Minutes of Vestry Meeting - March 17, 2014

Formation

Evening Prayer and Thanksgiving & Prayer Requests
The vestry assembled in the church for evening prayer at 7:00 PM followed by offered prayers of thanksgiving and intercession.

Attendance
Present at the meeting were the rector, Kristin Orr; the senior warden, Bill Bestow; the junior warden, Diane Walsh-Madden; vestry members Nichole Dailor, Gale Michael, Mark Moxley, Patti Pohrte, Ted Stone, Jim Whitfield, and Hans Zigmund; the treasurer, Debbi Huggett; and the clerk, Susan Marquis.
Vestry members Bob DeOliveira and Steve Hofer were absent.

Parish Stewardship

Approval of Minutes
A snowstorm forced the cancellation of the scheduled vestry meeting in February. As a result, there were no February minutes, and the minutes from the December 2013 regular vestry meeting and the January 2014 budget meeting had not been approved.
Gale Michael moved that the December 2013 minutes be approved, and Jim Whitfield seconded the motion. The motion passed on a vote.
Bill Bestow moved that the January 2014 budget meeting minutes be approved, and Mark Moxley seconded. This motion also passed.

Treasurer’s Report
Debbi Huggett reported that the 3% staff salary increase, which the vestry approved at the January budget meeting, has been enacted.
The budget has a program line for the Christian Education Director’s salary that will be used for family and youth ministry expenses during the time that the salaried position remains vacant. Responding to a question, the rector said that she always watches the budget and will continue to do so to ensure that sufficient funds will be available to hire a Christian Education Director should a promising candidate appear during the year.
Debbi announced that she will participate in 58 hours of class time that the diocese is offering to train church treasurers.
Gale Michael moved to accept the treasurer’s report, and Hans Zigmund seconded. The motion carried.

Acceptance of Rector’s Discretionary Account Report for the Fourth Quarter of 2013
Copies of the Rector’s Discretionary Account Report for the fourth quarter of 2013 were included in materials distributed to the vestry prior to the meeting. Bill Bestow made a motion stating that the vestry has seen and accepted the report. Jim Whitfield seconded the motion, and it passed.

Acceptance of 2013 Parochial Report
The rector noted that the vestry unanimously accepted the 2013 Parochial Report via an e-mail vote in February following the cancellation of the regular February vestry meeting.

Information

Rector’s Report 
--As has been the custom, the rector gave new vestry members computer disks with information on church policies on such things as alcohol, gambling, marriages, endowments, etc.; and the entire vestry briefly reviewed several pages from a document on governing boards published by the Alban Institute. The rector reminded vestry members to think of themselves as exemplary parishioners who lead by example.
--The last vestry talked about outreach and committed themselves to doing something, either something new or continuing an ongoing outreach project; and last year’s pledge campaign focused on outreach opportunities. Pastor Orr is in the process of organizing a series of adult forums to take place during the Sunday education hour on four Sundays after Easter. Speakers are being invited to speak about PADS, the Night Ministry, Respond Now, and the community garden.
--The diocese has requested participation from each parish in support of the capital campaign to fund Places of Grace and Gladness at the diocesan center. Last year the vestry agreed to a one-time fundraiser in honor of confirmands. The amount raised will be matched by funds from the budget not to exceed $5,000.
--Pastor Orr will offer an adult Lenten class, Enriching Our Worship, on Wednesday evenings during Lent.

Wardens’ Reports and/or Reports from Parish Organizations
There were no reports.

Upcoming Parish Events
The annual Fish Fry is scheduled for Friday, April 4th.

Discussion and Decisions 

Update on Accessibility
Dan Pohrte has not had time to do much architectural work on the church project lately. Pastor Orr hopes to bring in more concrete ideas next month on timing and costs.

Review of Building Issues
Several building issues have been identified and will need to be addressed at some point. They are:
--The education wing radiators that were installed in 2003 need valve replacements at a cost of approximately $2,400.
--Tuck-pointing and repair of the chimney in the education wing needs to be done.
--The floor tiles in the atrium rest room and the sacristies need attention. They are loose and warp in the winter.
--New lighting is needed in the sanctuary. Some of the specialty bulbs are no longer available, and the lighting is hot.
--The phone system needs updating.
--The ceiling in the foyer by the outdoor altar needs to be re-painted following water damage.
--The faucets and traps in the education wing boys’ and girls’ bathrooms need to be replaced.
The rector also noted that the air conditioning condensers in both the church and rectory are 18 years old and may need to be replaced.

Approval of Signers for Church Accounts
Typically, the wardens and the rector are listed as signers on church financial accounts. The signers are updated yearly at the bank as the wardens change. This year, the junior warden, Diane Walsh-Madden is a counter of Sunday plate collections. She and the rector have agreed that it would be preferable to have another signer to keep the deposit and withdrawal functions separate. Diane moved that third-year vestry member Gale Michael be put on the signer list. Hans Zigmund seconded, and the motion was approved.

Schedule the Vestry Retreat
The annual vestry retreat at the church was scheduled for 9:00 AM until 12:30 PM on Saturday May 3rd.

Closing
After prayer, the meeting ended at 9:08 PM. The next meeting is scheduled for April 21st.

Respectfully submitted,
Susan Marquis
Clerk of the Vestry

Approved as amended:  April 21, 2014