Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
One of the goals of the vestry for 2026 is to increase the transparency of our deliberations and decisions. That goal is especially important during the parish’s transition to a new rector, who is joining us initially as a priest-in-charge. Regular updates on our financial condition are one component of transparency, upon which this Weekly Word will focus.
For the first three months of 2026, Good Shepherd’s financial results were healthy. Income exceeded expenses by about $8,300, resulting in an operating surplus. Revenue and spending typically follow annual patterns, affected by seasonal giving, the timing of annual payments, the church calendar and many other factors. Given these recurring patterns, our Financial Administrator, Mary Campbell, suggests it is important to compare current first quarter results with those of the same period in the prior year. By this metric, our 2026 performance is generally in line with the $9,000 operating surplus in the first quarter of 2025.
Entering the second quarter, we can expect lower expenses by not having a full-time priest on payroll. Still, the blessedly brisk pace of our search process may result in a new priest-in-charge reasonably soon, so we should not expect a dramatic reduction in annual expenses during our transition. As our Wardens noted in their message from last week, “the holy spirit has been busy in this place….” That wonderful activity both expands and draws upon our resources as we keep the message of the gospel vibrant.
The 2026 budget anticipates a reduction in the endowment to meet our annual expenses for this year. Our endowment fund manager distributes a regular, recurring distribution a bit over $4,000 each quarter. Beyond this recurring payment, we elected to withdraw an additional $15,000 from the endowment in March to provide adequate cash and liquidity. However, even with this withdrawal, investment gains over the prior year have buoyed the balance of our endowment, which was $423,664 as of March 31st compared to $420,523 one year ago.
On a related financial matter, Good Shepherd will welcome an arts recording studio to the second floor of our Parish Hall as of July 1st. This entity will generate meaningful rental income for Good Shepherd in the second half of 2026 as well as in 2027. We expect our new tenant will serve many local and younger performing artists, providing good exposure to Good Shepherd while using a valuable resource consistent with our church’s goals and mission.
If you have any questions regarding parish finances, please bring them to any member of the Finance Committee (Ms. Karen Tripp, Ms. Mary Campbell and me) or feel free to join us at our monthly meeting! We welcome your interest and thank you for your many efforts to support the Church of the Good Shepherd.
Jonathan Adams
Treasurer