The national church recently reported the results of the 2019 annual parochial report. The results are not good for Grace Episcopal Alexandria, the clergy perjury parish. (Or for the church as a whole, for that matter.)
For 2019, Grace reported pledge and plate income of $816,078, a 12.01 percent decrease from the 2015 budget of $927,500. When adjusted for inflation, this represents a decline during that time of $201,038, or a 21.68 percent decrease.
On a more positive note, membership continued its upward trend, reaching 1,008. This likely is due to the nominal requirements for membership in the denomination, which require only that persons be “known to the treasurer” and have attended divine worship at least three times during the year, unless “for good cause prevented.”
Average Sunday Attendance (ASA), a key barometer of congregational vitality, rebounded slightly, increasing by approximately 20 persons to 275, but failed to reach the levels that existed prior to perjuring priest Bob Malm’s decision to try to force me and Mike out of the church and his efforts to drag a dying woman, my mother, into court.
Of course, these figures include only three months (October-December) following perjuring priest Bob Malm’s retirement. Churches typically experience decline during an interim, and the combination of an interim and the advent of the pandemic suggests that 2020 data will be nothing short of disastrous. This will be particularly that case with loose plate offerings, which surge during Christmas and Easter and typically account for $40,000 of annual revenue to the church. Meanwhile, attendance at Grace’s lackluster virtual services continues to decline, with recent services viewed by 90 or fewer people.
Clearly, perjuring priest Bob Malm left behind a church that now faces serious threats to its survival.