Staffing
The entire staff have shown such tenacity as we adapt with restriction changes, doing meetings over Zoom and with a lot less connection with so many of us working from home. The staff care so deeply for the church and for the mission we’ve been given. They have been stretched as to how they shepherd and connect with our church family and community. I have so appreciated their heart and dedication to CrossRoads and want you to know what a great job they are doing.
Like so many other people and businesses, our staff was also affected by Covid. In December we had 9 staff with Covid and we were forced to close down the building and services for a two week period. We were successful in preventing further spread and our staff have all recovered. Thank you for your care and prayers.
We’ve seen many changes to staff over this past year. In September we started to re-call people that had been laid off earlier in the year as we needed to meet the current level of support required. We are not planning to go back to the same number of staff that we were at prior to Covid. We left some positions un-hired in the current budget plan. Prior to Covid our Full Time Equivalents (FTE) were at 42 and currently we are at 35.5 FTE with a budget that provides room for 38.5 FTE.
Josh Sissons joined us on staff last year in the role of Associate Pastor of Student Ministries. We are thrilled to have Josh, his wife Rebeca and as of January, little Ezra joined our CrossRoads family. Pastors Jordan and Julie Cavanaugh will be making some significant changes with Jordan moving into the role of Pastor of Community Life and Julie looking to pursue what God has next for her. They have served our K-6 Ministry and families with extreme excellence and I would ask you to remember them in your prayers as they start this next chapter. They will complete their time in Children’s Ministry at the end of June. We have commenced our search for the next Pastor of K-6 and we ask that you agree with us in prayer as we look for the right person to fill this role. Our K-6 Ministry staff have done an outstanding job during Covid and have made many adjustments throughout the year when required. Our families have been greatly blessed by their leadership over the K-6 Ministry.
Finances
I want to thank you for your continued giving. Your faithfulness and regular giving have been such an encouragement to the Finance Committee, the staff, and the Church Board. We recognize that these times have been extra tough on some; with job loss, salary reductions and added expenses. Our giving’s are currently down but it would also be important that you know that our expenses are also down. We anticipate a balanced year-end, and we thank God for that. Please refer to the proposed budget for our year end projections.
Building
With the building being less used this past year, we have been able to do a lot of much needed maintenance and repairs. We were able to upgrade over 75% of our lights to LED and the facility team has been busy painting and doing a lot of deep cleaning. The building does get used in the ebb and flow of the restrictions which is constantly changing but we by no means use it to the degree we were, prior to Covid. Phase 4B remains delayed and we will continue to keep you updated on the status.
Final Thoughts
On behalf of Kathleen and myself, I’d like to thank you for your continued love and support. Over this past year Psalm 32:7 & 8 have been my foundation and support and it has sustained me through the ups and downs. We both had Covid in December and during that time we felt God’s care and your prayers. We cherish our CrossRoads family and thank God that we have the opportunity to serve alongside you.
As we have entered year 2 of Covid I am pleased to bring you this encouraging update. While we don’t know what lies ahead, we do know that God is the one who controls it all and I trust you will be encouraged and hopeful for the year ahead.
- Pastor Jordan
