Minutes of the Vestry Meeting - November 21, 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, Alice Creason, Nichole Dailor, Randy Oyster, Ted Stone Zoltan Sziky, and Hans Zigmund; the treasurer Debbi Huggett; and the clerk Susan Marquis. Absent were vestry members Rob Carrier and Cynthia Turnquest.

Parish Stewardship

Minutes
Anne Edwards moved to accept the minutes from the October vestry meeting, and Nichole Dailor seconded. Following a vote, the motion was approved.

Treasurer’s Report
Debbi Huggett reported that contributions still are behind expectations, but they are picking up. Expenses are below expectations for this point in the year, mostly resulting from a prior employment vacancy, lower gas bills, and timing of billing. The approximate $2,000 deficit may be wiped out by these favorabilities.
Debbi presented an update on pledging for 2017. Fifty-four pledges have been made so far for a total of about $154,000. There are another 17 pledges from 2016 that have not yet been made for 2017. In response to a question, Debbi stated that there is no apparent correlation between church attendance and giving.
Bob Burgwald moved to accept the October Treasurer’s Report, and Hans Zigmund seconded. The motion was approved.

Information

Rector’s Report
—Pastor Orr will be on vacation the weekend of December 10-11, and the Rev. Shawn Schreiner will serve as supply priest.
—Over the last month eight kneelers have been re-upholstered. A few more are starting to fray and will need to be recovered in the near future.
—Pastor Orr is grateful for Randy Oyster’s work in cutting off a tree limb that had been rubbing on the rectory gutters.
—Thanks to those who helped do church lawn work on Blue Jeans Sunday, especially Lynn Ruschhaupt for her coordination of the work.
—We celebrate those who bought Christmas gifts and food gift certificates for the ReVive Center for Housing and Healing in Chicago.
—Thanks to Harold Keene for supplying his time and materials to replace the timer to light the St. John stained glass window above the church’s front door.
—United Thank Offering boxes are being collected from parishioners. The funds support UTO charities around the world. The UTO has existed since the 1800s as a ministry of the women of the church. Boxes with coin slots are taken home, and people can make donations as they become aware of reasons to be thankful for things in their daily lives.

Reports from Wardens and Other Parish Organizations
Junior Warden Steve Hofer reported that things are moving along in his St. John’s history project. He coated the front doors of the church with a spray-on wood treatment. Steve told of his experience at Honey Field restaurant in Lockport that offers a 10% meal discount on those who pray.

Upcoming Events
—Wednesday, November 23rd, 7:30 PM, St. Joseph’s in Homewood: Community Interfaith Thanksgiving service with a collection for Respond Now
—Thursday, November 24th, 10:00 AM: Thanksgiving service at St. John’s
—Sunday, November 27th, 9:00 AM: Advent wreath-making in the undercroft
—Saturday, December 3rd, 9:00 AM in the undercroft: Cookie Walk

Discussion and Decisions

Stewardship
—The office will send out reminder post cards to parishioners who have not yet submitted their pledge cards. The senior warden will write simple weekly updates in the “e-vangelist” tracking the progress of of pledge totals received.
—The vestry godparent bulletin board has not been updated since September’s acolyte display. The vestry is in favor of continuing this project, and a new display will appear soon.

Vestry Nominating Committee
As described in our by-laws, a nominating committee for new wardens and vestry members consists of the rector, the wardens, and one representative from each of the three incoming vestry classes to be determined by drawing lots. The vestry members chosen for this year’s committee are Nichole Dailor, Rob Carrier, and Zoltan Sziky.

The Feast of St. John the Evangelist
—There will be a planning committee meeting after church on November 27th.
—On December 18th after church vestry volunteers are needed to address invitations.
—Volunteers are needed on January 13th from 1:00-4:00 PM and from 6:00-8:00 PM to work on various set-up tasks. All vestry members also are needed on January 14th from 9:00 AM until noon for final preparations.

Closing

Following prayer, the meeting ended at 9:05 PM. The next meeting is scheduled for December 19th at which the vestry will review 2017 budget guidelines.

Respectfully submitted,
Susan Marquis
Clerk of the Vestry

Approved by the vestry:  December 19, 2016