God the Holy Spirit At Work: Good News and Fun Times at the Parish Annual Meeting

Last year was a whirlwind of activity in the life of our parish, and seeing it all summed up in a span of less than two hours during Sunday’s annual meeting was nothing short of mind-boggling. From the transformation of the St. Philip’s Academy building to the sheer volume of work completed in the sanctuary (“The Race to Christmas”)––2025 was historic.

Kicking off the presentations, Finance Committee chair Todd Brown once again made sure no one had a chance to be bored (during a report that consisted primarily of colors and five- to eight-digit numbers) by quizzing the audience and rewarding correct answers with PayDay and 100 Grand bars. He shared that in a space of 10 years, we went from being $1MM in debt with an annual budget of $2MM to an endowment of $10MM (the Elizabeth Battle Trust) with a budget in excess of $4MM (which speaks to our incredibly active ministry calendar)––he also shared that we brought in $13MM in donations (both annual giving and Shine the Light) and other revenue last year. This was, the Rev. Jeffrey S. Miller said after Mr. Brown closed, “God the Holy Spirit at work.”

While some may joke that, when it comes to long-range planning and Shine the Light construction, “Jeff Miller’s dreams become Jim Stelling’s nightmares,” Mr. Stelling appears to have taken his role as the head of Building Restoration Projects in stride––even when he learned that our Rector was looking to secure the team behind the lighting at St. Thomas Fifth Avenue to light our sanctuary. Picture after picture he shared showed just how needed this generational fix was, not simply for cosmetic reasons––like the cross that needed gilding and the cherub that needed a new wing––but structural, such as the badly deteriorated support beams in the spire and the fractured brick wall above the north balcony stairs. A video shot and edited by Director of Audiovisual Content Marc Collins, which was set to our own choir’s rendition of C.H.H. Parry’s stirring anthem “I Was Glad,” gave a visual summary of the church renovations with some remarkable drone footage of our steeple and beautifully lit sanctuary. 

Shine the Light co-chair Maybank Hagood then gave us some glorious news: while we still have $2.2MM left in existing pledges to collect, the campaign is officially closed! Due to your swift and sacrificial giving, we incurred no debt during this campaign––our first capital campaign in 25 years––and we even increased annual giving. Incredible! 

In his address, our Rector gave us four points to think about and do in light of all we’d seen and heard:

1. Give thanks! Let’s not pat ourselves on the back––but “give thanks to our Lord, who’s worked in the hearts and minds of his people.”

2. Stay focused! It may be easy to get distracted when you’re busy or when it seems like the world is a difficult place full of violence and discord. “As Christians, we always have reason for hope.” Stay focused on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, “lifting him up that he might draw all men to himself.”

3. Be vigilant! Our work at St. Philip’s has not gone unnoticed––and “when great things begin to happen, you get the enemy’s attention.” St. Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”

4. Be proactive! “The best defense is a good offense,” he said, so let us live into the Great Commission and make disciples of all nations. While the work we’ve done and continue to do for our Gospel assets, the generational fixes, will one day need to be done again, “the work of evangelism, the work of sharing the Gospel, the work of bringing those who are lost into the light and love of Jesus Christ ... that’s the work that lasts for all eternity.”

Meanwhile, Back at the (Jump) Castle