2021-Q1. Operations Working Group Lead Report

Operations Working Group

First Quarter Report (Jan 1 - Mar. 31, 2021)

Submitted by Joanne Pritchard, Operations Lead

The Operations Working Group (Operations) met monthly on Zoom in the first quarter of 2021:Jan. 7, Feb. 4 & Mar. 11. The core members of Operations continuing from 2020 included  myself, J. . Pritchard (Lead), Norma May (Convener), Karen Chow(Treasurer), Joanne Anquist (Minister) and a rotating Member-at-Large for each meeting from the Members-at-Large appointed to the Leadership Council (.Jen Heidebrecht took over the Operations Convener role in March after being elected  at the February AGM.  Our sincere gratitude goes to Norma May  for her contribution in competently fulfilling the Operations Convener role  since the creation of the Operations Working Group in McDougall’s  governance pilot structure.

At each Operations meeting, the Treasurer, Karen Chow,  provided an update of the church’s finances with clarity and precision. The Ministry and Personnel Lead, Peggy Jorgensen, presented updates and recommendations that required Operations approval related to contractor and employee agreements. After a review had been conducted by a working group, Operations approved updates  to the church’s funeral rates and related  communications for 2021.

The draft 2021 Fundraising Schedule  that I (J. Pritchard) developed in late 2020 with input from a wide range of leaders in the church was approved by the Leadership Council in February as a working document to help us coordinate our special appeals and other fundraising activities throughout the year.  This is a new initiative.  

In February, following up on a recommendation from the Council-approved Two Year Sustainable Plan presented by the Council Planning Group , Operations appointed a working group to oversee the hiring of an external consultant to undertake a review of our office administration staffing and practices. Anne Yates-Laberge, the Executive Director at Hillhurst United, subsequently agreed to do the review and present her report with  recommendations to Operations at the April Operations meeting. 

Meanwhile, Operations worked in this first quarter with the Outreach and Social Justice Lead, Rev. Bob Mutlow, to coordinate the oversight of the Reconciliation Project external grant funds and plan the fundraising needed to match the grants received. Regular updates were also received from the Property Leads, John Naylor & Barrie Clayton, regarding property matters and rental updates. Our minister, Joanne Anquist, provided monthly updates regarding future plans for Worship and Family Ministry.

With the approval by the congregation of the 2021 Annual Budget and recommendations in the Two Year Sustainable Plan at the AGM and Congregational meetings in February and March, Operations began the challenging  work  of reviewing and implementing the  recommendations, in a caring and professional  manner.

Many thanks to all those who have participated in this important leadership work at McDougall in these particularly challenging times.