Participants

Present: Will Cary, Sandra Cherry, Art Dietz, Ginger Grizzle, Elyse Hensley, Jerry Lyndrup, Sally Reisz, Gail Richardson, Ruth Robins, Don Snow, Harvey Turner, Clyde Warner, Michele Wogaman, Fr. Richard Humke

Absent: Jeff Webb

Call to Order and Opening Prayer

The vestry meeting was called to order at 5:27 PM by Senior Warden Will Cary and the opening prayer was offered by Fr. Humke.

Approval of Minutes of July 15, 2003 Vestry Meeting

The minutes of the July 15, 2003 vestry meeting were approved as amended (motion Reisz; second Turner). The second sentence of item two under the heading Stewardship was changed to read: John Bugbee has also agreed to assist with stewardship for the fall campaign. The fifth sentence in the same item was changed to read: Fr. Humke has agreed to review the drafts of the appeal letters pertinent to specific giving segments of the parish.

Vestry Committee Reports

· Budget and Finance – Chair Harvey Turner provided the monthly review of revenues and expenses. Lack of clarity in the financial reporting tool continues to be of significant concern and Michele Wogaman strongly recommended that the vestry examine what is available in newer, more appropriate software. To provide for more adequate representation from the vestry, Sally Reisz and Art Dietz agreed to become members of the Budget and Finance Committee. It was also noted that the committee can include non-vestry members, although it does not at present. Sally Reisz suggested a three-pronged approach to clarifying Calvary’s financial picture: the planned fiscal audit, to be conducted by CPA Savage; expanded vestry membership on the Budget and Finance committee; and Jim Hill’s efforts to determine the precise terms and limitations of the endowment fund. A motion was made and approved (motion Reisz, second Snow) to charge the Finance and Budget Committee to review Calvary’s bookkeeping and accounting practices and to report back at the September vestry meeting with a recommendation regarding how the financial statement should be presented to the vestry each month. Further, Jerry Lyndrup noted that Jim Hill is willing to receive questions regarding the analysis of the church’s endowment fund which was recently conducted by Stites and Harbison. Motion was made and approved (motion Reisz, second Snow) to accept the August 2003 financial report.

· Personnel, Planning and Volunteers – Sandra Cherry, Chair, reported on the trials and triumphs of Calvary’s first softball season, on various activities undertaken to assist a parishioner in need, on progress with the staff and volunteer committee job description manuals, and on plans for the parish picnic to be held September 7 at Ginger Ray’s home. Recruitment of volunteers for the Habitat for Humanity project in which Calvary is involved was also discussed.

· Building and Grounds – In the absence of Chair Jeff Webb, Senior Warden Will Cary included matters before the Building and Grounds Committee in his report to the vestry. Fred Davidson of Aztec Flooring has submitted a bid of $1,212 to replace the badly soiled carpet in the upstairs nursery, 1/3 of the area with linoleum and the remainder with new carpeting ($280 for new sub-flooring is a part of this cost). We can reduce the total expense to approximately $1000 if we take up and dispose of the old carpeting ourselves and remove and replace the cove baseboard ourselves. The rest of the second floor carpeting can be re-stretched to remove the wrinkles for a cost of $250. A motion was made and approved (motion Cary, second Cherry) to authorize expenses of up to $1,212 for nursery linoleum and carpeting, plus $250 for stretching the second floor carpeting, to be charged to budget item #5270: Fixtures and Equipment. A new lock for the ramp by the porte-cochere will be installed by the Senior Warden and will cost $116. A major undertaking currently in the planning stages involves significant building renovations. Phase I will include repairing Calvary’s roof; Louisville Metal Craft, Inc. has submitted a bid, cost not to exceed $42,000, for replacing needed roof slates and ridge cap, using screws and nails, as well as roof flashing and half round gutters in specific places. The repairs will involve the use of a crane which will take up a number of parking spaces in Calvary’s lot for several weeks. Phase II will involve tuck pointing the stone exterior of the building and may cost as much as $100,000. Also currently under review is the restoration of problem plasterwork in the sanctuary and north entry. A motion was made and approved (motion Cary, second Dietz) that the vestry propose to the trustees of the endowment fund that they approve an expenditure from the fund of $42,000 to pay for the roof repair work by Louisville Metal Crafting, if funds are not available from other sources.

· Stewardship – Michele Wogaman, Committee Chair, outlined activities in the works for the fall stewardship campaign, with October 19 targeted as EMC Sunday. There will be a special theme for each of the four Sundays leading up to October 19; areas/topics to be highlighted may include the church school, planned giving, parish ministries, and other issues of interest to the congregation. There will be pertinent bulletin inserts and special speakers each of the four Sundays as well. A monetary goal for pledges will be established and all segments of the congregation will be asked to become involved in special ways in the effort to secure Calvary financially. The Planned Giving Committee, which currently consists of Michele Wogaman (ex officio), Jim Barnes, Jamie Hendon, Jim Hill and Jamie McPherson, will also be working to address the issue of long-term support for Calvary. The committee hopes to utilize an educational approach, developing informational materials about three or four estate planning options that would be the most useful to our parishioners.

Staff Reports

· Outreach, Music and Communications

Printed report from Margaret Dickinson is hereby incorporated by reference.

· Education

Printed report from Callie Hausman is hereby incorporated by reference.

Junior Warden’s Report

Junior Warden Art Dietz reported on the activities of the Rector Search Committee, of which he is a member. Meetings of the committee were held on June 19, 22 and 26, on July 22 and on August 17. The committee has made steady progress, although receiving candidate background checks has proved to take longer than was hoped. Telephone interviews and site visits to selected candidates are planned for August 18-October 15. The vestry approved payment of $1100 to Oxford Document Management Company, Inc. for background searches on rector candidates. The vestry also approved a motion (motion Dietz, second Warner) to share Calvary’s draft strategic plan with the rector candidates interviewed; the search committee must make it clear that the strategic plan is still a working document subject to further revision.

Old Business

Michele Wogaman reported that a firm date of February 20, 2004 has been set for the 2004 vestry overnight to be held at All Saints conference center. The matter of re-instituting the family-oriented 9:30 AM Sunday service was also discussed. While this service will still be on hold when the regular fall schedule resumes September 7, Junior Warden Art Dietz stated that he feels rector candidates should know that getting this service re-established is a priority. In light of the fact that Calvary’s 2003 budget has never been formally approved, a motion was made and approved (motion Reisz, second Cary) that the Budget and Finance Committee formally present for approval at the September vestry meeting a 2003 church budget.

New Business

Michele Wogaman raised the question of whether the vestry needed to address in any way the matters dealt with in Bishop Gulick’s August 6 and August 7, 2003 letters to the diocese (confirmation of Canon Robinson as bishop-elect of New Hampshire and the House of Bishops’ decision not to begin developing rites for the blessing of same sex unions). The vestry concluded that there was not a current need to take any special action on these issues.

Closing Prayer and Adjournment

The vestry meeting was closed with prayer by Fr. Humke and was adjourned at 7:14 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Eleanor Ruth Robins

Eleanor Ruth Robins, Secretary

Calvary Vestry

NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, September 16, 2003, 5:15 PM

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