Minutes of the Vestry Meeting -- July 17, 2017

Formation

Evening Prayer and Thanksgiving & Prayer Requests
The vestry met in the Guild Room at 7:00 PM starting with Evening Prayer and followed by prayers of intercession and thanksgiving.

Attendance
Present at the meeting were the senior warden, Greg Lawrence; the junior warden, Steve Hofer; vestry members Bob Burgwald, Alice Creason, Randy Oyster, Shirley Reilly, Cynthia Turnquest, and Mary VanSwol; the treasurer, Debbi Huggett, and the clerk, Susan Marquis. Absent were vestry members Mike Bond, Rob Carrier, and Zoltan Sziky. Search Committee co-chairs, Donna Blackburn and Tracie Moxley were present for the first few minutes of the meeting when Search Committee issues were discussed.

Parish Stewardship I

Minutes from the June Meeting
Shirley Reilly moved to approve the June 19th vestry meeting minutes, and Mary VanSwol seconded. The motion was approved.

Information

Wardens’ Reports
— Steve Hofer announced that the groundbreaking for the columbarium project is set for Monday, July 24th.
— Steve arranged for a cost estimate to replace stair treads on the north stairs to the undercroft. The estimate is scheduled for Wednesday, July 26th. On Thursday, July 27th, a carpet cleaning company will come out to do an estimate of carpet and furniture cleaning.
— On Sunday, July 16th, the vestry met to choose Search Committee members from among those parishioners who volunteered to be on the committee. Greg Lawrence announced that he had contacted all of those chosen, and all agreed to serve. The committee consists of co-chairs Donna Blackburn and Tracie Moxley, and members Bill Bestow, Stuart Creason, Anne Edwards, Jayne Goode, Glynis Keene, Tom Senesac, and Eric Turnquest. Before next Sunday, Greg Lawrence will contact those who volunteered but were not chosen in order to tell them about the vestry’s decision and thank them for their willingness to serve. Mary VanSwol made a motion to accept the members of the committee, and the motion was seconded by Steve Hofer and approved by the vestry.
— Greg will notify Andrea Mysen at the diocesan office that the committee has been approved. The committee will be commissioned at both the 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM services on July 30th.
—Greg distributed a letter of resignation from the office manager, Betsy Sloan. Greg will meet with her on Wednesday to determine her last day, then he will advertise the position, giving parishioners a chance to apply for, or recommend a candidate for, the position. Alice will send out an e-blast to inform the parish.

Parish Stewardship II

Treasurer’s Report
The treasurer reported that the parish looks like it is in better shape than it is because some funds came in late for Pastor Orr’s “purse” but have not yet been forwarded to her, one pledge was paid for the remaining six months of the year, and there may be some outstanding expenses for the Ice Cream Social and Farewell Brunch. The planning committee for the brunch, all of whom were at the meeting, stated that they were not turning in any of their expense receipts. Debbi reported that the approximately $4,000 remaining in the Vicki O’Neill gift after paying for the new missal stand will be deposited in the Endowment Fund. The $15,000 that the ECW donated to the columbarium project will be reclassified from the ECW account to the columbarium fund. Other pledged donors for the columbarium (Braker, Lawler, and MacAdam) have been contacted to request their checks. Steve Hofer moved to accept the treasurer’s report, and Alice Creason seconded. The motion was approved.

Discussion and Decisions

Columbarium Project
Debbi Huggett reported that the Pat Baker garden of prairie plants near the pathway will remain intact, but a couple of large trees must be removed. Cynthia Turnquest volunteered to enlarge two copies of the columbarium plans to poster size for
placement in the undercroft and the foyer near the columbarium. Frank So and Debbi Huggett will be available at coffee hour on Sunday to discuss the plans with any interested parishioners.

Opening and Closing the Church
Greg Lawrence passed around a sign-up sheet for vestry members to volunteer either to unlock or lock the church on Sundays for the remainder of the summer. The church should be unlocked no later than 7:30 AM.

Fourth of July Ice Cream Social Report
The Ice Cream Social broke even financially thanks to parish cash donations to cover expenses. The vestry discussed having one balloon twister next year rather than two since there were not enough kids to keep two twisters consistently busy.

Letter to Kristin Orr
Steve Hofer crafted a letter of appreciation to Pastor Orr, and vestry members signed it.

Feedback on Supply Priest
Parish response to the supply priest has been positive.

Interim Priest
The diocese sent Greg information on three candidates for our interim rector. There are obstacles with all three involving such things as timing, housing, salary, and distance. The vestry will continue discussing this issue at the next meeting.

Other Discussion Not on the Agenda
— Shirley Reilly announced that Sue Buckman would like to fund the purchase of a dozen new lightweight tables for the undercroft in memory of her late husband, Jim. Shirley has contacted ministries that might be interested in taking and moving the old tables. We do not yet have a proposal for specific replacement tables, and no motion was made to make a purchase yet.
— Shirley Reilly said that our dishwasher is expensive to service, and it is hard to find someone who is qualified to service it. She will check prices on replacement models. At present, our dishwasher is working, and it has the advantage of short cycles, allowing for fast clean-up after coffee hour or a special event.
— Shirley and Lynn Ruschhaupt have looked at the gardens around the church that will need weeding this season and have suggested that the areas be divided into sections and that parishioners can volunteer to care of specific sections. Cynthia Turnquest made a motion to ask parishioners to care of portions of church grounds, and Alice Creason seconded. The motion was
approved.
— The vestry was reminded to keep thinking about possibilities for a fundraising event, possibly to be held this fall.
— Mary VanSwol suggested that the number of Christmas services be reduced. This issue can be re-visited after the interim rector is installed.
— Greg Lawrence suggested that there is a need for a building and grounds vestry subcommittee, and Randy Oyster volunteered to be in charge of the committee, the members of which have not yet been determined.

Closing

Following prayer, the meeting ended at 9:35 PM. Because there are many issues to decide this summer, the vestry will meet again in two weeks, July 31st, at 7:00 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Susan Marquis
Clerk of the Vestry