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APPROVED

St. Paul's Church in Brookline

Minutes of the Vestry Meeting

November 25, 2008

Present: Rev. Terry McCall, Andrea Brue, Steve Kelley, Liz DeSelm, Beverly Estes-Smargiassi, Steve Estes-Smargiassi, Elizabeth Laurencot, Jim Margolis, Steve Morrissey, Madeleine Taylor and Ben Norton

Not present:, Nancy Sampson, Georgia Smith, Arlene Swan-Mahony,

The meeting was opened with a prayer.

Minutes

The October minutes were approved as amended.

Memorial Naming Policy

One reason for revisiting the naming policy was that the Capital Campaign consultant identified memorial naming as a possible way to encourage even more generous contributions. The placement of plaques to recognize exceptional gifts was discussed. The pros and cons of subjectivity in the guidelines were discussed. The following Guidelines for Memorials were voted and passed.

1. All proposals to name a space or item shall be in writing to the Vestry.  

2. All initial proposals should include the name of the person or organization to be honored or memorialized; background information, rationale, and contact information for the applicant. 

3. The Vestry may make recommendations for the design and placement of suitable memorials.  

4. The Vestry has absolute discretion over all decisions regarding naming.

Treasurers Report

A minor adjustment was made in the October budget numbers regarding pledge income. Renewed attention is being focused on '09 property and maintenance cost. Recent software upgrades allow for side-by-side comparison of current and former budgets. This could prove useful in identifying potential areas to cut expenditures. The '09 budget will be presented at the Annual Meeting on January 11, 2009.

Wardens Report

Building Committee

Renovating the Rectory and making improvements to the Parish House are urgently needed however the current estimated cost of $1.6 million is not feasible. Given the significant impact on the endowment due to the current state of the economy, the original budget of $1.45 million must be reduced. A number of options were discussed in detail with particular attention to the wishes of the parish as a whole and the economic vitality of the church. Top priority was given to renovating the rectory, improving church school area, installing a new heating/ventilation system in the Parish House, improving the choir room, middle room, and Great Hall. A revised budget of $1.1 million was voted and passed. More details regarding use of the endowment, and specifics of the modified construction plans will be provided at the Annual Meeting.

Vestry Nominations

A Nominating Committee was established and it will provide names for review at the December vestry meeting. The officers will be elected at the Annual Meeting.

Clergy Report

On December 21, December 28, January 4 and January 11 there will be a combined service at 10:00am. The Vestry approved a $5000 transfer from the Paine Fund to the checking account. The announcement for the Annual Meeting was provided to the clerk for posting.

Bible Study

Jim Margolis read two short passages from "The Enlightened Mind" edited by Stephen Mitchell.

The meeting closed with a prayer.

 

Respectfully submitted by

Benjamin Norton clerk