The vestry of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Elizabeth City Parish, was called to order on September 15, 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, and The Reverend Mark Riley. Note: This vestry meeting was conducted via Zoom, in keeping with the diocese’s mandate for physical distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Linda responded to questions regarding the financial audit report. One audit committee finding of note is the lack of an inventory of property and equipment. The auditor recommends a complete inventory, including monetary value, of the contents of the church, parish hall, and Hoffman house. This should be updated annually.
The meeting was paused for a moment of prayer.
Treasurer’s Report, Linda Curtis
Linda continued with the finance committee report. Actual income for August is less than actual expenses, which is not unusual for the summer. Money from the endowment fund (about $48,000 this year) has not yet been dispersed to St. Johns. We have not received any information regarding the repayment of the PPP loan.
The vestry meeting minutes of July 21, 2020 were corrected and approved. The minutes of June 16, 2020 still need to be approved.
Rector’s Report, The Reverend Samantha Vincent-Alexander
Reopening: St. Johns began outdoor worship three weeks ago. This past Sunday, there were 35 people for the indoor service and 24 for the outdoor service. St. Johns is broadcasting on both facebook and youtube. Dan explained the need for more ushers at both services.
Annual Council Delegates: Samantha has found parishioners to serve as the four delegates for annual council, although it is uncertain whether there will be a meeting. Motion by Charlie Edmonson, seconded by Ruth Simmons: The vestry approves the annual council delegates: Sandy Smith, Pamela Martin, Phyllis Henry, and Kay Perry for 2020-2021. Motion approved unanimously.
Stewardship: Betsy Clark and Jim Klotz are working on the stewardship campaign. Stewardship will be creating videos highlighting St. John’s work in outreach and music, and videos on how worship has evolved over the past six months. They are also looking into creating an online pledge form.
Book Study: Samantha is starting a book study on October 1, to be held on Thursdays via zoom.
Check-In Calls: The vestry will divide up the list of parishioners to call. Samantha has offered to bring communion to people’s houses.
Assistant Rector’s Report, The Reverend Mark Riley
Lil Free Pantry: Mark has helped put together a web page for the Lil Free Pantry. The page includes a link to tithe.ly for donations. A QR code on the pantry will take interested people to the webpage. Mark submitted a Seeds of Hope grant to the diocese, but has not heard a response yet.
Senior Warden’s Report, Charlie Edmonson
Charlie reported that the Confederate Memorial Committee is almost finished with their draft report. He would like to schedule a separate vestry meeting to review the report, preferably in person.
Junior Warden’s Report, Bettyrene Pope
There have been issues with the locks on the north doors. There is now wifi connection in the church. Leaks in the tower are being addressed. Bricks are being repointed, and the air conditioner discharge will be diverted so it does not come down the wall. Bob Harper’s air conditioner has been fixed.
Committee Reports
Doug reported that St. Johns has provided 1,320 lunches to H.E.L.P. over the past six months. Over 20 parishioners aided in this effort. There is still money left in their budget, and Doug offered to turn it back over to the church if needed.
Doug also asked the vestry about the Sleep In Heavenly Peace program, which was cancelled in the spring. SHIP has started regathering with new protocols for safety, and Ed Austin would like to have our group involved. The vestry voiced concerns over gathering indoors with a group of volunteers beyond our St. Johns community. Doug will discuss the vestry’s concerns with Ed and ask him to contact his volunteers to see if they would be comfortable gathering to do this outreach work.
The meeting concluded with prayer and adjourned at 7:44 p.m.