An article from the Cathedral Times
by the Very Reverend Sam G. Candler
Have you heard the tapping on the Cathedral roof during the last two months? I have heard the tapping almost daily, but the tappers graciously arrange to pause when services and events are occurring. In fact, a casual visitor to the Cathedral may not have seen or heard the workers at all. Even when they are scrambling on the roof, our lovely oak trees have often hid them from view. But they sure have been hard at work.
If you have not seen our roof workers, surely you have noticed what they have been trying to fix: the enormous holes and cracks in our roof, the gallons of water that have leaked into our ambulatories, the dark stains sliding down our interior columns. It is easily apparent that our Cathedral of St. Philip has needed serious repair.
Who will pay for such structural and necessary repair? We have estimated that over $250,000 will be needed to repair roof, ceilings, and walls. Such money is not part of our budget for 2010, and that's a good thing! Because our 2010 budget is already short; we still do not have enough in pledges to meet our 2010 expenses! (btw, have you pledged yet?)
Thanks be to God, then, for our spiritual ancestors. Yes, the Cathedral of St. Philip has an endowment, a modest one, even a meager one, for a facility our size; our endowment assets total less than nine million dollars. We limit our use of its distribution to about $350,000 a year, for non-operating expenses, and including some stewardship compensation assistance.
Fortunately, the Chapter of the Cathedral and the Endowment Board of Trustees have been quite careful in distributing income from the Endowment. We need the account to grow! Only with this care, however, has the endowment built up a slight cumulative reserve, from which we are paying for the repair of the Cathedral roof.
Who to thank? Thank our spiritual ancestors, those who have provided for the Cathedral in their wills and estates. AND thank our present spiritual stewards who have given gifts to the Cathedral Endowment while they are still alive. It is that account that helps us provide for emergencies and long-term facility maintenance.
Tap, tap, tapping on the Cathedral roof. That tapping you hear might also be the Holy Spirit tapping on your shoulder. Can you help provide for the long term preservation of the Cathedral of St. Philip? Can you consider a gift to the Cathedral endowment? A healthy and generous gift that will keep on giving and providing, even after you have entered into glory?
Grace and peace to you, forever!