Emmanuel Episcopal Church

March 25, 2009

Present:  Father Robert Salamone, Father Edwin Beckham, John Becker, Anne Brightwell, Phillip Cofer, Joe Clements, Curt Collier, Dee Forester, Chuck Galis, Erwin Greene, Matthew Hicks, Vince Howard, Matt Humphrey, Marty Kemp, Nancy McDuff, Naomi Norman

Absent:  Lisa Yarn

The meeting was called to order at 7:03 pm by Father Robert.  There were no visitors and no additions to the agenda.

Father Robert gave the devotion from the passage from Mark’s Gospel on Jesus’ calling of the disciples and sending them out.  We all have the role as followers of Christ to come as a community to discern our charge.  Discernment is about seeking the will of God and distinguishing the path toward God.  The Vestry then took time for reflection and sharing of thoughts from Father Robert’s presentation.

Information/Discussion Items

Phillip led a discussion of how Communications are carried out and presented a “duties and procedures” chart.  According to the proposed chart, each Ministry would get messages in a timely manner to the Communications Commission and the church office; then the details would be sent to the appropriate means of disseminating the information (e-letter, Tower, bulletin, etc.).  Commission chairs would need to get the monthly reports filed in time for Phillip to make sure the information gets communicated.  It was suggested that a Facebook page might be another venue.  Father Robert appointed Father Edwin to the Communications Commission.  Phillip will develop a communications plan based on the Vestry input and bring a proposal back to the Vestry for approval.

Father Robert reported that the Thrift House still needs some tightening of the accounting process for audit purposes.  The Thrift House must comply with the 501c3 regulations to maintain the non-profit status for both Emmanuel and the Diocese of Atlanta.  He announced that Linda Ford is stepping down as chair and a new leader is needed.

Vince stated that the MEMC (Mission and Extended Ministries Committee) met on March 11, 2009.  They would like to be able to send $2400 quarterly to the school in Haiti without coming to the Vestry each time for approval.  The MEMC would also like to move $20,000 from the Long Range Planning funds to a new line item in the parish budget (see March MEMC report) to be kept in reserve for a large project still to be determined.  Only funds from the endowment would go into this line, not money from the operating funds.

The reflection on Stewardship from Joe was inspired by comments from the TENS Magazine based on Acts 17:28, “It is in God that we live and move and have our being.”  He asked the Vestry to reflect on how stewardship affects each ministry and to work on a personal reflection that could be shared in the Tower or other appropriate places.

Reports

Naomi asked the status of the new logo for the Athens Banner-Herald church page in Lent.  Donnie Dicer is working on the new ad for Easter.

Junior Warden – John reported that all exits are being marked with Exit signs and signs will be posted around the campus with directions on where to go and what to do in an emergency.  He will send an email to the Vestry with the proposed wording.

Senior Warden – Naomi referred everyone to her submitted written report.

Rector – Robert announced that the directories have been delivered to the church.

He is meeting with Robin Smith, owner of the Huddle House building, who is interested in selling the building.  Robert will forward information to the Vestry after an upcoming meeting on March 30.

Robert has concerns about losses to the endowment with the current downturn in the stock market.  He hopes the Endowment Board will develop a plan to protect the funds.  He also updated the Vestry on funds left to the music program in a bequest some years ago.

Financial Review

Nancy asked the Vestry to review the January and February 2009 statements and pointed out that pledges are at a record level.  She cautioned that the Vestry must watch for possible slippage in the payment of pledges in these economic times.

Nancy has also requested of the Director of Finance that, concerning pledges that are prepaid for the year, one twelfth of the amount be posted as income each month. In the past, the full amount has been posted in December, thus skewing the data.

Because parish programs have spent less than the amount budgeted and the operating expenditures are below budget, revenues and expenditures are in good shape to date.

Action Items

Motion:  Phillip moved that the Vestry grant the request of the MEMC to fund a $2400 quarterly payment to the school in Limonade, Haiti.  This approval would be for one calendar year with the automatic funding renegotiated in one year. One payment has already been made this calendar year.

The motion was seconded and approved.

Motion:  Naomi moved that the Vestry grant the request of the MEMC to transfer $20,000 to the newly named line item, “Targeted MEMC Funds”, to be available for large-ticketed items in the future, utilizing only endowment funds for that purpose with any expenditures to be approved by the Vestry

The motion was seconded and passed.

Good of the Order

Marty noted that the children of Emmanuel were excited about the offerings of the Lenten boxes.

Erwin reminded everyone of the Parish Picnic on June 7 at the home of Brian and Marty Kemp.  Barbeque will be provided by the church and participants will bring side dishes.

Phillip thanked John Becker for organizing the parish work day.

Father Edwin shared that it was good to have Bishop Whitmore here for Confirmation and noted that he is quite in tune to the place of mission and its movement in the greater church.

Joe offered appreciation for the teaching of Father Robert, Father Edwin, and Matthew Hicks in the Confirmation classes.

Father Robert reiterated that the visit of the Bishop was a good moment for Emmanuel.  Robert would like the parish to sponsor a mission trip to a Spanish-speaking sister diocese.  Those on the mission would return knowing something about the culture and could put that to good use in the Athens community.

Father Edwin closed the meeting with a prayer.  The meeting was adjourned at 9:23 pm.

Next Vestry Meeting:  April 22, 2009

April Devotion:  John Becker

Submitted by Lee Albright, Clerk of the Vestry

Approved By:  John Becker, Anne Brightwell, Phillip Cofer, Joe Clements, Curt Collier, Dee Forester, Chuck Galis, Erwin Greene, Matthew Hicks, Vince Howard, Matt Humphrey, Marty Kemp, Nancy McDuff, Naomi Norman

Absent:  Lisa Yarn