Happy New Year! What a wonderful time we all had at this year’s Christmas Auction! Much merriment was had on Friday night at the preview party and it continued right on to the live auction on Sunday. Thanks to the efforts of many at Trinity including our Chair, Debra Latiolais and her most noteworthy assistant Lori Connelly- DeFranco, our Trinity staff, congregation, friends and visitors, we were able to raise over $30,000 – thanks be to God! If you missed this year’s event, you’ll want to be sure you don’t next year as we have already started planning for another great time.
Our Vestry met on Monday, December 19th for its monthly meeting. The minutes for the meeting will be posted and are always available for your review. Our meeting started with a welcome visit from former Vestry member Joe Fluet. Joe presented a lovely Christmas season sermonette reminding us about Christ’s unwavering love.
We received the Treasurer’s reports which indicate that our finances are sound and we should finish the year in good order. Pledges for 2017 continue to come in. If you have not made yours for the coming year, please do so today. The Vestry is committed to achieving full participation in our Stewardship giving. As a responsible Vestry, we cannot make plans for needed expenditures without your promise of support. Together, we have built the foundation for a monumental year. A year that will challenge our commitments to strengthening our congregation, supporting our community and expanding our outreach. We hope and pray that you and every member of Trinity will join us this year.
Our Vestry approved the provisional budget for 2017. The final budget for 2017 will be approved this month following the Finance committee’s review of our 2016 financials. We have set the date of January 22 to present the new budget to the congregation. We invite your participation and input at that meeting as we put in place the fiscal foundation for the new year.
Our meeting continued with another lengthy discussion about our priorities and goals for 2017. We are close to having them completed. The Vestry will be holding our Winter retreat in mid-January when we will finalize our goals and develop objectives to achieving them. These will also be presented at the congregational meeting on the 22nd.
Vestry received a detailed report from the Buildings and Grounds committee. The Chair, Sanford Diday, and his committee have been diligently reviewing and prioritizing needed repairs across our beautiful campus. The Vestry approved several expenditures perhaps most notably the replacement of our 50+ year old lighting system in the church proper.
Finally, I hope that you all had a Blessed and Merry Christmas and are prepared for the best year you can imagine in 2017! Your Vestry continues its commitment to help make this year one to remember at Trinity Upperville as we enrich our Faith, improve our Place and grow our Mission. We look forward to you joining us in any way you are motivated to do so.