Operations
& Finance
Finance
The Finance Committee provides
independent oversight of all phases of financial management of the Church. The
group reviews finance reports, oversees budget preparation for Vestry approval,
and provides analysis and proposals to the Vestry as needed. It is comprised
of several Vestry members, at-large members, and the parish treasurer. Meetings
are held in the evenings four to six times a year.
Audit
The
Audit Committee, formed every year, reviews the financial records for the preceding
year using a checklist of internal controls from the Manual of Business Methods
in Church Affairs from The Episcopal Church Center dated 1995. The Audit Committee, in essence, checks the
work of the treasurer and bookkeeper.
Treasurer
The
treasurer is responsible for all day-to-day fiscal operations including management
of cash flow (for the operating accounts and the capital funds), completion
of financial reports and preparation of the annual budget for review and approval
by the Vestry. The treasurer also directly supervises the part-time bookkeeper
and counting scheduler.
Counters
Each
week the proceeds of the offering plates and church receipts need to be reconciled
and recorded. Our counters are rotated
in pairs each Sunday after church or on Monday mornings. Each counter spends
45 minutes once a month to provide this essential service. Schedules are set in advance.
Tech Support
During
the summer of 2003 "The Tech Team"
replaced the computers and upgraded the office environment to give each computer
high speed access to the Internet, e-mail and a local network that allowed sharing
of files, printers and automatic file backup.
This
is a continuation of the efforts of the Office Efficiency Task Force formed
to review parish office activities and resources. The goal was to identify opportunities
for increased efficiency and reduce expenditures in the short and long term.
We have also allowed for increased use of e-mail and the St. John’s website ( www.dioceseofnewark.org/stjohn-montclair
) to provide quick access to information and reduce mailing costs.
The
majority of the physical acquisitions are complete. Now we continue to increase
efficiency and utilization. "The Tech Team"
continues to provide hands-on technical support of the office computer network
and consultation on further use and enhancements.