ST PHILIPS EPISCOPAL CHURCH VESTRY RETREAT January 4, 2013 Attendance: Present were: Father Barry Kubler, Tommy Harrelson, Mike Burke, Peter del Sol, Jane Edwards, Debbie Evans, Bobbie Fuchs, Blakley Huntley, Rick Pearce, Jake Pfohl, Ruth Smith, Mandy Tomz Also present: Dave Forsyth, Interim Treasurer, Don Hill, Clerk, Ray Diguiseppe, Chancellor, Pam Hayes, Deacon-in-Training and Bonnie Thomas, Asst. Clerk Absent were: Norm Wheeler Father Barry Opened the Meeting in the Lois Jane s B&B, Southport at 4:30 PM. Ruth Smith gave the opening prayer. All of the attendee s then presented background information about some of their life experiences by responding to two basic questions: What did you do on Sundays when you were growing up and What was your favorite pet. A break was taken from 6:00 to 6:45 for Dinner Fr. Barry and Tommy Harrelson then led a brief discussion and review on EXPECTATIONS of the Vestry: --Bishop Daniel s letter of January 4 th discussing his resignation was reviewed and Fr. Barry provided an explanation of what it means to the Diocese. --Discussion followed on individual expectations for each member of the vestry and St Philips in general. Two major themes evolved from this: (1) A better description of volunteer opportunities at St Philips needs to be developed. This will equate to more people becoming involved. (2) Individual EXPECTATIONS need to be reflected in each Commission s objectives and specifically: How to make them happen. Discussion then followed, led by Fr. Barry, using ACTS 1: 1-11 on VISION and Ezra 7: 8-10 on The Leaders Priorities. --How does the reading from ACTS give us a vision for St Philips which in turn will lead to goals and objectives. 1
--How does the reading from Ezra inspire the Vestry to a leadership role by leading with inspiration from the heart. Tommy Harrelson then led a brief discussion and CRITIQUE OF 2012 GOALS & OBJECTIVES: --What was done well --What needs to be improved upon to make the commissions better and more responsive to parish needs. --Need to make 2013 Objectives more specific and easily understood. The Evening Session Closed with the Order of Compline, led by Fr. Barry, at 8:30 PM January 5 th, 2013 The Morning Session opened at 8:00 AM with Morning Devotions led by Fr. Barry. ATTENDENCE: Same attendee s as Friday evening session. After a short breakfast the Morning Business Session opened at 8:30 AM DISCUSSION OF 2013 CALENDAR OF MAJOR CHURCH EVENTS---See Attachment A. Fr. Barry then suggested approval of the Minutes, as corrected, for the Vestry Workshop held on December 8 th. Tommy Harrelson made a motion to approve and Ruth Smith seconded. Unanimous approval was given. David Forsyth then gave a very concise explanation on his acceptance of the position of interim finance officer. He views his position as a transition until a new finance committee gets up to speed and is able to select a new, permanent finance officer. (See Dec. 8 th Minutes regarding Interim Finance Officer for details) Discussion then followed regarding RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF A FINANCE COMMITTEE AND THEIR TASKS: -- Tommy Harrelson moved that the Vestry approve the Finance Committee plan developed by Peter del Sol and provided to the Vestry via e-mail before the retreat. Ruth Smith seconded. The motion was approved by unanimous vote. --Ruth Smith moved that the two Vestry members be Tommy Harrelson and Peter del Sol and that they would select two members from the congregation to be on the committee. Bobbie Fuchs seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously. 2
A brief discussion then followed regarding VESTRY PERSON OF THE DAY DUTIES: -- It was suggested and agreed upon by all that the new members of the Vestry join in with a current member and follow them thru one Sunday to get experience with all the duties before having to do it by themselves. This includes the Beach Service which begins on May 26 th. Also read the VPOD List of Duties posted in the Flower Room on the wall or in your individual notebooks. --One important item brought up was the need to get the collection plates with the money from under the altar and into the sacristy as soon as possible after the service. Two people are needed to count the money. The second person need not be on the vestry if a vestry person is not available. A brief discussion took place regarding the current Service Commission. A major point brought up by Ruth Smith was that many people think the Service Commission is a leader in the Worship Service and they don t understand what its real function is. It was suggested by Jake Pfohl that the Vestry might consider changing the name of the Service Commission to Social Fellowship Commission. This will be considered at a later date. Prior to discussion on the overall Budget for 2013 the Compensation Committee Recommendations for Staff were discussed. Ruth Smith moved that the Committee Recommendations as presented in the December 8 th Workshop be approved. Blakley Huntley seconded the motion. Motion was approved. --One of the major reasons for approval was that additional yearend pledges are still coming in and if the 2 nd priest is taken out of the 2013 budget, ( $25K) the projected deficit will go down to approximately $18K dollars. 2013 BUDGET DISCUSSIONS (Commenced at 10:50 AM) A line by line review of expected Revenue for 2013 was conducted. Total Revenue is estimated to be approximately $448K A line by line review of expected Expenses for 2013 was then conducted: -- Rector s compensation, medicare supplement, travel expenses, etc were carefully reviewed to assist in putting together a package when search for a new rector begins. --Staff expenses were also given detailed review. St Philips is currently under staffed in comparison with other parishes of similar size and staff is on the lower end of compensation. --The projected total staff budget (approved above) for 2013 is $275,760. This does not include an additional $115.000 for an assistant priest and a part time finance officer. 3
--Miscellaneous expenses including admin supplies, Christian education supplies, etc; as well as office machines, phones were also carefully reviewed. --Total estimated expenses for 2013 are $491,625. --(SEE THE THREE SHEET 2012 BUDGET ACTUALS VERSUS 2013 BUDGET ESTIMATES FOR DETAILED LINE ITEM EXPLANATIONS OF ABOVE INFORMATION) Morning Business Session then broke for Noonday Service led by Fr. Barry. This was followed by a short lunch and Afternoon Session commenced at 12:45. After a brief recap of morning budget discussion Ruth Smith made a motion to approve the budget as presented ($491,624), Blakley Huntley seconded and the Vestry approved. David Forsyth then presented a tutorial on the current Restricted Funds Summary Sheet giving a detailed explanation on the 800 accounts line items and the need for finance committee involvement and oversight in this area. Pam Hayes presented a briefing on the Stephens Ministry Program to ensure that all the Vestry was aware of what the mission of the program is all about and the things it is not intended to accomplish. Ray Diguiseppe then presented a summation of what the responsibilities of the Chancellor are in St Philips and the relationship of that office to the church. After a short break, the final Major Area of Discussion for the afternoon; SWEEPS 2013 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES, took place. Following are the KEY Goals presented for each commission: --STEWARDSHIP (Peter del Sol & Norm Wheeler), (1) Reach $400 in pledges and offer a variety of ways to Pledge in 2014 Campaign, (2 )Present more detailed Time & Talent Opportunities to the Parish by describing What the job entails, --How much time to complete and how often will it need to be performed Each Commission will contribute to this endeavor, (3) Establish a Finance Committee and a part time Finance Officer for the Parish, (4) Reduce Mortgage with Congregational participation. --WORSHIP (Mandy Tomz), (1) Ensure that the Beach Ministry is organized and ready to go, (2) Organize two social functions for all Worship volunteers during the year and have each volunteer bring a friend. --EDUCATION (Blakley Huntley & Mike Burke), (1) Better coordination with Evangelism & Outreach Programs, (2) Insert more Christian Ed in Youth Group Activities, (3) Try and have more lecture series events, (4) Reorganize the Christian Ed Committee to better reflect the needs of the parish. 4
--EVANGELISM & OUTREACH (Jane Edwards & Jake Pfohl), (1) Try and start an ongoing relationship with an African-American Church in the community, (2) Work more closely with the Education Commission, (3) Identify more local opportunities for Outreach, (4) Develop a better message for St Philips as a welcoming church. --PASTORIAL CARE (Bobbie Fuchs), (1) Continue to develop and grow better coordination with Team Leaders and with their Teams. Ensure communication is in place. --SERVICE (Social Fellowship) (Ruth Smith & Debbie Evans), (1) Try and plan a yearly calendar, (2) Obtain a chair person for each required event, (3) Develop a set menu for particular events. --Junior Warden (Rick Pearce), (1) Ensure complete understanding of Emergency Contact Plan and keep all phone contacts and numbers up to date. --Senior Warden (Tommy Harrelson), (1) Work on obtaining an interim priest, (2) Lead the way in achievement of the Major Goals of the Church. After the lengthy session on 2013 Goals and Objectives, a brief review on EPISCOPAL CHURCH DOMESTIC FACTS & TRENDS took place with the major area of discussion being how can St Philips keep growing in the face of shrinking congregations in most Episcopal Churches. Following this Fr. Barry led the discussion on the Requirement for a new Master Plan. Candidates for a 3 to 5 year time frame were put forward as well as a 5 to 10 year goal. (Vestry Clerk was asked to put together a resolution regarding a St Philips Master Plan for Vestry approval which includes the areas put forward for consideration) Brief discussion followed on the status of the current City Hall adjacent to Chapel of the Cross. Tommy Harrelson agreed to speak with the city to obtain their thoughts on its eventual disposition. The membership of the Memorial Fund Committee was delayed as an ACTION ITEM for the January Vestry meeting on the 24 th. This ended the RETREAT Business Session. Dinner was served at 5:10 and after dinner Fr. Barry conducted Evening Prayer. The RETREAT was officially adjourned at 6:30. 5
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