Minutes of the Vestry Meeting - June 15, 2015

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 junior warden, Anne Edwards; vestry members Bob Burgwald, Rob Carrier, Nichole Dailor, Patti Pohrte, Ted Stone, Cynthia Turnquest, and Jim Whitfield; the treasurer, Debbi Huggett; and the clerk, Susan Marquis. Absent from the meeting were the senior warden, Diane Walsh-Madden; and vestry members Bob DeOliveira, and Hans Zigmund.

Parish Stewardship

Minutes from the May Meeting
Jim Whitfield moved to accept the minutes from the May vestry meeting. Cynthia Turnquest seconded, and the motion was approved.

Treasurer’s Report
Debbi Huggett reported that things are fine with the budget, with no unanticipated expenses, and with revenue coming in uneventfully. Anne Edwards moved to accept the treasurer’s report, and Patti Pohrte seconded. The motion was approved.

Information

Rector’s Report
• Pastor Orr reminded the vestry that she will be on vacation for four weeks, the time including the last two Sundays of July and the first two Sundays of August.
• Greg Knoll asked the rector to express thanks to the vestry for the gifts of a personal letter from the White Sox and a restaurant gift card that were given to him to thank him for the years that he donated his grass-mowing services to the parish.
• Thanks to the generosity of Bill Braker, the overgrown yews at the south end of the education wing have been removed. Pastor Orr and Lynn Ruschhaupt are working on ideas for new plantings in that area.
• Pastor Orr expressed gratitude for the vestry’s work on the day of Bishop Epting’s visit and the days leading up to it.
• The diocese offers at least three electronic newsletters on the topics of youth, general information, and leadership. The rector encouraged those on the vestry who have not done so, to go to the diocesan website and sign up for at least the general information newsletter. Nichole Dailor noted that the youth newsletter recently announced that the Associate and Assistant for Youth Ministry are available to come out to parishes to encourage kids to participate in diocesan youth events. Pastor Orr also had noticed this and will look into it further.
• Pastor Orr recently received a communication from Bishop Lee’s administrative assistant stating that the bishop is considering scheduling parish visits, starting next year, for events other than Sunday eucharists. The vestry should think about which events the bishop could be invited to visit at St. John’s.

Upcoming Events
July 4th - St. John’s Annual Community Ice Cream Social

Discussion and Decisions

Columbarium Project
Last month the vestry decided to enter into an agreement with landscape architect Scott Mehaffey. He has sent a specific contract that formalizes what was in his previous written narrative. The contract covers an evaluation of our site, a local tour for the vestry to see other columbaria, Mr. Mehaffey’s research, and the presentation of three design options. Jim Whitfield made a motion that the vestry will engage in this contract as presented with funding from the Columbarium Fund. Nicole Dailor seconded, and the motion was approved.

Building Maintenance
• Since last month’s meeting the issue of a non-working outdoor faucet nearest to the community garden seems to have been resolved, perhaps by being forced on by the workers who removed the yews. In any event, there is no need for repair at this point.
• Anne Edwards continues to look into flooring options for the front undercroft stairs, sacristy, and rectory kitchen.
• Jim Whitfield has had people out to look at the door to the staff parking lot.
• Rob Carrier has received three tuck pointing estimates after having talked with at least four companies. The vestry discussed possible reasons why the bell tower tuck pointing that was done in 2006 has not held up. It could have been the result of faulty workmanship, but it also could have been due to such things as the building shifting, vibrations, or weather. Prior to the meeting, estimates from Bruno’s, Best Brick, and Steve Coleman were distributed to vestry members. Because the proposals were not specific on some issues, the vestry did not feel ready to commit to any company this month. Rob will check on issues with various companies such as who provides ladders and scaffolding, what will they do to protect the landscape, do they have bonding and licensing proof, how much is the down payment, what is the time line, and what is the description of the work. The vestry will re-address the issue at the August meeting.

Closing
Pastor Orr stated that she will notify the vestry when Scott Mehaffey has scheduled the local columbarium tour, and she encourages as many vestry members as possible to attend.
After prayer, the meeting ended at 8:35 PM.
As always, there will be no vestry meeting in July. The next meeting is scheduled for August 17th.

Respectfully submitted,
Susan Marquis
Clerk of the Vestry

Approved:  August 17, 2015