Minutes of the Vestry Meeting Emmanuel Episcopal Church February 18, 2018 Present: Katherine Alexander, Martha Babendreier, Bob Davis, Randy Forester, Bill Fox, Kerry Hogan, Rob Hoyt, Kelli Neil, Terrie Seward, Carter Stanfield, Jan Wheeler, Mary Moore (Clerk), and Fr. Robert Salamone Absent: Anna Alexander Fr. Robert called the meeting to order at 1:08 p.m. Robert began the meeting noting the need to postpone the vestry retreat in January and expressing his expectation that we may be able to gather at a later time in the months to come. He emphasized the importance of having that time together on retreat in order to bond as a group and build relationships with one another while working for the common good. Until then, however, there are business items that need to be done including passing a budget, electing a Junior Warden, and visioning for the future. Robert then led with a prayer. DISCUSSION ITEMS Finances Terrie passed out copies of the most recent finance reports and highlighted the following: The cash on hand at the end of 2017 was $1,383,137 Actual pledged income exceeded budgeted amount by $22,360 Actual expenses were less than the budgeted amount by $27,318 Total net income was $45,161 The amount in operating surplus funds is currently $552,272 76% of Phase 2 construction pledges have been collected Phase 2 line of credit is currently $435,000 The Thrift House ended 2017 with a surplus of $9,451 Robert and Terrie mentioned an outstanding disagreement with one of the Phase 2 contractors that is currently be handled by our lawyer. 2018 Budget Terrie distributed and reviewed the 2018 budget. She explained that currently there is a deficit of $67,246.92, however it is believed there is still approximately at least $66,000 in expected pledges that have not yet been returned. This is not unusual at this point and is similar to last year. The Vestry will vote on an updated budget in April once additional outstanding pledges have been received. An effort to obtain the remaining expected pledged commitments is underway and should be completed soon. Pledging Statistics Robert distributed the most up to date pledge statistics for 2018 including a breakdown of pledge size, total number of pledges, number of new pledges, and the number of pledges that stayed the same, increased or decreased as compared to last year. He reminded the Vestry that it is important for us all to be intentional about what we give and that we think about where we are at when we do pledge. He also noted that if a Vestry member knows of new members that they would like to contact about pledging, Melissa can help verify whether or not those individuals have already pledged. Robert noted that the decrease in recordable income was offset by an increase in pledged income. A question was asked regarding what was a reasonable number of pledges to have. Robert responded that 225 pledging units is possible to attain. Robert concluded by asking the Vestry to consider developing a 1
game plan with regard to evangelizing, specifically reflecting on the question How do we bring people into the church? Grant Approvals Terrie gave an overview of how the Mission and Extended Ministries Committee (MEMC) receives funds to give on behalf of Emmanuel and the grant process in place to facilitate the granting of those funds. She led the Vestry in a discussion of the most recent requests for funding proposed by MEMC. Action Ministries $4,000 no discussion Nancy Travis House (NTH) Childcare Project $4,000 o NTH is requesting funds to support an array of partner agencies, including Athens Area Homeless Shelter, Children First, the Salvation Army, and Project Safe. Terrie noted that Emmanuel already gives directly to some of those organizations. There was discussion regarding whether it made sense to fund NTH to enable them to pass the money on to other organizations rather than have Emmanuel fund those organizations directly. Jan questioned whether this request meets our purpose and did not believe it did. Robert suggested removing this request and reminded the Vestry that Emmanuel does not need to wait for requests to come in; rather we can be proactive in seeking out organizations that meet our stated priorities and need financial assistance and choose to fund them directly Athens Nurses Clinic $4,000 no discussion Episcopal Community Foundation/Hunger Walk $1,100 no discussion St. Etienne School, Haiti $7,140.76 (1 st quarter payment of annual commitment of $28,563.04) o The amount was outlined but MEMC noted that the request was pending until the exact amount that will be available for grants in 2018 is known. In the interest of getting funds to St. Etienne during the first quarter so that they continue to receive four quarterly payments, the Vestry decided to send $6,102.50 this quarter (the quarterly amount granted in 2017.) MEMC will reassess and submit an update when they have the new funding information for 2018. Summer Camp Scholarships $4,000 (2 nd quarter funds) o Carter explained that MEMC would like to allocate funds to support need-based summer camp scholarships for children of parishioners. There was also discussion around providing money to Camp Mikel and the YMCA for summer camp scholarships. He acknowledged that they would need to set up a process and set priorities for disbursement. They are proposing the funds for this be approved from 2 nd quarter funds. Before moving forward with this effort however, MEMC is looking for the conceptual support of the Vestry. Terrie provided a bit of history. Several years ago Emmanuel, through MEMC, provided support to the YWCA on a regular basis and in exchange the Y would accept children from Emmanuel, or that Emmanuel supported, when there was a need for those children to attend any of their programs (summer and/or after school.) While the Vestry supports this in concept there are many questions that need to be considered before moving forward. The Vestry asked MEMC to develop this concept more fully prior to the funds being disbursed in the 2 nd quarter. Robert suggested that at the very least, we start with a cap in order to maximize the number of children who will be able to benefit from this effort. View of the Episcopal Church Robert asked the Vestry to consider what it means to be a member of the Episcopal Church both nationally as well as locally and what we at Emmanuel can do to enhance the church and be a place where people want to come. To provide background for this and future discussions, he distributed a variety of information for the Vestry to consider. The information included demographic information about Athens, Findings from the 2014 Survey of Episcopal Congregations, Fact 2
Sheets on membership and pledging in the Episcopal Church by Province and Diocese, and trends on participation and giving for the Diocese of Atlanta and Emmanuel Church. Overall, Robert concluded that comparatively, Emmanuel is in a relatively good position. Vision and Planning Brainstorming Robert posed the following questions for the Vestry to consider during the Vision and Planning Brainstorming phase of the meeting: 1. What gives Emmanuel Life? (What do we need to build on and enhance?) 2. What detracts from life at Emmanuel? (Need do we need to fix?) Rob mentioned the opportunities we have to build on and enhance the interaction with the UGA community while Katherine asked how we balance that with needs of the Hispanic ministry, Youth ministry, and other needs. Robert noted that he has interviewed a candidate interested in the UGA ministry position once that becomes a reality. The person interviewed is currently the youth director at the Cathedral and is in the process for Ordination. Assuming this individual gets through the Diocesan hiring process, Robert would like to use the 2017 budget surplus to hire him to lead the youth ministry and the UGA ministry. Robert gave a brief history of Emmanuel s relationship with the UGA ministry in response to a question from Bob. He also informed the Vestry that once construction starts on the new Episcopal Center on Lumpkin Street, all UGA ministry activities will take place at Emmanuel until the building project is complete. Robert acknowledged that Emmanuel is not perceived as a warm and welcoming church and asked what we are doing to encourage small group participation. Jan mentioned the importance of following up on interest in ministries on the back of the pledge card. Robert assured that the ministry leaders are given the names of those who indicate interest. Terrie asked how we can get people into small groups and engaged so they volunteer themselves. Holy Cookers was mentioned as a ministry that may be reactivated if there is renewed interest. Robert asked: We are going to start evangelizing but what does that mean? It means, for example, not always sitting in the same place with the same people at every event. How do we create a space for others to interact? Kerry shared that sometimes work can bring people together especially for people who may feel uncomfortable meeting in a small social group. Working together on a service project or in any situation focused on doing something helps to bring people together. Bill was asked about his landscaping crew and the Holy Helpers group he has worked to create. He said it took a while to get people interested but they are now very engaged. Both are examples of small groups that are working on common goals. Terrie mentioned that the pot-luck dinners last year were very successful and that we may be able to do those once a quarter. Robert also mentioned that this year we will celebrate our 175 th anniversary and Terrie indicated that she, Brooke Stortz, Crysty Odom, and Phil Bettendorf have volunteered to work on an event. That may provide additional opportunities for people to become engaged. So what works for us? The music is good. The facilities are good. Bob is very happy as an Episcopalian because of the thoughtfulness of the liturgy. Kelli feels we are very accepting and likes the diversity. Terrie asked if it was easier to meet people and engage in the church when you have kids. Bob wants the Vestry to think about how we can make this work for people. Bill wondered if holding a ministry fair in conjunction with a pot luck would be of interest. Rob noted he became more comfortable within the church after he was asked to be an usher. Terrie said that we need to know who new people are. Carter likes that Emmanuel is a participating church and not a spectator church. It was generally acknowledged that having a responsibility to something increases engagement. 3
So what do we do with all these ideas? Reach out to others and invite them in; invite other groups in to use our space; create a list of events and get them on the calendar so people know what is coming up and are able to plan; hold combined events with the Hispanic congregation 175 th Anniversary party may be a good opportunity and/or a blessing of the animals event. Robert asked: What formal sense do we give to this? What committees or commissions do we need? What don t we need any longer? Responses as to what is needed included: Communications, Facilities & Grounds (and Holy Helpers), and Pastoral Care. It was noted that the new Holy Helpers group crosses over into Pastoral Care. Jan mentioned that Pastoral Care has a form requesting help so that needs can then be referred to the appropriate group (such as Holy Helpers) to provide the necessary help. To facilitate the discussion Terrie passed out a list of the current Commissions and asked the Vestry to consider whether these are still relevant or if they need to be changed or combined. Robert passed out a more detailed list of committees under each commission. Kerry suggested that in place of ministry fair each group could be scheduled talk at various church events to share details about what they do and offer an opportunity to recruit and invite people in. Terrie suggested also that an article to the News from the Narthex highlighting ministries should be included in each edition. Robert asked the Vestry to indicate where their passions lie to help pair people to commissions, which they did. Concluding this portion of the meeting Robert provided an update on the Youth Ministry. Ben & Megan have expanded the Youth Ministry this year. They now meet every Sunday and are averaging between 10-13 each week. Robert also made a book suggestion that the Vestry may want to read, titled Toxic Charity. Jr. Warden Election The role of Junior Warden is a role in which any vestry member can serve. It is someone who can step in to lead and guide the Vestry when the Warden is unable to serve. Other duties can vary and they may be either long or short term. Robert asked if there was anyone who would not like to be considered and three members indicated as such. A vote by paper ballot was conducted and Rob Hoyt was elected the Junior Warden for 2018. ACTION ITEMS Bill made a motion to approve the draft budget dated 2/7/2018 as presented. The motion was seconded by Katherine. The motion passed unanimously. Bill made a motion to approve the following grant requests: From 1 st quarter 2018 MEMC funds: Action Ministries $4,000.00 Athens Nurses Clinic $4,000.00 Episcopal Community Foundation (Hunger Walk) $1,100.00 St. Etienne School in Limonade, Haiti $6,102.50 From 2 nd quarter 2018 MEMC funds: Summer Camp Scholarships to come from 2 nd quarter $4,000.00 The motion was seconded by Rob. The motion passed unanimously. 4
Closing Business Terrie handed out contact information for everyone to check for correctness and mentioned that all would be contacted regarding how to complete the required online course Safe Guarding God s Children. She also reminded Vestry members that when completing the Sunday deposits it was important to look at the checks and make sure the deposit slip only includes checks for the annual pledge or the building pledge. All other checks such as those to EEDS or ERD, for example need to be placed in a separate envelope for Karen and not included on the deposit slip. Robert mentioned that in future meetings this year, the Vestry will do closing devotions (rather than opening devotions.) He also intends for there to be time built in to future meeting for scripture study. The meeting ended at 6:10 p.m. Approved by: Katherine Alexander, Martha Babendreier, Bob Davis, Randy Forester, Bill Fox, Kerry Hogan, Rob Hoyt, Kelli Neil, Terrie Seward, Carter Stanfield, Jan Wheeler Abstain: Anna Alexander Respectfully submitted, Mary Moore, Clerk of the Vestry 5