The regular meeting of the Vestry of St. John’s Church, Elizabeth City Parish, Hampton, Virginia was held on July12, 2005. The Very Reverend Donna-Mae Siderius, Rector, opened the meeting with A Simple Evening Liturgy at 7:05 p.m. Vestry members present were William Andrews, Greg Brauer, Linda Curtis-Senior Warden, Nelson Durden, Charlie Edmonson, Ben Ferris, Bob Harper, Peggy Hayes, Connie Heath-Treasurer, Vestal Lewis, Kay Olson, Bettyrene Pope, Sandy Smith-Registrar, and Bill Terrill-Junior Warden. Bill Forinash was absent. David and Susan Copley were on vacation.
Devotions on “faith” were provided by Bob Harper.
Program
Andy Clary, Pastor of Queen Street Baptist Church provided the Vestry with an overview of his church’s plans for the former Belo Grocery Store in the shopping center behind the church. Queen Street Baptist purchased the store primarily to (1) help with their parking needs, (2) provide space for A Night’s Welcome, and (3) increase classroom space. Pastor Clary sees the purchase as a way to serve the community and beyond. There will be various other uses of the building, including such things as after school tutoring and health screenings. The renovated building will contain 16 classrooms, a 600 seat dining hall, and a collapsible stage. Pastor Clary wants the downtown churches, especially St. John’s, to feel free to partner with Queen Street Baptist and to join in the various ministries that will be offered. He provided an open invitation (non-contractual) to St. John’s to use the space and the extra parking. The anticipated completion date is October.
Donna-Mae Siderius reported on the Journey to Adulthood (J2A) Pilgrimage held the end of June. The group grew into a real community and had a wonderful time. Donna-Mae stated that it was a privilege to have been with the group. The first part of the journey was spent in New York City. The group stayed in a hostel with over 600 people from many countries. The time in New York City was intense. The youth participated in two feeding projects. At night there were conversations about the church and faith. There was even some time for fun. The group was able to be a part of the outdoor audience of the Good Morning America show. The second half of the journey was spent in rural Pennsylvania, where the pace was a little slower. The youth participated in a silent breakfast followed by more quiet time to think about where God was in their lives.
Ben Ferris and Sandy Smith reported on the short-term mission trip to Belize. An intergenerational group of 16 traveled to Corazol where they participated in the construction of a computer lab/library for St. Paul’s Anglican School and provided Vacation Bible School for about 50 children. By the end of the trip, the roof had been cast, various painting projects had been completed, and most importantly, relationships had been established with the Belizean construction workers, teachers, and children.
Minutes
The June Vestry minutes were approved with corrections to the Junior Warden’s report and the name of the person who donated the stackable washer and dryer.
Treasurer’s Report
Connie Heath reported a checking account balance of $5,401.49. Income for June was $28,671.93. Expenses for June were $36,021.79. With half of the year completed, we are right on target with our budgeted income and expenses. Connie reported that she had to withdraw $7000 from the Hoffman House account the end of June to meet expenses. This only leaves $3000 from the $10,000 previously approved by the Vestry. Connie requested authorization to withdraw an additional $5,000, if necessary. William Andrews moved that the Vestry authorize the Treasurer to withdraw an additional $5,000 from the Hoffman House account, if necessary, to meet operating expenses. This amount, plus the $10,000 previously authorized by the Vestry, must be repaid to the Hoffman House account by December 31, 2005. The motion was seconded by Nelson Durden. Connie reported that the need for extra cash is not due to any unexpected expenses; it is a cash flow issue only. The motion was unanimously passed by the Vestry.
Action: Connie Heath is authorized to withdraw an additional $5,000 from the Hoffman House account, for a total of $15,000, with repayment due by December 21, 2005.
Connie reviewed the Income/Expense Statement, Special Accounts Report, and Balances of Designated Offerings Report. A new account has been added for the Soup Kitchen. The cost of providing meals for the Soup Kitchen is less than $1.00 per person.
The Treasurer’s report was approved as presented.
Finance Committee Report
Charlie Edmonson reported that Ann Ward and Bob Harper are the two members of the Finance Committee whose terms have expired. Gwen Cumming will continue as a member by virtue of her position as Assistant Treasurer. Charlie reported that Terrey McKinney, Debbie Williams, and Bob Wind are willing to serve. Charlie asked how this should be handled since there are only two vacancies. Charlie also questioned the impact on the rotation schedule. Donna-Mae stated that the Vestry can determine the number of members as well as the length of their terms. Since there are three people willing and able to serve, it was felt that all three should be offered this opportunity. Charlie Edmonson made a motion that Terrey McKinney and Bob Wind be elected for three-year terms and that Debbie Williams be elected for a two-year term. The motion was seconded by Linda Curtis and unanimously passed by the Vestry. Linda Curtis will send a Thank You letter to retiring member Ann Ward.
Action: Terrey McKinney, Debbie Williams and Bob Wind were elected to the Finance Committee. Linda Curtis will send a Thank You letter to Ann Ward.
Senior Warden’s Report
Linda Curtis reported that she had received a letter from Bishop Bane regarding our request for a progress report on the required actions as outlined in Resolution 5 passed at Annual Council in February 2005. Bishop Bane reported that he had met with the consultant retained to work with the Diocese, Bishop Clay Matthews and Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold. Everything appears to be on target and on track as the Diocese works toward healing and reconciliation.
Donna-Mae Siderius reported that the three Bishops who will be working with the Diocese as outlined in Resolution 5 were in the diocese on June 29 and 30, 2005. They came up with a job description for the Bishop that will be used by the National Church.
Donna-Mae also shared an email update from the Accountability Committee of the Diocese. The Committee met with Bishop Bane on June 22, 2005 to begin ongoing conversations. The next meeting with the Bishop will be on July 14, 2005.
Junior Warden’s Report
Bill Terrill reported on (1) the status of the Pest Control contract; (2) the outstanding bill with Crest; and (3) the cost of replacing the sign at the second St. John’s site.
Regarding the Pest Control contract, Bill stated that he had spoken with Interstate, who was not interested; National, with whom we had a previous contract, and Edwards, who visited our property on July 11. No decisions have been made.
We have still not paid the final $4200 due to Crest for the installation of the kitchen equipment. There appears to be some concern with the quality of the finishing work, which was apparently sub-contracted by Crest. Elizabeth Phillips, the primary user of the kitchen, has stated that the equipment functions as it should. Bill expressed some concern that the bill had not yet been paid and asked who would make the decision to continue to withhold the money or pay the balance due. Donna-Mae stated that the bill should not be paid until we are satisfied that the work we contracted for is correct and complete. Donna-Mae stated she would determine what needs to be finished in the kitchen and contact Crest.
Bill reported that he had received a $300 estimate from Hibbard Ironworks regarding the cost to create a metal sign to identify the second site of St. John’s Church.
The Vestry took no action on any of the issues reported by the Junior Warden.
Rector’s Report
Donna-Mae reported that there has been a lot of activity at St. John’s in recent months – Soup Kitchen; J2A Pilgrimage; Mission Trip to Belize; Pipe Organ Encounter with 18 students; and Choir Camp in Williamsburg. We will continue to be busy during the next two months – Vacation Bible School the last week in July; Games Night with potluck next Wednesday; Movie Night with potluck in August; and breakfast, Sunday School registration, presentations by J2A and the Mission Team, and the Dixieland Band on September 18. Bob Harper suggested, and Donna-Mae agreed, that we also provide a stewardship update on September 18; to report on how we have done so far this year.
The July-December, 2005 activities calendar was distributed.
Progress Reports from Vestry Reflection Days
The Vestry continued to discuss the “visions” developed at the Vestry Reflection Days in June. Vestry members had divided into three groups, Church in the Middle, Hospitality, and Building Issues. Their task was to develop specific, achievable, short-term goals. Vestal Lewis was added to the Hospitality group. William Andrews was added to the Building Issues group. Nelson Durden reported that he and Bill Forinash were also members of the Building Issues group.
For the Vestry meeting, each group had been asked to develop a timeline and to identify a “shepherd” for each goal. Each group provided a progress report, which is provided as an attachment to these minutes.
Other Business
Ben Ferris reported that the parish house is being rewired for the new security system.
Nelson Durden reported that the Tree Committee is still seeking donations for the purchase of oak trees to complete the alee of trees in the cemetery. There is $1, 051 left in the account.
Vestal Lewis asked that we change out the tape on the posters in our Museum to provide a more “professional” look.
Donna-Mae reported she had received a Memorandum of Agreement between St. John’s and the Port Hampton Research Group, who had been previously authorized by the Vestry to pursue an archaeological study of our church and property. Donna-Mae asked Beverly Gundry and Jim Tormey to review the document. Vestal Lewis and Kay Olson volunteered to review the document on behalf of the Vestry and provide feedback at the September meeting.
Action: Vestal Lewis and Kay Olson will review the proposed Memorandum of Agreement between St. John’s and the Port Hampton Research Group and report out at the September Vestry meeting.
Good of the Order
Linda Curtis suggested we use a two-person team approach for the Sunday Sexton duties. One person could cover the early service and the other the later service. This would allow both persons to go to church that day. There are still concerns with safety. There was discussion regarding which doors to lock and which to leave open. Sandy Smith asked if we could discuss the possibility of funding this position again when we begin budget deliberations. Donna-Mae stated that most churches use their own members to perform this function but she was willing to form a Vestry sub-committee to discuss the pros and cons of continuing as we are and to report back to the Vestry at the September meeting. The Committee members will be Ben Ferris, chair, William Andrews, Linda Curtis, Charlie Edmonson, Peggy Hayes, and Vestal Lewis. The sign-up sheet for the August Sunday Sexton duties was passed around.
Vestal Lewis reported that a greeter had expressed a concern about greeters getting in the way of the ushers. Vestal stated that the first person a newcomer used to see when they came to St. John’s was an usher, and that is still true today on some Sundays. Donna-Mae stated that the roles of ushers and greeters will be discussed and clarified at the next joint meeting of greeters and ushers.
Connie Heath reported that a parishioner had asked her if Kathy Dansey and Harper Lewis had been paid during the time they were in Belize or if they had taken leave. Donna-Mae stated they had taken personal leave.
Greg Brauer reported that his father suggested that children be given pledge envelopes. Sandy Smith stated that this had also been suggested at a Stewardship meeting she had attended last year.
Action: A sub-committee of the Vestry, chaired by Ben Ferris, will discuss the pros and cons of Vestry members continuing to serve on a rotation basis as the Sunday Sexton. A report will be provided at the September meeting.
Tacky Light Awards
Bob Harper passed the Vestry Tacky Light Award, “Christmas in July”, to Peggy Hayes.
Sandy Smith presented the first Mission Tacky Light Award (purchased by Susan Copley in Belize) to Kay Olson. This new “tacky” light will also be “awarded” to a Vestry member at each meeting. The light is to remind the Vestry member to pray for the ministry of mission.
Donna-Mae Siderius closed the meeting with prayer at 9:45 p.m.
There will no Vestry meeting in August. The next Vestry meeting will be September 6. Ben Ferris is responsible for devotions and snacks.
Sandy Smith
Registrar
Approved: Approved with corrections:
Attachment