. It is an expression of our love for St. Johns and each other. It was printed and we each purchased a copy as a remembrance that out of adversity we created something lovely in honor of our church and each other.

In July we were able to reenter the church on a limited basis to begin doing flowers and some light tasks to support the clergy. We have continued this process adding back tasks as needs require and it has been a joy to perform some of the duties of the ministry we are deeply committed to. The members have been flexible and willing to do what it takes to keep things going in this strange time.

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mailto:leslielimpert@yahoo.com

I want to thank Rev. Chris for his leadership especially during this difficult time. As part of the Reopening Committee I saw first-hand how many challenges St. John’s faced this past year. It is my most humble prayer that we will all be together soon, in person and celebrate the fellowship and blessings St. John’s provides. After all, the church is made of people and I am very grateful for the people of this community in what was a very challenging year. At this time of year I look forward to Easter and know we will be together in spirit if not in person.

ALTAR GUILD TREASURER’S REPORT Patty Griffith, Treasurer email Patty

Cash on hand January 1, 2020 $10, 656.77 Receipts $5,344.50 Disbursements $5,663.45 Cash on hand December 31, 2020 $10,337.82

MEN’S GROUP Paul Clark & Keith Granger, Co-Leaders email Paul & email Keith

The St. John's Men’s Group has regularly met in a safe and nurturing environment for spiritual fellowship and community building. The group offers the men of the parish a variety of ways to engage and participate according to their interests and schedules. The traditional Saturday morning breakfast meetings with Eucharist have generally been held once a month, frequently with a guest speaker or other program. We have procured and cooked for the Spring and Fall parish BBQs at St. John’s, serving as many as 150 meals and engaging new members in the parish community. We have also prepared and served dinners through the Street Chaplaincy program for individuals who are homeless or otherwise food insecure. The Men’s Group continues to support and promote the cycling events at St. John’s. Unfortunately COVID-19 safeguards have curtailed most of our activities. Thankfully we have successfully pivoted our Saturday morning “breakfasts” to virtual format regularly drawing 12-14 participants including new long distance “members” from as far away as Belize. Some featured speakers this year were Rev. Chris and Rev. Ginger discussing their views on the future of worship and Tom Fregosa presenting an update on youth during the pandemic. Rev. Nadim Nasser joined us from London in September offering us a world view on worship during the pandemic. In the early days of COVID-19, we met weekly which was a real lifeline for many of us. Currently we meet (virtually) on the 1 st and 3 rd Saturdays of each month.

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mailto:sananpatty@comcast.netmailto:paulrobertclark@comcast.netmailto:keith@omni7.com

Regrettably our 2020 annual retreat at St. Dorothy’s Rest in the Redwoods had to be cancelled. We are cautiously exploring the possibility of holding a retreat in 2021 at St. Dorothy’s Rest or another venue. Retreat viability and timing will of course depend on vaccination of all attendees and considerable easing of COVID safeguards.

Parishioners Paul Clark and Keith Granger continue joint leadership of the Men’s Group and Chris Lewis remains our Co-Chair Emeritus. We'll continue to build on the best traditions of the Men’s Group by adding new events of interest to the parish as circumstances and our imaginations permit.

The Men’s Group events are self-financing paid for with contributions made by members for the events. Bank accounts are no longer maintained.

INVESTMENT COMMITTEE Andrew Biggs, Chair email Andrew

The purpose of this Committee, which was created in August 2002, is to administer and oversee the management of the investment assets of St. John’s. The committee members during 2020 were: Andrew Biggs (Chair), Michael O’Brien, Robb Baer, Gregg Miller, and Charles Hoeveler. Chris Rankin-Williams attends regular meetings, as does Susan Aley as Treasurer. Alex Walkingshaw (replaced by Issa Brandt in 2021) attended as representative of Commonfund, the investment manager. The committee holds four open meetings per year, with an agenda and minutes available for each meeting - all parishioners are welcome to attend.

The Standing Committee on Investments oversees four investment accounts on behalf of St. John’s: the unrestricted General Endowment, the Housing Sinking Fund, the Haynes Family Fund and the Memorial Garden Fund. Commonfund, a large and well-known money manager of endowment and foundation assets, manages all the investment assets overseen by the committee. The investment manager selection is evaluated annually, in addition to a review of the investment policy for the general endowment and review of the investment portfolio asset allocation.

The purpose of the St. John’s Endowment is perpetually to enhance the fabric, vitality and impact of St. John’s Episcopal Church. Each year, the Treasurer may transfer up to 4% of the endowment’s trailing value to the church operating fund. The approved draw from the Endowment Fund, (4% of the rolling 12 quarter average balance) was ($102,576.00). The treasurer may take up to that amount, as needed, for the operating budget. Any unused draw either remains in the endowment, is transferred to the house

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mailto:Andrew.biggs@gmail.com

sinking fund and/or transferred to the operating reserves account at the discretion of the vestry.

For calendar year 2020, The Endowment Fund returned 9.6%. For comparison, the 2020 return on the S&P 500 was 18.4%, the return on the MSCI ACWI Ex-US (a proxy for international equities) was 10.7% and the return on the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index was 7.5%. 2020 was an unusual year in the capital markets, with substantial declines early in the year (as COVID-related economic weakness impacted asset values), followed by strong returns on the heels of substantial fiscal and monetary stimulus. The asset class allocation for the Endowment Fund as of 12/31/20 was 74.6% in Equity and 25.4% in Fixed-Income.

The Endowment Fund balance on 1/1/20 was $2,790.871.32 and the balance ending 12/31/20 was $3,057,825.24, representing a net increase of $266,953.92. The change in valuation resulted from investment gains of $277,093.86 less investment manager fees of ($10,139.94).

The Haynes Family Fund balance on 1/1/20 was $315,291.05 and the balance ending 12/31/20 was $345,435.40, representing a net increase of $30,144.35. The change in valuation resulted from investment gains of $31,289.58 less investment manager fees of ($1,145.23).

The Housing Sinking Fund balance on 1/1/20 was $716,911.82 and the balance ending 12/31/20 was $785,676.30, representing a net increase of $68,764.48. The change in valuation resulted from investment gains of $71,373.56 less investment manager fees of ($2,609.08).

The Memorial Garden Fund balance on 1/1/20 was $60,872.69 and the balance ending 12/31/20 was $66,675.04, representing a net increase of $5,802.35. The change in valuation resulted from investment gains of $6,023.05 less investment manager fees of ($220.70).

The aggregate St. John’s balance on 1/1/20 was $3,883,946.88 and the balance ending 12/31/20 was $4,255,611.98, representing a net increase of $371,665.10. The change in valuation resulted from investment gains of $385,780.05 less investment manager fees of ($14,114.95).

The Standing Committee on Investments had no expenses chargeable to St. John’s in 2020.

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FINANCIALS Susan Aley, Treasurer ( email Susan) 2020 Review In 2020, St. John’s met the Vestry’s goal to cover expenses without depleting restricted reserve funds. A successful annual fund campaign raised 80% of the income needed. Special gifts made up for lower Sunday plate contributions. A significant 7% of revenue came from our relationship with The Ross Preschool which has been able to reopen with modifications per county health requirements. The church also secured a Payroll Protection Program loan. Using the PPP funds on salaries enabled the church to replenish our operating reserves with other funds. Also, a portion of the funds enabled by the PPP loan were substituted for the planned revenue from the parish party/auction. Proceeds from the Church Without Walls on-line event were allocated to improve the church’s audio/visual capabilities and to support outreach initiatives instead. Funds intended to cover major maintenance expenses and maintaining the Memorial Garden were used but the draw from the general endowment was put into a holding account for future vestry designation.

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mailto:susankaley@gmail.com

On the whole expenses did not vary greatly from budget. Salaries and benefit expenses were almost $90,000 less than budget driven by the decision to change the bookkeeper to a contractor position and the limited work of the sexton and nursery staff during the year. Operating expenses were higher than planned due to the change in bookkeeper status, technology expenses and other costs required to maintain operations during the pandemic. The shift away from in-person activities lowered program costs. Net outreach expenses were slightly lower than budget as the church received generous donations underwriting meal preparations for St. Vincent de Paul.

The balance sheet at the end of the year is in a good position with over $300,000 in operating reserves (equivalent to 3-4 months of expenses) and endowment investment accounts with over $4 million in assets. The PPP loan is recorded as a long-term liability which will be removed when the loan is forgiven in 2021.

2021 Budget The 2021 budget is similar to that of 2020 with adjustments for expected changes. Sources of income are largely the same with 80% expected from contributions to the annual fund and 7% from the church’s relationship with the preschool. Overall expenses are budgeted to be similar to 2020 but the categorization will shift. 2021 salaries include a 4.8% cost of living adjustment that makes up for all staff forgoing increases since 2019. In total salary and benefit expenses are lower than 2020 as the bookkeeper changed from an employee position and the sexton and nursery work remains minimal while the facilities are closed. The budget for operating expenses is higher, driven by accounting expenses and costs related to Covid but offset by insurance savings that have been secured.

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