Jamie Barnett
Vice-Moderator
Annual Report
December 30, 2021
I am happy to say that the Church Council of The United Church of the Valley continued to function throughout the year against all odds. We met remotely as a council each month until we were all fully vaccinated and then we began to meet in our new building. Despite illness, deaths of loved ones, the Delta variant, and the now the Omicron variant of Covid-19, we continued to meet to do the church’s business. As Vice- Moderator, I filled for Sandy Selby (Moderator) to lead the council meetings when she needed to step away to care for her mother. Sandy cared for her mother through her mom’s last days and then continued to be away to grieve with family in Kentucky. True to form, the council pitched in and we held things together in her absence. I chaired meetings and wrote the Monday communications but Sandy continued to serve as moderator in many critically important ways (finishing the Payroll Protection application for example).
We asked Darcie Dunlop to serve on the council while Sandy was gone. Darcie chaired the nominating committee (usually a vice-moderator task) and put together the slate of council nominees that will be presented at the annual meeting. While I fulfilled the duties of Moderator in her absence I never officially became Moderator. I fulfilled those duties as Vice-Moderator, as the position is defined. Sandy gradually came back and chaired our last council meeting of the year. She and I drafted some proposed changes to the bylaws regarding the make-up of the church council and our statement of faith. These proposed changes will go before the membership at the annual meeting on January 9th.
Our wonderful, fragile, little church continues to show great promise. Given the challenges of the pandemic, we are actually in a relatively healthy position as I see it (compared with many other churches and small businesses). While our monthly expenses are greater than our monthly income at this time, we carry no debt and we have money in the bank. We weathered year two of this pandemic and we are still standing. The money our bank account of course will not last forever though. The next year or two, I think, will be critical years for us as a congregation. Bright spots continue to appear on the horizon. Prayers & Squares has been a blessing for us in dark times. A new church sponsored drama activity program for adults with disabilities as begun and seems to be showing the way forward. Hopefully, as the pandemic subsides, our income will increase enough to cover our relatively meager expenses. That will be a good sign of sustainability. We need to continue to share the load regarding leadership. Burnout is a real thing. The metaphor of the geese taking turns at the point position in flight is apt. That said, I am looking forward to my new role of “just showing up.” Showing up is important too.