WELCOME Sunday, February 4, 2018 Please visit www.ssecdurham.org for our announcements online. The first Sunday Parish Breakfast will be today, February 4. The Pennies for Change collection for Backpack Buddies, which will officially conclude with the blessing of contributions on February 4 by Father Bob, achieved a new record, $120.23, involving an amazing 896 coins! Children in the congregation learned a great deal about giving and caring for others in Children s Chapel during the campaign. Since Backpack Buddies helps provide food on weekends for North Carolina children who might otherwise not have adequate food, a big thank you to all who contributed. We will start a new collection for a child-oriented outreach ministry for the next few months. Stay tuned! Upcoming Grounds Maintenance. Due to storm damage, the crepe myrtles will be trimmed in mid- February. This trimming will also enhance new growth and more blossoms. The boxwood along Kimberly will also be cut back in February. Please see Kevin Kelly or a member of the Property Committee with any questions or concerns. Please join us! St. Stephen s Preschool will host a Valentine s Day Fundraising Dance on Friday, February 9 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Pizza and beverages will be provided, along with family-friendly music entertainment, games, and face painting! Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for children, with a max of $40 per family and can be purchased at www.ssesdurham.org. All proceeds will support St. Stephen s Episcopal Preschool. If you have any questions, please contact Tamiko Sanders at tamiko.sanders@ssecdurham.org. On Friday, February 9, at 7:30 p.m., duo harpsichordists, Elaine Funaro and Beverly Biggs, will present a concert at the church which is part of the 2018 North Carolina HIP (Historically Informed Performance) Festival. The featured work will be J. S. Bach s Concerto in C for Two Harpsichords, BWV 1061, where they will be joined by a string quintet. Works by Mozart and the London Bach, J. C. Bach, complete the program. A $15 donation is requested. Eagle Scout Project Update: The QR code signs for the St. Stephen s Meditation Trail have arrived. Help is needed installing the signs on Saturday, February 10. Contact Cameron Hayward at cam.hayward113@gmail.com to lend a hand. St. Stephen s Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, February 11 in accordance with the provisions of Diocesan Canon 22 and the parish by-laws. There will be one service of Holy Eucharist at 9:30 a.m. in the Nave. Parishioners are encouraged to stay after the service to attend the meeting and listen to the presentation of the Annual Report. There will also be a vote to fill the open seats on the 59th Vestry, and a coffee hour following.
The Young at Heart will gather for their Annual Valentine s Treat on Tuesday, February 13 at 11:30 a.m. at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club. Please sign up on the sheet at the reception desk if you wish to attend, or contact Marlene Morrison (919-489-8237). Copies of An Illustrated Lent for Families are available in the Narthex on the Tract Rack table. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, this resource provides short devotions, Scripture readings, coloring pages, activities, and prayers for engaging children and parents throughout the season of Lent. They will also be available at the Pancake Supper on February 13. Please pick one up for your family! The youth are thrilled to extend an invitation to the entire congregation to come and celebrate a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, Tuesday, February 13. The youth will be hosting dinner from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall, the cost of which is through donation. Please come and enjoy delicious food, fabulous friends, and fun activities for the kids. We look forward to seeing you then! On Sunday, February 18, at 3:00 p.m., The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle (COT) will return to its birthplace, "the acoustical gem St. Stephen s Episcopal Church. The concert is being made possible through the generosity of Thomas, S. Kenan, III. Featured works will Mendelssohn s ebullient Octet for strings and Dvořák s Wind Serenade. Two shorter pieces for strings, Dvořák s Nocturne and Golijov s Tenebrae, complete the program. Tickets ($30) are available at the door with free admission for all students. The Rev. Stephen Elkins-Williams will lead a Lenten study using the book, Proof of Heaven, a remarkable depiction of one of the most startling near-death experiences ever described. Dr. Eben Alexander, a renowned neurologist, articulates his conversion from a self-described Christmas and Easter Episcopalian to a believer focused on sharing the reality of unfailing God s presence and the unimaginable life of beauty and love lying ahead of us. The class which will focus on this book s relationship to scripture and our faith perspective will meet five Wednesday afternoons (2/21 & 28 and 3/7, 14, & 21) in the Davis Room from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. The first half hour will be social time together over cake and coffee, and the class itself will constitute the last hour. Sign up at the reception desk or by calling the parish office (919-493-5451) by Sunday, February 11. For further information, look for Father Stephen s letter in the February newsletter. The deadline for the weekly bulletin is Tuesday at noon. The deadline for the March edition of Stephen s Window is Thursday, February 15. The Office looks forward to receiving your submissions. THE 59TH VESTRY NOMINEES AND PROPOSED BY-LAW CHANGES Nominees for Vestry Service
Lizzie Almasy - My name is Lizzie and I have been a member of St.Stephen's my entire life. I was a member of the acolyte corp for 7 years, 3 of which I spent as captain. I was also an active member of the youth program for many years. In 2015, I was the Durham youth representative at the annual diocese convention. If elected to the vestry, I'd like to bring a younger perspective to the group. Jim Stewart - I am a principal in the real estate brokerage and appraisal firm of Stewart, Martin and McCoy, LLC, located in Durham, NC. The firm, organized in 2015, is the result of joining forces with two other colleagues to form a full service company. My focus is on commercial real estate brokerage. I earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (1970) and a MBA (2009), both from NC State University. Prior to becoming active in real estate, I was employed by IBM Corporation serving in many varied roles in the telecommunications industry, from engineering to marketing. I also served for four years on active duty with the U.S. Army. I am active with NC State University and with the Durham community, currently serving as chairman of the board of directors of M&F Bank and its parent company, M&F Bancorp, Inc. I also serve on the boards of the Emily Krzyzewski Center and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Durham, as immediate past chair of the Triangle Community Foundation board, and served on the boards of the YMCA of the Triangle and its Durham Advisory Board. In addition to serving on the Vestry of St. Stephen s Episcopal Church, I am also the church s Treasurer. Drayton Virkler - I am a native North Carolinian and moved to Durham in 2001 to attend business school. My wife Laura and I have been members of Saint Stephen s since 2002. We have a daughter, Ella (15), and two sons, Sumner (13) and Henry (10). All of our children were baptized at Saint Stephen s and Sumner, Henry and I usher regularly. I was a member of the vestry from 2012-2014. While on the vestry, I was the Junior Warden in 2013 and served as Senior Warden for the first half of 2014, before our family moved in Asia for work. In addition to my time on the vestry, I also ran Stewardship for the church in 2008 and 2009 and have served as an usher since 2004. My professional background is in biopharmaceutical sales and marketing and I currently work for IQVIA in RTP. Business Experience and Academic Background Vice President & Global Account Director at IQVIA Head of Business Development Asia Pac (2014-2016) & US &
Canada (2017) Head of Investor Relations, Talecris Biotherapeutics Product Director, GlaxoSmithKline Fuqua School of Business, Duke University: MBA Washington and Lee University: BS (Chemistry) Community Involvement Vestry Member of St. Stephens Episcopal Church (2012-2014) Caring House Board and Executive Committee Member (2008-2014) Board of Trustees St. Georges School, Newport R.I. (2012-2014) Norm Woods - I served on the 2014-2016 SSEC Vestry and was both Junior and Senior Warden. I am currently serving on the Board for St. Stephen s Preschool. I am glad the Parish has enough confidence in me and I am honored to be considered for serving another term. I lived most of my life in Detroit Michigan. At eighteen years of age, I enlisted in the U.S. Navy. While on Active duty, I qualified and served on Nuclear Power Submarines. After I left Active duty and I immediately joined the U.S. Navel Ready Reserves, where I spent another 21 years. In 1990, I retired as a full Commander (O-5). As a professional, I have worked for a number of large corporations (i.e., Ford Motor Co., Gillette in Boston MA, and the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa), in Pittsburgh PA). I have experience working in Information Technology, Banking, and Human Resources. I also spent a few years work as an Independent Consulting working on large HR and I/T Projects. I have been a communicant in the Episcopalian since 1984 and have always been active in my parishes. In 2006, I moved to Durham NC and joined St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. My wife is Martina Gardner Woods and together we have four Children and six Grandchildren. I have and will continue to serve St. Stephen's. Thank you. Proposed revisions to the By-Laws of St. Stephen s Episcopal Church in Durham, North Carolina. Presented at Annual Meeting on February 11, 2018. Article II Vestry ORIGINAL (2004) Section 3. Elections. Two months prior to the Annual Meeting, a Nominating Committee, composed of the retiring Vestry Members, whose chair shall be appointed by
the Rector or Senior Warden in the absence of the Rector, shall seek nominees from communicants in good standing and publish a slate of those qualified and willing to serve, with appropriate biographical data, at least two weeks prior to the Annual Meeting. The Nominating Committee shall endeavor to have the number of nominees to be at least twice that of the positions to be filled. Qualified communicants willing to serve may be nominated from the floor; a brief biography should be presented by the nominator. Election shall be by written ballot, and a majority of those present and voting shall be necessary to elect a member of the Vestry. To be valid a ballot must contain a vote for each of the positions to be filled. Absentee ballots are not valid. Election by plurality is not permitted. REVISED Section 3. Elections. Two months prior to the Annual Meeting, a Nominating Committee, composed of the retiring Vestry Members, whose chair shall be appointed by the Rector, or by the Senior Warden in the absence of the Rector, shall seek nominees from communicants in good standing and publish a slate of those qualified and willing to serve, with appropriate biographical data, at least two weeks prior to the Annual Meeting. The Nominating Committee shall be composed of at least two of the retiring Vestry Members and two communicants of the parish who are appointed by the Vestry for this purpose. RATIONALE The Nominating Committee shall endeavor to have the number of nominees to be at least twice include at least two persons more than that of the positions to be filled. Qualified communicants willing to serve may also be nominated from the floor; a brief biography should be presented by the nominator, along with the written consent of the person being nominated if they are unable to be present in person. Election shall be by written ballot, and a majority of those present and voting shall be necessary to elect a member of the Vestry. To be valid, a ballot must contain a vote for each of the positions to be filled. Absentee ballots are not valid. Election by plurality is not permitted. There are times when the number of available retiring Vestry members is less than four and it would be beneficial to augment the number of available members in order to spread the work load, and also to incorporate additional points of view. Some revision as to the number of nominees put forward by the Nominating Committee is addressed by the Chancellor of the Diocese, as follows:
Your proposed language concerning the [constitution of the] Nominating Committee is not inconsistent [with the Constitution and Canons of the Diocese] and can be adopted as prepared. [With respect to] requiring some minimum number of nominees in excess of the number to be elected I think the better practice would be to require the nominating committee to produce nominations in some amount greater than those to be elected. As presently drafted, your bylaws set a goal of twice the number to be elected but does not require any particular number. That permits the Nominating Committee to nominate only the number to be elected and that would not be good. While establishing a goal of twice the number to be elected, you might want to require that they nominate the number to be elected plus two or three (e.g. nominate six to elect four, etc.). Otherwise, you run the risk of the Vestry essentially perpetuating itself through control of the number of nominations. It's just too easy for the Nominating Committee to stop at four nominees if that's all the slots you have to fill. While the floor nomination process provides some possibility for other candidates, it's hard for a floor nominee to be elected; they start out from the back row. Article III. By-Laws and Rules of Order ORIGINAL (2004) Section I. Amendments. These By-Laws may be amended by the affirmative vote of a majority of the persons present and qualified to vote at an Annual Meeting provided the proposed changes have been submitted to the membership in printed form at least two weeks prior to the Annual Meeting. Proposed amendments must be approved by the Bishop prior to vote by the membership. Article III. By-Laws and Rules of Order REVISED Section I. Amendments. Articles I, Sections 1 through 4 of Article II, and Article III of these by-laws and any additional by-laws governing Vestry elections or parish meetings may be amended by the affirmative vote of a majority of the persons present and qualified to vote at an Annual Meeting. Sections 5 through 8 of Article II and any additional by-laws governing Vestry meetings or the conduct of Vestry business may be amended by the affirmative vote of the Vestry at any meeting of the Vestry at which a quorum is present. These By-Laws may be amended Amendments by the Annual Meeting shall be by the affirmative vote of a majority of the persons present and qualified to vote at an Annual Meeting provided that the proposed changes have been submitted to the membership in printed form at least two weeks prior to the Annual Meeting. Proposed amendments
must be approved by the Bishop Chancellor of the Diocese prior to the vote by the membership, and subsequently submitted to the Bishop for approval following their acceptance by the Annual Meeting. RATIONALE These change are recommended by the Chancellor to make the by-laws consistent with the diocesan Constitution Canons, as follows: The last sentence of Article III, Section 1 is incorrect. Read literally; the Canons require the Bishop to approve or disapprove Bylaws; not proposed bylaws. While I think it is wise to run the proposals by the Chancellor in advance of their consideration by the Parish or Vestry, it is probably best to wait until the Bylaws are actually adopted to run them by the Bishop. This change is requested to make the By-laws consistent with the diocesan Constitution Canons, Article III, Section 1(d), as follows: A copy of the by-laws and each amendment thereto adopted by each parish, certified by the secretary, shall be filed within 30 days thereafter with the Ecclesiastical Authority of the Diocese for approval. The Ecclesiastical Authority may, with the advice and consent of the Standing Committee, disapprove any by-law which is inconsistent with the Constitution or Canons of the Diocese or of the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church. [Amended by Act 2007-9.] [Also, by way of clarification,] Diocesan Canon 22 provides that Bylaws (and amendments thereto) governing Vestry elections and Parish meetings must be approved at a Parish meeting while Bylaws (and amendments thereto) relating to the conduct of Vestry meetings and business are approved by the Vestry. The Parish does not approve Vestry Bylaws. So Articles I, Sections 1 through 4 of Article II, and Article III of these Bylaws and any additional Bylaws governing Vestry elections or parish meetings may be amended by the affirmative vote of a majority of the persons present and qualified to vote at an Annual Meeting, while your Sections 5 through 8 of Article II do not require approval by the Parish Meeting; just by the Vestry.