2022 PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT’S REPORT (January 30th, 2022)

Dear Parishioners of St. Herman’s,

It heartens me to say that things are back to normal at St. Herman’s. I’d even dare to say that things are better than just “normal” in as many ways as you’ll read in this report. In 2021 we saw the revival of our weekly service schedule, the relaunch of coffee hour and the renewed opportunity to see, visit and worship with our fellow parishioners.

You’ll notice a couple new additions as you enter the church via the front doors. Thanks to gentle, yet consistent, prodding by Doug Johnson we now have two new handrails running up the front steps. Additionally, alongside the front steps you will notice bike racks which were installed this summer. Thanks to a cost sharing program through the city of Minneapolis, the bike racks were installed for next to no cost to us. With the number of parishioners that live nearby, I am excited to see these bike racks be put to good use. A big thanks to Laurie Rother and Dan Tkach in spearheading these projects.

With the reestablishment of the full service schedule during 2021 came the increased need for the compilation of music and books for said services. This is a tall task considering the ever rotating hymns, verses, and readings in the Orthodox church. This is also a task that somewhat flies under the radar at St. Herman’s due to our luck in always having choir directors that go above and beyond what is asked of them. Thank you to Peter and Susanna Tabeling for their relentless effort in making sure we are always prepared to serve not only with the proper music but also with the proper practice and direction as well.

As Emanuel will touch on in his treasurer’s report, 2020 & 2021 were financially exceptional years for our parish. Because of the generosity of you all, in June we were able to contribute $25,000 to the Orthodox Church Capital Improvement Fund (OCCIF). OCCIF provides financial support to Orthodox churches in the Unites States. The dedication and generosity of our parishioners I truly believe is unmatched. Looking forward to 2022 and beyond, the parish council will be working to establish a sort of vision for how we best utilize funds. Some of the areas of focus we have discussed in recent months have been building beautification, maintenance and safety, support of mission parishes, and other forms of philanthropic outreach. As always, we welcome any and all input from you. A special thank you to everyone who continues to donate items such as oil, wine, flowers, candles, paper products and beverages. These items are easy to take for granted but difficult to function without. It’s timely for me to also thank Miriam Julian who has done an outstanding job as our FOCUS liaison. I assure you that planning, coordinating, and leading a meal at FOCUS is not as easy as Miriam makes it look.

In closing, I would like to sincerely thank Emanuel, Susanna, and Natalia for their years of service as members of the parish council. Their unique skills, invaluable knowledge and dedication to the church made each of them a true asset to have on the council. I’d like to take this opportunity also to encourage anyone who has a desire to get more involved in extracurricular church activities to do so! Whether it’s helping us serve a meal at FOCUS, singing in the choir, serving on the parish council, or staying after coffee hour to aid in the cleanup there is always something to be done. There is very little we can do without the support and participation of our Church community.

Respectfully,

Caleb Tkach

Parish Council President

Annual Report to Parish