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APPROVED

St. Paul's Church in Brookline

Minutes of the Vestry Meeting

December 14, 2010

Present: The Rev. Jeffrey W. Mello, Rector; Steve Kelley, Senior Warden; Georgia Smith, Junior Warden; Beverly Estes-Smargiassi, Treasurer; Benjamin Norton, Clerk; Jeff Brown,Liz DeSelm, Roger House, Elizabeth Laurencot, Jim Margolis, Steve Morrissey, Fred Muehter and Ginny Willcox

Not present: Madeleine Taylor

Agenda

Agenda was moved and approved.

Minutes

The September, October, and November minutes were moved and approved as amended.

Rector’s Report

Bishop’s Visitation Review

A letter was received from the Rt. Rev. Bishop Bud Cederholm expressing his pleasure at Saint Paul’s energy and commitment. The recent visitation at Saint Paul’s was the bishop’s first since formally announcing his retirement and there was a nostalgic glow to the service.

In addition to discussing ways in which our community might strive to grow deeper as we grow larger, the question “Are we more clergy-driven or lay-driven?” was addressed. In response two scenarios were offered. One had the St. Paul’s community represented as a wheel with the Rector as the hub and the various missions as the spokes. Another had the Rector in the role of Master Switcher overseeing a number of wheels, at the hubs of which are lay people and perhaps the Rector himself. Also discussed were the concept of “Ministry Deliverer vis a vis Ministry Developer” and the focus our energy/activism.

Vestry members noted that it would be nice to have the bishops visit more frequently. Jeff noted that while the bishops would welcome the opportunity to visit the parishes of the diocese more frequently, it is unlikely due to financial and scheduling limitations.

Priest Advocate

At Saint Paul’s we are fortunate to have a number of supply clergy among our numbers. Dick Downes and Anoma Abeyaratnehave expressed interest in being called upon as celebrants for services such as the mid-week eucharist and women’s retreats. Dick and Anoma will be invited to be non-stipendiary Priest Associates. Priest Associates are affiliated with a parish for licensure reasons. The change would have no direct impact on Jeff’s workload. The topic was tabled until the January vestry meeting.

Spiritual Director

The possibility of finding a Spiritual Director (SD) for our community was introduced. The SD might hold monthly meetings to deepen and strengthen ones relationship with God, host the quiet days in Advent and lent.

Spiritual Director

Christi Humphreya new member of our parish is a graduate of the Spiritual Direction Institute and the Episcopal Divinity School.  An SD could be pictured as of a therapist for your relationship with God.

Annual Meeting

Growing Deeper is the theme of the Annual Meeting to be held on January 23^rd. As our parish grows, small groups become even more important, the wheels that Jeff oversees and steers. Seating according to ones ministry affiliation or interest, and a Ministry Booklet (distributed at the annual meeting) were discussed as ways to keep the focus on introducing and drawing new parishioners to our various ministry options. As the Annual Meeting falls in the middle of the program year it is a perfect time to revitalize existing mission ties and create new ones. Lucy is currently gathering Purpose Statements from each of the missions for use in the Ministry Booklet. It was observed that the Annual Meeting is becoming a mission of its own.

Warden’s Report

Clinton Path Agreement Update

The New Agreement with Clinton Path has been approved and it is in place. Eli Laurencot and CWT were instrumental in the development of the final document.

Capital Appeal Committee Recognition Gift

Vendors are being contacted for quotes to repair the light in the vestibule between the central building and the sanctuary. The repair will be dedicated to the tireless work of the Capital Campaign Committee.

Nominating Committee

A short list has been developed and the candidates are being contacted.

Staff Gifts

Gifts of $100 cash for each employee were voted and approved.

Capital Appeal Committee Celebration

The event themed “Let Your Light Shine” is planned for January 8^th. Ginny Willcox and Roger House are working on the invitations. The teens will be the wait-staff. All tips will be used to fund teen activities. Childcare will be provided.

Stewardship Drive Update

A good number of pledge cards have been received. More cards will be printed. The Stewardship Committee will continue to encourage all parishioners to participate.

Treasurer’s Report

Various line items adjustments in categories such as plate income, pledge income, and stipends were explained. The music budget has been reorganized to reflect the current conditions. The vestry voted and approved that up to $3000 be drawn from the Robinson Kraft Music Fund for music related expenses.

Budget Committee Update

The budget is being restructured for increased transparency and accurate representation on a foundation that is program-based. Ways to balance the budget without increasing the endowment draw were discussed. The budget will be voted on in the January vestry meeting and presented at the Annual Meeting.

Bell Tower Update

The cleaning and repair of the bell tower in the bidding phase. The work may be covered by insurance.

The meeting closed with a prayer at 9:30

The next vestry meeting will be on Tuesday, January 18, at 7:30 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Ben Norton, Clerk

APPROVED

St. Paul's Church in Brookline

Minutes of the Vestry Meeting

November 16, 2010

 

Present: The Rev. Jeffrey W. Mello, Rector; Steve Kelley, Senior Warden; Georgia Smith, Junior Warden; Beverly Estes-Smargiassi, Treasurer; Benjamin Norton, Clerk; Jeff Brown,Roger House, Elizabeth Laurencot, Fred Muehter, Madeleine Taylor, and Ginny Willcox

 

Not present: Liz DeSelm, Jim Margolis, Steve Morrissey

 

Agenda

 

Agenda was moved and passed as amended.

 

Minutes

 

The September, and October minutes’ review and approval were tabled until the December vestry meeting.

 

Scripture Study/Reflection

 

Jeff  led a discussion on the topic of “How do we imagine God might want us to lead at St. Paul’s”. 

 

Rector’s Report

 

Calendar Update

 

The Calendar has been set through Ash Wednesday.

 

Bishop’s Visitation Update

 

At 9:00 the bishop will attend Adult Education and lead a discussion on “Episcopal 101”. After the 10:00 service, the bishop will meet with parishioners at coffee hour. The vestry will host a luncheon for the bishop in the Rectory.

 

Feast of the Epiphany

 

A parishioner from the Mission Church is working with Jeff to design an ecumenical Epiphany Taizee service.  Parishioner Julie House has played at the Taizee service at the Mission Church and is coordinating this effort with Jeff.

 

Huntington Theatre Outing

 

A group of adults is planning to attend the play ‘Vengeance Is the Lord’s’. The exact dates are TBD.

 

Diocesan Convention Update

 

Jeff Mello and Molly Lanzarotta attended the event at St. Stephen's Memorial Episcopal Church in Lynn, MA. The event usually lasts two days, but this year it was condensed into one day. Legislation was passed that restructures the process for clergy discipline to more of a professional licensure model rather than the military code-of-justice model used previously.  These changes were prompted by the National Church’s new canons passed at the last General Convention.

 

Warden’s Report

 

Clinton Path Update

 

The Letter of Agreement between Clinton Path and St. Paul’s is being finalized.

 

Capital Appeal Update

 

The Capital Campaign is nearing fruition and a completion ceremony is being planned for January 8, 2011.

 

Nominating Committee

 

A list of potential candidates is being compiled and announcements are being made during services to ensure that anyone interested in serving on the vestry is considered.

 

LAN Update

 

The St. Paul’s Local Area Network has been enhanced to allow guest access to our wireless network. The network is tiered accordingly.

 

Church School Furniture

 

More folding chairs are needed to accommodate the increase of church school members. The cost of $800 for 20 chairs was discussed. There may be available funds in the current church school budget.

 

Treasurer’s Report

 

Adjustments to line items regarding Capital Expenses and the Buildings and Grounds line items were explained.

 

The final cost of the retreat will be available in mid-December.

 

Budget Update

 

The budget is being revamped with respect to how the accounting is presented. A bottom-up review of the budget is underway with input from all of the programs.

 

Parking Update

 

Three parking spaces behind the rectory are available for use. One of the spaces is currently being used. Hopefully the remaining spaces will be used by neighborhood residents.  A donation of $150/month is requested for the use of these spaces.

 

Vestry Shepherd Discussion

 

Using Google docs was discussed as a potential tool for helping to keep the list of parishioners up to date. The target is to update the list monthly. The Building and Grounds Committee found the Google doc application rather useful.

 

Parish Retreat Review

 

With the theme “Community of Faith” and over 65 attendees, this year’s retreat was a very successful event. The location of next year’s retreat was discussed. Although we have a diocesan connection to the Harris Center,

 

the Incarnation Center was financially competitive and offered multiple advantages, particularly for the children.

 

Walter Mucha Appreciation Update

 

Jeff Brown and Clara Batchelor met to discuss the bench options. Additionally a small personal gift is being looked into.

 

Confirmand Event Update

 

The vestry is planning to host an event for the confirmands. This is seen as an opportunity to acknowledge their effort, and introduce the work of the vestry. Tim Smith will be invited to consult on the planning of the event.

 

The meeting closed with a prayer at 9:30

 

The next vestry meeting will be on Tuesday, December 14, at 7:30 p.m.

 

Respectfully Submitted,

 

Ben Norton, Clerk

APPROVED

St. Paul's Church in Brookline

Minutes of the Vestry Meeting

October 19, 2010

Present: The Rev. Jeffrey Mello, Rector, Steve Kelley, Senior Warden, Georgia Smith, Junior Warden, Bev Estes-Smargiassi, Treasurer, Steve Morrissey, Acting Clerk, Jeff Brown, Roger House, Elizabeth Laurencot, Jim Margolis, Fred Muehter, and Ginny Willcox.

Not present:  Madeleine Taylor, Liz DeSelm

The meeting opened at 7:30 p.m. with a prayer.

Agenda

The agenda was approved.

Scriptural Study/Reflection

With three questions (How do you see God in the community of St. Paul’s? How do you imagine the community of St. Paul’s might see God in you? How does God want you to be a leader in this community right now?), we reflected on growing deeper in our community.

Rector’s Report

Jeff listed the memorable events and activities of the past month: the moveable feast, apple picking, altar guild training, blessing of the animals. Confirmation class, Hugh Jones funeral, weddings, seekers group, newcomers brunch, 3^rd Sunday potlucks, and adult education series on margin.

The diocesan convention will be on November 6 at St. Stephen’s Lynn. Leah Rugen and Molly Lanzarotta will be our delegates. The parish retreat will be October 22 through 24; 26 families consisting of 80 people are expected to participate.

There is a new photocopier in the church office. The landscaping of the church and rectory grounds was completed today. We are obtaining quotes on disinfecting and repairing the bell tower and looking into a possible insurance claim.

Jeff asked that as the congregation grows, vestry members become familiar with their shepherd lists, paying attention to who’s in church and what’s happening in people’s lives. (Eli Laurencot will provide updated shepherd lists.)

Warden’s Report

The Buildings and Grounds committee will meet on October 25^th to prioritize needs. The Budget committee will meet on October 28^th to begin to develop a programmatic budget. 

Treasurer’s Report

Bev is working on the 3^rd quarter report and the delegation of some tasks.

Stewardship Report

The 2010 stewardship season will begin on October 31^st with a stewardship sermon, will continue on November 7^th and 14^th, and will culminate in Ingathering Sunday on November 21^st. There will be testimonials each week, and on November 14^th the committee will be available at coffee hour to answer questions. As last year, two letters will be sent to parishioners over the next four weeks, highlighting the theme “with God all things are possible.”

Bishop’s Visit

Bishop Cederholm will visit St. Paul’s on December 5^th, meeting with newcomers at 9:00, participating in the service at 10:00, and joining a festive coffee hour at 11:00 and a vestry lunch at noon (a potluck that Ginny Willcox will coordinate).

Capital Appeal Celebration

We hope in early January to celebrate the successful conclusion of the capital appeal, probably with an evening event involving everyone who participated in the campaign, including the consultant, George and Margie Chapman, and Pam Werntz and Joy Howard. We expect the memorial book to be up to date and memorials to be installed by that time. Steve Kelley will assemble before and after photos, and Ginny Willcox will organize the evening event.

Nominating Committee

The nominating committee was commissioned: Steve Kelley (chair), Eli Laurencot, Jim Margolis, and Steve Morrissey.

The meeting closed at 9:15 with a prayer.

The next vestry meeting will be on Tuesday, November 16, at 7:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Steve Morrissey

Acting Clerk