St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, Groton CT

I have played enough sports, been in touch with enough coaches, watched enough games and read closely enough to know that there’s one strategy that’s deadly. And it’s so subtle. You think you can win by doing it, but you lose. It’s called “sitting on the lead.” If you’re an athlete or a sportsman, you know what I’m talking about.

When I was in high school, our basketball team went to state finals in Texas . In one state final game we were ahead at halftime 26 to 18. The coach said, “Now we got ‘em. We got ‘em. Just take it easy.” You know what? We lost, 41 to 40. Why? Because we tried to sit on our lead. We thought we had them beat, so we played with a maintenance mentality.

A growing church never gets so far ahead that it can afford to “sit on the lead.”

It’s Replaced When It Breaks

There is a monastery in Greece perched high on a cliff, several hundred feet in the air. The only way to reach the monastery is to be suspended in a basket which is pulled to the top by several monks who pull and tug with all their strength. Obviously the ride up the steep cliff in that basket is terrifying.

One tourist got exceedingly nervous about half-way up as he noticed that the rope by which he was suspended was old and frayed. With a trembling voice he asked the monk who was riding with him in the basket how often they changed the rope.

The monk thought for a moment and answered serenely: “Whenever it breaks.”

Dear Saint Andrew Friends:

As I am confident that this report will show, our life together is good. But where is the rope fraying? And how can we keep from sitting on our lead? New ideas, new mission initiatives, new opportunities for devotional study and spiritual growth. Bring them all to the table. Our church is most alive when it’s stretching its spiritual boundaries.

Thank you for 2006. May God bless us in 2007.

Grace and Peace,

Mark E. Porizky, Pastor

Report of the Clerk of Session

The year 2006 was an exciting year of growth. We were blessed to welcome 13 new members and saw our membership decrease to 201. Our new members bring many new ideas and lots of excitement.

Our membership stands at 201 and our average worship attendance holds steady at about 79% of our membership. During the year about 42% of the Sundays had over 170 in attendance.

After nine years, our web site was upgraded for the third time and continues to serve potential and existing members. We are currently averaging about 50 visits per week and we see new members who find us on the web each year. Thanks to Karen Eisenbeiser and Bill Jankowski, we are again making changes. We now have a new web address, www.sapc-ct.org. We are including voice files of Marks sermons and a blog is being implemented to discuss topics of interest online.

Sunday School reports 151 registered with attendance strong this year.

Reverend Dr. Mark Porizky earned his Doctor of Ministry in 2006.

SAPC Preschool added a program for two year olds and has had full enrollment since it began in September 2006.

Baptisms – 5 in all.

Easter service brought 319 worshippers, and the Christmas cantata 265. Our talented Senior, Handbell and Junior Choirs rang in with 50 members.

Our Parish Nurse volunteered 189 work hours this year, serving 67 members during 204 office visits, 48 members attending 2 Parish Nurse programs, and over 43 phone calls. What a year!

Two blood drives were again sponsored by the Deacons resulting in a total of 90 pints of blood for the American Red Cross.

Many prayer blankets were made and given to baptized babies and people in their time of need.

Forty-eight thousand (48,000) plus nickels (over $2.400.00) were collected in three years for our little 15 year old “member”, Nabaje Afusa in Uganda.

Our status as a tithing church continues. In addition, several drives raised about $5,000 in additional money for mission.

The Mission Department made a commitment to make a total of $10,000 in contributions to Habitat for Humanity over the next two years to help sponsor a house in New London .

Many in our congregation continue to give their time to help in the community including soup kitchens and Habitat for Humanity.

We made good use of our remodeled kitchen with several lunches and Lenten soup suppers.

We ended the year with a surplus for the third year in a row thanks to the generosity of the members and the financial responsibility of the various departments and committees.

Joseph I. Jackson, Clerk of Session

2006 Annual Statistical Report

	Male	Female	Total
Active Membership, December 31, 2005	82	129	211
Gains During 2006
Profession of Faith	2	3	5
Reaffirmation of Faith	3	1	4
Certificate of Transfer	1	3	4
Total Gains	6	7	13
Losses During 2006
Certificate of Transfer	5	4	9
Death	1	0	1
Inactive Rolls by Request	3	10	13
Total Losses	9	14	23
Active Membership, December 31, 2006
Resident Members	71	111	182
Nonresident Members	8	11	19
Total Active Membership	79	122	201
Inactive Membership, December 31, 2006
Resident Inactive	7	8	15
Nonresident Inactive	8	15	23
Total Inactive Membership	15	23	38
Associate Membership	1	1	2
Baptisms in 2006 – Infant / Child	3	2	5
- Adult	0	0	0
Pledging Units			96

Roll of Elders in active Service in 2006 - 9 males, 4 females

Ordained and installed during 2006

Richard DeCourcey, 2008 Karyn Hooper, 2008

Installed during 2006

Ken Borden, 2008 Nicki Bresnyan , 2008 Rebecca Mackey , 2008

Other Elders on the Session in 2006

Brian Driskill, 2007 Joe Jackson , 2007 Billy Souder, 2007

Debby Green, 2007

Jack Fix, 2006 Chris Hanson, 2006 Harold Haugeto, 2006

Teresa Mathwich, 2006 Mark Raymond, 2006

Roll of Deacons in active Service in 2006 - 4 males, 6 females

Ordained and installed during 2006

Ed Endsley, 2008 Tamera Gibbs, 2008 Erin Grayson, 2008

Installed during 2006

Kristen Lowney, 2008

Other Deacons on the Board of Deacons in 2006

Ann Barnes, 2007 Kirk Felton, 2007 Katey Kokomoor, 2007

Jeffrey Culp, 2006 Marcia Fix, 2006 Jim Gentry, 2006

Joseph Jackson, Clerk of Session

Report of the Auditors

We have carefully audited the financial reports, books and other records of the church’s Treasurer and Finance Secretary. We find them to be properly kept and to record in an accurate and orderly manner the income and disbursements of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in the year 2006.

Special recognition and appreciation should be made to Karen Popp, Treasurer, and Jane Ackley, Finance Secretary, for their excellent reports and work to keep accurate records throughout the year.

Karyn Hooper and

David Evans, Auditors

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Report of the Personnel Committee

The Personnel Committee is pleased to report an uneventful year in 2006. The Committee started the process for finding a new Office Secretary who will start working the end of February or early March with the retirement of Sarah Carroll who has served us as Office Administrator for 18+ years.

I want to thank the members of the Committee for their time and energy during this past year. The Committee members for 2006 were Brian Estep, Jack Fix, Carole Lange, Gregg Wagman and Theresa Mathwich.

The terms of call for Reverend Mark E. Porizky for 2006 were:

Yearly Cash Salary $ 35,265.00

Housing Allowance 21,400.00

Board of Pensions (or identified %

fixed by the General Assembly) 15,133.00

Social Security 2,533.00

Additional Medical Insurance 1,400.00

Auto/Travel Expenses 3,850.00

Book Allowance 550.00

Continuing Education 1,300.00

Reimbursable Expenses 500.00

Total $ 78,586.00

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