Vestry Meeting Minutes for August 15, 2011

Meeting called to order at 6:37 p.m. by Hester Bury, Senior Warden

Attendance -Ethel Samela, Karen Dakis, Patty LeBlanc, Gloria Sparrow, Gwen O'Loughlin, Grant Iannelli, Hester Bury, Ken Pardue, Pastor Emily, all present; Nancy Moran, Brian Pfohl absent.

Minutes of the 6/13/11 meeting were approved.

Pastor Emily discussed the gifts of Faith and Teaching. Vestry members identified parishioners whom they felt exhibited these gifts and will be acknowledging these people as we support them in their ministries.

Ministry Reports

Buildings and Grounds

Brian was not present to report. Weeds growing through the fence at the southwest corner of the property have been noted by St. John’s. A rotation for mowing has been established. Thanks to the Adamson’s for mowing on Sunday. Fall Clean Up day will either be Sat 9/17 or 10/1, depending on Brian’s schedule. Vestry members were polled and encouraged to lead in the participation efforts.

Outreach

Upcoming activities include school supply collection for Madison Elementary. Backpack blessing will occur on 8/28. There has been no information received about the fall Crop Walk. Patti will follow-up.

Fellowship

Gloria reported she will be assisting with food for the mini-golf outing. Carol Young’s memorial service will be 9/10 at 11AM, but as of now, no luncheon is planned. Grant asked Gloria to plan on helping with refreshments for the Health Fair on 10/15.

Stewardship

Ken reported the kickoff will be 10/2, with the ingathering on 10/30. He will be recruiting additional volunteers, and will incorporate personal stories from parishioners in the drive.

Events

Karen presented an events schedule for the coming year. She will be recruiting event chairs/co-chairs for each event. Upcoming events include:

8/27 Family Mini Golf and BBQ

9/24 Pet Memorial

9/25 Parish Planning meeting and Pig Roast

10/15 Community Health Fair

10/29 Chili Cook-Off

11/6 or 13 Ministry Fair

12/4 Cookie Walk

12/10 Christmas Luncheon

Finance

Gwen reported she will soon have 9 counters. Training is ongoing. A rotation schedule for counters will be created. Gwen also discussed developing a plan to redeem the Verizon stock we are currently holding and how we should handle stock donations in the future.

Treasurer’s Report presented by Gwen for Nancy. Accepted as presented.

Old Business

Still working on finding the “best” photo of Fr. Castle for display.

New Business –

Planning Meeting/Pig Roast:

Grant reported that he, Gwen and Emily met to identify the discussion points we want to address from the CAT survey. Due to the Bears/Packers game on 9/25, the planning meeting will occur at 11:30AM followed by the Pig Roast at 1PM. There will be special children’s activities in place of Church School that day. Grant has requested that someone chair the coordination of the Pig Roast.

Health Fair:

Scheduled for 10/15 from 9 AM to 2 PM in conjunction with the Food Pantry at First Church. Hester reported that she has a draft of a flyer for the health fair. Grant and his interns from National University will be doing blood pressure, heart/lung and spine exams and glucose/cholesterol tests. Nancy Moran will be doing nutritional education. There will be healing prayers in the church. The Lions vision/hearing vehicle was not available on this date, but we should be able to include them in the spring. The Village of Lombard will be contacted to invite the fire department to participate with the “Vial of Life” and “Orange Dot” campaigns. Volunteers will be needed to help direct visitors; it was thought this would be an opportunity for youth service hours.

Bridge Communities:

Hester attended a meeting with 3 other parishes and Bridge Communities (BC). BC is looking for groups to sponsor families with regular donations and support. It was felt that this could become a program we might explore next year, if there was adequate parishioner support.

Congregational Development Day:

Emily reported that the Diocesan Development Day will be on Friday 9/30 from noon to 8 PM and Saturday 10/1 from 9 AM to about 3 PM. This training by Fierce Conversations® at St. Michael's in Barrington will provide you with a foundational approach to confront your most pressing issues by having authentic, courageous, and clear conversations. Parish teams are encouraged to attend. Cost is $100/person for the first three people, and $75/person for four or more people. This event is open to all. Contact Pastor Emily if you are interested in attending.

Calendar Review:

There will be a community memorial service on Sunday 9/11/11 at 7 PM at the Maple Street Chapel. Maple Avenue will be closed in front of Calvary at 6:30 PM to allow for a silent procession to the chapel. Parishioners who wish to attend should plan on arriving before 6:30 PM in order to gain access to our parking lot.

Thank yous were shared and Emily recorded them for the Newsletter.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:18 PM, followed by Compline adapted from the New Zealand Prayer book.

Respectfully submitted,

Grant Iannelli