Minutes of the Vestry Meeting - October 17, 2016

Formation

Evening Prayer and Thanksgiving & Prayer Requests
The vestry met in the church at 7:00 PM for Evening Prayer and then reconvened in the undercroft meeting room where everyone offered prayers of intercession and thanksgiving.

Attendance
Present were the rector Kristin Orr; the senior warden Anne Edwards; the junior warden Steve Hofer; vestry members Bob Burgwald, Rob Carrier, Alice Creason, Nichole Dailor, Randy Oyster, Ted Stone; the treasurer Debbi Huggett; and the clerk Susan Marquis. Absent were vestry members Zoltan Sziky, Cynthia Turnquest, and Hans Zigmund.

Parish Stewardship

Minutes
Nichole Dailor moved to accept the minutes from the August vestry meeting, and Rob Carrier seconded. Following a vote, the motion was approved.

Treasurer’s Report
Debbi Huggett reported that we still are running behind on revenue, but she checked past treasurer’s reports and found that we were at about the same revenue level during the last four Septembers. The expenses show a slight favorability due to the office manager vacancy for six weeks, invoices that are not yet in, and somewhat lower gas costs. Bob Burgwald moved to accept the September treasurer’s report, and Nichole Dailor seconded. The motion was approved.

Rector’s Discretionary Account
Copies of the rector’s discretionary account report for the third quarter of 2016 were distributed to the vestry prior to the meeting. Steve Hofer made a motion recognizing that the vestry received this report. Anne Edwards seconded, and the motion passed.

Information

Rector’s Report
—Pastor Orr reported that she recently attended a diocesan clergy conference. 
—The rector still has one week of vacation left for this year, which she would like to take but has no firm plans yet about when that might happen.
—As the convener of the local ministerial association, Pastor Orr is in charge of arranging the annual community Thanksgiving service, which typically draws 500-600 people on the evening before Thanksgiving. This year it will take place at St. Joseph’s in Homewood starting at 7:30 PM. Rabbi Carmit Harari will preach.
—Sunday School classes are underway. Roughly once per month there will be an intergenerational class that will present tools for home worship practices.
—The neighbors to the east of the rectory are replacing their garage, and it will open into the alley rather than the driveway on Park Drive. This may result in pressure on the village to snow plow the alley.

Reports from Wardens and Other Parish Organizations
There were no reports.

Upcoming Events
November 2nd at 7:00 PM - All Souls’ Day service
November 6th from 4:00 to 6:00 PM - rectory open house
November 13th at coffee hour - Loaves and Fishes (pot luck)
November 18th and 19th - diocesan convention
November 20th after the 10:00 AM service - Blue Jeans Sunday (fall garden work on parish grounds)

Discussion and Decisions

Columbarium Project
Pastor Orr has been having trouble finding a stone mason. It is unlikely that we can finish this project until next spring.

Stewardship
—The vestry established a stewardship speaking schedule for the announcement section of Sunday services. On October 23rd, Rob Carrier will speak at 8:00 and one of the Turnquests at 10:00. On October 30th, Steve Hofer and Bob Burgwald are scheduled for 8:00, and Hans Zigmund will be asked to do 10:00. Alice Creason volunteered to speak at both services on November 6th.
—Pledge Sunday is November 13th. The rector and senior warden will prepare a letter and other information to be mailed to parishioners very soon.
—The vestry discussed the following ideas concerning the purpose of the stewardship speaking opportunities: The parish is a place to put energy, thought, and prayer into positive things. The church is one of the few remaining face-to-face communities. The church is not the only way to connect to God, but it is the best way. The parish provides a sense of family where, in times of need, people show up to help. The parish changes lives and reshapes thinking.

Building and Grounds
—A tree branch has been scraping the rectory roof. Randy Oyster volunteered to look at it to see if he can remove it. If it proves too dangerous for him to remove, Pastor Orr will arrange for a landscaping company to do the work.
—Pastor Orr asked the sexton to examine the condition of the kneelers in the church. He reported that six of them need to be re-upholstered and two more are about to split. Bill and Iris Bestow looked into the job and were quoted a charge of $110. per kneeler. Anne Edwards moved to authorize the rector to arrange for repair and re-upholstering of up to ten kneelers to be paid through the building maintenance fund. After a second by Rob Carrier, the vestry voted to approve the motion.

The Feast
—Last month the vestry discussed concerns about holding the Feast of St. John the Evangelist dinner so early in the month. The vestry returned to that issue, deciding that moving The Feast from January 7th to January 14th would interfere less with school vacation times. The vestry agreed to change the date to January 14th.
—Pastor Orr asked for four volunteers to serve on a planning committee for the event. Anne Edwards and Nichole Dailor volunteered with Hans Zigmund and Zoltan Sziky nominated to serve. Rob Carrier volunteered to be an alternate.

Closing
Following prayer, the meeting ended at 8:35 PM. The next vestry meeting is scheduled for November 21st.

Respectfully submitted,
Susan Marquis, Clerk of the Vestry

Approved:  November 21, 2016