Whee, that sounds fun, doesn’t it? Somehow, I just can’t get people that excited about the details of how much we spend on electricity at WES, or which line item should be used for the coffee purchases.

But the thing is, a budget isn’t just a collection of numbers. It’s a moral document, a visionary document–it tells us what is most important to us and how we hope to see our values put into action. That’s the idea we hope you’ll take away from our first ever Vision and Budget Summit, scheduled for Sunday, February 25 (pizza lunch at 1pm, meeting 1:30-3pm).

How should you prepare for this meeting? Well, first off, please let us know you’re coming [RSVP here]. And then, please give some consideration to your vision for WES, and to our collective vision for WES. Hopefully you took the survey, so you’ve been thinking about our Focus Goals. A couple of weeks ago, the Board, staff, and some lay leaders created a new set of Focus Goals, which we’ll share at the Vision and Budget Summit. But here’s a sneak peek: in many ways, they continue the Goals from this past year–and they make clear that we need more resources if we’re actually going to accomplish them. Resources of money, but also resources of engagement, vision, and excitement.

And ultimately, only YOU can tell us if we have those resources. A group of leaders can draft Focus Goals, but they only come alive–they are only possible–if the members of WES choose to support them. If they capture your imagination, and you decide that you’d like to be part of making them happen. If the community agrees that the ideas for funding them make sense, and those who are able increase their pledges so the WES budget can include them. If they reflect your values, and you decide that you will do the hard work of introspection and community building so they become a reality.

That’s what the Vision and Budget Summit is really for–to see how you all feel about the Focus Goals and to gather your collective wisdom and energy about how to support them.

See you there!

Warmly,

Amanda Poppei, Senior Leader

P.s. And if you really want to know about our utility costs…hey, I’m happy to tell you that too! (They average out to about $47 per member per year). Our budget is a transparent document, and although we’ll do some overview at the Summit, the line by line version is always available to members and Tom Hutton and I are glad to walk anyone through it.