Annual Meeting
This Sunday at 10:00 a.m., we will gather as a parish for our Annual Meeting—a curious but important part of our common life as Episcopalians. Some denominations make most of their decisions through congregational votes. Others rely on clergy, who have the final say. In The Episcopal Church, we ask the congregation to vote on one thing—the vestry—and then we trust the vestry, which works in concert with the rector, to make all the necessary decisions for our church.
The first thing we will do at the Annual Meeting, after we pray, is to elect our vestry. Back in December, you chose four individuals to serve a three-year term on the vestry: Mary Ellen Hartford, Eileen Kelley, Justin Sneed, and James Spahlinger. Technically, you selected those four individuals as the nominees, who will be presented at the Annual Meeting for an official vote. They will join the remaining eight individuals, who still have one or two years of vestry service ahead of them. After the meeting, at the 11:00 a.m. service, we will officially commission these new vestry members and ask God to bless and equip them for this ministry.
The Annual Meeting, therefore, is a significant turning point in the life of our parish. With the election of those four individuals, the term of the outgoing members officially ends. On behalf of the whole parish, I offer our deepest gratitude for the faithful work that they have done. Jeannie Whayne and Robert Murphy have served admirably for three full years. Peter Quinlisk, who served as the vestry’s clerk in 2022, has served as a member of the vestry for the last two years, following the resignation of another member. Similarly, Justin Sneed was elected last year to serve a one-year term, but, having only served one year, he had the option of accepting nomination for a full term, and, once he did, you elected him to serve for the next three years.
Along with the change in vestry membership, the Annual Meeting is a time when other roles change. The wardens of the vestry serve as leaders among leaders. The canons of our diocese give the rector the responsibility and privilege of choosing the senior warden and the vestry the responsibility and privilege of choosing the junior warden. I am grateful that Jim Norys has accepted the vestry’s election as our next junior warden. He will join Elizabeth Rosen, whom the vestry chose as last year’s junior warden and whom I have chosen to be this year’s senior warden.
The vestry is also responsible for electing delegates to diocesan convention, and, along with Elizabeth and Jim, our wardens, they have chosen Trent Palmer and Jeannie Whayne to serve. I am grateful for Suzi Freeman, who finished another two-year term as our delegate last year. The vestry has also chosen Julie Gehrki to serve another five-year term on our endowment committee, and she will continue to serve alongside Connie Clark, Greg Lee, Laura Wilkins, and Steve Zega. Lastly, the vestry is also responsible for choosing St. Paul’s representatives on the Butterfield Trail Corporate Board, and they have asked Bill Clark to begin a six-year term, and he has joined Holly Park, Shannon Gott, Sandy Prince, Elizabeth Powell, and Linda McMath. I am grateful for Martha McNair, who served faithfully in that role for the last several years.
At its first business meeting in February, the vestry will elect a clerk and a treasurer. Christine Cook has agreed to serve as the clerk, and Peter Elzer is willing to continue to serve as our treasurer. Both of those are full and important roles in the life of our parish, and I am grateful for their willingness to serve. Earlier this year, David McMath retired after serving for five years as our treasurer, and Chad Cox is finishing his second year as the clerk of the vestry. Both have done a wonderful job, for which I am most thankful.
In addition to the vestry election, the Annual Meeting is also a time when the rector and treasurer are asked to give reports about the health of our parish. I will speak about the spiritual vitality of St. Paul’s, and Peter Elzer, our treasurer, will talk about our 2024 finances and our 2025 budget. Other church leaders, including staff and volunteers, are invited to submit a written report, all of which are compiled into the published Annual Report, which will be available at the meeting and online.
You may get the impression that the Annual Meeting is primarily a time to elect the vestry and hear a few reports about our church. While those things make up the business of the meeting, I believe the aspects that do not show up in the minutes of that meeting are most important.
In The Episcopal Church, whoever shows up for the Annual Meeting is understood to be a quorum of the parish. In other words, those who are present are the people who have been equipped and authorized to conduct the business before us. We do not take role, nor do we count heads. Instead, we assume that those who are in the room and watching online are the right people—the people we need to do the peculiar work we are given to do.
That means that, when you come to the Annual Meeting, you are just as much a part of the leadership of our parish as anyone else. Although most of the operational decisions for our church are entrusted to the vestry, you are given the responsibility and privilege of electing them. Their authority is derived from that decision. Your participation at the Annual Meeting, therefore, is more than casting a vote. Your presence is the starting point for their future ministry. Although they almost certainly will be elected whether or not you show up, your presence, participation, questions, and comments are how you offer yourself into the life of our parish in this moment.
Ultimately, as members of the same body, we all share in the ministry of Jesus Christ in this place. The vestry and rector are given particular roles in the body, but so are you. You can come to any of our vestry meetings, and you can ask questions at any time, but the Annual Meeting is your opportunity to come together with the rest of the congregation to share in the ministry of electing and empowering the leaders of our church. I hope you will.
Yours faithfully,
Evan D. Garner
