Pastor’s Report to the Annual Meeting
Submitted By Rev. Michael Roca-Caine
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Adam and I recognized our year-end symbiotic emotions when he was Treasurer. If he was nervous about our financial year ending in the black, I was confident. But when I was nervous, he was confident. If I remember correctly, we ended with at least a small surplus every year when he was Treasurer and I was pastor… but not without one of us feeling some jitters.
With a similarly superstition now, I don’t want to hex things, so I sort of hesitate to say this, but Old First is in a strong position for a good year of ministry. This occurred to me as we have prepared for the Annual Meeting. No uphill climbs or painful decisions to make. Even the challenges we foresaw have ended up less trouble than we worried.
Instead, we have a number of positives to report. There is work ahead, of course, and some unknowns too. Our campus is about to be used in completely new ways: become the permanent home for 34 new neighbors, and later in the year, also include some commercial operation on the first-floor corner of 4th and Race. We will also be moving into new space. But honestly, we seem in pretty good shape.
With all the political uncertainty, and frankly threats, swirling around our domestic politics right now, it is nice that church feels stable, even strong. I am assuming, as during the first Trump administration, a major part of our ministry become support for dissenters – a place where people can feel sane, understood, supported while Washington is upsetting and threatening.
Here’s why I am saying we are in a good position:
- We successfully collected the funds pledged at last year’s Annual Meeting towards an Outreach staffer. And Deanna has really helped us, with both basic volunteer support and scheduling oversight, as well as handling the Service Camps. She has developed program materials for the Outreach workers who come after her. And been able to provide the Outreach SLG with a realistic sense of the work that is needed.
- We are able to bring ~$5K unused in ‘24, and apply it in the Outreach position’s salary for ‘25. The Elders are aware that they have not yet found the funding mechanism to provide on-going salary for this position.
- We finished the ‘24 financial year in a strong financial position. Jonathan Vogan, when Treasurer, always used to say, “as long as member giving is strong, and nothing major breaks down, the finances will be fine.” This year, it wasn’t a nail biter or even much of a challenge.
- Our member giving last year finished strong, over 100% of what was budgeted. And there was a significant jump, almost $20k, in the pledges for 2025. That kind of stewardship increase always bodes well for the church, and certainly makes 2025 budgeting easier.
- We learned this year that the Sanctuary building was woefully underinsured, at $3.8M for our coverage limit. Faced with the need for an increased coverage limit, we were looking at a premium increase of between $9k and $16K (from $26K to between $35K and $42K.)
- With significant input and help from the UCC Insurance Board, once we got our heads around the issues involved in insuring the building for partial or complete loss, we decided that we were comfortable with insuring the building for $10M with a $35K premium (more detail and explanation are in the Insurance report)
- The residential part of Old First House is getting finished. The Old First House staff begins at the end of January, and the first 10 residents will move in during the first week of February. We will be introducing Michelle Abruzzese, the Associate Director for Old First House, at our Annual Meeting.
- A dream long in coming is finally realized. But now the work begins, as the Church needs to get to know the residents and their needs on our way to figuring out how to be their good neighbors. We are planning to begin with an Old First House Task Force to lead us in this effort.
- The church’s program and office space in Old First House will be buttoned up next. We expect to be in the new offices sometime in March or by Easter at the latest. And finally, Domus will finish the retail space on the first floor of the building, right at the corner.
- The landscaping will probably be the last part of the project to get done, as the landscape architect says that planting will not happen until the warm Spring weather arrives.
- Old First is organizing Welcome HOME Baskets for the 34 residents moving into Old First House. Hopefully, we can provide for each of them all the houseware basics that a new apartment dweller will need. It was our Alternative Gift for Christmas, and we oversubscribed. We have more money than we planned to need, and we may add blankets to the baskets.
- Dave K. has begun gathering an ad hoc “300th Anniversary Committee as the congregation is approaching a BIG Anniversary in 2027. He already has a number of people willing to work on it, but there is room for more (and an opportunity to sign up at the Annual Meeting).
- After Jane H.’s death, Dianne J. became our treasurer in the latter part of the year. She’s taken to the work like a duck to water. She even seems to be enjoying it! And she is helpfully asking us to get more organized and accountable in our financial life. Thanks to Jonathan V. and Adam for supporting her.
- The Sanctuary Use Committee didn’t make as much progress as we’d hoped on figuring out how to attract alternative uses of our Sanctuary. We didn’t push that too much as construction fences and machines have dominated the front of the church. But they did get us a listing on a website used by Jeffrey Miller Catering, and hopefully that will generate some interest. We want our space to be used appropriately and frequently. Also, space sharing from such events could help to fill a funding hole in our budget left by lost contributions to the Shelter and the parking rental receipts we used to earn.
- In the one return to pre-pandemic church norms, visitors are showing up at church again. And some are finding their places among us. Their presence is making a difference in what we can do together as a church.
- As we finish up on construction, the church has some projects to accomplish:
- Furnishing the 2nd floor archive with furniture to keep our historical documents and mementos;
- Furnishing the first-floor community room for maximum utility and also equipping it with hybrid meeting technology;
- Completing the landscaping and lighting in the courtyard east of the main walkway. The elders working with JVMT have to come up with a funding plan for this work, which the congregation may need to approve.
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This year’s Pastor’s report is about details and specifics. Last year, I wrote more of a “balcony view” of church life after the pandemic. Rereading it, I was surprised how true it turned out to our experiences. If you want to reflect more broadly on church life in our time, you might want to revisit that report.
As I have said at the end of the 15 Pastor’s Annual Reports I have written before this one, I continue to be honored and challenged by my service alongside of you. I thank God for each of you and for this church.
Respectfully submitted,
Michael
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Link to PDF of 2024 Pastor’s Report:
