First Vestry Meeting
What a great meeting we had last night. Church, you did good in the election last November. We have a gifted, God-dependent, faithful group of elders who will serve and lead us in the year to come.
We did 2 important administrative things that I wanted to tell you about:
1. We chose term limits. Normally vestry members serve for 3 years, but since all 9 of these folks started at the same time, we had to randomly choose term limits to begin. We did this by drawing pieces of paper out of my hand as I walked around the room. Here are the vestry classes:
- Class of 2010: Elizabeth Boesen, Corrin Chambers, Anne Cregger Patterson
- Class of 2011: Mary Vinson, Cameron Doolittle, Ramsey Wilson
- Class of 2012: Logan Breed, Tom Downie, Anthony Swisher
Our next election of Vestry Elders will be at the end of this year and we will elect 3 new members– the class of 2013, while the class of 2010 will roll off.
2. We elected officers. Our church is served by 4 officers: 2 wardens, a secretary, and a treasurer.
- Wardens: Ramsey Wilson and Mary Vinson
- Secretary: Cameron Doolittle
- Treasurer: Anthony Swisher
So what do these people do? Thanks for asking:
The Wardens have many enumerated oversight responsibilities concerning the maintenance and operation of church property, the provision of public worship space, and worship resources, employee oversight, and the possession of Church rules. The Wardens also share responsibility with the Treasurer for the care of offerings. At Restoration, the Wardens have the uniquely significant responsibility for the support of the Rector in oversight of the temporal and spiritual affairs of the Church. The Wardens meet weekly with the Rector to share the burden of leadership, to provide accountability, and to give counsel.
The Secretary is responsible for making and keeping Vestry meeting minutes and a record of all Vestry votes.
The Treasurer has a variety of financial tasks:
- Shares responsibility with the Wardens for the care of offerings.
- Oversees the maintenance of the Church’s accounting books and records.
- Oversees the Church’s financial control system, particularly those concerning disbursements.
- Presents financial reports to the Vestry.
