Attending: Henry Austin (junior warden), Ellen Bateman, Ellie Bergman, Walter Clarkson, Andrew Connor, Laura Doherty, Rich Forst, Holly Gallegos, Lori Goede, Andy Howard, Fred Lewis (senior warden), Brad Ruby, Tom Scott (Rector), Chris Schulze, Frank Taliaferro (treasurer).
Absent: Helen McFaul (clerk), John Lucadamo
Opening: The meeting convened at 7:33. In the absence of Helen McFaul, the Rector asked for a volunteer to serve as secretary pro tem; Andy Howard agreed to do so. The Rector distributed a draft agenda, and said that Frank Taliaferro had asked that his report be moved to later in the meeting in the hope that he would be able to provide a treasurer's report. Tom led the Vestry in an opening prayer. He then noted that this is the first Vestry meeting in his experience that had been held on the church's patronal feast-day. The agenda was approved.
Minutes of the 13 March meeting were distributed. Minor corrections were offered; Fred Lewis moved and Lori Goede seconded that the amended minutes be approved and filed. The motion passed unanimously.
Bishop's visit: Bishop William Persell will visit St.Mark's this Sunday, 30 April. He will lead an adult class in Cunningham Hall at 9am, and will then celebrate at the 10am Eucharist service. He will meet with the Vestry after the 10am service for 15 to 20 minutes in the Bethlehem room beginning around 11:15, and will attend a simple reception (in honor of St.Mark's patronal feast day) afterward. We will go to lunch at a local restaurant after the reception, with the Persells as our guests. Tom said that he does not know what the Bishop will want to discuss with the Vestry during the brief meeting after the service. The Vestry agreed to seek a restaurant within walking distance; among the restaurants considered were Thai Sookdee, Prairie Moon, the Davis Street Fishmarket, and Pineyards. Tom and Brad Ruby will pick a restaurant and make a reservation shortly.
Holy Week: Tom asked the Vestry for its reactions to the Holy Week services. Chris said she was disappointed with the attendance Thursday through Saturday. Tom said he has compared the attendance this year with previous years. The results are:
Holly attended the Good Friday and Easter Vigil services and found them meaningful. Tom said he received a strong positive response to the sermon he delivered at the Easter Vigil, particularly in his depiction of the modern "four horsemen of the apocalypse," in which the traditional war, death, pestilence, and famine are refigured as terrorism, global warming, AIDS and Avian Flu, and oil depletion. He is considering organizing this summer's Lawnchair Theology discussions around these themes, and has begun recruiting possible leaders of discussions on these topics. Together these discussions could provide a platform for considering how we can be effective stewards in a world in which our problems appear frightening or even insurmountable.
Tom mentioned the presence of the "Christa" artwork at the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services. He said he received several positive and negative responses. One correspondent was moved to write an impassioned, positive e-mail, indicating that the Christa portrait enabled a deep and effective meditation on the crucifixion. Rich Forst said the work was startling but effective. Tom reaffirmed that he had been obliged to decide quickly about whether to include the Christa in those services, because it only became available a few days in advance; he said that he generally avoids making these kinds of decisions without input from the Vestry, but in this case he needed to act quickly. Henry pointed out that Tom had, in fact, asked the Wardens for their reactions before incorporating the Christa portrait in those services. Tom explained the history of this image, which had been crafted around 1980 and used in a number of controversial liturgies at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York. Now the controversy is somewhat more muted, and is part of a larger discussion of visualizations of the crucifixion.
Walter Clarkson praised the musical and liturgical experiences of the Good Friday services. Tom lamented that he, Tim Squier, and Lee prepared for the noon service on Good Friday, and found no attendees present by 12 o'clock. He acknowledged that it was a vacation week and a beautiful day, and that two live processions of the cross (including a well-publicized procession to First Presbyterian, involving EEAC people) were underway in town; all of these factors may have conspired to reduce attendance. Henry complimented the staff on the balance and accessibility of the Easter Sunday services. Brad suggested that more assertive communication of the schedules and characteristics of the Holy Week services might have improved attendance. Henry asked whether some of the Triduum services could be shortened a bit: all three of these are long services, and their length may be discouraging some overcommitted church members from attending. Fred agreed, and noted that many of the spoken Gospel readings at the Good Friday evening service are subsequently sung.
The Vestry broadened its discussion of attendance from the specifics of Holy Week to a wider range of services. As Tom has commented previously, the previously prevalent attitude that loyal church members will attend church every Sunday and most high holy days is now fairly rare. Henry noted that the Episcopal church does not compel attendance, and the challenge is to create an atmosphere where members (and visitors) actually want to participate in services. Andrew Connor said that his impression is that overall attendance at 9am services was increasing for several years, and has leveled off recently. Tom said that was true. Chris Schultze suggested that we (the laity as well as the clergy) need to communicate how meaningful the Holy Week services are. Tom offered compliments to Dan Dufford for his improvised variations on the modern setting of "O Sacred Head, Sore Wounded," which he played partway through the Good Friday mid-day service.
Vestry Retreat: In his role as rapporteur from the Rector's reading-and-discussion group, Henry Austin distributed invitations to the upcoming Vestry retreat, at which the Vestry will be discussing ideas brought to it by the discussion group. The retreat will be held in the Seabury Lounge at the Seabury Western Theological Seminary, 2120-2122 Sheridan Road (at Garrett Place) on Friday evening and Saturday, 5-6 May 2006. Tom encouraged the Vestry members to view this Vestry as a gift that God has given to St.Mark's, and to approach our deliberations in that spirit.
Treasurer's Report: Frank Taliaferro said he is still unready to distribute a comprehensive church financial report, because he and Joann Baraksa are still making adjustments in St.Mark's ChurchWindows software, particularly in terms of its handling of restricted accounts. He distributed a report on the closeout of the 2005 pledges. Pren Sawyer had estimated that $19,147.52 in income associated with 2005 pledges would appear in early 2006, and in fact $19,262.75 did come in, so his estimate was almost exactly correct. Chris Schultze pointed out that she and Pren had specifically discussed the shortfalls on these late pledges with the contributors, so it was unsurprising that the numbers worked out.
Frank was asked whether he could yet estimate how successful we are in staying within our budgetary plans; he said he still is not ready to answer that. Tom offered some good news: we did actually spend less for heat than we had budgeted, because of the extreme measures adopted for office heat during the winter. Henry asked Frank whether it would make sense for St.Mark's to use the Diocese's recommended payroll service. Frank agreed that we should pursue this, but has not yet been able to so. Tom asked Frank whether the brief report on 2005 pledges should be filed qua financial report; Frank said that we should not, because it is intended only to provide background information.
Rector's Housing: Tom distributed a document, dated 25 April 2006, containing the following statement:
Whereas the Rev'd Dr. Thomas C.H. Scott is employed as a minister of the Gospel by St.Mark's Episcopal Church, 1509 Ridge Avenue, Evanston, IL; the Vestry resolves that of the compensation of $55,000 to be paid to the Rev'd Dr. Thomas C.H. Scott during the year 2006, that $40,000 be designated a parsonage allowance within the meaning of that term as used in Section 107 of the IRS Code of 1986. The resolution will apply to the year 2006 and all future years unless otherwise provided.
Since the Rector is personally involved in this deliberation, he asked the Wardens to lead the discussion. They emphasized that the wording of the document is derived from the recommendations of the Diocesan legal staff and is consistent with policy. The declaration by the Rector that this amount is to be considered a housing allowance is, at most, a matter between him and the IRS, so this document does not carry any risk to the Vestry. Henry was reassured at the Diocesan Ministries Fair that there is no problem with operating in this manner, and noted that a similar declaration (with a different percentage and a different dollar value) is already in place, so all we are altering are the numbers. Chris suggested that we adjust the budget at midyear to reflect the change in the distribution. The wardens moved and seconded acceptance of this declaration; the motion passed unanimously. In his role as acting secretary, Andy signed the letterhead version of the document in Helen McFaul's stead.Stewardship Report: Chris distributed the stewardship report that she had sent electronically on 19 April, which showed no new pledges in March or April. She said that the newly-formed stewardship cluster, consisting of herself, Bob Barr, Marion Kelly, Lisa Montgomery, and Betsy Sagan, met on 3 April, and each member agreed to take on a specific set of tasks during 2006. Thus Lisa Montgomery is focusing on facilitating electronic pledging; Marion will pursue special programs in services (see below); Betsy will seek out stewardship speakers; and Bob will help to organize the year-round campaign. She pointed out that the stewardship page on the St.Mark's website has been extensively updated, and encouraged Vestry and congregation members to visit that page. Chris said that two additional 2006 pledges have appeared since her report. Both are from 2005 pledgers, so the column of "repeat pledgers needed to achieve goal" in her report should be reduced from 19 to 17. The cluster has reached a consensus that it wants to make stewardship a year-round activity rather than just a fall campaign. They also believe that the cluster should bring speakers and other special activities directly into worship services, and that stewardship is connected to everything else we do, in that it is a pledge of our time, talent, and treasure. They hope to bring these initiatives into fruition with a plan built around the slogan "let's pledge on Pledge Sunday."
Fred reaffirmed the importance of drawing connections between stewardship and other church activities, perhaps through events like an autumn progressive church supper. Chris said that people want to be engaged. She said the cluster discussed the logic of pursuing fund-raising with specific goals and end-points in addition to annual drives. Tom said this approach is consistent with a national trend toward an emphasis on short-term fundraising in churches and volunteer organizations; as the Baby Boomer generation gives way to its successors, the ancient, goal-directed fund-raising techniques that the Boomers left behind in their embrace of annual campaigns will reenter center stage. Andy asked the Vestry to remember the central role of thanksgiving, rather than duty, as the fundamental driving force in stewardship; Chris said the website emphasizes that now.
Administration cluster (Rich Forst and Walter Clarkson): Our sextons will leave St.Mark's on 1 July, and Rich and Walter have discussed retaining a contractor, C&M Cleaning Service, to supply a sexton. The owner and the manager brought an employee, Carlo, to St.Mark's today to see the facilities; he took an application and the list of duties. He does speak English. In general C&M is interested in the project, and would actually prefer to start sooner than July. Our offered rate of $10/hr is agreeable to C&M. The task would involve 16 hours per week: 6 on Tuesday, 6 on Thursday, and 4 on Saturday, so these hours interleave with the work of Ed Vulic, who is here for six hours each on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tom explained that Ed and the sextons do somewhat different tasks: Ed, as building engineer, concentrates on high-skill tasks, whereas the sextons are responsible for routine cleaning. Walter said Bob Easton's role in handling facilities issues at St.Mark's may change, increasing the urgency of these deliberations.
Tom observed that our garden maintenance company, Van Zelst, is currently working without a contract, and asked the Vestry to consider authorizing him to sign a 2006 contract with them. In the past, Tom and Bob Easton have negotiated this contract and simply reported the results to the Vestry; this year, he wants a more direct approval from the Vestry. The garden service is paid mostly out of the operating budget, with a small contribution from a restricted fund associated with the Memorial Garden.
Discussion of the contract ensued. Fred said we could spend less, because Van Zelst is a high-end garden contractor, but we might get a less satisfactory outcome. Fred argued, though, that it would be imprudent to make budget cuts everywhere simultaneously, and suggested instead that we consider switching to a less expensive contractor at the end of this season rather than now. In the current Van Zelst arrangement, the fundamental task is mowing the lawns; trimming the bushes, turf core aeration, and setting out slug bait are add-ons to the basic contract. After some discussion Brad moved and Andrew Connor seconded the motion to authorize Tom to sign the contract with Van Zelst for 2006, with the plan that we review these arrangements before next spring. Chris proposed an amendment, under which this review should include soliciting bids from other gardening services, potentially to involve changing companies before spring 2007. Brad and Andrew accepted this amendment, and Tom asked that the proposal specify that the administration cluster should oversee the process. Tom called the question, and the motion passed 12-0 with one absention. Tom asked when the Vestry would need information in order to build a possible change in our funds for garden care into the 2007 church budget; Chris replied that we will need that information by the beginning of December.
Rich said that Center Point Energy has been selling electrical power to St.Mark's for several years. Center Point sent St.Mark's a letter on 7 April saying that they were cutting our facility out of their electrical energy pool. Tom observed that we had entered into the arrangement with Center Point via agreements negotiated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. Today Rich received a letter indicating that Center Point has reversed its decision to drop St.Mark's, so we will again buy electricity from them. There will be only one month in which we will be buying electricity, at higher rates, from Commonwealth Edison. Tom noted that not all Episcopal churches in this diocese buy electricity through this Archdiocese-negotiated arrangement, but it does appear to be helping St.Mark's.
Parish clean-up days: Tom has asked the church staff to do a walk-through of the building to identify clean-up jobs and other housekeeping tasks. He distributed two task lists—one from Joann Baraksa and Lee Gaede, and one from Judy Homer. The suggestion is that some of these jobs be addressed at a parish clean-up day, rather than counting on the sextons, the engineer, or a contractor to deal with them. Tom complimented Andrew Connor on his woodworking skill, as shown in the model of ancient Jerusalem that he has made for the Atrium classes. The Vestry agreed that it was appropriate to schedule a work day, and while we wait for it to happen we should extend the staff's task lists and then prioritize the items on them. Tom suggested 10 June or 17 June. Fred argued that some of these jobs are difficult to do in one weekend: scraping and repainting a radiator, for example, takes several days to handle scraping, priming, and finishing. He therefore encouraged the Vestry to be realistic about what we can do with volunteers. Andrew agreed that realism is good, but so is planning. The Vestry agreed that the date should be 10 June, and Andrew volunteered to work with Walter and Rich to plan the work day. The Webmaster will be asked to post an announcement of the work day, and an announcement will be inserted into the Lion for June.
Junior Warden's report: Henry noted that the next meeting would, in the normal course of events, be scheduled for 9 May—only two weeks from now, and immediately after the Vestry retreat. Later dates were discussed, and the Vestry was reminded that in fact at the March meeting we had approved moving the May meeting to 16 May. That non-standard date was affirmed.
Senior Warden's report: Fred commends to our attention a recent New Yorker article on the Episcopal Church. He argued that the article is well-written and balanced. Tom offered to send the article to Vestry members as a PDF document. Many Vestry members said they would like to receive it that way.
Fred also shared his bemusement at a custom becoming increasingly popular in Japan. Many Japanese couples now get married twice: once in a Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine, and then in an American-style Christian ceremony, complete with the bride in white and a pseudo-clergyman conducting the service. Fred suggested that this custom is consistent with the side-by-side practice of both Buddhism and Shinto that is so prevalent in Japan. Fred and Susan were in Japan for two weeks, returning on Good Friday. While they were there, cherry blossoms were everywhere, and tourist cities like Kyoto were packed with vacationers, many of them visiting shrines.
Rector's Report: Tom reminded the Vestry that we had planned to appoint up to three representatives to attend the EEAC business meeting at 7:30 pm on Monday 15 May at St. Nicholas's Church, 806 Ridge Ave., Evanston. The principal item of business will be a proposal to reorganize EEAC as an "interfaith" rather than an "ecumenical" organization, thereby allowing it to include non-Christian groups in its core membership. Ellie Bergman and Rich Forst agreed to attend the meeting. Henry proposed and Fred seconded a motion to appoint Ellie and Rich as representatives of St.Mark's for the meeting; the motion passed unanimously.
Tom announced that the Diocesan Canon to the Ordinary, the Rev. Scott Hayashi, will preach at St.Mark's on Sunday, 28 May, the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. Brad pointed out that we have a potluck scheduled that weekend, so we'll be able feed Rev. Hayashi well.
Gift for the Derek Anderson's Ordination: Andy Howard noted that Derek Anderson, a former parishioner and teacher at St.Mark's, will be ordained to the deaconate in his home diocese of Hamilton, ON, on Pentecost Sunday, 4 June 2006. Andy will attend the ordination, and asked Vestry approval to spend up to $50 on a gift for Derek to be presented at or after the ceremony. Fred asked whether individuals could make contributions to augment this total; Andy agreed that that was appropriate. Andy moved approval of this proposal, and Henry seconded; the motion passed unanimously. Andy said he would ask Tom for guidance in selecting a gift. Brad asked whether we should plan a similar gift for Claudia Wilson's ordination to the Priesthood later in 2006; Tom agreed.
Game Day: Brad reminded the Vestry that this Saturday is Game Day; we will be playing board games, card games, and setting up a small-scale bowling alley at the church from 1 to 6 pm. on 29 April.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned by common consent about 9:50.