Below is an email exchange between jamie Dale and Susan Saunders. I suspect her sense of shakiness is felt by some of you, too. Does her idea make sense to you?
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Thanks, Jamie
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From: Susan Saunders [mailto:susansaundersaji@covad.net] Sent: Saturday, June 05, 2010 10:44 AMTo: 'Jamie Dale'Subject: RE: Yes
Hi Jamie,
Share away!
S.
From: Jamie Dale [mailto:jdale@bmwpc.org] Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2010 9:22 AMTo: 'Susan Saunders'; 'Bob Gist'Subject: RE: Yes
That’s an interesting proposal. I’ll have to think about it a bit.
Things may feel shaky in part because the budget we’re using at present was written for the old structure. One thing teams will have to do by about October is redesign their budget areas to fit what they’re up to. It may be that having the treasurer and perhaps session do a first run at that would make sense.
I’m thinking Session should see your ideas, Susan. What about all the teams?
Thanks. Jamie
From: Susan Saunders [mailto:susansaundersaji@covad.net] Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2010 11:30 AMTo: Bob GistCc: Jamie DaleSubject: Yes
Hi Bob and Jamie,
We were away for the weekend. I tried to call Bob but got no answer or answering machine. Yes, I want the youth to be able to use the money in the CE budget for the trip. What I am writing in the next paragraph does not change that.
I wonder how the line items all disappeared. It seems to me that we have a very shaky way of deciding to spend money. I haven’t found a way to express my confusion or the right people to share it with---but we used to have staff people who had some fiduciary responsibility as the folks who had the final sign-off rights on spending as well as responsibility for keeping track of where we were in our spending with an eye to the entire year’s worth of needs. Now it feels very lose and like we are not even sure the money we want to spend is there---or how to track it once it is spent. Does it seem to you we are in a budget muddle? Jamie sent an e-mail some time ago asking for people in each group (I forget what we are calling them) to sign off on expenses. I didn’t answer that request because I wasn’t sure what to say. I think the signer-offers need to be staff and only staff---not that others are untrustworthy---just that someone needs to have the entire picture of the budget for each team (ah that’s the word) and keep track of how the picture develops.
S.
2 comments:
From: lynneagress@aol.com [mailto:lynneagress@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 10:21 AM
To: jdale@bmwpc.org
Subject: Re: Yes
I agree with Susan. Lynne
From: william and sarah duff [mailto:wsduff925@verizon.net]
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 12:46 PM
Subject: Re: Yes
Friends, I, too, have felt concern about our current unsettled situation. I am well aware of the commitment of many in our congregation to our "mission" work. As a member of Session and former Mission Committee chair, I also felt strongly that we need to honor this commitment, especially during change. Our approved congregational budget for 2010 includes $24,000 for mission. Therefore, early this year in March I proposed to Session a plan for expending our mission moneys during 2010. This plan was approved by Session and is attached to this email. Jamie, would you please place this letter and the attachment on our Web site, if you think that is appropriate.
Mission programs supported in the past: If you look at the attached proposal that Session approved, you will see that we continue to support many of the programs we have supported in the past, although in some cases in lower amounts. I have asked Zena to send checks to some of these programs in order to spread out our giving throughout the year. (In the past, we have had real problems when mission giving was delayed until the end of the year.) The sums that each of these programs will get was approved by Session, and further action by Session to send the money to these programs is not needed unless someone wishes to propose a change in the plan.
Money for Youth Mission Trip: Money ($2,000.00) was allocated from the 2010 budget for the youth mission trip to Puerto Rico, and this sum has already been transferred to Tanya's funds and, I believe, has been spent on airline tickets.
Mission Education: There are $500 for mission education. Of this, $200 has been spent for Veeda Javaid's honorarium, and I anticipate that another $200 will be spent for the honorarium for the speaker at the immigration program on June 20.
Contingency Fund: There is, in addition, the amount of $4,000 allocated to a contingency fund. This fund could be used if the emerging team that handles mission wants to do some things not yet included.
As things now stand, only expenditures from the contingency fund part of the mission budget require Session approval. I hope this sets your mind somewhat at ease, Tom.
Susan, I don't think the line items have disappeared. We have been without a treasurer for some time, and confusion has resulted. I hope Steven will be able to bring some order out of the present financial chaos. As far as staff having the entire picture of the budget for each team/committee, I don't think this would be possible unless the staff person were to participate in all team/committee meetings. In my experience with this congregation, the individuals who approved each expenditure was the person responsible for that program or item or the team/commitee chair or both. I don't know that either of these ways was "right."
I do have a different concern, which I hope someone can help with. You say, Susan, "Jamie sent an e-mail some time ago asking for people in each group (I forget what we are calling them) to sign off on expenses." I never received this email. I am curious about when this email was sent. I notice also that there are people who care or might well be very interested in our present changes who are not receiving such email discussions as this one. Such people include some who have contributed mightily to our "mission" work in the past. Maybe they are just not interested anymore. Or maybe they are not being included in significant discussions. Suggestions?
Let's hope that the Holy Spirit will act in this current ferment to bring us to a sense of what God has in mind for us.
Sally-lyn
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