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Vestry Minutes

St. Martin’s Episcopal Church

Vestry Minutes

Thursday, July 17, 2008

 

In attendance were vestry members:  Doug Finch, Lois Headden, Carolyn Ito, Dani Jaworski, Sarah Noble, Gary Osborn, Dorsey Smith, and Larry Williams.   Also attending were Shirley Smith Graham, rector; Sven vanBaars, assistant rector; and Edith Edwards, register.  Absent: Ginger Ambler, David Feldman, Andy McNeil, Ed Pease, Michael Terrien and Lloyd Woods, treasurer.

The meeting was called to order at 6:35 p.m. by Carolyn Ito, Senior Warden.

She welcomed our new assistant rector, Sven vanBaars.

 
Opening prayer was given by Dorsey Smith.

Rehearsal of the Norms was led by Gary Osborn.

Nurture:  Shirley Smith Graham used her visit to an exhibit of the “Quilts from Gee’s Bend.”  This exhibit seemed to be a metaphor of what we are doing at St. Martin’s; taking the bits and pieces of different lives of the people who come to St. Martin’s and making a beautiful experience.

 

The minutes for June were approved.

Rector’s Report: Shirley and Sven are working on a two clergy model.  She has more time to make pastoral visits.  She hopes she will also have more time to work with individuals in their spiritual journey.  Lloyd Woods and the finance committee have been looking at the restricted funds.  There will be a report on that next month.  There seems to be an affirmation of having three services during the summer. There are over 280 people attending each Sunday.

Assistant Rector’s Report:  Sven said he is engaging in a series of meetings with different groups.  Next week begins the “Meet and Greet” evenings where he will meet more parishioners. He hopes to be ordained in late Fall as a Priest.

Warden’s Report:  Carolyn has edited the strategic plan. She also reported that an evaluation cycle that coincides with the gathering of information for the annual meeting will be established. Carolyn also presented her findings on the duties of the Senior Warden.

Duties of the Senior Warden

The Senior Warden is the senior lay leader, oversees vestry work, and is a consultant and advisor to the Rector. 

* Shares privately with the Rector insights, concerns and issues which may face the Congregation.

* Interprets the Rector's role and expectations to the people. 

* Conducts Rector evaluation in conjunction with a committee.

* Writes articles concerning the work of the vestry and the state of the church for the Cloak.

* Attends Executive Committee meetings.

 * Presides at Vestry Meetings.

 * Arranges for a supply priest for services when the Rector is away (unless the Rector has made the arrangements).

* Makes certain that a Parish register of all Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, and Burials, as well as a listing of Communicants, is maintained and inspected quarterly.

* Ensures that a record of all services held in the Parish showing the date, time, place, and kind of service held, the number of persons present and, if the service be that of Holy Communion, the number making their Communion is maintained.

* Ensures that the Parochial Report is submitted in a timely manner. 

* Signs contracts.

* Performs such other duties as may be requested by the Rector.

 

Gary Osborn will go over the duties of the Junior Warden later in the meeting

         

Treasurer’s Report:  Lloyd Woods reported in writing that total revenues to date are $334,163.  Total expenses are $272,247.  June revenues exceeded expenses by 6,885.02.

 
Memorial Gifts Committee:  Shirley met with Catherine Palmer about the history of the committee.  The treasurer plans to fold this line item into Capital Expenses and Maintenance.

 
New Business:  The vestry discussed the duties and obligations of a vestry person in order to come up with a description that can be used in recruiting new vestry candidates.  Carolyn will put together a draft for the vestry to look at in August. 

Carolyn also asked us to review the duties of the Senior Warden.  She will have a final version of that for August.

Old Business:  The Strategic Plan for 2008-2013 was reviewed.  Dani Jaworski moved that the plan be adopted.  The next question was how to share this with the parish.  After some discussion a sub-team was appointed to determine the ways to present the plan to the congregation.  Carolyn Ito, Sarah Noble and Larry Williams will serve on that team.

 
The Nominating Committee Procedures were presented by Shirley:

 

Nominating Committee Procedures

St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, Williamsburg, Virginia

(Revised 7/16/08)

 

                Although ministry has coordination and strategic planning at the level of the rector and vestry, the power and production of ministry happens at the ministry group level, e.g., Lay Readers/Lay Eucharistic Ministers, Building and Grounds Committee, Finance Committee, Stewardship Committee, Outreach Commission, Altar Guild, Flower Guild, etc.  For the ministries of St. Martin’s to be vibrant now and in the future, each of these ministry groups must have competent leadership and succession planning.

            As a result, a new Nominating Committee model is being developed.  The Nominating Committee will be comprised of no less than 3 and no more than 5 persons in the parish who will be charged each year with generating names of persons for parish leadership positions (vestry, committee leadership, commission leadership, delegates to diocesan Annual Council), vetting those names with the pledge treasurer and the office administrator (for membership), and reporting progress to the vestry and rector.

            Each ministry group should have a chair, who serves a two year term and a vice-chair who, also, serves a two year term. It is ideal if a person serves as vice-chair the first year and then assumes the chair position the following year, mentoring the new vice-chair.          

Because of their membership on the Nominating Committee, members of the Nominating Committee will resign from the Nominating Committee if they are elected to the vestry.

 
Leadership positions to be elected by the congregation each year are four vestry members. 

 
Leadership positions to be elected by the vestry each year are wardens, treasurer (3 year term), register, delegates to Annual Council, Chair of the Stewardship Committee, Chair of the Finance Committee, Chair of the Nominating Committee.  These elections happen at various points throughout the year.

 
The rector, in consultation with the wardens, ensures that the following leadership positions are filled at all times, unless there is an exception for appropriate reasons:

A review of the ministry groups of St. Martin’s will be conducted annually in the first quarter of each year to ensure each ministry group has a chair and vice-chair.

 
At the time of this writing, formation ministries (adult and children) are directed by Ann Meyer as professional staff.  A future development may be to introduce lay leadership under Ann’s guidance and with her support.

 
Vestry

Possible candidates for nomination to vestry should be considered in September so as to leave time for vetting for canonical requirements (membership, confirmation, stewardship) and nominating committee requirements (may not be the spouse, adult child or parent of a sitting vestry member).  Vetted candidates should be invited no later than October to let their names be offered to the vestry.  At the October vestry meeting, the Nominating Committee presents a report of candidates to be voted on at the December Annual Meeting.  At the same time, the Nominating Committee will deliver to the Office Administrator an article that includes a photo and brief bio of each proposed candidate.  After the October vestry vote, the Nominating Committee is discharged of their vestry nominating responsibilities for the rest of the year or asked to do follow-on work.

Delegates to Annual Council

The diocese requires the vestry to submit the names of vestry-elected delegates in June of each year.  The model is for delegates to serve 2 years.  The Nominating Committee delivers to vestry for the May vestry meeting the vetted candidates to be delegates.  The vestry elects to accept the slate at the May meeting or schedules a special vestry meeting if further work by the Nominating Committee is needed.

 

Doug Finch moved that the Nominating Committee Procedures be approved.  The motion was seconded and carried.

 

Shirley asked the vestry to suggest names of parishioners who would be good to be on the committee.  She and the executive committee will appoint a committee from those names.   

 

Lois Headden moved that The Proposed Mission Statement for the Stewardship Committee which was presented at the June vestry meeting be adopted.  The motion was seconded and carried.

Gary Osborn will bring to the next meeting a proposal for people to be on the Needs Assessment Committee.  Gary also presented his thoughts of what the Junior Warden’s duties are:

1. Responsible for the upkeep of the Church property and growth and/or improvements to same.

2. Maintains an up -to-date inventory of the Parish property.

3. Assists the Senior Warden

4. In the absence of the Senior Warden, is responsible for presiding at Vestry meetings.

5. Is a member of the Executive Committee, the Bell Tower Gardens Committee and the Building and Grounds Committee.

In discussing the duties of the Junior Warden one item was added: Rallies the church membership to be involved in clean-up and maintenance days.

Sven vanBaars was asked his opinion on how the vestry meeting went.  He thought we followed the norms and covered our agenda well and did not get too side-tracked. 

            Closing prayer was led by Larry Williams.

The meeting adjourned at 9:05 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Edith Edwards, Register





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