Big thanks to all our volunteers, staff, and temporary helpers who have stepped up while we have multiple open positions. The Finance, Personnel, and Fellowship teams—and your Board—have all been working hard the past two months.

We have started using new, low-cost payroll software that should make managing and documenting our payroll processes easier. After lots of research and discussion, we have decided to split the Financial Manager role into two part-time positions: a Bookkeeper and a Business/Operations Manager. This setup will give us better checks and balances. Job descriptions will be shared over the summer. The timing to hire the new roles depends on completing financial reporting updates and moving to an upgraded bookkeeping system.

Special thanks to Sherri Jackson (consultant and temporary bookkeeper), Bonnie Garcia (financial management), Tony Foy, and others for their dedicated work.

To stay on budget, we are not currently planning to hire a Fellowship Ministries staff member. Marsha Miller, Barb Aalund and the Fellowship Committee are covering much of that work with extra support for volunteer engagement in the updated Associate Minister position description and some additional administration support.

Our Associate Pastor search is underway! Mike Booth is leading the committee with Brenda Kame’enui, Lyndsey Neal, Val Hazen, Nancy Menning, Peter Cadigan, and Amy Rowland. The job posting goes live this week. The Board, at the recommendation of the Finance Committee and the Facilities Committee, approved use of reserve funds to cover the cost for several necessary facilities repairs. A replacement for the fence that borders the park, a new heating unit, and other critical facilities repairs or replacements are just the emergencies that financial reserves are designed to cover.

Be sure to check out the bios of the impressive nominees for new Board members (Julie Jessal, Moderator-Elect; Susie Leo, David Conover, Lauren Herbert and Lyndsey Neal, Board Member nominees). Thank you to our outgoing members—Tim Bloch, Georgia Quick, Kimberley Parzuchowski, and Laurie Swanson Gribskov—for your dedicated and spirited service. It has been an honor to serve alongside the members of this Board, and on the Executive Leadership Council with Tony and Laurie this past year. I look forward to supporting Tony as he steps into the Moderator role.

Be sure to come for the Congregational Meeting on June 14 for good discussion and to vote for your new Board members.

Martha Pitts, FCC Board Moderator