Help ‘Build Our Dream’!
By Bertie Farrell
President, Unity Board of Trustees
Celebration of Church Business
Wednesday, January 4
5:45 p.m.
Before Our White Stone Ceremony
Please join us for a discussion about Vision 2020, a review of our annual report, proposed bylaw changes, and the election of new members to our Board of Trustees.
Flipping the calendar over to a new year fills me with hope and promise yet to be revealed. What fun it is to anticipate the richness that each new day holds!
It’s hard to let go of the old year without remembering with fondness the best of times, celebrating our success, and reflecting on our recent past.
During our Vision 2020 luncheons and dinners, we repeatedly heard Unity of Phoenix described as an environment where people feel welcome, accepted and loved. Congregants told us that there is a feeling of family, warmth and positive energy on campus. And what we heard most often is that people feel like they are “home” when they’re on our campus. We heard many touching stories of how this ministry has transformed people’s lives.
Clearly, these feelings didn’t result from the brick-and-mortar buildings on our campus but, rather, from the loving hearts and spiritual consciousness of our spiritual community. So often at the end of a year, we measure our progress by numbers and statistics; attendance; revenue and expenses; and budget analyses. While measuring such things is key to running a successful organization, even more important is the creation of something that can’t be measured, but can only be felt.
Each and every person on this campus contributes to the creation of the loving environment we call Unity of Phoenix, and each one of us also benefits from Unity’s inspiring and uplifting messages and spiritual growth opportunities. The board is most grateful to each of you for your support, loyalty and commitment. We work for you in a spirit of love and accountability.
2011 was a strong year for Unity of Phoenix! We have seen God, the Good, visible everywhere! We completed the year financially healthy, and launched a capital campaign to improve our campus, facilitate greater community building at Unity of Phoenix and pay down our debt. New members continue to join at a brisk rate. We have tithed over $150,000, enjoy a growing Youth& Family Ministry, and continue to serve our surrounding community through service projects such as Feed the Multitudes and our Palomino Christmas Angel program.
All these things have been accomplished by the collection of people attracted to this campus. I am especially appreciative of the volunteers and staff. We are blessed by an amazing ministerial team, each gifted with different and special talents and expertise. Our staff has managed the same workload with fewer people and has reduced our expenses to the lowest level in recent years. And our many volunteers are a true blessing, without whom this ministry simply wouldn’t be able to deliver the standard of service we do.
 |
 |
 |
| Pat Clegg | Mary Dunn | Jeff Grossman |
I also extend a special thanks and appreciation to three loyal board members whose term ended in December.
Our ministry has been so blessed by Pat Clegg, who has served as treasurer and secretary of the board this past year. Pat is a Licensed Unity Teacher and brings with her a level of consciousness that inspires us all. Her past experience as a board president has helped to guide this board on many important decisions.
Mary Dunn served as vice president of the board this past year and also chaired the Angels in Action and Nomination committees. She is serving her seventh year as a prayer chaplain and is also a Licensed Unity Teacher. She has made so many valuable contributions to this ministry!
Jeff Grossman has served on the New Member Committee and chaired the Courtyard Committee. He has helped to create a campus where people are acknowledged, loved and appreciated. He consistently takes every opportunity to show his appreciation for each person he encounters on this campus. He truly has a mission and a passion for the simple act of acknowledgement and appreciation.
We have been blessed by each of these special souls in this ministry and are deeply grateful for their dedication, commitment and contributions.
We will be voting on new Board members to fill the positions they will leave open at Annual Meeting, which will be held on Wednesday, January 4, at 5:45 p.m. in Rooms 6&7. Please plan to join us for this informational meeting, where we will provide an update on the “Vision 2020: Building Our Dream” campaign, review the past year, and elect new members to our Board.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Thank You
Thank you to everyone who attended a VIsion 2020 dinner to learn more about the “Building Our Dream” campaign, and espeically to those who opened their homes to host
the dinners (such as Donna Moore and Tim Emerson, above). The dinners were a fantastic
way to share information and build strong fellowship among congregants.
Statement of Activities Thru November, 2011
[Fiscal Year for Unity of Phoenix Starts October 1, 2010
and Ends September
30, 2011]
| Income | Actual
|
Budget |
Variance
|
Actual YTD |
Budget YTD |
Variance
for Actual
to YTD Budget |
| Worship / Love Offering Receipts | $110,422 |
$109,007 |
$1,415 |
$226,982 |
$221,504 |
$5,478 |
| All Other Receipts | $23,927 |
$24,858 |
-$931 |
$51,509 |
$51,271 |
$238 |
| Total Operating Income | $134,349 |
$133,865 |
$484 |
$278,491 |
$272,775 |
$5,716 |
| Expenses | ||||||
| Total Operating Expenses | $131,995 |
$123,362 |
$8,633 |
$252,493 |
$247,472 |
$5,021
|
| Net Operating Income over/under Expenses | $2,354 |
$10,503 |
-$8,149 |
$25,998 |
$25,303 |
$695 |
Unity of Phoenix Trend Chart
| Average Per Person Giving | Average Weekly Attendance |
||
| October 2011 | $16.55 per week |
October 2011 | 1,207 |
| October 2010 | $16.92 per week |
October 2010 | 1,063 |
| November 2011 | $19.62 per week |
November 2011 | 938 |
| November 2010 | $18.53 per week |
November 2010 | 1069 |