VESTRY INITIATIVES

Saint Michael and All Angels

Vestry Town Hall Meeting ~ May 14, 2006

I.       Communication – Bart Forbes, Chairman

Communication Action Items from the Reconciliation Committee report in Bold. 

Vestry actions taken on each item are in italics.

A. Sponsor periodic listening session/town hall open meetings with Vestry members present to hear what is on parishioners’ minds.

Quarterly town hall meetings have been scheduled, with the first held on January 8, 2006 and the second to be held on May 14, 2006.  Opportunity was provided during the first meeting for questions and comments from those in attendance.  This resulted in a number of written questions being submitted by parishioners in attendance with all questions addressed during the meeting or later on the website for those which were not addressed due to time constraints.  Similarly, time has been scheduled during the May 14^th Town Hall meeting for questions and comments.

B. Publicize the liaison role of each Vestry member to groups in the parish and to programmatic areas with a process in place to report back to the full Vestry.

The Senior Warden has established a process for each Vestry member to report on his or her liaison responsibility at each Vestry meeting.  These written reports are distributed to the Vestry at each monthly meeting and are posted on the parish website.  In addition, the liaison responsibilities of each Vestry member are posted on the parish website to facilitate communications with parishioners.

The Communications Committee has recommended, and the Vestry is considering, establishing, a “Hotline” which would allow parishioners to call a dedicated telephone number to communicate directly with the Vestry.

C. Improve identification of the Vestry members so that parishioners can easily contact them and are ensured an ombudsman in the governance of the parish.

The photograph of each Vestry member in posted in the hall outside the bookshop.  In addition, each Vestry member wears a name-tag during services identifying him or her as a member of the Vestry.  A complete list of the members of the Vestry is included in each issue of Sunday News and on the website.

D. Identify and anticipate critical issues in the parish and allow opportunities for dialogue on these issues.

During the initial Town Hall meeting in January, 2006 there was a broad discussion of issues affecting the parish, including local, diocesan and national issues.  At the Town Hall meeting scheduled for May 14, 2006 it is anticipated that this will continue, specifically including the issues that are expected to arise at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in June.

E. Evaluate the effectiveness of our present media (Archangel, Sunday News, website, etc.) and ensure that we report regularly on issues in established, predictable formats. (Evaluate resources and bottlenecks.  Include an easy to read financial report format.  Consider a quarterly Vestry Report.)

The Communications Committee and the Vestry have completed the evaluation of the present media and determined it to be adequate with the exception of continued emphasis on the parish website.  The Vestry did not approve in the 2006 budget money to secure a full time webmaster, deciding to defer this expenditure.  Further action will need to be taken to fund this acknowledged requirement.  It is felt that the website needs to be expanded, and updated continuously, so that it becomes a primary source for information and communication with the parish.

II.      Governance - George Coleman, Chairman

            The members of the Governance Committee are George Coleman, Chair,

            Janis Well, Anne Leary, Ronald Brown and Charles Sartain.

            The committee has had three meetings and is working toward completing the tasks            assigned to it by the Vestry, which are:

            1.         Research and evaluate the governance practices of other large parishes in                           the United States.

            2.         Ensure a transparent method for electing Vestry members and diocesan                            convention delegates.

            3.         Improve SMAA processes for reporting actions of the Vestry committees                          to the full Vestry.

4. Review and revise the existing by-laws of the parish.

III.     Management Delegation and Control – Giffen Weinmann

Mandates Status

•  Evaluate Vestry meetings                       •  Reviewed By-laws, Diocesan and ECUSA

                                                                        Constitution and Canons, etc.

                                                                    •  Dealing with complexity – information overload

                                                                    •  Vestry vs. Rector responsibilities (grey areas)

                                                                    •  Enforce “process” – Officer/Committee review of

                                                                        major decisions

•  Review and revise job descriptions         •  Surveyed similar parishes

            -  Checks and balances                   •  Setting up Compensation Committee

                                                                    •  Organizational Charts

                                                                    •  Job descriptions

                                                                    •  Personnel evaluation system

•  Identify disaffected groups                     •  Ongoing

•  Hire more clergy                                   •  Rob Leacock

                                                                    •  Additional subject to funding