Wednesday, August 11, 2010 | Last Updated Wednesday, November 3, 2010 10:32 Pacific/Honolulu

Draft Budget for 2011-2013

Cover Letter for 2011–2013 Diocesan Budget

August 10, 2010

Dear Friends in Christ,

The proposed 2011–2013 Draft Budget for the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai‘i has been posted on this web site.  The Diocesan Council, in conjunction with commission and project chairs, and staff from the Office of the Bishop, has remained steadfast in its commitment to maintain a prudent, balanced budget for the next three years. The budget based on the goals of the Strategic Plan as its guiding principles, seeks to further the mission and ministry of all of us.
    
In 2010 we stuck to our plan to maintain the reductions taken in 2009, to prioritize the work of our commissions and ministries, and address first the needs of ministries locally. Our investment income rebounded; although the recovery did not return to the levels prior to 2007-2008 market plunge. The assessment remains at 20%.

The budget is balanced — expenses do not exceed revenues — throughout the three years. The three-year budget anticipates continuing economic volatility and cautious optimism through 2013. Although announcements about recent tourism rebounds in Hawaii, certainly important to our local economy, have produced some optimism, unemployment and the housing market still remain issues to consumer spending. Therefore, the budget does not reflect any significant increase until 2013.

Please study this document — both the numbers and the narratives that accompany each section. This will be excellent preparation for the regional pre-convention meetings at the end of this month. There, you will have the opportunity to discuss with, and ask questions of, members of the Council. We have planned to have a representative from each of the Council Departments at each regional meeting. In addition, for the first time, we will hold one videoconference on a week-day evening, available throughout the Diocese for those who are unable to attend a face-to-face session. Specific dates, times, and locations for the pre-convention meetings will follow.
   
Please remember that any change to the budget must be self-balancing: an increase in one area means a reduction in another. There is no additional income available.

All of us on the Diocesan Council look forward to meeting with you later this month. Afterward, we will have one more Council meeting (September 18) to make any final adjustments to the budget (if necessary). That is the document that will go to the 42st Annual Meeting of the Diocesan Convention in October.

Aloha,

Cecilia H. Fordham, Chair
Stewardship Department
Diocesan Council