Northern Light  

Treasurer's Report

Outlined below is a summary of the financial reports presented to members of your Finance Committee and Board of Trustees for the month of March:
                  

March, 2007             Actual $     Budget
                                  
Pledge Income               $ 8,408      $11,889
Other Income                    1,081          2,974
Total Income                  $ 9,489      $14,863
Total Expenses             $14,550      $14,860

Year-to-Date
Pledge Income               $42,524      $35,668
Other Income                     3,344          8,922
Total Income                  $45,868      $44,590
Total Expenses              $43,614      $44,580

Pledge Income was $3,481 below the amount expected for March.

The Suburban Natural Gas billing was $847, the amount budgeted was $317.

                              Until next month,

                               Nancy Remer

However, as I have considered the Building Exploratory Committee, it has become clear to me that there can be no one who is not a member. We, as the congregation, are actually a committee of the whole since any new building will not be the work of a few or one person, but the work of all of us. That being said, it is always important to set rules of procedure for any committee and I think that there is only one which should bound all of our discussions: A church is the people on the inside, not the walls on the outside. Whatever we design and build, it will be a reflection of our collective heart and how that building reflects our collective heart and faith.

In reflecting on churches, I have come to realize that from an early age I have been fascinated with church buildings.  However, it was not the activity in front of the pulpit on Sunday, but what went on the other days of the week as well as the nooks, crannies and idiosyncrasies of the building.  This probably comes from growing up next to a huge Catholic cathedral, St. Stanislaus in Cleveland (to see what I mean, please feel free to check out http://www.ststanislaus.org/index.html). As a young boy I became a church rat (as opposed to a gym rat), someone who always hung around the church and was willing to help out with whatever work needed to be done. By the time I was 10, I had explored the entire building from the deep basements to the top of the bell tower (quite a rickety and frightening climb when reviewed as an adult!).

As an adult, I’ve tried to make time to explore all manner of church buildings, both in America and Europe. In Washington DC I spent many Saturdays exploring the grounds of the National Cathedral. While in Paris I combed Notre Dame (including the shock of seeing my last name prominently displayed as a benefactor of the church (no relation unfortunately)). Of particular note at Notre Dame was almost folding myself in half and climbing the very worn stone steps up to the bell tower. While the climb was very claustrophobic, the view and the breeze made it worth every bump on my back.

All of these buildings were, and in many cases remain, a reflection of the heart of their congregation and that congregation’s faith. This is our task now, the task of each and every one of us; to seek and to know what is in our heart and then to transform that knowledge into bricks and mortar, timber and glass. This will make our new sanctuary not only our home, but a beacon and a statement of who we are and what we believe. I do have one hope; I would like to have one more bell tower to climb.

May peace and serenity shadow your footsteps until we meet again.

David J. Petras

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