On January 19, 2020 (the same day as our Annual Meeting) we will hold our parish Elections for the three members who are rolling off of our nine member Vestry at the end of 2019: Jean Edwards, Charles Mullins and me. Vestry members serve three year terms. We also will elect an Endowment committee member to replace Jerry Knight, as well as one delegate and one alternate for the Annual Convention. Jean Edwards has served out the remainder of Boyd Richie’s term as delegate, and so we now need to elect a delegate for a three year term, as well as one alternate.
The Vestry serves as the Board of Directors for the church in its capacity as a nonprofit Texas corporation. Also, according to the Vestry Handbook by Christopher Weber: “The vestry of an Episcopal church has three primary responsibilities. The first two are managerial: to take care of the parish finances and parish buildings. The third responsibility is to choose individuals to fill various positions of parish leadership and representation.”
According to our Diocesan Canon 14 Section 10, “To be eligible as a member of the Vestry, one must be at least 18 years of age, a confirmed communicant in good standing of the Church in that parish, and a financial contributor of record for at least one year before the election takes place.” Serving on the Vestry is a significant but rewarding commitment and an opportunity for development of each member’s gifts. Here are the duties that someone considering running for a Vestry position should be prepared to carry out:
- Preparation for and attendance at all Vestry meetings. Vestry meetings typically are 1.25 – 2.0 hours in length. There is some meeting preparation time, including review of the agenda, financial reports and other documents distributed in advance of the meeting. A Vestry member also may be assigned to compile information or present to other Vestry members on various topics.
- Counting/Closing. Two Vestry members are assigned each Sunday to counting/closing duties. One member “opens” by attending the 8a service and securing any offering collected in that service. The other member attends the 10a service. Both members tally and prepare the bank deposit with offerings from the two services and take the deposit to the bank, and one member is responsible for locking up the church building and setting the alarms.
- Diocesan Education. Every Vestry member must complete the online course Safeguarding God’s Church and any other required education within one month of election.
- Stewardship. Vestry members are asked to be leaders in exercising faithful stewardship of time and money. In addition to the stewardship of time through conduct of Vestry responsibilities, Vestry members are expected to (a) make and pay a responsible annual pledge, (b) support the stewardship education of St. Thomas and (c) participate in year-round Stewardship activities.
- Guild/Committee Liaison. Each Vestry member serves as the liaison for one or more of the church committees and guilds (e.g., the Lay Eucharistic Ministers (LEMs), Acolytes, Ushers/Greeters, Outreach, Stewardship, Social Ministry and Kitchen Crew, Choir, Daughters of the King and Community Garden).
- Participate in Parish Life. Vestry members are expected to actively participate in both the temporal affairs (business life) and the spiritual life of the parish through regular attendance of worship services and parish events.
- Be Available. Vestry members need to be available for listening to the views of parishioners, and for bringing parish members’ questions, complaints and compliments to the Rector and the entire Vestry.
- Prayer. An active prayer life on the part of each Vestry member helps the clergy, the parish and the Vestry discern and carry out God’s will for the parish.
If you are interested in running for a Vestry position, an Endowment Committee member or as a Convention delegate, please prepare a brief bio, including how long you have been a member of St. Thomas and why you would like to serve and/or are well qualified to serve, and send the document, with a photo, to Pam Liles at pam@thedoubter.org. You can also mail the document and photo to the church office or leave them on Pam’s desk. Here is the time line for the election process:
- December 23: Bio/statements/photo due to church office
- January 3: Information about candidates made available to parish
- January 19: Parish Elections
If you have questions about any of these elected positions or the election process, Pam Liles in the church office can provide an answer or connect you with someone who can. I urge all parish members to give prayerful consideration to becoming a candidate or encouraging others to run. This next year will be a very exciting one as we welcome our new Rector and help him or her write the next chapter in the life of the Episcopal Church of St. Thomas the Apostle!
– Nancy LeGros, Senior Warden
