The big news this month is our board is going over the budget and trying to fit our champagne and caviar dreams into a beer and pretzel reality. We are faced with rising costs for things that are needed and we find ourselves sharpening the pencils more often in search of ways to save money.

 

The good news is that we have had several important budget related events and more are on the way. We had a great showing at the Mystery Dinner (Thanks Glenn, great cast and super stage hands). The canvass dinner was a huge success (Thanks to Stephanie and all of us who helped out) and the congregation is being especially generous; we are well on our way to making our goal. We have our annual Ashland Shakespeare Festival trip (Thanks to Teri) coming up in a few weeks and that is another source of revenue that is a lot of fun. But speaking of fun the dinner was a great chance for us to get together, have good food, music, and conversation. While not a moneymaker, the game night that Beverly puts on is another great opportunity for us to get together and enjoy each other.

 

But back to the budget, we are looking hard at the dollars and you will get a chance to see where our money goes and vote on it at the annual meeting which is coming up soon. There will be some other things for you to look at and a chance to put our local democracy into action with your votes on May 20. Between now and then we will have a Committee Council meeting, Earth Day, Regional Assembly, and two board meetings; the year is flying by and even though it feels cold, summer will soon be here.

 

Between now and then we are still working on church business and looking at how we might play a more powerful role in our community. Closer to home we are looking into how we might use our land as a garden, a maze, and a place of reflection. We are looking at how we can bring experiences to the congregation, and community which promote our priorities and have a good time doing it.