Prayer & Leadership: Thoughts from St. Peter's Leaders
Is there joy in the treasurer's role? You bet. Just like a narrative, numbers tell a story. How and where this parish spends money reflects its priorities, just as in our personal finances.
I enjoy working with the wardens and council to provide data and recommendations so they can make informed decisions. The treasurer's role is not one of authority, but influence. Having said that, the treasurer is the "client-facing" person who represents our financial team to the parish and diocese.
I enjoy the rhythms of the parish financial cycle - a quiet spring and summer, ramping up in the fall with budgeting, preparing for the AVM in winter, then settling back into spring and summer. With the occasional exception, i.e. the rectory renovations, I enjoy the cyclical predictability of the role. This is consistent with my personal mantra to live the "quiet miracle of a normal life" - taken from US President Bill Clinton's 1993 speech at the signing of the Israeli-
Palestinian declaration of principles.
I've been blessed with that normal life here at St. Peter's, within the Comox Valley and within our vast, beautiful country.
Before I step down this term, I hope to bring my successor up to speed on this truly joyous treasurer's role.