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· VESTRY MEETING MINUTES

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Vestry Meeting Minutes

April 10 , 2002

Vestry members present: Ann Homer Cook, Senior Warden; Stuart Burgess, Junior Warden; Linda Ross Aldy; Scott Carter; Al Doty; Suzanne Files; Oscar Hartman; Don Long; Brooks Mosley; and David Wilson.

Others present: David Christian, Priest-in-Charge; Dale Marcum, Consultant; and Jeannine Barrett, Clerk.

David Christian opened the meeting with prayers and Bible study.

Approval of Minutes. The February minutes were approved as distributed.

Report and Recommendation from the Organ Committee. Al Doty distributed a handout and discussed the recommendation of the Organ Committee:

Recommendation to the Vestry From the Organ Committee - April 4, 2002

After much consideration and deliberation, including consulting with several experts in organ building and design, the organ committee recommends the following:

• Have the Holtkamp organ modified and installed in the organ niche by Rive' Pipe Organ Company at a cost of $3,200.00 as soon as Rive' can do it.
• Hire John Paul as our organ consultant for a fee of $1,000.00, to advise and guide us in the next step.
• Secure bid proposals to modify, revoice, add ranks, new front (antique or new), etc. Also, this would involve modifying the organ to possibly fit entirely within the niche.
• The expense of $4,200.00 would be paid by donations that Ed Dacus will solicit and raise.
• Additional expense to further modify the organ in third item on this list would be paid for by donations from a solicitation to the entire parish. Money to be in hand before this is done.
• The decision of the Vestry be communicated to the members of the Parish immediately.

Respectfully submitted,
Al Doty, Hermine Welch, Ed Dacus, Linda Ross Aldy, David Wilson, Shirley Abney

The recommendation of the Organ Committee was that the organ be retrofitted to fit inside the niche at a cost of $3,200.00, would be re-voiced at a later date when funds were raised, and that John Paul would be hired as a consultant at a cost of $1,000.00. Members of the Organ Committee also are of the opinion that a group should be formed to work through the process, if the recommendation is approved. Ed Dacus has expressed his confidence in being able to raise the $4,200.00 for the initial modification. After discussion, the Vestry approved the Organ Committee's recommendation unanimously. The Organ Committee was commended for the excellent work done on this project.

Request for Return of Pledge Payment. Ann Homer Cook reported that she was contacted by a parishioner who is unable to worship in the Chapel because of the organ and has requested that the 2002 pledge payment made by this person be returned. The pledge was paid in 2001, and designated as the 2002 pledge. The parishioner is willing to pay a percentage of the pledge for the portion of the year that the organ was not in the Chapel. After discussion, Oscar Hartman made a motion to refund 75% of the parishioner's pledge payment and Al Doty seconded the motion. After further discussion, a vote was taken on the motion. The motion failed, with 4 votes for and 6 votes against. Ann Homer Cook will contact the parishioner to communicate the decision.

Report from the Finance Committee and Treasurer's Report. Scott Carter gave a report from the Finance Committee, which has met twice over the last two weeks. Reports on the Operating Budget vs Actual January through March 2002, Profit and Loss by Class January through March 2002, and Balance Sheet as of March 31, 2002 were distributed and discussed. It is the opinion of the Finance Committee that no budget cuts are necessary for now; however, the budget will need to be reevaluated and possibly adjusted later. There was discussion regarding different funds and whether those funds can be used if needed. The Audit Committee will meet with the Finance Committee in order to clarify availability of the various funds. Handouts were distributed illustrating pledge comparisons from 2001 to 2002. A discussion was held regarding possibilities for methods to be used to bring in more pledges and to increase amounts for pledges already turned in. Ann Homer Cook and David Christian will draft a letter to be sent out to all members of the Parish about the pledges.

Responses to Listening Session. Ann Homer Cook reported that she has received some responses from the Commissions regarding the items brought up in the listening session and that some responses have been passed along to the persons who spoke at the listening session. She would like for the Commissions to respond to all the items addressed so that the remainder of the concerns can be addressed.

Long Range Planning Update. David Wilson gave a report from the Long Range Planning Committee. Terry Eason has developed a program on the current Chapel facilities. On Wednesday, April 24, 2002, Terry Eason will make a presentation at the Chapel regarding possibilities for future needs. Phase I of Terry Eason's project, which is the program, has been completed. Phase II, which is the schematics of possibilities for what will be needed, has been begun. The Long Range Planning Committee is very happy with the work Mr. Eason has done. After discussion about Mr. Eason's work, David Wilson made a motion that the Vestry commit to Phase II of the contract, with the understanding being relayed to Terry Eason that he is not to begin work on Phase III until he is authorized to do so. Linda Ross Aldy seconded the motion, and after discussion, it passed unanimously.

Parish Goals for 2002. David Christian distributed copies of an article entitled The Illusion of Congregational "Happiness" by Gil Rendle, Senior Consultant, The Alban Institute. David Christian gave his thoughts and comments about the article and ways that topics contained therein pertain to the Chapel presently. Ann Homer Cook spoke about goals for the Parish, including the need to spend less time on complaints and more time moving forward. It is the opinion of many in the Parish that one of the main areas that should be focused on is youth ministry. The possibility of finishing the upstairs of the Education Building for a youth center has been raised and many people have responded favorably to the idea. David Christian received an e-mail from John and Laura Lamb that they are resigning as EYC leaders as of May 1, 2002. Rev. Christian reported that this is an opportunity to consider hiring a Youth Minister, which was discussed at the Vestry planning meeting. Oscar Hartman made a motion that David Christian be authorized to pursue hiring a Youth Minister at a total package of up to $30,000. The motion was seconded by Brooks Mosley and it passed unanimously.

Ann Homer Cook reported that she will continue contacting people about trying to raise money for a youth center at the Chapel.

It was mentioned that an effort needs to be made to curtail fund-raising efforts which have not received prior approval from the appropriate Committee Chairpersons.

Ann Homer Cook asked that the various Committees work on the listening session items and send responsive e-mails to her as soon as possible.

Audit reports were distributed.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m. with prayer.