Annual Report

I have to confess something. I really dislike writing this report every year. I often wonder what to say, what needs to be said. Do we look behind at the year that was or the year that is just starting? This year is even more confounding. Given the discussions of our present and future what needs to be said?

Luckily there is one thing that is constant, one thing that needs to be said every year. Thank you.

This congregation would not function, would not even exist without the generous contributions of so many people. Because so many of you have given time and money we have a ministry in Grande Prairie. Elsewhere in this booklet people have made lists of some of the jobs that have been done to make our community work in 2023. Thank you to all of you. Your time is valuable and you all have other places where you could spend it.

The same goes for money. We all have a long list of things that our money could be spent on. This year you have been wonderfully generous. Envelope revenue (which includes Sunday envelopes, PAR and E-transfers) were up just over 8.6% over 2022. And it shows. In 2022 we had a deficit of over $31 000. This year we had a deficit of under $2 400, which is less than 1% of total expenses. I call that pretty close to a balanced budget for 2023. This is something to celebrate! In fact, we took in more money in 2023 than we did in 2020, the year we got roughly $23 000 in COVID related government grants.

On top of that we were able to share about $14 000 with the wider community through our Local Outreach Fund. I have said it before and I will say it again. St. Paul’s is a wonderfully generous community and Grande Prairie is a better place for it. Thank you for making that statement so true.

I am sure many of us have highlights from the past year, things that stand out. The Affirming celebration is one of those for me. That and the discussions I have had with people who have made it clear how important it was to them that we took on that journey. St. Paul’s holds a special space in the Grande Prairie faith community. In the same way I look back on the Advent season and the effusive thanks we got from our partner agencies for the gifts we share with them through our Christmas campaign. Again I say that Grande Prairie is a better, stronger place because St. Paul’s has made a difference – because your gifts of time, treasure and love have made a difference. Thank you.

Now I move to harder things. I noted above that we essentially balanced the budget in 2023 and that is a wonderful thing. However it is the exception. From 2019 to 2022 (the only years I have easy access to as I sit at my desk) we ran deficits ranging from $9300 to $31 000. I include 2020 in that because without the $23 000 in government grants we would have had a 5 figure deficit that year instead of a surplus. That can’t continue. We need more money, more people, more energy. So what is the path ahead?

There are lots of reasons to give into the crisis and look for quick fixes to the budget problem. I encourage us not to do that. Crisis thinking often leads us into poorer solutions that can cause unplanned for negative results. The book I am currently reading talks about getting out of the crisis of decline and into the crisis of God’s action (I am waiting to see exactly what they mean by that). What is God doing in our midst that we can join in with? What is God up to in Grande Prairie, at St. Paul’s in particular, that this faith community can take part in? What is the ministry of St. Paul’s at this point in its history?

Many years ago Pete Townshend wrote these words:

Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?

I know I have been harping on this sort of question for many years. But unless we know who we are we will never fully know what our purpose and ministry is. Not who we were and what our ministry was, which is often where those conversations end up going, but who we are and what our ministry is now.

The way forward will lie in admitting that we are not who we once were. The way forward will be to celebrate the gifts that we have to offer, that we are currently offering, and build from there. The way forward will involve hard decisions. Each option will have positive and negative repercussions. The way forward will not be a “flip the switch and all will be well” thing (what in life ever is). But here is the Good News.

We are not alone. We are a community of faith, called together by the Source of Life. God has walked with people on this site overlooking Bear Creek since Alexander Forbes first planted a stake saying “Presbyterian Church”. God has led us here and God will lead us forward. The road to this point has not always been comfortable or smooth. The road ahead will have some bumps, maybe even some motion sickness. But let’s open our eyes, ears, and souls to sense where God is calling us forward. Let us live not in the crisis of decline, which is depressing and scary, but rather in the crisis of God’s action, which may be exhilarating and scary. Together we will find the way to live out our Mission Statement:

Through Faith, we walk on the path Jesus set for us.
The people of St. Paul’s Belong...Believe...Love...Listen...Lead

What will 2024 bring? What will these pages talk about in a year’s time? We can only wait and see.

Yours in Christ,
Gord Waldie