If you were unable to attend the Annual General Meeting on Sunday, February 28, 2016, you may not know that the 2016 budget has been refined to eliminate some of the year end shortfall.  In the past few years we have witnessed debts that have been recurring and even increasing.  Session, the Operations Committee, the Stewardship Committee and task groups, empowered by Session have struggled to find a solution to these shortfalls.  As a result, a motion was passed at the AGM to identify how to retire the accumulated debt in 2016 – 2017. In the near future a team will be assembled to recommend how this can be accomplished. More information will be available after the plan has been formulated.

In accepting the 2016 budget as presented, changes to staff schedules are outlined below: 
Due to some of the budget decisions made last week at the Annual Meeting, there have been some changes in staffing arrangements at the congregation. In particular, we will see these reductions:
·        The Church Custodian will work, on average, 23 hours a week
·        The Youth Coordinator will work, on average 6.5 hours a week.
·        The Administrative Assistant will work 24 hours a week.
The session would like the congregation to know that these reductions are a reflection of financial reality and should not be seen as a reflection on the job performance of our dedicated and much appreciated staff.

One effect of this change will be that the office will not be open on Fridays. If staffs are in on Friday, they may be able to welcome visitors, but we cannot promise to open the doors. We suggest you call first if you need to come by on a Friday.

If you would like to know more, or offer advice, either Rev. McAndless or Rob Hodgson are available as always.