From the Treasurer: Quarterly Financial Report (2026 Q1)

It seems like 2026 has hardly begun, but is also already half over! So it must be time to take a look at our first quarter budget. With everything that is going on with the building, it can feel like we barely use the same door two weeks in a row and the walls are in different places every time we set foot inside the church. But there's still the routine cycle of managing our expenses and contributions to make sure that we're keeping the lights on and setting aside what we need to fulfill our mission of growing Christ's Church.

There has been some amazing generosity demonstrated so far this year. We're 25% over the stewardship contribution goal I outlined during the 2025 General Assembly. Amazing! Bless you and thank you all.

Though not as rough as the start of 2025, expenses have been slightly higher than forecast. I see four significant things that are driving this:

• An archdiocese expense that I was unaware of (mea culpa!) and so did not include in the budget. This will come to about $3,000 over the course of the year.

• A decision to migrate our paid staff from 1099 contractors to W-2 employees. This puts us properly in compliance with labor guidelines but did result in a fairly small additional tax expense to the parish (several hundred dollars over the course of the year).

• Space heater use in the fellowship hall during the winter months.

• Remodeling-related expenses that have not yet been separated from our regular expenses. For example, our insurance premiums went up because of the modular office and bathroom units. Once the math to tease those expenses apart is complete, the portion that should be paid out of the building fund will be reimbursed to the parish operational account.

Looking ahead, there's a lot of change in the air and it is hard to know where all of it will land, but there are a few projected thoughts that I think we can reasonably count on:

• Without the Pascha lamb roast related expenses, we will probably come in under-budget on our feast day expenses.

• On the other hand, given the limitations of our own space, ministry expenses may be higher owing to the need to find outside venues for folks to gather. Parishioners have been generous with sharing their homes and improvising other ways to get together, but there are limits to what that can do.

• There's a planned-in loan payment starting in July (that's the bump in the "Expenses Plan" line you see). This is, of course, just a placeholder approximation.

• We're actively working to find cost reduction and consolidation opportunities at the parish systems and software level. More to come as those efforts continue.

On a personal note, I'd like to thank Tina Soubeih and Mika Thompson, our Parish Council Vice-President and Secretary respectively, and also Karen DeJong and Barb Bardin of the Audit Committee, for their hard work getting our books, files, and records straightened up and in compliance with audit guidelines and best practices. This isn't something that is easy in the shifting, volunteer-driven world of a church, and it is not made easier when our hardcopy records are stuffed into boxes stacked up against the back wall of a modular office unit! Thank you and bless you all.

Nick Strauss

Treasurer