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The Annual Report

Katherine Kopp

Much as a company's annual report supplies an overview of a corporation or business, the Annual Report of the Chapel of the Cross supplies a variety of information that creates an image and overview of our parish.

The Annual Report provides important information to all parishioners and is perhaps an especially valuable document for newcomers and others who are not familiar with the Chapel of the Cross. The document traditionally begins with the parish's mission statement, which identifies our call as Christians, in general, and as members of the Chapel of the Cross, in particular. Reading the mission statement prior to reviewing the Annual Report allows the reader to place the many activities and organizations of the parish into a useful context, as well as enhancing the order of the document itself. The Annual Report lists all clergy and staff members and their titles, making it easier to determine the responsibilities and areas of oversight of the Chapel of the Cross staff. Vestry members and their terms are listed as well, as are officers of the parish, including the wardens, the treasurer, and the clerk.

But what is most useful about the Annual Report are the listings and descriptions of the dozens of organizations, guilds, committees, and other groups that compose the exhaustive range of activities sponsored by the parish and its memberships. From Acolytes and Altar Guild to University and Youth Ministry (almost A to Z!), the Annual Report provides descriptions of the groups, their activities of the previous year, and the name of the contact person. Whether you are interested in joining a Bible study, helping build a Habitat house, enrolling your child in the Chapel of the Cross preschool, or serving coffee on Sunday morning, you will be able to find out who to contact and how to do that by reading the Annual Report. For those parishioners who want to be more involved in parish life but don't quite know where to begin, a reading of this document may provide just what you need to send you in the right direction.

The Annual Report also contains summaries written by all of the clergy and by members of the staff, describing accomplishments of the past year and plans for the future. This is another wonderful source of information about the overall life and activities of the entire parish. In addition to information about parish activities, the Annual Report supplies financial information about the parish: a balance sheet, revenues and expenses, and detailed line items on parish funds and budget lines. It is a very thorough source of information about the annual income and expenses of the Chapel of the Cross. I encourage you to take a few minutes to read the Annual Report. It will be distributed at the Parish Meeting on February 25 at 10:20 a.m. and will be available in the parish office after that time. The parish's Annual Report will tell you all you ever wanted to know -- and then some -- about the Chapel of the Cross.

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