Vestry Meeting

Trinity Church, Pawtuxet

Worshipping, Welcoming, Working

To Bring Joy to God

December 12, 2011 Minutes

 

Vestry Members present: Vickie Ancona; Gail Anderson; Scott Avedisian; Bill Baddeley; Sandy DeMarinis; Linda Deming; Jessica D’Entremont; Susan Halvarson; Rev. Marsue Harris; Ed O’Hara; Donna Manchester; Stephan Sloan

Vestry Members absent:  Nancy Dorsey; Patti Cottrill

Guests: Margaret Thomas; Bill Plumb

The meeting was called to order at 7:05 PM

Opening Prayer – Rev. Marsue Harris

Minutes:  The minutes from the November vestry meeting were approved as corrected.

 

Correspondence:  None reported.

 

Treasurer’s report: 

Sandy DeMarinis went over the Treasurer’s report for November.  Items of note are:

·      Fundraising from the spaghetti supper was $2,152.50 and there were less than $200 in expenses;

·      Nonpledge offerings and donations included a one-time $1,000 amount;

·      Under miscellaneous income, work on the roof was overpaid, and the vendor is repaying in $1,000 increments; for a total of around $4,000; this money will be put back into the endowment fund since moneys for the roof came out of that fund;

·      Gifts to memorial fund includes $10,000 from the Armbrust fund;

·      On the expense side, the chairs cost a total of $867.80, but we received donations in excess of that amount;

·      Net income for November was $15,520.42 including the funds received from the Armbrust fund.

 

Senior Warden’s report:

Stephan Sloan reported on the following:

·      Parochial report: there will be a revenue audit for 2010 and a full audit for 2011;

·      The finance committee meetings will start in January to prepare the budget to be presented at the annual meeting; current members of the committee include both wardens, the treasurer, and the assistant treasurer; additional members will be asked to serve on this committee;

 

Lease Agreement:  Stephan Sloan and Margaret Thomas gave an update on securing tenants for the former Happy Hollow space. Stephan reported that there is a group from brown University Medical School that is interested in the space and may be ready to give a presentation to the vestry in January.   Margaret, Bill, Stephan, and Ed O’Hara will meet with a potential realtor about a presentation as well.  In addition, the vestry discussed the possibility of using available free advertising such as putting something in the weekly bulletin. 

 

Junior Warden’s report:

·      The painting of the doors is complete.

·      In light of the bylaw changes regarding terms of service on the vestry, Bill presented the following proposal:

o   All currently serving members will complete their service under the terms of their election (governed by the bylaws in effect at the time of their election).

o   During the elections of 2012 and 2013 currently serving vestry members who are eligible to run for re-election will run for two year terms.   

o   In order to spread the terms of officers the election of the clerk in 2012 will be to a one-year term without eligibility for re-election.

This proposal was approved by the vestry.

·      Bill reported that, although the parish has been helping with the cleaning, and we have hired a cleaning crew to clean the floors once a week, we need more help to spread the load of work and to keep up with the needs of the building.  People who filled out the stewardship forms as interested in building maintenance will be contacted.

 

Discernment report:

Margaret reported that we have interviewed 46 parishioners already; 8 will participate in January. We are hoping to get more than 60 participants, and may call on those we want to hear from. The committee will write an interim report for the annual meeting. 

 

Interim Rector’s report:

Marsue reported on several items:

·      Mutual ministry review: This project is going forward. Vestry members should expect to receive a survey to be filled out online.  Paul Twelves will be conducting the survey and will meet with the vestry prior to the January vestry meeting.  

·      St. David’s visit to Trinity: Great responses to St. David’s visit. Comments heard: “beautiful church”; “great music”; “it felt good”; “nice to have a full church”.   There will be an invitation to Trinity parishioners to visit St. David’s in the future. Also, Marsue will invite Transfiguration parishioners to visit Trinity in the spring for a “getting to know you” service.

·      Bishop’s challenge: We have raised $720 to date. 

·      Interim church status:  Marsue reported that Andy has asked her to write a statement of “where we are” that could be posted for the parish to read.  Vestry members offered thoughts on what parishioners wanted and/or needed to know. 

·      Christmas in Pawtuxet: Over $200 was collected at the Christmas in Pawtuxet service. This will be donated in equal amounts to both Warwick and Cranston animal shelters.

·      Christmas Eve and New Year’s service times: There will be a 5:30 service on Christmas Eve, and 9:00 services on both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

 

 

Nominating committee:

There was some discussion regarding the call for nominees that was sent out by the nominating committee.  The deadline for nominations will be extended to January 1. In addition, there was a question regarding the qualification requirements for vestry members. This will be researched by Scott.

 

Stewardship:

Margaret Thomas reported that total dollars pledged so far is 4% more than last year even though the number of pledging units is down by 10.  The average pledge is $29.13 per week, which is the highest average pledge we have ever had.  Margaret also reported that we received an outpouring of volunteers for time and talent. 

 

Fundraising:

·      Spaghetti supper: Funds raised from the spaghetti supper was $2,152.50 and there were less than $200 in expenses;

·      Wreath sales:  Sales from wreaths brought in around $676 in profits.

 

Champlin Grant Application:

Margaret reported that we did not get accepted for the Champlin grant. 

 

Christmas calling:

Margaret made a proposal that each vestry member call a small number of parishioners to remind them of the Christmas services.  The vestry determined that the Christmas postcards already underway were sufficient.  Marsue will make a few pastoral calls to people who have not been to church for a while.

 

Episcopal Charities proposal:

No update.

 

The next regular vestry meeting is scheduled for January 9 at 7:00PM in the Bay Room.  

 

The meeting was adjourned at 9:25 PM.

Closing prayer

Respectfully submitted as corrected by

Vickie Ancona

Clerk of the Vestry

Vestry Meeting

Vestry Meeting

Trinity Church, Pawtuxet

Worshipping, Welcoming, Working

To Bring Joy to God

November 14, 2011 Minutes

 

Vestry Members present: Vickie Ancona; Scott Avedisian; Bill Baddeley; Sandy DeMarinis; Linda Deming; Nancy Dorsey; Susan Halvarson; Rev. Marsue Harris; Ed O’Hara; Donna Manchester; Stephan Sloan

Vestry Members absent:  Gail Anderson; Patti Cottrill; Jessica D’Entremont

Guests: Margaret Thomas; Bill Plumb

The meeting was called to order at 7:03 PM

Opening Prayer – Rev. Marsue Harris

Minutes:  The minutes from the October vestry meeting were approved as corrected.

 

Correspondence:  None reported.

 

Treasurer’s report: 

Sandy DeMarinis went over the Treasurer’s report for October.  There were no major repairs in October, which saved on expenses. Net income for October was $4,570.25, which included gross income from Scrip cards ($2,220).  Of note is that pledges are up from summer months; $1,178 in designated income was received for new chairs; a $1,000 donation to Trinity for a funeral was designated for Social outreach; Bill Plumb reported that the Armbrust Foundation donated $10,000 which has been placed in the Memorial Fund and designated for Social outreach to be determined at a later date. On the expense side, telephone and internet connection costs of $232.62 will go down in future months due to the change to Cox; oil costs of $2,235 include more than one payment for the month; and $109 for repair and maintenance was for gas burner service.  The vestry accepted the report. 

 

Senior Warden’s report:

Stephan Sloan reported on the following:

·      Apportionment update: After meeting with the Diocese, our apportionment is more likely to decrease by about $9,000 from 2011 rates.  Stephan plans to meet with the Diocese quarterly in 2012.

·      Stephan was asked to serve on the Congregational Development Committee, but declined due to concerns over conflict of interest.

 

Lease Agreement:  Margaret Thomas reported that she met with real estate professionals regarding rental of the property.  She received positive comments regarding the condition of the property and the possibility of renting either one or both floors.  In addition, Stephan reported that he will be meeting with another possible renter this week.  Brokers suggested that a combination of working with a local broker in conjunction with grass roots efforts by parishioners would bring more success.  One broker estimated we could rent the spaces for about $1,500 per month per floor.  Some discussion took place. The next steps are to consider signing on with a realtor, evaluate the contract.  Stephan, Bill Baddeley, and Margaret will work out a plan. 

 

Junior Warden’s report

Bill Baddeley and Margaret Thomas reported that the discernment discussion groups are going well.  About 48 people have either participated or have signed up to participate; we would like to get 50—60 people. 

 

Bill Plumb reported that he has started an assessment of the properties (both physical properties and programs) of the four Cranston churches. He will continue to work on this assessment.

 

Interim Rector’s report:

Marsue reported on several items:

·      Mutual ministry review: Marsue felt that it would be beneficial to have the vestry and Marsue participate in a mutual ministry review. This will be run by a third party; Marsue will ask them to meet with us in the near future.

·      Mission Task Force Request for Financial Snapshot: Marsue reported that, given the other items Trinity needs to deal with, we will keep this on the list of things to do.

·      Christmas Eve and New Year’s service times: There will be a 5:30 service on Christmas Eve, and 9:00 services on both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

·      St. David’s visit to Trinity: There will be combined services of both St. David’s and Trinity for the 10:00 service on December 11.  Parishioners and clergy from both churches will fully participate in the service.  Some items mentioned: St. David’s has a large number of children who may attend Godly Play classes; Vance Morgan will be offering one of his sessions; name tags would be helpful for all parishioners; vestry members should wear their vestry pins.

·      Interim church status: There is a meeting of the four Cranston churches on February 12 from 12:30 to 1:30. Representatives from churches that have gone through the merger process will be speaking.

·      Nominating committee: Marsue will appoint a nominating committee to be approved via email by the vestry. Two members of the vestry and two non-vestry members will make up the committee. There are three vestry positions that are up for second terms: Scott Avedisian, Linda Deming, and Gail Anderson. They have agreed to run again. Stephan Sloan has also agreed to run again for Senior Warden. Open positions include one vestry position, and the clerk’s position.   In addition, delegates and alternates to the convention will be elected.

·      Annual meeting: The annual meeting will take place January 22, 2012.

·      Bishop’s challenge: Marsue reported that the Bishop’s challenge to take the $20 gift cards and “multiply” will continue until Christmas.   A significant amount has already been raised.

·      Convocation: There is a convocation taking place in March; the theme is “feeding the hungry”. Trinity will participate  in the pot luck at St. Luke’s in East Greenwich.

·      Stewardship: Ingathering Sunday will take place November 20. Breakfast will be served after both services. 

·      Thanksgiving baskets: These will be assembled on Sunday, November 20 after the 10:00 service.

·      St. David’s service and pot luck supper: Also on November 20 at 4:00 at St. David’s is a prayer service and pot luck supper. Bring a favorite “family” dish and two cans of food also.

 

Fundraising:

·      Turkey dinner: The traditional turkey dinner will take place January 20, the Friday before the annual meeting.

·      Wreath sales: These will continue.

 

Bay Room chairs: These are expected to arrive this week.

 

Christmas in Pawtuxet: This will take place December 11 in the afternoon.

 

Champlin Grant Application:

No update.

 

Episcopal Charities proposal:

No update.

 

The next regular vestry meeting is scheduled for December 12 at 7:00PM in the Bay Room.  

 

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM.

Closing prayer

Respectfully submitted as corrected by

Vickie Ancona

Clerk of the Vestry

Vestry Meeting

Vestry Meeting

Trinity Church, Pawtuxet

Worshipping, Welcoming, Working

To Bring Joy to God

October 17, 2011 Minutes

 

Vestry Members present: Vickie Ancona; Gail Anderson; Bill Baddeley; Sandy DeMarinis; Linda Deming; Jessica D’Entremont; Nancy Dorsey; Rev. Marsue Harris; Ed O’Hara; Donna Manchester; Stephan Sloan

Vestry Members absent:  Scott Avedisian; Patti Cottrill; Susan Halvarson

Guests: Margaret Thomas; Susan Hinckley

The meeting was called to order at 7:01 PM

Opening Prayer – Rev. Marsue Harris

Minutes:  The minutes from the September vestry meeting were approved.

 

Correspondence:  None reported.

 

Treasurer’s report: 

Sandy DeMarinis went over the Treasurer’s report for September.  There were no major repairs in September, which saved on expenses. Net income for September was $4,373.64; the net income from January through September is now -$9,246.23.  The vestry accepted the report. 

 

Trinity Canon Revisions (By-Laws):

It was reported that there was discussion at the all-parish meeting on October 16 regarding the proposed changes to the current by-laws.  All sections passed, with the exception of section 4, regarding the number of vestry members. The proposal was for the total to be seven members; however, the current by-laws call for nine vestry members. The parish voted to leave the number of vestry members at nine.

 

Episcopal Charities proposal:

Regarding the proposal from Episcopal Charities in conjunction with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, concerns were discussed about confusing charitable efforts and fundraising with this proposal. Without a formal vote, the vestry decided to table this discussion until Nancy Dorsey and Sue Hinckley can gather further information and present it to the vestry at a later date.   

 

Junior Warden’s report

Bill Baddeley reported that we have hired a cleaning service to do the major cleaning in the church. This will cost $60 per week.  The cleaning service arrangement covers the weekly mopping of the parish hall, kitchen and hallway, and a weekly cleaning of the bathrooms in the parish hall.  The rest of the church (church, chapel, narthex, admin/ed. wing and its bathrooms, kitchen, and mid-week spot cleaning) will still be cleaned by volunteers in the parish, who are doing an excellent job.

 

Senior Warden’s report:

Stephan Sloan reported that there is no update on the following:

·      Correspondence from Ron Turnbull, Controller for the Diocese, regarding the calculation of Trinity's 2012 Apportionment. At issue is the treatment of some long term improvement expenses in Trinity's 2010 financial statements and if they are appropriate to include in calculation of the Apportionment. In the present and highest case scenario, Trinity's Apportionment for 2012 would decrease by approximately $11,000 and in the most favorable case scenario the decrease would be $15,000.

Bay Room chairs:

Ed O’Hara reported that there seems to be agreement on the new chairs.  He has pledges for 17 chairs, but expects more. The cost of the chairs are $35 each.  There was some discussion of how many should be ordered.  This decision will be made in the near future.

 

Lease Agreement:  Margaret Thomas reported that she had worked with a commercial real estate agent who could work with the church to lease the space in our education/administration wing.  Because of the late hour she suggested that we postpone discussion.  Nancy Dorsey asked that Margaret share the proposal from the real estate agency with the vestry ahead of the next meeting.

 

Diocesan Mission Task Force: The Rev. John Pallard, Rector of St. Barnabas, visited as a member of the Mission Task Force for the Diocese to explain their "snapshot" of finances form they are soliciting from parishes. The stated purpose is to let the new bishop know about what resources are available for ministry.

 

Interim Rector’s report:

Marsue reported on several items:

 

Stewardship:  Marsue and Margaret reported that the committee has written an easy-to-read letter that will be mailed out this week.  This letter is part of the campaign that will include having people write about stewardship and having people talk on Sundays about stewardship.   Also, the committee would like each person in a family to fill out a sheet so every member is involved in the stewardship process.  The committee would like to include a brunch on Sunday, November 20, when pledge cards are to be turned in.

 

Discernment Committee:

Several people have signed up to participate in group discussions. There is a meeting of the committee on Wednesday, October 19 to work out details on running discussion groups.

 

Fund Raising: Several ideas were proposed for fund raising: Spaghetti dinner; restaurant dinner; cabaret show, wreath sale, turkey supper.  Three people from the parish made a proposal to hold a spaghetti dinner.  The date for that will be determined soon.

 

Four Cranston Churches: The next gathering of the four Cranston churches will take place on Sunday, October 23 at Transfiguration at noon.  In addition, the Interim Rector at St. David's proposed bringing the congregation to Trinity on December 11, but nothing is firm yet.

 

Communication: There was a discussion regarding how to make communication better in the parish.  Suggestions include:

·      Post the vestry agenda on Friday before the vestry meeting; ask parishioners to read the agenda and take concerns and questions to a vestry member who can then take those to the meeting. In addition, encourage parishioners to attend vestry meetings as guests.

·      Approve the vestry meeting minutes via email so they can be posted earlier than a month after the meeting.

·      Bring back the “rumor of the week” discussion after services on Sunday.

 

Service:  There was a request to bring back reading Marsue’s sermons at the 8:00 service.  Also, there will be communion for the 8:00 service each week rather than the proposed once a month.  

 

Champlin Grant Application:

No update.

 

The next regular vestry meeting is scheduled for November 14 at 7:00PM in the Bay Room.  

 

The meeting was adjourned at 9:53 PM.

Closing prayer

Respectfully submitted by

Vickie Ancona

Clerk of the Vestry

Vestry Meeting

Vestry Meeting

Trinity Church, Pawtuxet

Worshipping, Welcoming, Working

To Bring Joy to God

September 12, 2011 Minutes

 

Vestry Members present: Vickie Ancona; Gail Anderson; Scott Avedisian; Bill Baddeley; Sandy DeMarinis; Linda Deming; Jessica D’Entremont; Nancy Dorsey; Susan Halvarson; Rev. Marsue Harris; Ed O’Hara; Donna Manchester; Stephan Sloan

Vestry Members absent:  Patti Cottrill

Guests: Margaret Thomas; Susan Hinckley

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM

Opening Prayer – Rev. Marsue Harris

Minutes:  The minutes from the August vestry meeting were approved.

 

Correspondence:  None reported.

 

Treasurer’s report: 

Sandy DeMarinis went over the Treasurer’s report for August.  Of note: $5,000 was withdrawn from the Memorial Fund to pay for grocery cards.  Also of note is a $260 expense for air conditioner repair; $960 for two months of grass cutting.  There is a net income is $1,387.63 for the month.  The vestry accepted the report. 

 

Endowment Spending Policy:

The draft has been posted and will be discussed and voted on at a special meeting on Sunday, September 18 after the 10:00 service.

 

Trinity Canon Revisions (By-Laws):

Nancy Dorsey reported that she, Bill Baddeley, and Margaret Thomas made final modifications to the proposed Trinity by-laws.  This document will be posted, printouts will be made available, and the document will be presented at a special meeting of the parish on Sunday, October 16 after the 10:00 service.  Representatives from the committee will be available to answer questions after both services on October 2 and October 9.  A “transition” plan for how the new policies will be implemented will be determined and presented at a later date.  The vestry voted to accept the amended by-laws as written. 

 

Episcopal Charities proposal:

Sue Hinckley presented a proposal that the Social Outreach committee received from Episcopal Charities in conjunction with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Ocean State.  After discussion, it was decided that not enough information was available to make a final decision; Nancy Dorsey and Sue Hinckley will gather further information and present it to the vestry at a later date. 

 

Junior Warden’s report

Bill Baddeley reported on several items:   

·      Sexton.  We are currently handling the duties of the sexton through the contributions of a group of volunteers.  Some of the duties are not explicitly covered, but again members of the parish are stepping up to do what needs to be done.  We need more volunteer coverage to provide relief for the first people who responded if we are to make the program work in the longer term.  Trinity’s savings (the sexton’s salary, and the church’s contributions to state and federal benefit programs) are substantial, but the work is also substantial.  Some parts of the job will likely go to a paid employee or to a cleaning service.  People whom we should thank:  Carol Hills, Bev Dugan, Carol McCoy, Kelly Elderkin, George Foley, Ed O’Hara, Shirlie O’Rourke.

·      Safety.  George Foley and I have begun mapping out the church’s water, oil, gas, heat, and electricity services, labeling and drawing components and making sure that the emergency shut off switches and valves are clearly labeled.  At some point we will want to show a group of volunteers and perhaps all the ushers where each control and shut off is so that we are reasonably well prepared to respond to an emergency.

·      External paint.  This is a good time of year to tackle projects around the outside of the church.  Two years ago we elected to defer repainting the frames of our stained glass windows, particularly those along the south wall, above the roof of the storage room.  These frames are in need of paint, and we will probably try to attract volunteers who can climb ladders and do the work.  There are other places around the building where bare wood surfaces need paint.  I am also hoping that we’ll be able to deal with the parish hall doors this fall.

 

Senior Warden’s report:

Stephan Sloan reported on several items:

·      Correspondence from the Department of Labor and Training regarding a required deposit for unemployment insurance in the event the Happy Hollow taxpayer ID number should hire any new employees. At this time there are no plans to make new hires and this may not be an issue for Trinity.

·      Correspondence from Bob Batchelor, Treasurer of the Diocese, wishing to support Trinity in the discussion and vote regarding the resolution on the endowment statement.

·      Correspondence from Ron Turnbull, Controller for the Diocese, regarding the calculation of Trinity's 2012 Apportionment. At issue is the treatment of some long term improvement expenses in Trinity's 2010 financial statements and if they are appropriate to include in calculation of the Apportionment. In the present and highest case scenario, Trinity's Apportionment for 2012 would decrease by approximately $11,000 and in the most favorable case scenario the decrease would be $15,000.

Bay Room chairs:

Ed O’Hara reported that he has done research on purchasing 16 new chairs for the Bay Room. He brought a sample to the meeting.  There were two other possible candidates; Ed will purchase one that may be available on Sunday for the vestry to view and comment on.

 

Lease Agreement:

Nancy Dorsey reminded the vestry that we need to follow up on the proposed lease agreement with Tom Sweeney.  It was decided to look into getting quotes from other realtors in the area and make a determination then how to proceed. 

 

Interim Rector’s report:

Marsue reported on several items:

 

Stewardship:  Marsue has started forming a stewardship committee; current members include: Margaret Thomas, Stephan Sloan, Jeremy Vonflatern, Andy Burkhardt, Ed O’Hara and Don Raleigh.  She will set up a meeting within the next two weeks and schedule a stewardship sermon. 

 

Godly Play: Marsue reported that there are seven children registered for the preschool program and four in the grades 4—6 program.  Several new families have signed up.

 

Service Times:  The new schedule for service times has started, with the second service starting at 10:00 instead of 9:30.  Some discussion took place about coffee hour: we need volunteers to handle the coffee hour after the 10:00 service.  Once Godly Play starts, coffee hour after the second service will take place in the parish hall.

 

Standing Committee: The rectors and wardens of the four Cranston churches have been invited to attend a meeting of the Standing Committee on September 13.

 

Champlin Grant Application:

No update.

 

Discernment Committee:

No update

 

The next regular vestry meeting is scheduled for October 17 at 7:00PM in the Bay Room.  Note that this is the third Monday of the month.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 PM.

Closing prayer

Respectfully submitted as corrected by

Vickie Ancona

Clerk of the Vestry

Vestry Meeting

Vestry Meeting

Trinity Church, Pawtuxet

Worshipping, Welcoming, Working

To Bring Joy to God

August 15, 2011 Minutes

 

Vestry Members present: Vickie Ancona; Scott Avedisian; Bill Baddeley; Sandy DeMarinis; Jessica D’Entremont; Nancy Dorsey; Susan Halvarson; Rev. Marsue Harris; Ed O’Hara; Donna Manchester; Stephan Sloan

Vestry Members absent:  Gail Anderson; Linda Deming; Patti Cottrill

Guests: Margaret Thomas; Vance Morgan, Jeannie Dipretoro

The meeting was called to order at 7:10 PM at the home of Stephan and Lara Sloan.  Thank you to both of them for hosting.

Opening Prayer – Rev. Marsue Harris

Minutes:  The minutes from the July 11 vestry meeting were approved.

 

Correspondence:  None reported.

 

Treasurer’s report: 

Sandy DeMarinis went over the Treasurer’s report.  Line items of note on the income side: $10,000 was withdrawn from the Memorial Fund to pay for the plasterwork; $5,034 has been raised in grocery card and scrip card sales; $5,569.41 is the total we will receive from Happy Hollow. One the expense side: $1,527.25 was spent on repairs for the fire alarm; $20,334.84 has been spent on repair and maintenance, primarily on the plaster work, the water main repair and other repairs on the building.  However, Sandy noted that the deficit for the month of July was $967.30, a lower deficit than in past months.  Also noted was that the total deficit so far this year is $14,586.86.  We budgeted a deficit of $18,828 for all of 2011.  The vestry accepted the report. 

 

Endowment Spending Policy: Stephan presented a draft of the proposed Endowment Policy.  The vestry discussed the proposal and made further suggestions. The vestry then voted to present the final draft at a special meeting for approval by the parish.  The meeting will be scheduled for September 18 after the 9:30 service.

 

Junior Warden’s report

Bill Baddeley reported on several items:

·      The Bay Room chairs: several options have been presented. It was the consensus of gthe vestry that one person should be the point person for this project. Ed O’Hara volunteered to be that point person for chair replacement.

·      Volunteer sexton work: appears to be working well.  A proposal was made that we should look into hiring a cleaning company to clean the bathrooms.

 

 

Trinity Canon Revisions (By-Laws):

Nancy Dorsey reported that she, Bill Baddeley, and Margaret Thomas did a detailed review of the current by-laws; the modified draft was presented to the vestry.  A final draft will be presented to the vestry at the September 12 vestry meeting.  The vestry then voted to present the final draft at a special meeting for approval by the parish.  The meeting will be scheduled for October 16 after the 9:30 service.

 

Announcements and Updates

 

Godly Play: Registration will take place September 11; classes will start September 18.

 

30th Anniversary: Sunday, August 21 is the 30th anniversary of Marsue’s ordination. A brunch will be served.

 

Interim Rector’s report:

Marsue reported on several items:

 

Stewardship:  Marsue has started forming a stewardship committee; current members include: Margaret Thomas, Stephan Sloan, Jeremy van Flatern, and Andy Burkhardt. A meeting of the committee will take place in September. Marsue has tentatively planned a stewardship talk for September 25.

 

Service Times: Starting in September, we will return to two Sunday services, one at 8:00 that will include morning prayer except for the first Sunday of the month when there will be Eucharist; and a second service at a time to be determined.   In addition, Marsue reported that there will be one 9:00 service on Christmas and one 5:00 service on Christmas Eve. 

 

Special Services: The Hispanic community of Ascension is celebrating their one-year anniversary on Sunday, August 22 at 1:00.  Trinity parishioners are welcome to attend.

 

Meeting of the Cranston Churches: The fifth meeting of the Cranston churches will take place on September 25 at St. David’s. 

 

Standing Committee: The rectors and wardens of the four Cranston churches have been invited to attend a meeting of the Standing Committee on September 13.

 

Champlin Grant Application:

No update.

 

Discernment Committee:

A meeting of the committee and Marsue will be scheduled soon.

 

The next regular vestry meeting is scheduled for September 12 at 7:00PM in the Bay Room.  

 

 

Agenda items:

-       Trinity Canon final revisions

The meeting was adjourned at 9:48 PM.

Closing prayer

Respectfully submitted as corrected by

Vickie Ancona

Clerk of the Vestry

Vestry Meeting

Vestry Meeting

Trinity Church, Pawtuxet

Worshipping, Welcoming, Working

To Bring Joy to God

July 11, 2011 Minutes

 

Vestry Members present: Vickie Ancona; Gail Anderson; Scott Avedisian; Sandy DeMarinis; Linda Deming; Nancy Dorsey; Susan Halvarson; Rev. Marsue Harris; Ed O’Hara; Stephan Sloan

Vestry Members absent:  Bill Baddeley; Patti Cottrill; Jessica D’Entremont; Donna Manchester

Guests: Margaret Thomas; Bill Plumb; George Foley

The meeting was called to order at 7:01 PM.  

Opening Prayer – Rev. Marsue Harris

Minutes:  The minutes from the June 13 vestry meeting were approved.

 

Correspondence:  None reported.

 

Treasurer’s report: 

Sandy DeMarinis went over the Treasurer’s report, noting that the deficit for June was around $5,205.92.  The vestry accepted the report.  Sandy will amend the report to correct a math error to more accurately reflect the income/loss for the month.

 

Champlin Grant Application:

No update.

 

Discernment Committee:

Margaret Thomas reported that Bill Baddeley has done research on surveys that other churches have done. He proposes that other Cranston churches work with the same survey to get a good comparison of results.

 

Senior Warden’s report:

Stephan reported that a quilt made by the Prayers and Squares group was presented to Pastor Beth Sherman at Saint David’s on the Hill this past weekend; Pastor Beth will be taking a position in the San Francisco area.

 

Stephan reported that he will be meeting with Bob Batchelor, from the Diocese, this week to go over the diocesan report. 

 

Marsue reported that the vestry approved the appointment of Stephan Sloan to the Happy Hollow Board of Trustees; however, three members are required to sign paperwork, so Bill Baddeley was nominated as the third member of the Board. The vestry approved this appointment.

 

Endowment Spending: Stephan is finalizing the statement regarding guidelines for managing the endowment fund.  The statement will include information on the purpose of the fund; policies on its use; and include an emergency provision. He will send this version of the statement to vestry members via email. 

 

Junior Warden’s report

Bill Baddeley was not at the meeting.

 

Interim Rector’s report:

Marsue reported on several items:

-       She has written a letter of thanks to Gail Bagley that she would like the vestry members to sign

-       She reported on the most recent meeting of the South County churches; discussion centered around how to make the best use of resources

-       Wayne Barnes resigned as Sexton. A job description is being written and will be posted; the expectation is that the job is 15 hours per week, with extra time required for funerals, weddings, etc.

-       There is a Pawtuxet Village Calendar being created for 2012 and Marsue was asked for information on events at Trinity that could be included in the calendar.

-       Reconfiguring the altar placement is under consideration.

 

Trinity Canon Revisions:

Nancy Dorsey reported that Bill Baddeley and Margaret Thomas are helping her redraft the Trinity Bylaws.  Looking at samples from other organizations and other churches, they are in the process of addressing such items as: the definition of officers; what constitutes a quorum; sizes of committees, vestry, etc.; language use.  They are scheduled to meet again on July 31 to continue their review.  This topic will be on the agenda for the August vestry meeting. They are hoping to complete the final draft so it can be voted on by the parish in a special meeting in late September or early October. 

 

Meeting of the Cranston Churches:

The fifth meeting of the Cranston churches is scheduled for July 17 at 11:15 at St. David’s on the Hill. Lunch will be provided. Agenda items include: statement on endowment use; Pawsox “get-to-know-you” social event on August 1;

 

Other:

Transition Committee: Bill Plumb and Scott Avedisian reported on the Bishop search process. A survey from the Diocese will be sent to all churches; parishioners are encouraged to complete the survey. It is online at episcopalri.org/. Click on “Bishop Search Process” and follow the directions for filling out the survey. Surveys are anonymous.

 

Bill Plumb also thanked Trinity for their hospitality; several meetings of the transition committee have been held at Trinity.

 

Chairs in the Bay Room: there was discussion of replacement of the worn-out chairs in the Bay Room.

 

Vance Morgan: Vance continues to hold sessions after church. The next session will be July 24.

 

Vestry meeting minutes: It was brought to the attention of the vestry that there has been concern voiced about how quickly vestry minutes can get approved and posted. We will continue to post them only after approval, which currently takes place at the following vestry meeting.

 

Building maintenance: George Foley reported that he will be working with Bill Baddeley regarding a schedule for regular maintenance projects.

 

Former Happy Hollow space: Nancy Dorsey reported that she has received a proposal from Tom Sweeney regarding renting the former Happy Hollow space. This will be a topic to be discussed at the August vestry meeting.

 

The next regular vestry meeting is scheduled for August 15 at Stephan Sloan’s house (30 Bow Street, East Greenwich, RI); vestry is welcome to arrive after 6:00; business meeting will begin at 7:00.   

 

Agenda items:

-       Trinity Canon revisions

-       Rental agreement with Tom Sweeney for former Happy Hollow space

 

The meeting was adjourned at 8:17 PM.

Closing prayer

Respectfully submitted as corrected by

Vickie Ancona

Clerk of the Vestry

Vestry Meeting

Vestry Meeting

Trinity Church, Pawtuxet

Worshipping, Welcoming, Working

To Bring Joy to God

June 13, 2011 Minutes

 

Vestry Members present: Vickie Ancona; Scott Avedisian; Bill Baddeley; Linda Deming; Jessica D’Entremont; Nancy Dorsey; Donna Manchester; Rev. Marsue Harris; Ed O’Hara; Stephan Sloan

Vestry Members absent:  Gail Anderson; Patti Cottrill; Sandy DeMarinis; Susan Halvarson;

Guests: Margaret Thomas; Bill Plumb

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM. 

Opening Prayer – Rev. Marsue Harris

Minutes:  The minutes from the May 9 vestry meeting were approved.

 

Correspondence:  None reported.

 

Treasurer’s report: 

Sandy DeMarinis was not present; however, copies of the May treasurer’s report were distributed. The vestry accepted the report as submitted.

 

Champlin Grant Application:

The application for a Champlin grant was written by Margaret Thomas, Bill Baddeley, and the architect; the application was submitted and acknowledged as received. Final decisions will be made in November, with funds being dispersed in December.

 

Discernment Committee:

Margaret Thomas, Bill Baddeley, and Vickie Ancona reported that the discernment committee met on Wednesday and came up with a plan for holding meetings with parishioners to go over the findings and to explore issues in more depth. The committee asked that a financial presentation be made to the parish prior to the meetings, so the parish will have more information going into the group discussions. The committee also plans to present a survey to the parish in the fall.  

 

Vickie Ancona reported that one item that came out of discussions was a request that the treasurer’s report be posted after it is accepted by the vestry. 

 

Endowment Spending:

Stephan is working on a statement regarding guidelines for managing the endowment fund. The statement will include information on the purpose of the fund; policies on its use; and include an emergency provision. He will send a draft statement to vestry members via email. 

 

Stewardship report:

Margaret Thomas brought a proposal to the vestry based on the model used by St. Luke’s in East Greenwich. One suggestion from this model is that the vestry act as leaders of the stewardship campaign, and that stewardship be stressed year round.  Marsue indicated that Trinity does not have the resources to devote to a full-scale operation similar to St. Luke’s.  We also discussed having regular stewardship talks at the servies.  Finally, Marsue has a list of candidates for a stewardship committee and will be appointing the members of that committee.

 

Junior Warden’s report

Fabric Report:

Bill Baddeley reported that the final amount due for the recent water problem is around $5,300. 

 

Ministry Reports:

 

Godly Play:

Nancy and Donna reported that they met with teachers and greeters and came up with some ideas for next year. Nancy also reported that refresher training will take place the first Sunday after Labor Day, which is also the day for people to sign up for Godly Play.  Also discussed were how to separate by age to get an even number of children in each class; transition from Donna and Nancy to Carl Hurtubise.  There was also a suggestion that there be a Godly-Play-like sermon for the congregation.  Finally, it was suggested that a letter come from the vestry to Gail Bagley thanking her for her over 25 years of service. 

 

Trinity Canon Revisions:

Nancy Dorsey reported that Bill Baddeley and Margaret Thomas are helping her redraft the Trinity Bylaws.

 

Meeting of the Cranston Churches:

On June 5, all four Cranston Episcopal churches met at Trinity. Those who attended reported that it was a well-attended meeting and it was felt that the discussion was substantive.  One proposal that came up at the meeting is that all four churches attend a Pawtucket Red Sox game together.  This would be an opportunity for members of each of the parishes to get to know each other in fellowship.  The next meeting will be held July 17 at St. David’s. 

 

In addition, there was discussion at this vestry meeting regarding inviting other churches to our vestry meeting that will take place in August.  It was suggested that we change the date to August 15 and send out invitations to vestries from the other three Cranston churches. 

 

State of the Congregations meeting:

Marsue reported that there will be a State of the Congregations meeting on June 28 at St. Paul’s in Wickford from 7 to 9.  If anyone is interested in attending, let her know.

 

Fundraising report:

Donna and Linda reported the wine tasting brought in around $1,000 profit with around 70 people attending. The pancake breakfast for Gaspee Days brought in around $200 and had some new people volunteering to help.  The progressive dinner brought in around $500; and the bake sale brought in around $250 to $300. 

 

Other:

-        Discussion of replacing the chairs in the Bay Room (Sue Halvarson and Victoria Read, as well as Sally Knowles, are working on possibilities; Nancy has also offered to see what might be available).

-        Discussion regarding next steps in efforts to rent out the Happy Hollow space.  Nancy will speak with Tom Sweeney and Stephan will talk with one or two other real estate agents to make presentations to the vestry.

-        Marsue reported that there were 91 attendees at this year’s Gaspee Days Ecumenical service; this was up from around 60 last year.

 

The next regular vestry meeting is scheduled for July 11 at 7:00.  

 

The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 PM.

Closing prayer

Respectfully submitted as corrected by

Vickie Ancona

Clerk of the Vestry

< Vestry Meeting
Trinity Church, Pawtuxet
Worshipping, Welcoming, Working
To Bring Joy to God
May 9, 2011 Minutes

Vestry Members present: Vickie Ancona; Scott Avedisian; Bill Baddeley; Sandy DeMarinis; Jessica D’Entremont; Nancy Dorsey; Donna Manchester; Susan Halvarson; Rev. Marsue Harris; Ed O’Hara; Stephan Sloan

Vestry Members absent: Gail Anderson;Patti Cottrill; Linda Deming

Guests: Margaret Thomas

The meeting was called to order at 7:01 PM.

Opening Prayer – Rev. Marsue Harris

Minutes: The minutes from the April 18 vestry meeting were approved.

Correspondence: None reported.

Treasurer’s report:
Sandy DeMarinis went over the treasurer’s report. Of note:
The Memorial dividend income to date, accumulated Jan-April 2011, is equal to $1,159.28. $10,000 on that line item was withdrawn to cover the first payment of the plaster work. Total cost of the plaster work, $13,510, was paid in two payments $10,000 plus $3,150 during the months of March and April. Other repair cost in April, $371 was for a fire alarm service call.
The Theological Fund line item of $500, from the Annual Budget for 2011, will be reviewed by Stephan.

Champlin Grant Application:
No update.

Discernment Committee:
Margaret Thomas, Bill Baddeley, and Vickie Ancona reported that the discernment committee will meet on Wednesday to go over a summary to be presented to the parish on two upcoming Sundays. They will also discuss setting up discussion sessions with parishioners and “next steps”.

Ministry Reports:
Donna Manchester reported that there are currently 19 gift baskets that will be raffled off at the wine tasting on Friday, May 13. Tickets for the wine tasting have sold well; they expect 75—80 people.

Donna also reported that the next fundraiser will be the Gaspee Days pancake breakfast on June 11, 7:00 to 10:00.

Calendar Review:
Awards Sunday will take place June 5 at the 9:30 service.

Vance Morgan is holding another set of adult ed classes, Wednesdays during May.

Gaspee Days Ecumenical service will take place June 11 at 8:00.

Service Times:
Marsue set forth a proposed schedule of service times for the summer; the plan, approved by the vestry, is to hold one 9:00 service during the summer, some of which may have no music. In addition, by contract, clergy are given four Sundays off for vacation. If and when Marsue takes vacation time, her plan is to hold Morning Prayer with possible communion from the reserved sacrament.

Upcoming Events:
Wine tasting May 13
Awards Sunday, June 5
Meeting of Cranston churches at Trinity, June 5 at noon
Gaspee Days pancake breakfast, June 11
Gaspee Days ecumenical service, June 11

Junior Warden’s report

Fabric Report:
Bill Baddeley gave the following report: The water line feeding the church building failed a week ago and had to be replaced. Because the leak was on our side of the street shut-off we had to do the repair. FG Lees and Son replaced the 100 year old 1” lead pipe with a copper line. We now have a completely lead-free water service in the church. Note that the lead levels in the water, measured several months ago, were within acceptable limits.

We have applied to the state health department for a certification of our kitchen as suitable for commercial use.

We are looking into replacement chairs for the worn ones in the bay room. A few people have come forward to help with this, and I hope to bring a proposal to the vestry at our June meeting.

Thank you to the people who turned out for our work day on Saturday, May 7th: Nancy Dorsey;
Jessica, Jeff, Benjamin and Nicholas D’Entremont;
George Foley;
Donna and Scott Manchester,
Ed O’Hara
Don Raleigh
Ian Sanderson

During the clean up, it was discovered that we have significantly more books in the room next to the kitchen and that these could be donated to the William Hall book sale.

Meeting of the Cranston Churches:
On May 1, there was a meeting of the Cranston churches at Ascension. Vickie Ancona, Bill Plumb, Dot Lane, and Stephan Sloan attended. Stephan and Vickie reported that there were wide-ranging views on where people were in the discernment process, but all parishes seemed to value a similar list of ministries, which included a good music program and outreach.

Endowment Spending:
Stephan presented a draft statement regarding the use of church finances. It includes information on the following:
Purpose: This describes what the Memorial Fund is to be used for.
Policy: This states a guiding principle for withdrawal or use of the funds.
Emergency Provision: This would provide guidance when we need to make emergency withdrawals from the fund that exceeds the amount listed in the policy.

After discussion, the consensus was that this statement should be incorporated into the bylaws.

Trinity Canon Revisions:
Nancy Dorsey reported that she had reviewed the current bylaws for Trinity. It gives guidelines on such items as vestry size, terms, attendance, what constitutes a quorum, and how to determine a nominating committee. The vestry will work on changes to the bylaws that will also include new items such as procedures for approving minutes (instead of waiting a month for minutes to be approved), procedures for emergency voting, gives information on what we do if there is a dissolution of the corporation, and, as mentioned above, guidelines on endowment spending. Nancy would like to complete the revisions by the end of the summer so we can present it to the parish for a vote before the annual meeting takes place in January.

New business: Stephan reported that the Edgewood Yacht Club would like to borrow some tables and chairs for the summer; they will make a free-will offering of $500. This proposal was accepted by the vestry.

Stephan also reported that he has started discussion with the Diocese regarding requesting abatement on the apportionment. We currently owe the Diocese about $11,400 for the June—December 2009 apportionment. We are current on all other payments.

Stephan also reported that two scholarship funds are being managed by the Diocese but are not making the interest that could be made if they were managed by Merrill Lynch. He will look into whether there are any restrictions that would prohibit this move.

Nancy Dorsey reported that Thomas Sweeney toured the Happy Hollow space to evaluate its rental prospects. He recommended that Trinity engage a broker to try and investigate at least two options: renting to a daycare provider or nonprofit business. He noted the lack of parking and its location in a residential area. He also indicated that retrofitting the space would not be cost effective.

The next regular vestry meeting is scheduled for June 13 at 7:00.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:18 PM.

Closing prayer

Respectfully submitted as corrected by Vickie Ancona Clerk of the Vestry

Vestry Meeting
Trinity Church, Pawtuxet
Worshipping, Welcoming, Working
To Bring Joy to God
April 18, 2011 Minutes

Vestry Members present: Vickie Ancona; Gail Anderson; Scott Avedisian; Bill Baddeley; Sandy DeMarinis; Linda Deming; Jessica D’Entremont; Donna Manchester; Susan Halvarson; Rev. Marsue Harris; Ed O’Hara; Stephan Sloan

Vestry Members absent: Patti Cottrill; Nancy Dorsey

Guests: Margaret Thomas

The meeting was called to order at 7:01 PM.

Opening Prayer – Rev. Marsue Harris

Minutes: The minutes from the March 14 and the March 21 vestry meetings were approved.

Correspondence: Thank you notes were received from the South Providence Neighborhood Ministries thanking Trinity for their donations of clothing.

Treasurer’s report:
Sandy DeMarinis went over the treasurer’s report. Of note is that the final cost for the plaster work was a little over $13,000. $10,000 of that has been taken out of the Memorial Fund to make the payment; in addition, $1,045 has been received in donations from parishioners to help defray the cost of the plaster work. Also of note is the addition of a line for Insurance premiums: $1,977.25 was the first of three payments. The deficit for March was $4,240.17. The treasurer’s report was accepted as presented.

Champlin Grant Application:
Margaret Thomas is writing an application for a grant from the Champlin Foundation. The application will request $50,000 for support to rebuild the capstones around the top of the church building. Margaret and Bill Baddeley are working with the architect to get a detailed description of what needs to be done. It is expected that the total cost will be over $100,000; there was discussion about raising the remaining moneys by running a capital campaign. The vestry resolved to support the application that Margaret is filing with the Champlin Foundation.

Discernment Committee:
Margaret Thomas, Bill Baddeley, and Vickie Ancona reported that the discernment committee is active and has found that people of the parish have provided very thoughtful heart-felt answers to the weekly questions. The committee will meet on April 27 to discuss the results of the questions. They expect to write a report, present it to the parish, and hold smaller meetings with parishioners on two Sundays in May to discuss issues of concern. The committee feels that the first step is to make sure people of the parish understand the financial issues and the implications of that.

Ministry Reports:
Donna Manchester reported that the Progressive Dinner was a huge success; there were about 40 attendees and we raised about $700. Linda Deming reported that the bake sale raised over $200. Upcoming events include a wine tasting on May 13. It will cost $20 and will take place at the Shriner’s. Kelly Elderkin is organizing the event. She would like to raffle off gift baskets. Anyone who makes up a gift basket will get a free ticket to the event.

Sandy DeMarinis reported that the gardens were a result of planting several years of left-over Easter flowers.

Donna Manchester reported that the last Godly Play class will be May 22; awards Sunday will take place June 5.

Bill Baddeley is working with Vance Morgan to hold another set of adult ed classes.

Calendar Review:
The May calendar was reviewed so that an updated version could appear in the May e-newsletter.

Upcoming Events:
All four Cranston parishes have been invited to Trinity for the noon service on Good Friday. There will be music.

There will be a feature article on Trinity in the next issue of the Bridge; it is scheduled to be published in June.

The vestry decided to leave the Nursery open during June to see if there is still a need during the summer.

Junior Warden’s report

Fabric Report:
Bill Baddeley reported that Saturday, May 7 will be a work day at Trinity.
Scott Manchester cleaned out the storage room.
Bill and Nancy Dorsey met with Tom Sweeney, a real estate agent, who has looked at the building and will get back to us on what possibilities he sees in our attempt to rent out the education wing of the building.

Meeting of the Cranston Churches:
On May 1, there will be a meeting of the Cranston churches at Ascension. The vestry has been invited to attend. If interested, let Marsue know. In past meetings, topics of discussion among the churches have been: Proper use of endowment; mergers; evaluating the energy of ministries offered by the church.

Endowment Spending:
Stephan would like help writing a statement regarding the use of church finances. Topics to include in the statement are:
• Describe the purpose of the memorial fund: describe the history of the gifts; are any restrictions put on the gifts? What form did the gifts come in?
• Set rules for how much can be spent. A guideline is 7% of the last three-year average.
• Include explicit guidance on emergency provisions.

Trinity Canon Revisions:
Nancy Dorsey is working on proposals for modifications to the Bylaws. A discussion on this was postponed.

Happy Hollow: Representatives of the Happy Hollow Board submitted a proposal to the vestry to keep Happy Hollow in place for the upcoming school year. The vestry considered the proposal and discussed it at length. They decided to reaffirm the March 14 resolution to offer the entire wing for rent. In addition, the following resolution was proposed, seconded, and voted on:

The vestry resolves not to accept the proposal received from the Happy Hollow Board dated April 8.
The vote was unanimous to accept the resolution. Both Gail Anderson and Donna Manchester abstained.

The next regular vestry meeting is scheduled for May 9 at 7:00.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:08 PM.

Closing prayer

Respectfully submitted as corrected by
Vickie Ancona Clerk of the Vestry

Vestry Meeting
Trinity Church, Pawtuxet
Worshipping, Welcoming, Working
To Bring Joy to God
March 21, 2011 Minutes

Vestry Members present: Vickie Ancona; Gail Anderson; Scott Avedisian; Bill Baddeley; Sandy DeMarinis; Linda Deming; Nancy Dorsey; Susan Halvarson; Rev. Marsue Harris; Ed O’Hara; Stephan Sloan

Vestry Members absent: Patti Cottrill; Jessica D’Entremont; Donna Manchester;

Guests: None

The meeting was called to order at 7:07 PM.

Opening Prayer – Rev. Marsue Harris

Minutes: The minutes from the March 14 vestry meeting were not available in print form at the meeting; they will be presented at the next meeting for approval.

Correspondence: None reported.

Treasurer’s report:
Sandy DeMarinis went over the treasurer’s report. Of note is that the deficit for January was $516.99; for February, the deficit was $3,766.12. The report was accepted as presented. It was also noted that Sandy will be meeting with Merrill Lynch in the next week.

Meeting with Happy Hollow Board:
The Wardens and Marsue met with members of the board of Happy Hollow to discuss issues regarding the transition to no longer rent space to Happy Hollow. The meeting with the Happy Hollow board led to the agreement that the Happy Hollow board would send a letter to parents to inform them of the closure of the preschool at the end of the academic year, and to explain the decision. The details for closure are still to be worked out.

FUNdraising report:
Upcoming events include:
• Progressive supper, Saturday, April 9, starting at 6:00 at Donna Manchester’s house and ending at Scott Avedisian’s house. There are currently four venues for dinner. Cost for this event is $20 per person. • Wine and beer tasting, Friday, May 13, at the Imperial Room at the Shriner’s Club. One suggestion is to have a silent auction for baskets of items. Cost for this event is $20. • Gaspee Day pancake breakfast, Saturday, June 11. Details regarding time and costs are yet to be determined.

Linda Deming made a motion to accept a First Point Power proposal as a fundraiser for Trinity Church. This motion was defeated.

Calendar Review:
Bill Baddeley made a motion to accept the following resolution:

“Resolved: The vestry will place on its agenda at each regular meeting a review of the church calendar for the coming quarter. Ministries proposing church events will present these in person or submit them to the clerk of the vestry for inclusion in the review and placement on the calendar.” This motion was accepted.

It was noted that one central calendar noting the use of all rooms, church events, fundraisers, meetings, notable events (i.e., the last day of Godly Play) would be useful. The one currently in Joyce’s office was noted as a good one to use.

Junior Warden’s report

Fabric Report:
Bill Baddeley reported that the plaster work at the back of the church is progressing. He expects the cost for the project to be under $10,000. There will be a clean-up day scheduled for May 7 from 9 to 4 with lunch provided. Bill also reported that Sharon Terzian will take on the maintenance of our member database.

Meeting of the Cranston Churches:
A second meeting of the Cranston Churches will take place on March 27.

Endowment Spending:
A discussion began regarding guidelines on endowment spending, with the goal of preserving the endowment. Ideas discussed included: • Set rules for how much of the endowment can be spent • What date should be used as a base for calculating spending limits • Should there be rules for when we can spend from the endowment. Examples might include borrowing for capital improvements/repairs, and/or funding money-making activities. • Do the guidelines need to be approved by the entire Parish? It was decided that the Finance Committee should draft a resolution and bring it to the vestry for discussion.

Trinity Canon Revisions:
Nancy Dorsey is working on proposals for modifications to the Bylaws.

Holy Week Mailing:
A date will be set for vestry to meet and address cards to be mailed out announcing information on Holy Week services.

On Good Friday, all the Cranston churches have been asked to attend the noon service at Trinity. It was suggested that a simple lunch be offered after the service.

Communication:
A short discussion took place regarding the need for a communication committee. Andy Burkhardt is currently the website manager. It was noted that information on the website is out of date.

Service Times:
We discussed modifications to the current service times. Ideas included having only one service at 9:00 during the summer. No decisions were made.

Ministry reports: No reports.

Agenda items for the next vestry meeting:
• Ministry reports comparison of charts from 3/10 and 3/11 vestry retreats

The next regular vestry meeting is scheduled for April 11 at 7:00.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 PM.

Closing prayer

Respectfully submitted as corrected by Vickie Ancona Clerk of the Vestry

Vestry Meeting
Trinity Church, Pawtuxet
Worshipping, Welcoming, Working
To Bring Joy to God
March 14, 2011 Minutes

Vestry Members present: Vickie Ancona; Gail Anderson; Bill Baddeley; Linda Deming; Nancy Dorsey; Susan Halvarson; Rev. Marsue Harris; Donna Manchester; Ed O’Hara; Stephan Sloan

Vestry Members absent: Scott Avedisian; Patti Cottrill; Jessica D’Entremont; Sandy DeMarinis;

Guests: None

The meeting was called to order at 7:02 PM.

Opening Prayer – Rev. Marsue Harris

Minutes: The minutes from the February vestry meeting were approved as written; the minutes from the March vestry retreat were approved as corrected.

Correspondence: None reported.

Treasurer’s report: Since Sandy was not at the meeting, it was decided to postpone going over the treasurer’s report to the next meeting.

Junior Warden’s report

Fabric Report:
Bill Baddeley noted that Patti Cottrill has sponsored snow removal for the remainder of the winter season (this was also reported in last month’s notes). Bill also showed the vestry the plaster work that was taking place at the back of the church. It was much more extensive than originally thought and will cost significantly more than we expected. There was discussion about several items regarding costs of repairs:
Communicate costs and status of projects to parish
Perhaps conduct a capital campaign similar to the last one in 1995 that was held to raise funds for repairs as well as to repay the endowment fund
During renovations, we could hold services in the parish hall
Communicate with parish about the need for help to clean the church before Sunday services: bring “Swiffers”, dusting equipment, etc.

Discernment committee:
• Bill Baddeley reported that the discernment committee received over 60 responses from 100 service attendees, which is a very good response

Interim Rector’s Report:
Marsue discussed: • The Bishop will be visiting on April 3. There will be one service that Sunday, at 9:00. If we have any questions we would like to ask, send them to Marsue to pass on to her. We discussed a gift and decided to give a donation to the Bishop’s favorite charity and include the gift in a Trinity recycle bag. Nancy and Donna will coordinate a special coffee hour for that weekend.

Senior Warden’s report:
Stephan began a discussion on the use of space in the building. After much discussion, and in order to preserve the mission of the church, the vestry voted to approve the following resolution:

“Trinity Church will offer for lease all space in the parish house including the downstairs education wing and the upstairs administration wing, to entities consistent with the mission of the church.”

Note that Gail Anderson was present for the discussion, she abstained from voting on the resolution.

A short discussion took place regarding creating guidelines on endowment spending. We will work on this in future meetings. Some possibilities to include:
Borrowing from the endowment for capital expenses
Use interest for operating expenses
Determine a percentage that can be used in a year
Balance the budget each year

Ministry reports: No reports.

Agenda items for the next vestry meeting:
• Review fundraising • Trinity Canon revisions • Service times • Ministry reports

The next regular vestry meeting is scheduled for March 21 at 7:00. NOTE THAT THIS IS SOONER THAN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED VESTRY MEETING.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:50 PM.

Closing prayer

Respectfully submitted as corrected by Vickie Ancona Clerk of the Vestry

Vestry Meeting
Trinity Church, Pawtuxet
Worshipping, Welcoming, Working
To Bring Joy to God
February 7, 2011 Minutes

Vestry Members present: Vickie Ancona; Gail Anderson; Scott Avedisian; Bill Baddeley; Linda Deming; Jessica D’Entremont; Sandy DeMarinis; Nancy Dorsey; Susan Halvarson; Rev. Marsue Harris; Donna Manchester; Ed O’Hara; Stephan Sloan

Vestry Members absent: Patti Cottrill

Guests: Bill Plumb

The meeting was called to order at 6:57 PM.

Opening Prayer – Bill Baddeley

Welcome: Stephan Sloan welcomed the two new members of the vestry: Jessica D’Entremont and Ed O’Hara.

Minutes: The minutes from the January vestry meeting were approved as corrected.

Correspondence: None reported.

Treasurer’s report: Sandy DeMarinis went over the treasurer’s report. The net income for January 2011 was a negative $496.99 compared with a negative $4,116.85 for January 2010.

Interim Rector’s Report:
Marsue discussed several things:
• She continues to meet every other week with attendees of the 8:00 Sunday service and she does a brief communion with them every other week. Morning prayer at this service seems to be going well.
• There has been a request from other Cranston churches that the clergy, wardens, and vestries of the churches meet at the end of this month. There was some discussion about not becoming impatient with the interim process; no decision was made about whether Trinity will participate and if so, who might be interested in attending.
• The worship space at the altar may be rearranged to accommodate a growing choir. The wardens are evaluating what can be done.
• Marsue reported that she views this year as a “year of discernment”, where we will begin to talk about more difficult issues.
• The proposed Lenten schedule for Ash Wednesday is one service at 7:00 PM and for Palm Sunday and Easter there will be one service on each of those Sundays. We also discussed continuing our Wednesday evening Simple Suppers, having pot luck suppers and prayer services on Wednesdays in Lent.
• The self-study committee has its first meeting on Wednesday, February 9. The committee will focus on non-financial issues and will involve the entire membership in the study. Marsue asked that we let her know of any questions we would like added to the all-parish questionnaire.
• Vestry installation will take place on Sunday, February 13 at the 9:30 service.
• Father Gordon sent a thank-you for the book of photographs that was sent to him.

Junior Warden’s report:
Bill Baddeley reported on several items:
We had a lot of snow in January, and the bulk of it was removed by Craig Halvarson and his family. We owe thanks to Craig, Susan, Axel, Eric, and Hope for keeping Trinity open and safe through the storms.

Ed O’Hara repaired our snow-blower impeller. We have had an offer to lend a snow-blower, and an offer to pay a local man to clear the snow from the church. We’ll probably accept the offer of the snow clearing. The congregation has responded well to the newly articulated policy that the safety of our walks and entrances is a shared responsibility: tools and materials are available to remedy problems that people spot.

The new digital recorder has been seeing good use among our musicians. An anonymous gift covered the cost of the device. We have a bid on a replacement microphone for the rector’s lavaliere microphone, and a speaker for the choir area, which isn’t covered by our current speakers, of $425. The microphone will fit and work with our current transmitter setup.

Margaret Thomas is preparing a proposal for a grant from the Champlin Foundation, which funds restoration projects for historic buildings. We will propose one of the projects from the survey of the building we did last year, finding a match between the foundation’s interests and our projects. We will very likely employ our architect to prepare the project proposal for submission to the foundation.

Senior Warden’s report:
Stephan reported on the Happy Hollow board meeting. There was a discussion of how to handle disbursements from the endowment fund, primarily with regard to how much of the endowment can be used during a year. It was decided that we need a policy and that it should be communicated to the parish.

Self Study Committee:
Marsue reported that the self-study committee will focus only on the non-financial aspects of the church. Also, Bruce Beattie will be on the committee in addition to the following: Vickie Ancona
Laidy Stomberg
Margaret Thomas
Sarah Young
Don Raleigh

Stewardship:
Sandy DeMarinis reported on a stewardship conference that she and Margaret Thomas attended.

Retreat:
The vestry retreat is scheduled for March 5 from 9 to 3 at the church. One topic for discussion is “The Year of Discernment”.

Ministry reports:
No reports.

New business:
Since Sandy DeMarinis has taken over the Treasurer position, there is an opening on the vestry. In addition, we may need to fill the position Patti Cottrill currently holds. It was noted that there is no requirement in the by-laws to fill vestry positions that open due to new elections or to resignations during the year, and in recent years we have left such positions open until the elections at the next annual meeting.

The next regular vestry meeting is scheduled for April 11 at 7:00. The March meeting will be a vestry retreat.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 PM.

Closing prayer

Respectfully submitted by
Vickie Ancona
Clerk of the Vestry
Vestry Meeting
Trinity Church, Pawtuxet
Worshipping, Welcoming, Working
To Bring Joy to God
January 10, 2011 Minutes

Vestry Members present: Vickie Ancona; Bill Baddeley; Bill Caldwell; Linda Deming; Sandy DeMarinis; Nancy Dorsey; Susan Halvarson; Rev. Marsue Harris; Donna Manchester; Stephan Sloan

Vestry Members absent: Gail Anderson; Scott Avedisian; Bruce Beattie; Dan Stomberg

Guests: Bill Plumb, Ed O’Hara

The meeting was called to order at 7:03 PM.

Opening Prayer – Rev. Marsue Harris

Minutes: The minutes from the December vestry meeting were approved as corrected.

Correspondence: None reported.

Treasurer’s report: Bill Caldwell reported that he is still working on the final treasurer’s report for 2010. However, he noted that we had budgeted pledges for 2010 to be around $85,000 and the actual pledges for 2010 totaled $94,851.

Junior Warden’s report: Bill Baddeley reported on several items: Roof repairs were completed. There is a 12 year warranty on the roof. A few small repairs are to be done. He would like to purchase a music recorder that would record David’s playing to be used in David’s absence. It was suggested that maybe a parishioner might want to donate enough money to purchase one. He is also looking into either fixing the microphone that Marsue wears or purchasing a new one.

Senior Warden’s report: Nominations for vestry: Two people are completing their second terms: Dan Stomberg and Bruce Beattie. Nominations for vestry members are: Ed O’Hara Jessica D’Entremont Nominee for treasurer position is still open. Nominees for delegates to the convention are (two delegates and one alternate): Bill Plumb Donna Manchester Stephan Sloan Annual reports are due to Joyce so she can include them in the packet for the annual meeting.

Self Study Committee: Marsue reported that the current list of committee members includes the following; she would like one more person to serve. Henry Brown will help write the history section of the report. Vickie Ancona Laidy Stomberg Margaret Thomas Sarah Young Don Raleigh The vestry voted to allocate $1,000 in the 2011 budget for expenses incurred by the committee.

Stewardship: Stephan reported that we have received 79 pledges for 2011, resulting in a budgeted amount of $101,000 in pledges.

2011 Budget: Stephan handed out a draft budget for 2011. After discussion, it was approved with the addition of $1,000 for self-study committee expenses.

Interim Rector’s report: Marsue reported that Joyce will be on vacation from February 8—15.

Marsue also reported that she had a conversation with parishioners who regularly attend the 8:00 service to brainstorm ideas for possible changes in service times. Discussions are ongoing. She is looking for ways to effectively use her time at Trinity.

There was also some discussion regarding possibly sending a Trinity representative to the next deanery meeting.

Marsue also encouraged people to attend the Wednesday evening presentation by Vance Morgan.

Ministry reports: No reports.

Annual meeting: The annual meeting will take place January 23; there will be one service at 9:00 on that Sunday. A turkey supper is being planned for Friday, January 21. There are two seatings: 5:30 and 7:00. The dinner is open to the public.

New business: How the budget is presented at the annual meeting was discussed. Bill Plumb requested presentation of two scenarios, one regarding hiring a part-time rector and one hiring a full-time rector, and remove any information about capital improvements, since those costs might make the deficit seem overwhelming. The vestry determined that remaining consistent with the previous September 2010 presentation was desirable. Stephan will review the September 2010 presentation and update it for the annual meeting.

The next regular vestry meeting will take place on Monday, February 7, 2011, 7:00 pm. *NOTE THIS IS THE FIRST MONDAY OF THE MONTH*.

Vestry retreat: The vestry retreat has been tentatively scheduled for Saturday, March 5. Location to be determined.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:33 PM.

Closing prayer

Respectfully submitted as corrected by
Vickie Ancona Clerk of the Vestry

Vestry Meeting
Trinity Church, Pawtuxet
Worshipping
Welcoming
Working
To Bring Joy to God

December 13, 2010 Minutes

Vestry Members present: Vickie Ancona; Scott Avedisian; Bill Baddeley; Bill Caldwell; Linda Deming; Sandy DeMarinis; Susan Halvarson; Donna Manchester; Stephan Sloan; Dan Stomberg

Vestry Members absent: Gail Anderson; Bruce Beattie; Nancy Dorsey; Rev. Marsue Harris

Guests: Bill Plumb, Margaret Thomas

The meeting was called to order at 7:08 PM at the home of Scott Avedisian. Thanks to Scott for hosting the meeting and making it a festive occasion.

Opening Prayer – Stephan Sloan

Minutes: The minutes from the November vestry meeting were approved as corrected.

Correspondence: Thank-you notes have been sent to Win Wilson’s family and to the Armbrust Foundation for their recent donations to the church.

Treasurer’s report: Bill Caldwell went over the new format of the treasurer’s report by month. Of note are several areas: On the income side, the anniversary event at the church raised approximately $4,600, bringing total fundraising income to $8,075.10 (budget is $3,500); a designated gift of $1,000 was received in June bringing that total to $2,305.54 (budget is $2,500). On the expense side, there were several expenses associated with the flood in April and the sewer work and other repairs. To summarize, the total income minus expenses from January 1 through the end of November is a loss of $23,607.94; we were budgeting a loss of $33,388.00.

Junior Warden’s report: Bill Baddeley reported on several items: Roof repairs are taking place this week. The work on the shed will be delayed until Spring.

Senior Warden’s report: Stephan reported that Marsue is feeling better. The wardens are discussing how to make more efficient use of Marsue’s part time work for the church. This may involve increasing Joyce’s administrative responsibilities.

Self Study Committee: No report.

Interim Rector’s report: No report.

Trinity Celebration Report: The event was a success. The church raised about $4,600. Almost everything was donated or paid for by parishioners, so costs were minimal.

Christmas in Pawtuxet Report: Linda reported that this was also a success.

Fundraising: In other fundraising news, the breakfast on Sunday, December 12 raised around $50. People seemed to enjoy it.

Ministry reports: No report. Nominating committee: Two people have expressed an interest in serving on the vestry. Two people are completing their second terms: Dan Stomberg and Bruce Beattie.

Stewardship: Margaret Thomas reported on pledges received to date. These total around $81,780 for 2011. Several vestry members and Margaret will contact approximately 20 families who have not pledged but are known to attend church regularly. It was suggested that statements be sent out to everyone as a reminder of what is due by the end of 2010.

Christmas services: Postcards to be mailed this week with information on Christmas services (5:30 on Christmas eve, no Christmas day service, 9:00 service on Sunday, December 26).

Annual meeting: The annual meeting will take place January 23; a turkey supper is being planned for Friday, January 21.

The next regular vestry meeting will take place on Monday, January 10, 2011, 7:00 pm.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:56 PM.

Closing prayer

Respectfully submitted as corrected by

Vickie Ancona Clerk of the Vestry