Church of St. John the Evangelist
Flossmoor, Illinois
Minutes of the Vestry Meeting
October 16, 2017
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 Fr. Mike Dwyer; 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
Mike Bond moved to approve September’s minutes with a minor adjustment. Alice Creason
seconded, and the motion passed.
Treasurer’s Report and Report on Columbarium
—Debbi Huggett reported that revenue is slightly ahead of budget and spending is very favorable
as a result of the open rector’s position.
—Our investment with the Episcopal Church Foundation has a current $181,000 market value
and a $210,000 book value.
—We have not received the refund from Burrink Commercial Services for concrete work not
done on the columbarium project, even though Debbi has requested it several times. She has
asked the general contractor, Premier Landscape, to ask Burrink for the refund.
—Debbi will set up a church credit card through Chase Bank.
—Promised funds from a donor of $4,000 for the columbarium project have not yet come in.
—There have been some glitches in getting the lights in the outdoor altar area to work, but parish
volunteers are trying to solve the problem.
—Currently, there are no doors on the two new seat walls. Mark Moxley is working on finding
permanent doors. If these cannot be installed before snowy weather, Premier Landscape will
install temporary doors.
—Alice Creason moved to accept the treasurer’s report, and Mike Bond seconded. The motion
was approved.
Old and New Business
Wardens’ Reports
Discussions and Decisions
Celebration of Fr. Caldwell
—Greg Lawrence suggested that the parish do something special to mark the supply priest James
Caldwell’s last Sunday with us after having been with us on Sundays for the last four months.
Steve Hofer moved to collect a $500 purse from the parish with the miscellaneous fund to cover
any collection shortfall. Bob Burgwald seconded, and the motion was approved. In addition to
the purse presentation, there will be a celebratory cake at coffee hour on October 29th.
Upcoming Parish Events
Wednesday, November 1st - Fr. Mike Dwyer’s official first day at St. John’s
Thursday, November 2nd - All Soul’s Day with a service at 7:00 PM
Sunday, November 12th - Fall lawn clean-up after the 10:00 AM service, Bishop Lee visits at
both services, and Bishop Lee holds a conversation from 2:00 until 4:00 PM at St. John’s for the
people of the deanery.
Stair Treads
Steve Hofer has chosen a company to replace the stair treads on the north stairs to the undercroft.
The bid came in at $4,500.
CICE Visit
Steve and Mary Hofer and Mike Bond went to the facility in Countryside of the Center for
Independence through Conductive Education for an information-gathering visit.
Upcoming Plans of Our Interim Rector
Fr. Dwyer reported that he plans to set up meetings soon with individuals in the parish who lead
various ministries in order to get to know people and learn how we do things.
Flossmoor Zoning Board
Greg Lawrence noted that the Flossmoor Zoning Board will meet at the Village Hall on
Thursday, October 16th at 7:30 PM and will discuss the zoning variance needed in order for the
Center for Independence through Conductive Education to use space at St. John’s. Vestry
members are invited to attend.
Church Assessment Tool Results
In the interest of transparency, the CAT results will be presented to the parish in some form. Greg
Lawrence is thinking about scheduling a parish meeting to go over the survey results.
Questions about CICE
Greg Lawrence invited vestry members to compile a list of questions they have about the Center
for Independence through Conductive Education and the impact that their space usage at St.
John’s would have on the parish. The following questions were generated:
-Can someone from CICE come to talk to the parish?
-There are many moving parts to this plan. What do we need to know?
-What kind of alterations need to be made to the building?
-Do we need active fire and security alarms?
-Who pays for alterations? If CICE pays, do we need to reimburse them if they leave?
-What is the length of the agreement?
-Who pays for custodial, utilities and other expenses?
-What changes will there be in our liability insurance?
-Do therapists at CICE carry malpractice insurance? Are they certified and licensed?
-Does someone from the parish need to be here from 8:00 AM until 7:00 PM?
-Will the CICE space usage conflict with space usage of other guest groups?
-Parishioner volunteers need to be certified by Safeguarding God’s Children.
-What is a reasonable donation for space usage? Who determines the donation amount?
-What are the donations given from other CICE locations, and what impact does CICE have on
their operating expenses?
-How many people will be present at the month-long summer camp? What facilities at St. John’s
will be used?
-What are their parking needs? Do they realize there is a three-hour parking limit?
-What kind of signage do they plan, and what is allowed by the Village of Flossmoor?
Parish Involvement with CICE Decision
Mike Bond, with assistance from Greg Lawrence, drew up a letter to parishioners that explains
the space usage plan. Greg explained that the plan needs to be approved by the parish through a
vote, there will be an opportunity for parishioners to write down questions, someone will develop
a brochure about the plan that can be handed out to parishioners as they leave church in weeks
before the annual meeting, and there will be a presentation during coffee hour on December 10th
or 17th.
Additional Vestry Meeting
The vestry agreed to hold a special meeting in two weeks (October 30th, 7:00 PM) to discuss
some answers to the questions generated at the meeting tonight as well as to discuss the
Christmas service schedule, the Feast, and the pledge campaign.
Closing
The meeting ended with prayer at 9:20 PM. The next vestry meeting is scheduled for October
30th, followed by the regularly scheduled meeting on November 20th.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Marquis
Clerk of the Vestry
