Now that January is over and most New Year’s resolutions have faded from memory I would like for you to consider a few things. People often make resolutions to change or better themselves in the New Year. Often our resolve for such changes loses steam before the first month of the New Year has come to an end. I want to encourage you to “put your house in order”.

As you know, our Treasurer, Butch Fisher died in December. Butch had been treasurer for the better part of twenty-five years. We had become comfortable with Butch as our treasurer and Butch was more than competent in the execution of his responsibilities of his position. Unfortunately for us, Butch had his own way of doing things as Treasurer, and he did not have a plan for how things would happen if he were no longer able to function as treasurer. He did not leave any information about his passwords to programs and information. We have been able to by-pass or work around some of these situations so that we have access to year-end reports and year end financial statements of members. Yet, we still have some issues with our payroll program since we do not have his “administrator’s” password. A computer tech and an accountant spent much time this month trying to figure out where things were, how they worked and why he did things the way he did.

My goal this year, in addition to finding a new treasurer, is to have our accounting process set up in such a way that anyone with a financial background should be able to step in at any time and be able to interpret our process so that we do not find ourselves in this situation again.

I encourage you to look at your personal life and see if you are prepared for what happens should you become incapacitated or die. Dealing with a sick loved one or mourning their loss is stressful enough without the added responsibility of trying to figure out how to deal with their property and finances. Make sure that your will and your living will are up to date. List your assets and any other information that will be helpful to whomever will be taking care of your estate and attach it to your copy of your will.

Also, leave information on what you want to occur at your funeral. A few years ago, I mentioned at a funeral how the deceased had left instructions about the service using a form from the church. We received so many requests for the form that our church secretary made about 80 copies and placed them on a table in the Church. They disappeared quickly so 60 more were made and placed on the table and most of those were taken as well. Here is the important part. Once the form has been filled out, it is should be brought back to the church and copied with the copy being placed in the pastor’s file. Out of 140 forms given out in 2008 only 2 were copied and placed in my file. This is fine if the person who will be responsible for your final arrangements knows where you keep the form . However, in two separate incidents, I have had family members tell me that they were told I have a form filled out by their loved one concerning their service arrangements for the church. In both cases I never received a copy of the form. In both situations the family insisted that their loved one had filled out the form and that I was in possession of it. I did not doubt that their loved one had filled out the form , but I also know that I did not have a copy in my file. The families did find the forms prior to those services so we did fulfill the requests of their loved ones.

As a result, I urge you to make sure we have a copy of your form. If you have not filled out a form , please think about doing so, and if you fill one out, let us make and file a copy so that there are no awkward moments later on with grieving loved ones. I will see to it that more forms are available for pickup in the Church in case you have lost yours or have never completed one. Also, check to make sure that we have your current address and phone number. If you have moved or changed phone numbers in the last few years we may not have your current information. As we are still early in this New Year, think about “putting your house in order” so that your wishes can be fulfilled and your family will have a guide in what to do.

Grace and Peace,