The vestry of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Elizabeth City Parish, was called to order on July 21, 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, Treasurer Linda Curtis, The Reverend Samantha Vincent-Alexander, The Reverend Mark Riley, and The Reverend Peter Stimpson. Absent, excused: Youth Representative Darius Rowe. Note: This vestry meeting was conducted via Zoom, in keeping with the diocese’s mandate for physical distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The meeting was opened at 6:30 p.m. with a devotion.
The special meeting minutes of June 25, 2020, and July 12, 2020 were corrected and approved. The minutes of June 16, 2020 were not distributed and will be reviewed at the next meeting.
Treasurer’s Report, Linda Curtis
Linda reported that June was the first month where budgeted income exceeded actual income. Actual expenses were also down, due to the switch from using debit cards to credit cards. There will be a one-month delay in seeing those expenses. In July, we will see two large expenses: the Diocesan pledge payment and quarterly property insurance payment. Endowment has agreed to give St. John’s $48,000, and Linda has transferred $10,000 from the Hoffman House. There have been 12-15 different contributors using the Tithe.ly app, and we should begin seeing a significant increase in bank surcharges although several contributors are agreeing to pay the service charge amount.
Special Discussion of Confederate Memorial with our Consultant, Peter Stimpson
Samantha reported that she received two calls from non-parishioners, asking St. John’s to remove the statue.
Peter summarized the meeting held Sunday, July 19, 2020, during which parishioners shared their views on the Confederate Memorial in the church cemetery. He believed people were mostly respectful, and the majority of speakers would like the memorial removed or modified, while a smaller number of speakers would like no changes. Peter also reported that he has discussed our meetings with Bishop Susan Haynes, and that she would like to hear from the vestry as well.
Bettyrene reported that she spoke with a representative of the Daughters of the Confederacy, but that person was not helpful. The UDC’s records are currently inaccessible in Richmond.
Peter reminded the vestry that we would not be able to please everyone, but the vestry should decide on an ultimate goal and let that be our guiding light. To that end, Charlie recommended that a committee be formed that would complete needed research and bring back concrete options to the vestry. Realistic data would help with making a final decision, and allow vestry to possibly rule out some options. The vestry directed Charlie to appoint and chair the committee. Peter left the meeting at the end of this discussion.
Rector’s Report, The Reverend Samantha Vincent-Alexander
Reopening: The reopening committee met last night. As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is rising in Virginia, St. John’s is monitoring the situation and will perhaps return to online-only services after the Sunday, July 26 service. Sound quality issues for streaming services has been a continual problem, and one that the vestry would like to address. Perhaps the Lucille Williams Charitable Trust could provide funds for a sound engineer to diagnose issues and create a plan, and funds for professional audio equipment to implement the plan.
Vacation: Samantha’s planned vacation to New York state August 10-20 may be cancelled due to new travel restrictions New York has put in place.
Assistant Rector’s Report, The Reverend Mark Riley
Technology: Mark purchased a new cable that helped with connectivity, but sound is still an issue. St. John’s is building its online audience.
Vacation: Mark will be in North Carolina August 1-8.
Senior Warden’s Report, Charlie Edmonson
Charlie thanked the members of the reopening committee.
Junior Warden’s Report, Bettyrene Pope
The locks have been changed, and keys are numbered and recorded as they are distributed. The endowment paid for the construction of the north doors, and the Mary Williams trust paid for the paint. There are some leaks in the sacristy and in the second floor tower. These will be repaired using Mary Williams trust funds.
Committee Reports
Doug reported that we are going into our fifth month of providing lunches for H.E.L.P. Normally lunches would stop in August, but the need will be evaluated and could continue into September.
Communications Position
Denine Miller excused herself from the meeting at this time.
Samantha shared that Jess Miller applied for the communications position. While Samantha would rather not hire a parishioner for the job, she felt that Jess’ qualifications made him a good short-term candidate. The position will be modified to be a paid internship, and Jess will work at least three months or up to one year. Jess can soon begin online work like video-editing, but will be unable to work in the office until August 20. At that time his hours will be Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The meeting concluded with prayer and adjourned at 8:25 p.m.