From the Rector
Dear Friends,
Today marks our 215th Annual Meeting! I thank God for the ministry we share in this sacred place. It is a joy and the honor of a lifetime to serve as your seventeenth rector.
When our first annual meeting was convened in 1810, James Madison was president of our young nation still finding its footing in the world. Since then, we have weathered the Civil War that tore our nation apart, persevered through two World Wars that reshaped global order, endured the Great Depression and numerous economic challenges, witnessed the struggle for civil rights, experienced the technological revolution, stood firm through pandemics both past and recent, and navigated the complex social changes of the 21st century. Through it all—through times of national triumph and tragedy, through periods of social upheaval and transformation, through moments of doubt and renewed conviction—our mission has remained steadfast: to serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This constancy is not due to our own strength or cleverness; it is due to our response to the mercy, grace, and power of the call of Christ, who reveals himself to be the center of our lives, and the center of human history. As Saint Paul reminds us, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” With the Spirit of our Crucified and Risen Lord shaping our mission and ministries, we continue this sacred work passed down through generations.
Today’s Annual Meeting is an occasion for us to take seriously the holy and important work of governance. In case you are wondering, you did not mishear me—governance is holy work! I was reminded of this on Tuesday of Holy Week when we gathered with our Bishop and the priests of the Diocese of New York to renew our ordination vows. In that solemn liturgy at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, we were asked again: “Will you be loyal to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of Christ as this Church has received them?” This Anglican understanding of ordered liberty within faithful tradition guides not only priests but all who share in the governance of Christ’s Church—and that is all of us!
Earlier this week during our annual priests’ retreat, we took stock of our shared life as a Diocese and the particular challenges facing our communities today. The message was clear: we will need good governance and wise servant leadership to carry out our work and mission in these complex times.
This past Friday and Saturday, our Vestry gathered on Long Island for a similar purpose—to reflect on our shared life of governance and to consider how we might continue to live into our service as trustworthy leaders at St. James’ Church: called to follow Jesus Christ, to bear witness to the joy of the gospel, and to be wise stewards of the gifts entrusted to us by previous generations. It is now our turn to carry this legacy forward. Our Chancellor, Fraser Hunter, provided a thoughtful presentation on the distinct yet complementary roles of the Vestry and Rector. And as we spent the day together, I was encouraged by the clarity of our shared vision—we are indeed rowing in the same direction, with a common understanding of what this season calls for. In our mutual ministry we share the responsibility to be faithful stewards of this holy place as we serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our day.
As your servant leaders, we are called to equip you– the saints–to join us in the work of ministry. Each of us brings our distinctive gifts, we offer them to God, and we share them with each other for the building up of the body of Christ. Together, we are called to holiness of life, to be heralds of the Gospel in both word and deed, and to be wise stewards.
Today, as we welcome Alexandra Bacon and Larry Hunter as Vestry members, and give thanks for Bob Stinson and Dolly Geary’s service on the Vestry, we recognize that governance in the church is never merely administrative—it is apostolic. We stand in a line that stretches back not only to 1810, but to those first disciples who were entrusted with the good news of God’s unimaginable love made known to us in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
As we close this 215th Annual Meeting, let us recommit ourselves to serve the Gospel. With thanksgiving for our past, steadfast commitment to our present, and a holy hope for our future, let us be about the apostolic work of building up the Church as a sign to the world that the kingdom of God has come near.
From the Treasurer
Annual Meeting Treasurer’s Presentation
Sunday, May 4, 2025 • St. James’ Church
Nina Huffman, Treasurer
The Treasurer provided the following updates:
- 2025 Budget and Local Law 11 | Based on first quarter actual results, which were generally in line with budgeted amounts, we are on track to achieve the 2025 budgeted portfolio draw of 6.47%, meeting the goal for 2025 (of 5% – 7%) that the Vestry set in 2023. [1] As we discussed at the February budget forum, the 2025 budget contains higher capital expenditures for compliance with Local Law 11, the NYC law that mandates periodic inspections of building facades to protect the public from potential hazards such as falling debris. Following inspection of the Parish House, our architects determined that repairs are required. The construction is expected to take eight months, commencing in mid-June 2025 and continuing through the first quarter of 2026. The bids for this work are in line with our budgeted amounts. Thanks to Bob Stinson for his guidance and support in this multifaceted project.
- Stewardship | Stewardship is essential to achieving our financial sustainability, representing 55% of the church’s 2025 budgeted income ($2.741 million). The Vestry has set a 2025 Stewardship Goal of $3.1 million, a slight increase over our 2024 goal of $3.0 million, and we have made good progress to date. As of April 30, 2025, we had achieved 94% of the Stewardship budget and 83% of our Stewardship Goal with 442 households making commitments and gifts of $2.573 million. Meeting the 2025 Stewardship goal would bring us closer to our ultimate 5% draw goal, as each additional $203,000 in Stewardship would reduce the total portfolio draw in the 2025 Budget by 1%. We thank Nancy Murray, Vestry Officer for Stewardship, for her thoughtful leadership and dedication.
- New Outsourced Chief Investment Officer and Investment Manager | Based on the recommendation of the Investment Committee, following a thorough review, the Vestry has approved Graystone Consulting, an institutional consulting business of Morgan Stanley, as the church’s new Outsourced Chief Investment Officer and Investment Manager. We are thankful for the work of the Investment Committee (Martin Dessoffy, Chair, Jeriba Allen, Jason Bernhard, Scott Grossman, Alana Henderson, Andrew Littlejohn, Doug Reid and Chris Workman).
- Audit of 2024 Financial Statements | PKF O’Connor Davies has served as St. James’ auditors for a second year. Upon completion of the audit, which is expected in May with an unqualified opinion, the 2024 financial statements will be made available to the parish. We want to thank Cathy McAleer, our Accounting Manager, for her valuable contributions to the audit process.
• 2024 goal: single digits – with a target of 8%
• 2025 goal: 5% – 7%
• 2026 goal: 5% and balanced budget with zero deficit spending
From the Wardens
Dear Friends,
It has been a great honor to serve as your Wardens this past year alongside our remarkable Rector. It has been a joy to watch Zack embrace and fill out more broadly his distinguished rectorship with his Christ-centered vision and preaching, warm pastoral care, and joyful relationship building with parishioners of all ages and within this growing parish.
We are fortunate to be joined by a talented and dedicated group of Vestry members. From that group, we want to offer our gratitude to Dolly Geary and Bob Stinson. Dolly and Bob have been valued members on the Vestry for the past six years and are rotating off. We appreciate their dedication and service and they will be missed!
The Rector, Wardens and Vestry were on retreat a few weeks back. At the suggestion of our Chancellor, we engaged in a Mutual Ministry Review of the Rector and the Vestry which was a first in recent memory. This review was facilitated superbly by our retired Priest Associate, Jay Sidebotham.
For a fulsome three hours, we considered the ways the Rector and Vestry have been living into our mutual ministry this past year. It was a chance to explore with gratitude and honest reflection of the work we do together. Jay asked three questions in advance for us to answer before the retreat:
- What are we thankful for in terms of Zack’s ministry, and specifically his work with the Vestry?
- What is working well in the relationship between the Rector and the Vestry?
- What might work better or what do we see as growth opportunities ahead?
The result was an abundance of love in the room as the Rector and Vestry are actually working quite well together while also allowing for some transparent feedback to constantly grow and improve as we move forward. We could not be more thankful for Jay and his guided facilitation of the morning.
As we announced to the parish in May 2023, the Vestry is committed to a three-year plan to increase sources of income, reduce our expenditures, and bring the finances of the parish to a model of sustainable operating efficiency. We are currently in year two of that plan, and our financial endeavors continue to be led brilliantly by our Treasurer, Nina Huffman. We are encouraged by the significant progress we have made and we are optimistic about our future.
Waddell Stillman and Nancy Murray, as appointed Vestry officers for Strategic Advancement and Stewardship respectively, have been instrumental collaborators to our work. The Investment Committee ably chaired by Martin Dessofy has also been an important partner in their care of overseeing the endowment.
Last summer, we welcomed the arrival of the gifted Dr. Kenneth Miller as our Director of Music to lead our adult and children’s choirs and be our principal organist. If you were in the church for the Easter service at 11:15 a.m. or watching online, Ken’s talent and brilliance as a musician were on full display.
As we look back on our 2024-2025 program year, we want to express our gratitude and appreciation for our Rector and the clergy team of Matt Oprendek and Marisa Sifontes, our diligent parish staff who continue to go above and beyond working hard on our behalf each day, both generously and effectively:
Vicki Hall leading Children and Family Ministries; Calvin Bushman coordinating our Youth Program and the St. Jamesians, and who also contributes his gifts to our mission work; Grace Beacham as the supreme organizer of our Parish Life activities; Cathy McAleer, our Accounting Manager caring for the range of our financial activities; Robert Cox, our interim Parish Administrator; Rosa Gentile’s attentive service in the Rector’s office; Marisa Curcio managing Communications; Mercedes Rosario, our welcoming weekday Parish Receptionist; and Kristin Hardwick, who recently joined us as our Stewardship Coordinator; and our dedicated and hardworking maintenance and hospitality staff who make it all work behind the scenes—and to the scores of parishioners who volunteer in myriads of ways to make St. James’ what it is today we offer our heartfelt appreciation for all that you do.
We greatly value everyone who generously supports this parish both financially and with volunteer service to make St. James’ an essential spiritual home for all of us. Your commitment makes a difference in all that we do together. Thank you!
Missy Condo and Richard Brown
