The vestry of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Elizabeth City Parish, was called to order on March 17, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. Present were: Senior Warden Charlie Edmonson, Junior Warden Bettyrene Pope, Greg Brauer, Dan Clark, Denine Miller, Doug Perry, Stephen Rous, Ruth Simmons, Registrar Emily Klotz, Youth Representative Darius Rowe, The Reverend Samantha Vincent-Alexander, and The Reverend Mark Riley. Absent, excused: Treasurer Linda Curtis. Note: This vestry meeting was conducted via Zoom, in keeping with the diocese’s mandate for social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The meeting opened with prayer.
No Treasurer’s Report
Acceptance of the February minutes is on hold until the next meeting.
Rector’s Report, Samantha Vincent-Alexander
Credit Card Approval: The vestry realized that credit cards were already approved in a motion at the November 2019 meeting.
Website: There is some missing information, but it should be complete by the end of the week. Denine, Ruth and Emily will proofread the content.
Playground: St. John’s paid the deposit and materials will be delivered in a few weeks.
Communications Position: Darlene has resigned so she can focus on her time-consuming deacon internship. St. John’s will send a letter of appreciation for Darlene’s work, specifying her last day of employment. Samantha will reach out to Shannon to see if she could learn how to communicate through Constant Contact. Much of the communications work could be accomplished remotely, however the office will need coverage, and cannot rely on volunteers alone. Once Samantha discusses options with staff, she will consider posting a job description.
Soft Space Feedback: Due to several parishioners voicing concerns regarding the change and possible loss of historic integrity in the church, Samantha decided to table the creation of a soft space. The important thing for St. John’s is to have a welcoming atmosphere for young families.
Assistant Rector’s Report, Mark Riley Mark will report on the CEEP conference and the Academy at the next vestry meeting.
Continued Giving during a Time of Temporary Church Closures Without Sunday services, there is a concern regarding receipt of pledges. While some mail or send pledges via bank draft, the majority put their pledge envelopes in the collection plate during service. The vestry discussed several alternatives to collecting offerings, including by text message, online, or through apps. For the short term, the vestry wants to make it clear that while the church is closed, it still has financial needs that must be met. Charlie and Samantha will discuss mailing the congregation a letter that will address the situation.
Extra Pastoral Care Samantha has assigned certain vulnerable parishioners to each vestry member so they can call and check to see if they need anything. She asked that the vestry reach out to their assigned people every other week.
Senior Warden’s Report, Charlie Edmonson Signs: Charlie and Susan cleaned the church signs, and they look much better.
Bid Policy: Charlie reminded everyone that we have a policy relative to obtaining bids, which we will look at during the next meeting.
Committee Reports
The new committee assignments are:
- Ruth- Newcomers/Evangelism
- Dan- Liturgy
- Emily- Christian Formation
- Greg- Music Academy
- Charlie- Heritage
- Stephen- Stewardship
- Denine- In Reach/St. Anne’s Guild
Dan reported that he will be volunteering with Thrive, an organization that helps people with low incomes move towards more self-sufficiency through financial counseling. Thrive will have an office at St. John’s (this was approved in April 2019) and hold office hours on Wednesdays, 1:00pm to 3:00pm.
The meeting adjourned at 8:18 p.m.