From the Rector: Looking ahead to February
Dear Friends,
Before you know it (on February 12th to be exact), we will be ready to have our annual meeting. The pledges will all be in (hint hint), the finance folks will have made a budget, vestry will have passed it, and we will be ready to reflect on another year of being St. Paul's as we honor the annual changing of the guard. Those who have been on vestry for three years will step down surrounded by our gratitude. Betsy Komjathy will pass the Co-Warden Hat to a new co-warden, and a new delegate will be added to our delegation.
- 2 Wardens lead the parish. Technically warden means "chief steward or servant" (not prison guard as I assumed as a child!). In other words, for (usually) two years, those who take on the mantle of Warden commit to being the primary caretakers and ministers of our church community, maintaining our vitality and guiding us along the way.
- The Clerk keeps our vestry minutes and maintains our governing records
- The Treasurer keeps our finances in check, working with the bookkeeper and the Finance Committee and building and then maintaining our budget.
- Vestry Members are representatives of the parish who are elected to make decisions on behalf of the parish. They endeavor to listen closely to the parish and then bring the voice of the parish to monthly meetings where our parish life is planned out and steered. Three parishioners are elected each year to a three year term.
- Our Delegation is a team of three people sent out on behalf of St. Paul's to Diocesan Convention to vote on the leadership and resolutions of the wider church in Eastern MA. Each delegate is elected to be an alternate for a year of learning, and then they are elected to be a first year delegate and then a second year delegate.
The nominating committee will take the names you send in, create a panel of new leaders who represent different points of view, identities, and generations, and then (once those people have each agreed) we will bring that panel of people to you to approve via a parish vote on 2/12. The more people you nominate, the more a part of that process each person can be.
Throughout Advent, we have been asking about what part of ourselves we leave outside the church doors, what voices and points of view do we need to call in to help bring this old church institution into the new thing that God is up to? This spiritual work is deeply connected to the work of choosing new leadership for the church. Thank you for adding your input to the process!
Vestry & Delegates
In the Episcopal Church, and thus at St. Paul’s, we depend on the leadership of our laity (non-ordained folks) in all aspects of our life together. The vestry is the governing body of our church and operates much like a board of a non-profit organization, but with more prayer! The vestry is chaired by two “Wardens” and comprised of nine members, three of whom are elected every three years to three-year terms. Additionally, there is a treasurer and assistant treasurer, and a clerk. Vestry members provide leadership and guidance for all of our ministries.
Tags: Rector's Reflections / Events / Vestry & Delegates
Rector
