Fr. George Young opened the meeting at 6:05 p.m. Present: The Rev. Elizabeth Tappe, Toby Atkinson, Jeri Kolke, Bill Dickson, Gary Bong, John Dyal, Early McCall, Vann Simmons, Ben Stephens, and guest Joe Crim. Absent: Cheryl Smith, April Davis, Ginger Mock and Bert Jenkins.

Toby Atkinson offered “Centering” meditation following which John Dyal shared spiritual reflections.

NEXT MEETING: August 8, 2005 @ 6 pm
DEVOTIONAL: Early McCall

REMINDERS: NO JULY Vestry meeting; Strategic Planning/Retreat commences June 24 with dinner @ 6p.m. in the Parish Hall and will conclude by 4p.m. the following day.

Minutes of the May 9 meeting were unanimously approved.

Financial Report: Treasurer Jim Carpenter reported favorable financial results for the 5 months through May: revenues are ahead of the similar period last year by 11% and favorable to budget by nearly 9%. Expenses are similarly about 10% less than a year ago and favorable to budget by about 5%. The migration to new banking arrangements with First Coast Community Bank is virtually complete and the new automated “pledge drafting” arrangements seem to be working well among the dozen or so parishioners who have subscribed.

Mention was made that Jim is in his third year of a three year term as treasurer; and that thought might soon be given to successor candidates. Hearing disappointment at the prospect, Jim volunteered the possibility of creating a position of “assistant treasurer” that might be charged with more the “nuts & bolts” of number crunching (that he might consider as a temporary extension of his cuurent term); while the newly appointed Treasurer would have the more “public” responsibilities of documentation and formal reporting.

All expressed appreciation for the fine work Jim is and has been doing in this important position.

Vestry “Thank You’s”:

1. Jim and Nancy Carpenter - for the excellent and well-attended “newcomers” social which they hosted last Sunday, (June 12).
2. Jay and Ginger Mock - for hosting the “young adults” luncheon and graduation observance - again well-attended and very successful.
3. The dozen or so souls who showed up on Saturday, June 4 and gave the better part of their day to tidying up and improving the appearance of the Parish grounds.
4. The Bereavement Group, for the extraordinary effort they put forth in serving lunch and refreshments to the 300 or more attending the funeral service for Adam Kelley.

Rector’s Report:

1. Strategic Planning - June 24/25 An outline of our time together was distributed. As part of the pre-planning for this effort, Fr. George is working on and will deliver a sermon that addresses “his dream” for the Parish over the next few years (due for delivery this coming Sunday, June 18, Father’s Day).

   As part of this larger process, Fr. George has aked the Vestry to begin thinking of about conducting periodic evaluations of a) the Parish and its mission; b) the Rector and his “job performance;” and c) themselves (ie as individual members of the Vestry and the Vestry as a Group), and their effectiveness. On this score, Fr. George reminded folks of the hand-out he distributed at the May meeting (”The Nuts and Bolts of Vestry Life”) and asked everyone to turn in the completed sheet “How I wish we’d spend our 2 hour Vestry Meetings.”

2. Diocesan Convention (May 21) - As previously reported, Fr. George was elected to the Standing Committee and as a Deputy to General Convention. Noteworthy was Bishop Howard’s “Address and Sermon,” copies of which have been placed at the rear of the Church, for all to read and become familiar with. Fr. George has also written about the Convention in the June ESP. These writings and expressions, of where we are heading and what we stand for, will be useful background for the work of the Strategic Planning effort later this month.
3. Vestry Resignation - April Davis has asked Fr. George to accept her resignation from the Vestry due to a “plate full” of other responsibilities which have proven more than she anticipated. A replacement will be designated in the very near future, to serve out the 18-month remainder of April’s term.
4. Vestry Nominations - The Senior Warden will soon be assembling a Group to put forth suggestions for new Vestry members.
5. Reinventing Church - Conference hosted by St. Bartholomew’s New York City, June 4-7. Attending: Fr. George and Kammy, Jay & Ginger Mock, Ben & Jennie Stephens, Leslie Tanner and Becky Kaufman. In his summary of this 2-day workshop, Ben Stephens says (I paraphrase): it’s all about the vision - where do we want to go, what do we want to be. Build consensus; develop momentum and excitement; do what works and do more of it. Fr. George will gather different ideas from the various participants and share those with the larger Parish community.
6. Kanuga Conference - Following the St. Bart’s workshop, Fr. George attended a conference of Province 4 (the Southeastern U.S.) Bishops and Deputies held at Kanuga. Two presentations of note, each given by members of the Lambeth Commission and thus participants in the composition of the Windsor Report, representing near diametrically opposite positions politically but reflective of a spirit altogether similar to that articulated by Bishop Howard in his Diocesan Address. We will be hearing more about that conference in the coming weeks.
7. Ethical Conduct Handout - A number of Vestry members previously reported that their binders did not include a copy of the Diocesan Code of Ethical Conduct. Copies were made available and each Vestry person is asked to become familiar with its provisions (regarding policies and standards of behavior).
8. Website update - The Parish calendar and all Servers at Liturgy are now available online. The schedule of Vestry Persons of the Day is still in process but should soon be added. Gary Bong made the point that given the growing importance of the website as part of our general Parish communication effort, a person should be designated to represent the Vestry in this area. Ben Stephens, while disavowing technical expertise, volunteered to assume (or partcipate in) this role, because he shares Gary’s feeling about its importance.

   On this subject, the update on the new Parish pictorial Directory is: it should be in distribution sometime this summer.

Vestry Initiatives:

1. Planned Giving; the St. Peter’s Foundation: Bill Dickson - Articles of Incorporation are “of record” with the Fla Attorney General, an important milestone. Following final revisions to the By-Laws (Clyde Davis, legal; Margaret Tassey, editing), the next step will be obtaining IRS recognition/approval of tax exempt status (Darrell Holcomb). Thanks to all for their contributions!
2. Reaching out to the Community Unchurched: Jeri Kolke - working toward an Autumn event to get families and friends to visit St. Peter’s.
3. Community Outreach: Gary Bong - The Outreach Committee has disbursed its first half commitments ($12,500), with Barnabas, Nassau Co Habitat for Humanity, Kairos, Safe Harbor, and Council on Aging being principal recipients. As Gary says, these are only the more visible examples of outreach that St. Peter’s supports.
4. Spiritual Formation Model: Toby Atkinson - The thrust of Toby’s discussions focus on the nature, character, and ministry exemplified in Jesus’ life and how we can develop a program to examine, study, and talk about this in different parish settings. Should be exciting!
5. Music Program Enhancement: Early McCall - A draft of the “survey” devised by the ad hoc group that Early has recruited to assist with this effort was circulated. While completing the survey can be done anonymously, the hope is that some will volunteer to become involved the the process and thus disclose contact info. Early hopes to go public with the survey in the next several weeks.

Associate Rector’s Report:

As has been her habit, Ibba drew attention to those in our community who are in distress: the Kelley family (Adam’s tragic death); Judy Belz ( the death of her husband); and Frances Holliday (the death of her stepson.). She also reminded us that there have been four births in the last month, with several pregnancies nearing term. This being Ibba’s last Vestry meeting, Gary Bong spoke for all in saying what a tremendous job Ibba has done in looking after those experiencing pain and hurt, and how largely her presence will be missed.

Senior Warden’s Report:

Toby reported that the group Fr. George has assembled to review the future of our property holding (at Broome and 11th) has raised questions about stipulations that may have been expressed when the land was given. Following this research, a roundtable discussion will be held to examine a full range of possibilities. Joe Crim inquired whether we might consider trading the property for a site off-island suitable for the outreach purposes previously discussed. All such possibilities will be examined.

Toby circulated the revised and updated Vestry Person of the Day schedule and reminded everyone of the importance that changes be passed along in writing to either Pat or herself.

Junior Warden’s Report:

In Bert’s absence, Toby expressed appreciation on his behalf to the dozen or so folks that turned out on 6/4 for the grounds work-day. Bert further reports that the water heater in the kitchen expired and has been replaced with a more economical, larger capacity version. Attention is drawn to the landscaping in front of the Memory Garden. This was done professionally, thanks to a generous donation from Sally Taylor.

Joe Crim reported on work being done in the new section of the Cemetery, which will offer significant new capacity. Joe is particularly keen to get some trees of meaningful size planted, which will cost $200 to $300 each. In light of the fact that the Cemetery Fund has been drawn down significantly the last several years, Joe is hoping to get specific donations for the new trees; and cautions that the Cemetery Fund is in need of new capital infusion.

Gary Bong expressed appreciation for the fine work Joe and Chip Wood are doing in the ministry of caring for the St. Peter’s Cemetery.

Joe is also working on repairs to the in-ground lighting around the Parish campus. Parts for these fixtures are difficult to find, meaning new fixtures (and thus higher expenditures) may be required. More information will be forthcoming.

Reminding everyone of the the July 26th gala in Ibba’s honor, Fr George asked if she would give as a parting blessing, following which we adjourned (8 pm).

Respectfully submitted,

John C. Train, Clerk