Minutes of the Vestry Meeting -- September 18, 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 Mike Bond, Bob Burgwald, Alice Creason, Randy Oyster, Shirley Reilly, and Mary VanSwol; the treasurer, Debbi Huggett; and the clerk, Susan Marquis. Absent were vestry members Rob Carrier, Cynthia Turnquest, and Zoltan Sziky.

Parish Stewardship

Minutes
Bob Burgwald moved to accept the minutes from the August meeting with a correction regarding a materials substitution for the columbarium walkway. Shirley Reilly seconded, and the motion was approved.

Treasurer’s Report
Debbi Huggett reported that revenue is pacing a tiny bit ahead of expectations. Year-to-date expenses have been less than expected, largely due to the open rector’s position. Mary VanSwol moved to accept the treasurer’s report; and, after a second by Bob Burgwald, the motion passed.

Information, Discussion, and Decisions

Letter Tiles
Steve Hofer has collected old tile squares with embossed letters from the columbarium area and suggested that they could be auctioned at the next annual parish meeting.

Parish Photos
Steve Hofer, Debbi Huggett, and Anne Edwards continue taking pictures for St. John’s Facebook page.

Interim Update
Greg Lawrence spoke with Fr. Mike Dwyer last week. Greg asked the vestry to contact the wardens or the church office with ideas concerning what the interim might need to know about what goes on at St. John’s in November and December. Alice Creason asked about combining the usual three Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services into, perhaps, two services since attendance is low; and the choir would like to have a less hectic schedule. This will be determined after Fr. Dwyer arrives. Greg has figured out how to make the lapel microphone work for use during sermons as Fr. Dwyer requested.

New Plant Watering
There are new plants and grass seed around the outdoor altar area that need to be watered every three days. Shirley Reilly moved to put a notice in the “e-vangelist” asking for help and to put a sign-up sheet in the undercroft. Alice Creason seconded the motion, and it was approved.

Columbarium Project Payment
Payment for the columbarium work may come due before promised contributions come in. Debbi Huggett suggested that a $7,500 contribution that she and Frank made to the accessibility fund in memory of her father be transferred to the columbarium fund. Alice Creason moved to transfer $7,500 from the accessibility fund to the columbarium fund on a temporary basis to cover the bills due. After a second by Shirley Reilly, the motion was approved.

Columbarium Sub-Committee
Greg Lawrence suggested that the vestry appoint a columbarium sub-committee to work on issues such as urn size, plaques, burial charges, and so forth. The vestry will re-visit this issue at the October meeting.

Interim Contract
The senior warden said that Andrea Mysen and Bishop Lee have signed the contract with Fr. Mike Dwyer.

Convention Delegates
Greg Lawrence presented a slate of delegates for the November diocesan convention. They are: Steve Hofer, Sue O’Brien, and Shirley Reilly as delegates, and Gale Michael, Don Rubins, and Doris Sheffer as alternates. Mary VanSwol moved to accept the slate, and Bob Burgwald seconded. The motion was approved.

Stair Treads
Steve Hofer reported that he has received three bids and is expecting one or two more on the repair work to the treads on the north stairs to the undercroft. The bid amounts vary from $4,000 to $5,300. Steve is more impressed with the work described by the higher bidders. Shirley Reilly moved that Steve should determine the most qualified company and arrange for the work to be
done at a cost not to exceed $5,500. Mike Bond seconded, and the motion passed.

Columbarium Consecration
Greg Lawrence said that the vestry would come back to the issue of a columbarium/consecration date.

Church Credit Card
Shirley Reilly, the person who does most of the supply purchasing for the church, noted that we need a corporate credit card for the church. Pastor Orr cancelled the previous one. Shirley offered to investigate deals, rates, and cash back for various cards.

Center for Independence Through Conductive Education
Greg Lawrence, Steve Hofer, Cynthia Turnquest, and Mike Bond met with the executive director and the south/southwest project manager for the Center for Independence Through Conductive Education. They are looking for space in our building to run their program. They ruled out the atrium, although they may want to use the atrium kitchen or the undercroft kitchen sometimes. They would like to use the office at the south end of the education wing, the adult education classroom for therapy, and the high school room as a waiting room, as well as hallways and stairways. For now, they expect there to be five to six children and three adults. They want more space (how much was not reported) for a portion of the summer for a summer camp involving about 40 children.
There was a discussion about what effects this move would have on the functioning and finances of our church.
The diocesan treasurer told Greg that the church insurance company covers liability on the property and that the church needs to have a Hold Harmless agreement with those who use the facilities.
The Flossmoor city council planning committee needs to approve a variance for building use. Steve Hofer made a motion to write a letter to the Center for Independence Through Conductive Education facility in Countryside requesting financial information, new construction accommodation needs, and equipment information. Mike Bond seconded the motion, and it was approved.

Closing

The meeting ended with prayer at 9:35 PM. The next vestry meeting is scheduled for October 16th.

Respectfully submitted,
Susan Marquis
Clerk of the Vestry