Operations Working Group Quarterly Report

The Operations Committee that was created as part of McDougall’s Governance Pilot Project in June 2019 became the Operations Working Group when Governance pilot updates were approved by McDougall’s Leadership Council in January. I am the lead of this working group, and Joanne Anquist (Minister), Karen Chow (Treasurer), Norma May (Convener) and a (rotating) Member--at-Large from the  Leadership Council form the core of the Operations Working Group. Leads from the Property and Ministry, Personnel Working Groups and Communications Working Groups or our Ministry Teams participate in the Operations meetings needed.

 The Operations Working Group (aka Operations) began the year by meeting face-to-face on the second Tuesday of the month. The Sunday after our March 10 Operations meeting, McDougall’s Sunday services were cancelled because of the COVID19 social distancing recommendation from the government. The following Friday, Operations core members along with several other Leadership Council Leads met via Zoom to discuss McDougall’s response to the pandemic social distancing restrictions and the budgetary impact for McDougall.

The Operations Working Group will meet as frequently as required in the weeks ahead to address the emergent issues related to the COVID 19 pandemic and other operational items. As the Operations Working Group is mandated to work within the budget reviewed by the Leadership Council  and approved by  the congregation at the Annual General meeting, a review of that budget decision related to our cash flow challenges during an extended closure of our building will be brought to the Leadership Council for review and approval of any needed revisions related to the current cash flow realities.

 The COVID 19 pandemic has impacted all aspects of our church life---- our face-to-face fellowship  with each other, our programs and services, our outreach, pastoral care, the work  of each of our staff and, of course, our finances.

Members of the Operations Working Group, our staff, and the Leads of our Ministry Teams and Working Groups, are working in close collaboration to keep McDougall moving forward through these unprecedented times.

I am submitting this quarterly report not knowing what new challenges lie ahead in the next few weeks let alone in the months to come. But, I am confident that with the strong spirit of collaboration and common purpose demonstrated over these past three week, McDougall will come out of this pandemic period strong that before.