Vestry News and Review for April 2023 

“Budget and Bishops and Hendriatis!”

By Diane Bamforth

April was a busy month for vestry as we continued to address the budget issues within the context of what our priorities are as a Church reaching out in love.

At our April meeting we spent most of the time processing what we had heard at the parish-wide gathering held the Sunday before. We had felt it important to let the parish know what challenges we are facing and to get their input on what they feel our priorities should be. 

Our spiritual practice took the form of a Commitment to “Give Generously and Receive Gratefully.” Listening carefully, opening our minds, and letting go of judgments and bias will help us all to find that Common Ground.

It became clear at our vestry meeting that our individual members had indeed listened very carefully to what came up at that meeting and were grateful to hear your views.

We don’t wish to make any hasty decisions and are carefully considering our options, ably guided by our treasurer Jessie Ann Owens. Having said that, time is of the essence. We do not want to enter a third year operating with a deficit budget.

But this is about far more than money.

We are looking forward to our follow up meeting with the Parish on May 21 during which we can explore further what our priorities are and what it is that makes us a community of faith, hope, and love. What keeps us here? What are the challenges? What will we look like in another few years? How do we want to be perceived in the wider community? How are we acting out our baptismal covenant?

Please be assured that your vestry is listening, praying and discerning where we go from here.

It was a pleasure to have Rev. Deborah Hawkins, one of our Associate priests, at the April vestry meeting. Her presence quickly became clear when it was introduced that she will be the priest covering Pamela’s sabbatical this summer.

We are indeed fortunate that Deborah is so familiar with our parish, having been sponsored by us for the priesthood several years ago. In fact, it was deja vu for me sitting at the same table during vestry meetings as I had back in the early 2000’s.

After the marvelous Confirmation service on April 30, the vestry had a working lunch with our Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Megan Traquair. Due to the pandemic, it was the first time we had been able to spend any time with her on our own campus. It quickly became clear that she is a compassionate leader who listens wisely, and genuinely cares for the welfare of her clergy, vestry and parishioners. She is fully aware of the challenges facing all congregations in this post-pandemic world.

Bishop Megan was impressed by the work St. Martin’s is doing in our parish and community. She referred to our congregation as being like a “Dynamo.” She fully appreciates the energy that exudes from St. Martin’s.

Bishop Megan did put us on the spot when she asked us what our mission statement was. We all seemed to know it in part, not getting it entirely right. Is it rooted in love? No, growing in Love? No, reaching out…. You get the drift.

She suggested that it is something that needs to be second nature for us.

Rooted in Faith

Growing in Hope

Reaching out in Love

We are striving to live this out but now we need to imprint that statement on our hearts. Likewise, we should heed the words from Pamela’s sermon from the day of our first parish meeting “Gather, Transform, Send.”

So, I will leave you with this:

The three-word rule to convey a single concept is called a hendiatris.

Diane Bamforth