The Budget Team will be writing articles for Church Matters on a regular basis to inform you about our church budget and share some of the ways your donations and pledges are spent. We invite your questions and suggestions as to the information you want!

Looking at our operating budget’s actual income and expenses for the year, they are on track with our budget. Pledges received to date are also on track with prior years. Fifty of the 181 pledges have already been fulfilled. Thank you for your support!

A new income line this year is Consignment. In prior years, the income received from Neat Repeats and Buy Again Alley was reported with the Bazaar income. This year, we separated it to show how your donations to these organizations provide income to the church. To date, we have received $863 from sales at these stores. Thank you for your donations!

We want to highlight three new budget expenses this year: La Comunidad; Member in Discernment (MID) Support; and Community Suppers. La Comunidad is an outreach ministry focusing on the Latinx and Spanish-speaking migrant worker population in our county. Once a month, 30 to 40 people have been gathering in Fellowship Hall to share prayers in Spanish and then have a traditional meal. This has been a great way to bring people together, meeting a need for this community. We pay for the meal, which costs approximately $300 a month. We budgeted $3,600 for the year.  A participant has said:  "Me gusta venir a La Comunidad porque me gusta conocer personas nuevas y por la experiencia de saber un poco más sobre las diferentes comunidades hispanohablantes. También disfruto de la grata compañía, de las oraciones y la forma de adoración a Dios" - Enoc.    The English translation is:  "I like coming to La comunidad because I like meeting new people and for the experience of learning about different Hispanic communities. I also enjoy the pleasant company, the prayers, and the way we worship God."

Member in Discernment Support is another new expense in this year’s budget. The Council voted to provide some financial support to Eliana Canas Parra as she begins her studies at Yale Divinity School. Eliana’s last day with us will be August 4, and we wish her the best as she begins these new studies. $3,000 was budgeted for this support.  Eliana says:  "To know that I have your continued spiritual and financial support, as I prepare for Divinity School, means a lot to me."

Community Suppers is not new to our church, but it is new to our budget, because it “lived” underneath the Charter House Coalition umbrella for many years. We budgeted expenses of $30,000 a year for this program, assuming 350 meals a week. We do have funds available given by generous donors. We want these funds to sustain this program for many years to come, so we budgeted use of $20,000 of these funds and are counting on raising the additional $10,000. We currently provide over 400 meals a week, so our expenses are higher than budgeted. One of the substitute drivers, who delivers meals to his own neighborhood, said “It has become more of a neighborhood because of these meals. We watch out for each other.”

Please let us know if you have questions about the church’s finances. You can contact Erika Garner at garnersvt@gmail.com or Michele Brown at michelelbrown59@gmail.com.

Budget Team co-chairs Michele Brown and Erika Garner

Our Friday night Community Suppers continue to grow. We have a core group of volunteers who serve our guests. But we need more! The commitment is only about 2 hours on Friday night and as frequent or infrequent as you want. The work is not hard but so important: set tables, serve food, clean up afterwards. 

We believe it’s not only important to make sure our guests are fed but that they are greeted warmly, listened to, and given a place to make connections. We try to make sure they leave knowing that there is always a special place for them at the table. Interested? See Deb Farnham (802-233-1283) or Dottie Neuberger to get signed up. Thank you!

Dear Church,

As I prepare to begin my seminary education at the end of this month, I can’t help but think about my time here in Middlebury. Not only as the DCYM, but also as a member of this loving community. Transitions are never without a level of difficulty, and this one, as excited as I am to become a student at YDS, is not an easy one.

This church has been my home for almost 6 years. You have been like family to me, and I’ve gotten to know many of you in deep ways.  So, of course, there is a little heartbreak in leaving, even though I keep reminding myself that I’m not going that far.

In the past six years, I’ve grown a lot. I’ve learned how wonderful church can be, and how good God is. Thanks to endless and deep conversations with many of you, my faith has evolved and matured in ways I didn’t know it could. I’ve felt loved, supported and cared for. I am forever grateful for all of that.

I know very well that I have your prayers as I start the next step in my journey. I know that this place, and all of you are still going to be home. And I know that God is doing wonderful things through all of us. So, thank you. Thank you for your excitement for me. Thank you for your continued prayers. Thank you for your love and support.

I look forward to seeing you and worshipping with you every time I come home.

Love,

Eliana

Have you noticed?  The nursery has been full of babies and little tots on Sunday mornings this spring! If you are as excited as we are about the recent increase of young families in our congregation, and you would like it to continue, please consider helping in the nursery. 

The nursery is staffed by two (paid) youth workers and two adult volunteers. We need to expand our volunteer pool to accommodate the wonderful addition of little ones we are enjoying. If you are at least 18 years old and available to be in the nursery during worship once every 4–6 weeks, please contact Robin Bentley on the Board of Christian Development at rbentley05@gmail.com

Our Member in Discernment, Eliana Cañas Parra, will depart to begin study at Yale Divinity School in August. She will grace us with a sermon on Sunday, August 4. Please help us to provide a pie à la mode fellowship time for her that day. 

Peggy Rush will collect your promise of a provided pie or two (dprush2141@gmail.com or 1-802-388-0052) to be delivered to Fellowship Hall kitchen before 9:30 that Sunday. She will welcome volunteers for clean up to spare faithful Margaret and Jim Eagan. Let’s celebrate together in this sweet send off.

Gather & Share: August—Personal Products The Church weight total has blown past Ton #1 (thank you to the heavy pickles and summer drinks!). August is a bit more personal. “Personal Products” might be toilet paper, wipes, menstrual supplies, shampoo & conditional, facial cleansers, shaving cream, deodorant, hand soup, diapers, wipes, or tissues. These things are expensive and sometimes a considered a unaffordable luxury despite being basic. Thanks for helping out in this way.