The revised form includes new fields, has been reformatted to reduce errors, and contains clearer instructions to both employees and employers.

Employers should begin using the new Form I-9 for all new hires as of March 8, 2013.

Employers can continue to use previously accepted I-9 forms with revision dates on the lower left corner of the form of "02/02/09" and "08/07/09" until May 7, 2013. However, after May 7, 2013 employers must use only Form I-9 with the revision date of "03/08/13".

Click here to download the new revised Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9.

For more information, please visit www.uscis.gov.

- Be current with their apportionment, including submission of the Year-end Reconciliation and final payment for 2012, due January 31, 2013. 

- Be current on any loans from the diocese or the Endowment and Memorial Trust.

- The 2011 audit for their church must be on file with the diocese no later than January 31, 2013.

- Be current on all other financial obligations to the diocese. 

- All payments must be received no later than January 31, 2013.

- Send a letter requesting the 2 percent rebate signed by the Senior Warden, Clergy in Charge, and the Treasurer.  

- The letter must be received no later than Friday, March 1, 2013.  Letters can be sent via fax to 916-442-6927 or US mail to The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, Attn: Apportionment Rebate, 350 University Ave. Ste. 280, Sacramento, CA 95825. 

2013 Federal Reporting Requirements For Episcopal Churches
& 2013 Tax Guide For Episcopal Ministers

As part of Church Pension Fund’s commitment to conserve natural and financial resources, we are providing a link to their 2013 Federal Reporting Requirements for Episcopal Churches online booklet PDF file published on February 15, 2013. The PDF file is posted on the Church Pension Fund website, and is a great resource for learning more about federal reporting obligations related to payroll for most churches.

2013 Federal Reporting Requirements For Episcopal Churches

Additionally, here is a link to the Church Pension Fund 2013 Tax Guide For Episcopal Ministers for 2012 tax returns, published on February 25, 2013. It is a valuable resource that provides information regarding special tax rules that pertain to clergy. You are encouraged to rely on the Church Pension Fund online version, which is updated with legislation changes.

2013 Tax Guide For Episcopal Ministers

If you have any questions, please contact Church Pension Group's Client Engagement Team at 866.802.6333.

If you previously downloaded the 2013 TMR from the website, please disregard it and download this most current version.

At the Congregational Leadership Conferences currently being held, we are providing a new handout, the Treasurer's Monthly Report - Supplemental Instructions to all participants in the afternoon workshop, "Employment Best Practices AND The TMR (Treasurer's Monthly Report) and Congregation Audits workshop". Come join us at the workshop to learn more about these new TMR instructions and hear examples that relate to your congregation. A church auditor will be there to help answer your specific questions.

Further, these supplemental instructions will be released in the March 1 edition of the Admin & Finance e-Newsletter and will be posted to the diocesan website.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact Director of Finance & Administration Lisa Bruno.

The Episcopal Church (TEC) has been collecting the information called for on the Parochial Report since the first General Convention. In 1804, the Committee on the State of the Church was established to review this information and prepare a summary report to general Convention. These reports provide vital information concerning the life of the church to our governing bodies.

Your report is also the basis for the Congregation Range Sheet which is developed annually in order to determine the number of delegates a congregation may send to Diocesan Convention and to establish salary ranges for our clergy. Click here to see the 2013 Congregation Range Sheet.

In addition, by filing your Parochial Report on-line you will gain access to a report showing a ten-year accumulation of data relating specifically to our Diocese and your Church. To see this report on your Church click here.  To file your report on-line click here. 

Just select the Diocese of Northern California from the drop down list and then select your Church. In addition to the graphic display you can download a comprehensive report describing your community.

If you have closed out your books for 2012 and completed your TMR Reconciliation for 2012 it is just one small step to completion of the financial portion of the annual Parochial Report. To assist you in this process, the TMR Reconciliation includes a column noting where to carry over the year-end line item totals to the Parochial Report.

TEC mailed hard copies of the Parochial Report and Instructions to each church prior to year-end. If you don’t know where this is you can simply click here to obtain an on-line version.

If you need assistance with the process of filing your report on-line please contact Director of Finance and Administration Lisa Bruno at Lisa@norcalepiscopal.org or 916-442-6918. Don’t forget that the report needs to be approved by your vestry prior to submission.

What is The Small Business Tax Credit:
As part of the Health Care Reform legislation, a tax credit of up to 25 percent of health premiums was created for small businesses as an incentive for providing insurance for their employees.  This credit became available in the tax year 2010.  In order to be eligible for the credit, your business (church/school/organization) must have no more than 25 full time equivalent (FTE) employees, average employee wages of $50,000 or less, and pay at least 50 percent of the premium for single healthcare coverage for employees. Most of the churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California will qualify.

Qualifications:

- If you are following the rules of our healthcare plan, your business meets the 50 percent qualification.  According to our insurance rules, all exempt employees or hourly employees working 20 or more hours per week must be offered medical and dental insurance, and it must be employer paid at 80 percent of the lowest cost plan (prorated between 20 and 30 hours). 
- While clergy count towards the total number of employees at an institution (must be less than 25 total FTE), their salaries are not counted when calculating the average wage.  A church with two employees, a clergyperson making $75,000 a year and a layperson making $45,000 a year would have an average salary (for the purposes of this tax credit only) of $22,500. 
- The IRS has a step by step guideline for the calculation.  To determine for sure that you qualify, use the Three Simple Steps Chart provided by the IRS. 

How to do the Calculation:
Once you determine that your church does qualify, you are ready to fill in the paperwork for your tax credit.  You will need to file an IRS Form 8941.  Make sure to read the instructions for filling out this form, which can be found here.  Form 8941 will tell you when to seek guidance.  We recommend that you seek the help of a tax professional as this calculation is fairly complicated and legalistic. 

Filing a Form 990-T:
We recommend that you seek the help of a tax professional in filling out your 990-T.  This is a very complicated and important form that requires the help of an expert.  If you have a tax professional in your congregation or with whom you already work, we suggest that you work directly with that person to complete this form. 

Tax Professionals:
If you do not already have a tax professional, the Office of the Bishop has a relationship with Gilbert and Associates, and we have reached out to them.  They are willing to work with all of our churches.  They believe that they can complete a 990-T and the Form 8941 for any individual church for a total fee of  $500 or less, subject to an initial consultation to determine credit eligibility and suitability of fee.  

We strongly recommend against filing your 990-T without the aid of a tax professional. 

Deadline:
The deadline for filing the 2012 Small Employer Health Care Tax Credit is May 15, 2013. 

The credit has been available since 2010. If you did not file a 990-T for 2010 and 2011, you may be eligible for partial credits. Please contact a tax professional to help with this.

The Future of the Small Business Tax Credit:

-The Small Business Tax Credit is intended to be in effect from 2010 through 2013.
-Beginning with 2011, you had to offer an equal percentage of coverage to all employees in order to qualify for the coverage.  Luckily, with the implementation of Parity in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, we will qualify.

-Beginning in 2014, the tax credit will only be available to employers who purchase their coverage through the health insurance exchanges.  The Episcopal Church Medical Trust is looking into the possibility of participating in the exchanges in the future. 

 Resources:

- Gilbert and Associates:
           - website: www.gilbertcpa.com  Phone: 916/646.6464
             John Bircher john@gilbertcpa.com

More resources coming soon!

Sources of information include the Episcopal Church Medical Trust and The Internal Revenue Service. 

It has come to the Admin & Finance Department's attention that there is a formula calculation error in the 2012 and 2013 TMR (Treasurer's Monthly Report) Form Reconciliation worksheet tab.
After you complete your existing TMR 2012 Form, please email Stephanie Moulton (Stephanie@norcalepiscopal.org)the fully completed entire TMR Excel workbook in Excel file format and not a PDF. The formula in the Reconciliation worksheet tab will then be updated and the corrected form emailed back to you for your records.

Additionally, the formula error in the Reconciliation worksheet tab of the 2013 TMR Form has been corrected and the form has been replaced on the website. If you previously downloaded the 2013 TMR , please disregard it and download the most current version from the diocesan website. The 2013 TMR Form is scheduled to be updated with a new instruction sheet before the end of January, therefore, the instruction sheet is not yet included in this form.

If you have any questions, please contact Stephanie Moulton in Accounting.

Changes to Employee Salary

*There are two steps to complete a salary change for any employee

Clergy:

Step 1: Update Salary with Office of the Bishop:

               - Please complete the Changes in Employee Information form located on the Human Resources page
                 of the diocesan website.

               - The congregation’s administrator should complete this form and sign it. In addition, the clergy
                 person should review the completed form. Note: the Insurance section of the form (the
                 middle section with small boxes) DOES NOT need to be completed if no change to
                 insurance is being made.

               - The completed form should be sent to:

               - If you have any questions, please call Nicole Baxley at the Office of the Bishop at 916.442.6918.

Step 2: Update Salary with the Clergy Pension System:

               - Please complete the Report of Change in A Cleric's Compensation located on the Human
                 Resources page of the diocesan website.

                - The congregation's administrator should complete this form in its entirety and sign it. In addition,
                  the clergy person should review the completed form and sign it. The completed form should be sent
                  to:
                                                                      The Church Pension Fund
                                                                         Attn: Pension Services
                                                                              445 Fifth Avenue
                                                                          New York, NY 10016

                - If you have any questions, please call the Church Pension Fund at 866.802.6333.

                - Please complete the Changes in Employee Information form located on the Human Resources page
                  of the diocesan website.

                - The congregation's administrator should complete this form and sign it. In addition, the Lay person
                  should review the completed form. Note: the Insurance section of the form (the middle
                  section with small boxes) DOES NOT need to be completed if no change to insurance
                  is being made.

                - The completed form should be sent to:

The Office of the Bishop
Attn: Nicole Baxley
Suite 280
350 University Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95825
Or fax: 916.442.6927

                - If you have any questions, please call Nicole Baxley at the Office of the Bishop at 916.442.6918.

Step 2: Update Salary with the Lay Employee Pension System:

               - If your congregation is enrolled in a Defined Benefit Pension Plan:
                             o Complete Section 3 of your invoice with the updated salary.

               - If your congregation is enrolled in a Defined Contribution Pension Plan:
                             o Submit the changes on a Transmittal Form you obtain from Fidelity.

               - If you have any questions, please call the Church Pension Fund at 866.802.6333 or contact Fidelity
                 at 800.343.3548.

Click here to view the 2011 Episcopal Church Compensation Report.

These posters can be purchased from HR to GO (a Human Resources consulting firm that the diocese and the Office of the Bishop have worked with in the past) in English and Spanish for a small amount by calling 1-877-747-8646.  If you outsource your payroll processing, your payroll company can probably provide you with a single complete poster also.  Make sure you ask for the 2013 version of this poster, as several laws and regulations have changed.

You do not have to pay for your employment posters, however; you can download each required poster for free from the state and federal labor department webpages: California Department of Industrial Relations, and United States Department of Labor.  For the federal posters, we recommend that you start with the Poster Advisor.  The Poster Advisor will ask a series of questions, and then generate a list of the posters you should have up.  For the California posters, there is a chart detailing which employers must post what - click here to view this chart.

Regardless of how you choose to obtain your new posters, you must post a current poster on your wall where all employees have easy access to it.  This poster must list your pay-dates for the entire year, and your holiday schedule.  You must also list emergency numbers. 

We recommend that you post the Workplace Values in the Episcopal Church poster with your employment posters.  Another great resource which we recommend you place in this location is this new poster developed by the Episcopal Church Medical Trust: "100 Reasons to Call the EAP."   

 
Resources:
-Workplace Values Poster (in English)  (in Spanish)
- Poster Advisor (Federal Posters)
- Federal Posters
- United States Department of Labor
- California required poster chart for employers
- California Department of Industrial Relations
- HR to GO
- 100 Reasons to Call the EAP Poster

All full time, active clergy persons UNDER the age of 65, whose church institutions correctly filed new hire paperwork with the Office of the Bishop within 30 days of the date of hire, receive $100,000 in group term life insurance from the Church Pension Fund and an additional $20,000 in group term life insurance from their respective church institution.

All full time, active clergy OVER the age of 65, whose church institutions correctly filed new hire paperwork with the Office of the Bishop within 30 days of the date of hire, receive a different amount of group term life insurance, as calculated by the Church Pension Fund.

The IRS limits the amount of employer-provided group term life insurance as a tax-free benefit to $50,000, and any amounts over that $50,000 become imputed income. As imputed income, the excess amount of group term life insurance becomes a taxable value to the individual clergy person. The exact amount of imputed income is calculated by the Church Pension Fund based on a number of factors including age and the number of months the insurance was provided. This information is then sent from the Church Pension Fund to the Office of the Bishop.

Additionally, if a church institution has an employee with a child over the age of 27 on their insurance, the  Office of the Bishop calculates the amount of imputed income pertinent to the respective employee.

Once the Office of the Bishop has this information, we send a letter with the respective amount of imputed income for each person to:

- the individual person,
- the church institution where they are employed,
- the Treasurer of the church institution,
- and (if applicable) the Bookkeeper and/or Administrator of the church institution.

Therefore, a church institution should not file W-2 Forms until it receives this letter from the Office of the Bishop.

Each church institution should contact their respective payroll company in early December to let the payroll company know that the church institution must wait to receive this important piece of information before filing W-2s.

The Office of the Bishop mailed these letters Friday, December 21, 2012 to provide each church institution with sufficient time to complete the necessary steps before filling their clergy W-2s. If you did not receive your letter, please contact Nicole Baxley via email at nicole@norcalepiscopal.org.

Please remember that the Office of the Bishop will be closed beginning at noon December 24, 2012 and will re-open on January 2, 2013.

As we approach the end of the year, it is once again time for the vestry or mission committee of each church institution to determine a housing allowance for each priest. If any changes are to be made they must be enacted by December 31, 2012 and be made effective for the coming year, as housing allowances are not effective retroactively.

Listed below are some resources to assist your church institution in this process:

Church Pension Group - Tax Resources Webpage (a webpage full of helpful information including a video regarding year-end housing allowances)

Church Pension Group - Clergy Tax Guide: Housing Allowance (housing allowance information and samples)
*The 2013 Clergy Tax Guide will be available in mid-February of 2013

Diocese of Northern California - Church Accounting Webpage

Diocese of Northern California - Human Resources Page

Diocese of Northern California – Housing Allowance Calculation
*This form will be updated in mid-February of 2013 once the 2013 Clergy Tax Guide is released

Diocese of Northern California - Housing Allowance Form (With House)

Diocese of Northern California - Housing Allowance Form (No House)

If you have any further questions, please contact the Office of the Bishop at 916.442.6918.

This may seem like a strange question, but have you ever thought about how your lay employees are treated? Does your church comply with state and federal labor law, with national canons, and diocesan policy? Are there written employment policies? Are employees evaluated at least annually based on a written job description? Do they receive fair wages and benefits? Are they paid for all the hours they work and do they get the appropriate rest breaks and a lunch period?

The Lay Pension Plan –
Resolution A138 and the related canon passed by the 76th General Convention established a Church-wide Lay Employee Pension System to be administered by the Church Pension Fund (CPF). The resolution states that employers who are subject to the authority of the Church and who have eligible lay employees (employees scheduled for at least 1,000 hours of compensated work annually) must provide those lay employees with a pension. Doing so will be a matter of canon law January 1, 2013. 

Resolution C042 of the 77th General Convention establishes a special set of rules specifically for school which allows schools to raise the levels of contribution to employee pensions over a 6 year period depending on their current level of contribution. 

The first question –
Do you have eligible lay employees? – will help determine whether the resolution applies to you at this time. If you have lay employees working 20 or more hours a week (which is about what 1,000 hours works out to), then the answer is yes, you have eligible lay employees. If you do not have lay employees working 20 or more hours a week, then the answer is no, the resolution does not apply to your church or institution at this time.

To learn more about the resolution and the lay employee pension plans offered by Church Pension Fund (CPF), visit the Lay Pensions Resource Center. You can sign up for webinars hosted by CPF, or take an interactive tutorial. You can compare lay pension plans, and review the employer guides to the two different types of pension plans offered by CPF. You can also use a simple pension contribution calculator to determine the possible cost of implementing the resolution for your congregation or school – in total, per pledging unit, or per student in the case of a school – so you can share that information with your vestry or board.

As Episcopalians we have a responsibility, which we accept by virtue of our baptismal vows, to behave morally and ethically in all of our affairs. Governmental laws and church policies provide substance and form to guide us in carrying out this responsibility but we all know what is right and what is wrong. It shouldn’t require pages of regulations and policies to inform right relationship with our employees.

Resources:

- The Lay Pension Resource Center
- How To Enroll Employees
- Pension Contribution Calculator
- "Workplace Values in the Episcopal Church"

Sources: The Church Pension Fund

Once you have a plan in place, enrolling new employees is easy, you simply send in the employee application for new employees to the Church Pension Group. (Instructions for this full process are below.)

A resolution at the 76th General Convention requires that all lay employees working 1000 hours per year or more be enrolled in the Lay Employee Pension System, so all lay employees working at this level will need to be enrolled by January 1, 2013*. (see the text below)

Resolution A138 established the Lay Pension Plan which requires that all diocesan institutions participate in the Episcopal Church Pension Group as of January 1, 2013. At that time, you will need to enroll all employees working 1000 hours a year in the Lay Pension Plan of the Episcopal Church using the rules below.

You have a choice of two plans:

• Defined Contribution Plan - Employer contributes at least 5% of the employee’s compensation and matches employee contributions up to another 4% of compensation. Employer may contribute more, provided the total contribution equals at least 9%. Download the DC Plan Adoption Agreement.
• Defined Benefit Plan - Employer contributes at least 9% of the employee’s compensation. Contact CPG for a church specific plan adoption agreement.1

If you have any questions, you can call their Client Engagement team at 800.936.7349 Monday – Friday 5:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Church Pension Group provides this video tutorial for enrolling employees (9 minutes long), or this step by step guide from the Church Pension Fund website:

Here's How To Enroll Employees:

1. Choose a plan.

2. Complete an Adoption Agreement:

-For the Defined Contribution Plan: Download Adoption Agreement.
-For the Defined Benefit Plan: Please contact CPG  for the Adoption Agreement  (866.802.6333).

3. Send CPG the completed agreement

-Fax the signed form to (212) 592-4234 or,
-Scan and email it to CPG.

4. Receive confirmation of your agreement from the Church Pension Group.

5. Download and complete enrollment forms for each eligible employee:

-Defined Contribution Plan Employee Application
-Defined Benefit Plan Employee Application

-Note: Do not send contributions in until you receive a confirmation letter detailing your employee's enrollment.2

*Schools have a slower implementation rate than churches and other diocesan institutions and should contact the Church Pension Group or the Office of the Bishop for more information.  

Resources:

- The Lay Pension Resource Center
- Are You Practicing Fair Employment?
- Pension Contribution Calculator
- “Workplace Values in the Episcopal Church”
- CPG Pension Line 866.802.6333

Information in this article came from the Church Pension Group Website and their Lay Pension Resource Center.

1 "Understand What's Required"
2 "How to Enroll Employees"

by Church Life Insurance Corporation

Group Life Insurance and Disability Premium Rates

Effective January 1, 2013

Group Life and AD&D Premium rates, effective January 1, 2013

Church Life Insurance Corporation (“Church Life”) is pleased to announce that there will be no change to the group life insurance and AD&D premium rates for 2013 unless we have renegotiated your group life contract.

The supplemental group life insurance premium rates will also stay the same.

Disability Premium rates, effective January 1, 2013

Short-term Disability for Lay Employees
There will be no change to the short-term disability plan premium for lay employees.

Employer-provided Long-Term Disability Plan

There will be no change to the Employer-provided Long Term Disability benefit premium for 2013. Premium rates will continue to be $.67 per $100 of monthly covered payroll.

- The maximum salary cap for the 50% clergy coverage is $120,000 of covered payroll ($60,000 is 50% of $120,000, which is the maximum disability benefit of $5,000/mo)

- The maximum salary cap for the 66 2/3% lay plan is $90,000 of covered payroll rounded up to nearest $1,000 ($60,000 is 66 2l3% of $90,000 which is the maximum disability benefit of $5,000/mo)

Voluntary Long-Term Disability Plan

There will be no change to the Voluntary Long Term Disability plan premium for 2013. The monthly premium rates are noted below.

Life insurance is issued by Church Life Insurance Corporation, 445 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016. Products and features may not be available in all states. For complete details of coverage, please consult the actual insurance contract.

Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance is underwritten by First Unum Life Insurance Company, New York, NY as Policy Numbers 461621, 560475 and 465268. All benefits are approved and paid through First Unum.

Policy Form Series
CLIC/PF96A
CLIC/GIC96A
CLIC/DISRIDER

One way to reduce future costs of health care is by utilizing the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This program comes with our medical insurance through the Episcopal Church Medical Trust, and for the first time this year, is available to those who opt out of medical insurance for the low cost of $5 a month.

Behavioral Health Benefit:
One significant way that the EAP can help lower the future cost of health insurance in the Diocese is if employees take advantage of the behavioral health benefit.  The EAP will provide 10 completely free (no copay) counseling sessions for each issue you would like to discuss. CIGNA provides both EAP and behavioral health benefits, and will refer you only to in-network doctors and counselors. This can result in a savings if you need more than 10 sessions for a particular issue.  If, for any reason, you are not satisfied with your counselor relationship, CIGNA will provide a different referral. 

This behavioral health benefit is tied to diocesan medical insurance. If you do not have medical insurance through the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, the EAP will still allow you access to counseling.

Professional Services:

- Legal consultations
- Financial services and referrals
- Tips for balancing work and family
- Resources for more help in your community

Online Resources:
EAP provides online resources with access to services for healthy living, adoption, child care, parenting, senior care, pet care, travel, finances, legal issues, relocation information, teambuilding, career transition, savings center and find interactive tools.  www.cignabehavioralhealth.com

Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the EAP has trained providers available over the phone, as well as the ability to direct you to someone local. Anyone living in the household of a diocesan employee can call in for services. 

For more information click here.

To access EAP services, call (866) 395-7794, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or sign in to Cigna Behavioral Health www.cignabehavioralhealth.com (password: episcopal). 

The Episcopal Church Medical Trust developed this poster "100 Reasons to Call the EAP."  

Active Employee and Early Retiree Open Enrollment

From October 31 – November 21, 2012 all eligible diocesan employees will have an opportunity to enroll in health and dental insurance or change their enrollment options for 2013. Eligible employees who are currently enrolled in health and/or dental insurance should have received a packet in the mail from the Episcopal Church Medical Trust.

Each church should have received an open enrollment packet from the Office of the Bishop. Each employee should obtain their Open Enrollment packet from his/her employer. Employees who received a packet from the Episcopal Church Medical Trust (ECMT) will receive a three-page supplemental packet from the church, while those who did not receive the ECMT packet in the mail should obtain the full Open Enrollment packet and complete paper enrollment. The paper enrollment form is due to the Office of the Bishop no later than 4pm on November 21st. All eligible employees should be given the opportunity to change their enrollment status for 2013.

Eligibility for benefits is outlined by the Church Pension Group (CPG) – Medical Trust as follows:

· All exempt (salaried) employees are eligible for group health and dental insurance regardless of the number of hours worked;

· All hourly employees working 20 hours or more per week are eligible for group health and dental insurance;

· All lay employees working 20 hours or more per week will receive group short-term disability. Clergy already receive this benefit through the Church Pension Group;

· All lay employees* working 20 hours or more per week will receive group life insurance of $50,000;
*Lay employees over the age of 65 will received a lower amount of life insurance as determined by the Church Pension Group.

· All clergy working 20 hours or more per week will receive group life insurance of $20,000. Clergy already receive $100,000 through CPG;

· All lay employees working 20 hours or more per week will receive group long-term disability; this is an employer paid benefit. Please note that clergy already receive long-term disability benefits through CPG.

· All lay employees working 1,000 or more hours per year receive at least 4% pension contributions; depending upon the employer chosen plan. For more information, please see the article on the diocesan website.

For more information, please visit the Open Enrollment page of the diocesan website.

by Margaret Dunning of the Diocesan Council

In California the occurrence of a disaster is not a question of if, but of when. Is your church prepared? There are three ministries that you need to consider when planning your disaster response:

·Provide training and resources to church members and their families
·Provide continuity and recovery for church operations
·Provide resources and services to the local community

The Diocesan Emergency Response Team can help provide the training and resources to enable your congregation to develop a comprehensive disaster response plan to address these three areas. We are currently compiling a database of resources, talents, personnel, and assets throughout the diocese. We are also working with Episcopal Relief and Development and many other dioceses and congregations throughout the Episcopal Church to develop preparedness plans which may be tailored to your unique location and congregation. Following a disaster, we will act as liaison between your emergency planning committee, the Office of the Bishop, and Episcopal Relief and Development to insure that you have the support and resources that you need. We are developing a diocesan wide emergency communication system to alert everyone to what is happening and what is needed, to identify needs, and to match resources to those needs.

After the disaster is not the time to get organized! We need to have the plans and training in place before the disaster occurs! We would like each Dean to appoint a representative to the Emergency Response Team and each church to form an emergency planning committee. The deanery representative will be responsible for communicating with the dean and the churches. The emergency planning committees will be responsible for developing the emergency response plan for their church with the assistance of the Diocesan Emergency Response Team. Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Thank you for your attention to this extremely important program.
Margaret Dunning
Diocesan Disaster Coordinator
Margaret@dunning.com

Does this mean I need new cards?

For those on diocesan insurance plans, do not be alarmed.  You will not need new prescription drug benefit cards.  Your existing Medco cards will continue to work exactly as they have worked in the past.  You will be able to order your refills of prescriptions at www.medco.com just as you have in the past, and your doctor can order new prescriptions via fax or phone to the same numbers that he/she used in the past.

So what changes?

From a user perspective, the big change will be in the name.  When you log in to www.medco.com, you will start to notice that both "Medco" and "Express Scripts" may appear on the page.  Your medications may appear in an envelope from Medco/Express Scripts, or even, eventually, in an envelope from Express Scripts. 

Are you looking for a better way to get things done in your church office?  Here are some tools that may help:

Scheduling:

Ministry Scheduler Pro - This program features a cloud database into which you can enter information on all of your volunteers (what ministries they volunteer for, which services they prefer to serve at, how regularly they like to serve, if they wish to serve with their family members, ...).  It will allow you to create 3 months worth of schedules, and it will create automatic e-mail reminders which it will send out for you.  It will also allow your volunteers to contact possible subs if they become unavailable to serve for a shift (the e-mail would go only to those volunteers who are available).  This program starts at $225 plus $10 per month after the first six months for updates and support.  For more about this program, click here. 

ChurchScheduler - This program has many of the features of Ministry Scheduler Pro, it allows you to schedule families to serve together, it saves preferences on how often people serve, and which services they serve at.  What it does not do is generate e-mails or allow for substitutions within the program.  On the other hand, this program is $29.  For more information about this program, click here.

Sign up Genius - This program is webbased.  It allows you to enter all of your volunteer information, and create spaces for each volunteer needed.  You can then assign people, or leave empty spaces and allow them to volunteer themselves.  This program will send automated emails.  It will also export to Microsoft Excel.   Another exciting feature of this program is that it will allow for text or calendar reminders for volunteers who have phones that are compatible with this feature (and choose to set it up).  It is even set up to work with social media, which would allow your Eucharistic Minister to share that he/she is serving next week on his/her Facebook page with one simple click.  Best of all, this program is free.  For more information about Sign up Genius for churches, click here. 

Bulletins:

The Episcopal Church Bulletin Inserts - The Episcopal Church Office of Communications offers seasonal weekly bulletin inserts with in formation about the history, music, liturgy, mission, and ministry of the Episcopal Church. The bulletin inserts come in both full and half sizes to allow a greater number of churches to incorporate them into their worship.  Click here to view available inserts. 

Inserts from the Office of the Bishop - Periodically the communications team puts together bulletin inserts about events or ministries in our diocese.  You can find them either in the "Press Room" of the event, or on the Church Accounting page of our website under Administrative Resources.  Click here for more information. 

Communications Tools:

Church Marketing Tools - On May 9, the [Sewanee] School of Theology's contextual education program and the office of communications and marketing co-hosted a workshop with the Rev. Jake Dell, senior manager of digital marketing and advertising in the Episcopal Church's Office of Communication. The workshop covered the most effective ways to communicate with your targeted audience.  You may download handouts from the workshop, click here for a list of resources.

Norcalepiscopal/communications - As a direct result of our Strategic Communications Plan, diocesan communications is working to provide a number of resources to help you build, maintain & strengthen your congregation's communications. Listed at www.norcalepiscopal.org/communications, you will find information & resources to cover a wide range of topics to help build and support your communications.

Norcal Episcopal Communicators (Facebook) - A way to connect with those in our diocese responsible for communication at the congregation level, to share new and exciting ways to rev up those communications, and to support each other along the way!  Click here for more information, and to join in our latest Facebook discussion!

Periodically, the communications team will create a bulletin insert for an event or ministry of our diocese.  You can usually find these bulletin inserts in the "Press Room"  of any given event, but if the insert is for a ministry or appeal, it may be harder for you to find it when it is time to put together your bulletin.  

There is a new section on the Church Accounting page of our website.  This new section is called Administrative Resources, and it is designed specifically for those who work on the administrative tasks of our congregations.  This section will likely grow.  At the moment, there are four bulletin inserts which may interest you: one is for the Women's Ministry Annual Appeal, one is for the Haiti Appeal, one is for the 80 Cent Solution for World Mission, and the last is for Camp Noel Porter. 

There are many choices when it comes to third party payroll administrators. The diocese has worked with a number of them over the years. In 2008, the diocese started working with Episcopal Payroll Services (EPS), a service of the Church Pension Group. EPS provides customer service for payroll issues that relate specifically to churches and clergy. In 2011, they contracted with ADP, a leader in payroll processing, to provide third party payroll processing.

ADP and EPS work together to provide churches with convenient payroll solutions. Since EPS started working with ADP, the diocese is very satisfied with their services. Payroll processing is now more convenient, user-friendly, and cost-effective. Here’s how it works:

Convenience

Episcopal Payroll Services facilitates and assists in the set-up of a new client with ADP. EPS ensures that the proper paperwork is complete, the correct fees are applied, and provides customer service throughout. ADP has an Implementation Team for set-up of a new client. Once set-up, the client is introduced to the Client Service Team from the Implementation Team and provided with contact information for ADP's Client Services Team email and phone numbers.

ADP’s Service Center is responsible for ensuring client satisfaction. Clients have on-going support and assistance regarding ADP payroll products and services, including EPS' on-going support on clergy payroll and tax issues, vendor management, quality assurance, and customer service and resolution.
EPS is located on the east coast and maintains eastern hours of operations and ADP is nation-wide. Services will be provided by a representative in your area.

User-Friendly

Once set up, ADP offers two options for payroll processing: telephone and web based processing.

Telephone Payroll is easy to implement, use and understand. Once the set-up is complete, ADP will call and you will report the number of hours each employee worked and they will process everything from there.

Web-based Payroll is called PayExpert. It is a simple, easy-to-use system that reduces potential errors and allows for direct report access.

Under either option, ADP will calculate payroll, including the deductions and withholdings for all relevant taxes, as well as payments to other third parties. Then, you will receive reports for each pay period.

Cost

The relationship with ADP through EPS costs less than other third party options. Also, the cost through EPS is far less than working with ADP directly.

EPS Payroll Processing Rate Structure:

Payroll Processing fees: Base fee - $8.50 plus $1.50 per employee per payroll

Service features included in the fees are: direct deposit, paper checks with signatures, full level tax filing (federal, state and local where applicable), new hire reporting, employer online access to payroll reports, and employee online access to paystubs (check vouchers).

(Ex. $8.50 + $1.50 x 3 Employees per pay period = $13.00 -- Annual cost to run payroll semi-monthly: $312.00)

To learn more about payroll services with EPS and ADP, visit www.cpg.org/eps or call 800.223.6602 ext. 6286 or email eps@cpg.org.

It is with mixed emotions that I tell you this will be my last letter to you as your Canon for Administration and Finance. In two weeks I will leave for Auburn, Alabama to become the next executive director of the Lee County Humane Society. As many of you know, the cause of animal welfare is one of my passions. I feel very blessed and very excited for this opportunity to make a difference in the lives of these animals.

I want you to know that I am very proud of what we have accomplished in the area of administration and finance over the past five years. Never have I experienced such a dedicated and hardworking group of folks, both staff and volunteers. We put our heads together, rolled up our sleeves, and transformed the way this organization does business. I have been awed by your insight and tremendous skills and experience.  The lessons you have taught me about teamwork and collaboration will be with me forever.

A search committee has been formed to determine what comes next. The diocese is in a different place than it was five years ago, therefore the position of Chief Operating Officer may need to be configured somewhat differently. I can assure you that you are in good hands and the right person will be found.

I intend to stay in touch and keep you apprised of the progress we are making at the Lee County Humane Society. I am thrilled that I will be working with a group of folks that is every bit as dedicated and hardworking as you. They are ready to do whatever it takes to become the most effective animal welfare organization in Alabama. This will be no easy feat as this is an organization of fifteen staff members taking in 6,000 animals each year. But I have seen transformation, and I am confident that we will do this in Lee County.  I ask for your prayers and support as we give it everything we’ve got.

If you would like to check us out, the website is www.leecountyhumane.org. If you love animals and would like to support our work, I hope you will consider making a donation while you’re there. Every little bit will make a difference in the lives of these animals.

The people of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California have been a very important part of my life and formation.  If you would like to stay in touch, please send me an email to bobbi@norcalepiscopal.org before my last day in the office which is May 15, 2012. I will add you to my personal contacts and check in with you from time to time.

God bless you for all you do!

Click here to see available bulletin inserts. 

Apportionment represents approximately 85% of the diocesan operating budget for 2012. Therefore, it is important that you are informed as to how your apportionment dollars are allocated and how they can work for your congregation.

A copy of the 2012 Diocesan Budget can be found here and I hope you will take time to review it with your vestry at your next regular meeting.

Did you know that the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California employs over 350 people? The Office of the Bishop (OOB) coordinates group benefits and wellness programs for these employees. We provide assistance to clergy in the management of their pensions and other benefits available to them through the Church Pension Group. Our staff support our congregations in complying with the California Labor Code and the fair employment guidelines promoted by The Episcopal Church. And we maintain a webpage devoted to supporting the human resource function in your church.

The OOB is a source of information and support in managing the numerous properties held by congregations throughout the Diocese. We can provide guidance related to utilization of buildings and the potential property tax and unrelated business income tax issues that can result.

The diocese maintains an Endowment and Memorial Trust Fund which is available to churches for investing and provides a source of low interest loans. This fund is administered by a Board of Trustees and the OOB staff.

Our Youth and Young Adult Ministries Coordinator, Monica Romano, is ready, able, and willing to visit with your congregation and assist you in developing vibrant youth and young adult programs and implement Safe Church practices. (See www.norcalepiscopal.org/yaya for resources, links and other information.) Our Director of Communications, Keri Lopez, is available to help you build, maintain & strengthen your congregation's communications. A comprehensive list of workshops, resources and services available can be found online at www.norcalepiscopal.org/communications.

Our Diocesan Chancellors have expertise in various areas of the law and can be called upon to help you avoid any number of legal issues or assist you with finding solutions to legal issues in progress.

I certainly hope you are aware of the many sources of grants available through the diocese:

The diocesan budget funds a number of committees with members providing assistance in the areas of Christian Formation, Total Ministry, Evangelism, Health Ministries, Commission on Gratitude, Church Response Team, Church Auditors, Intercultural Ministries, and Women’s Ministries.

And don’t forget the many conferences hosted by the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California. Among them are the Congregational Leadership Conference, Clergy Conference, Bishop’s Conference, and of course, Diocesan Convention.

The OOB staff and all the committees and commissions funded by the Diocesan Budget exist to support healthy congregations. Please talk about this with your vestry members and let us know how we can help.

Many factors can increase the risk of a slip, trip, or fall accident, including poor housekeeping, transition in floor surfaces, loose rugs, open drawers, inappropriate shoes, unsafe ladder use, spills, and inattentive walking. 

If you choose to hold a safety meeting on this subject, you can find training tools online such as this quick facts sheet from Washington DC, or this PowerPoint presentation from the state of Washington, or this guide from SAIF Corporation. 

Is your congregation smaller than it was 10 years ago, but your buildings are not? This problem is being faced by many churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, as well as all across the country. Smaller congregations are hard pressed to support buildings that are no longer fully utilized. Congregations are faced with reducing hours or even eliminating their priest in favor of supporting the buildings.

First, I want to tell you about the third annual Buildings for a New Tomorrow Conference, which will be held April 16 – 17, 2012 in Baltimore, MD. Several members of our diocese attended in 2011 and came back energized and with a new network of contacts in other churches and diocese who are trying to address the same issues. We are not alone!

The conference is presented by the Episcopal Church Building Fund (ECBF). If you think you may be interested in attending this conference, please go to the ECBF website at www.ecbf.org. If you would like to talk to me or one of the other attendees about our takeaways from this conference, please feel free to give me a call (916-442-6918 ext. 211).

If you would like to join a local discussion about this issue, we are holding a meeting at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Marysville on Friday, January 20, 2012 from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. Lunch will be provided but you must RSVP by sending me an email to bobbi@norcalepiscopal.org.

The Rev. Bill Geisler, CPA, will be the main presenter at this meeting. Fr. Geisler retired from the Diocese of California as the CFO. Today he is a consultant for Church Pension Group and presents workshops all over the country on topics related to clergy and church tax issues.

Fr. Geisler is an advocate of employing our church buildings in their best and highest use, consistent with the mission of the Church, as a path to sustainability. He will discuss the experience of his congregation which uses their buildings to provide a retreat center. This congregation, receives net income (after operating costs) of $100,000 a year from this activity. He will discuss the mechanics of writing a business plan and how to avoid, or cope with the tax implications of revenue generation.

In addition, Tony Burnett, an Associate of the real estate company CBRE, will be available to answer your real estate questions. CBRE provides leasing and property management services to their clients,  and have a whole department dedicated to religious institutions. Tony has helped churches find tenants such as charter schools, other churches, and private nonprofit organizations.

Tony will be working with Church Support Team members to consult with individual congregations who would like to explore their options related to their buildings. I believe the possibilities are endless and I personally find this to be an exciting time for those of us with a passion for their mission and an entrepreneurial spirit.

All are welcome to this meeting. If your congregation has experienced success in utilizing your buildings, we would love to hear how you did it. If you want an open forum to explore ideas, we want your input. If you can’t make it this time but want to see more of this, please let me know.

Many of our buildings are both historic and beautiful. They have provided worship space, social space, and classrooms for many years. It is my hope that we can find ways for these buildings to continue to support the spirit and the mission of our Church in our communities for many years to come.

Expense Reimbursement/Check Request Form

Should you have any questions regarding the year-end financial deadline, please contact bookkeeper, Caroline DePaola at caroline@norcalepiscopal.org or 916-442-6918 ext. 225.  Thank you.