Vestry News and Review
4/22/2022
By Neil Willits, Co-Senior Warden
It’s been a while since you’ve gotten an official report on what the Vestry has been up to, but you needn’t be concerned; it can take a while for a new group of Vestry members to chart their course for the year. Since the annual meeting, we’ve had two of our monthly meetings and a planning retreat, held jointly with the Ministry Council and extending over two meetings. Only half of this year’s members have been on the Vestry for a year or more. This means that we all need to get to know each other and the newer members need to bring themselves up to date with “the story so far.” I can safely say that these are both works in progress, although I would emphasize the word “progress.”
During our first meeting, the new members were given a quick “Vestry 101” lecture by Lisa Leigh, who has worked as an attorney for the diocese, explaining what are the areas for which the Vestry is and isn’t responsible. The quick answer to this question is that most decisions are up to the Rector, who relies on input from the staff, the Ministry Council, and others, but when the question “how are we going to pay for it?” arises, that’s when the Vestry gets involved. So, if you corner a Vestry member at coffee hour with a great idea, chances are you’ve caught the ear of an interested party, though probably not the responsible party.
We’ve also been working on our goals/priorities (areas of focus) for the year. A central one is for us to move out of the pandemic in a way that will restore the vitality that was lost during the past two years. This is tough, since it’s a safe bet that we haven’t heard the last from COVID, and so the path forward may not always be a straight one. Nor is it realistic that our “new normal” will be exactly the same as our “old normal.” So we will need to be mindful as the world changes around us, with the confidence that a lot of the effort of the past two years went toward making us ready to deal with a range of “new normals.” After all, Jesus sent the apostles out into a world filled with question marks, and they did wonders. Just think how much we can do, as prepared as we are. Keep an eye out for the wonders as they develop around us!
Finally, please remember that you are always welcome to attend Vestry meetings. Our next one is this Monday, April 25, at 4:30 pm on Zoom. Just let the office or a Vestry member know that you need the link and we’ll see you there.