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A MESSAGE FROM OUR WARDENS:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As we celebrate this last Sunday service in 2009, we have some important information to share with you.
It was just over a year ago that we received the news of Denise’s decision to retire. The issues surrounding her illness, her decision to retire and then the unexpected death of her son Dorian generated strong emotions and difficult challenges for us to deal with, both as individuals and as a community. Resolving those emotions and dealing with those challenges have required time and effort throughout 2009.
We were fortunate that so soon after Denise’s departure Rev. Marshall Shelly came to Trinity as our Interim Rector. Father Shelly has done a marvelous job of shepherding Trinity through these last few months. We have had moderate increases in attendance and income. We have continued to enjoy our spiritual Sunday mornings. We have also grown our Christian education activities, and look to expand our evangelism.
So when do we start the search for a new rector? After prayerful consideration and discussion with the Vestry, the Diocesan Deployment office and Father Shelly, we believe that Trinity is now ready to move forward on the journey to our next rector.
What is the next step? The next step is for us to answer together the question: “Where are we now and where does God want us to go from here?”
When do we take the next step? The best time for all members of Trinity to work on this issue is when we all gather together for the annual meeting on January 17, 2010. It is the one time each year when we all come together at a single service to pray together, to review the year and to discuss church business. So we plan to use that meeting and the time we have together to advance the process. A long road still lies ahead, but this is a crucial next step.
Who is involved? That’s an easy one. It’s every single member of this congregation. During the annual meeting, we will be listening to each other. We will break up into small groups, with each group led by a member of the Vestry. Everyone will have an opportunity to express their thoughts and ideas.
As we head into a new year, we’re sure everyone will be very busy. However, January 17th is only three weeks away. Please make plans now to attend the annual meeting. Mark it on your calendar, put in your date book, do whatever you can to make sure you will be there. This is your community, your church. Please be a part of the important process that lies ahead.
May God bless us all,
Ed Brakowski Hank Ramsey
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PARISH POSITIONS TO BE FILLED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING:
THE WARDENS AND VESTRY, with the Rector, comprise the governing body of Trinity Episcopal Church. They are responsible for the general operations, finances and all legal matters relating to the church. They set policy and implement and support the programs of the church, including Outreach, Christian Education, Stewardship, etc. Elected members are expected to attend all Vestry meetings, which are scheduled monthly except during the summer.
Here is an excerpt from "Vestries in the Episcopal Church" by Robert R. Hansel:
THE VESTRY is the elected lay leadership of a parish. The vestry is entrusted with the temporal affairs of the church, tasked to work with financial aspects of church life, work with the rector and other lay leaders on program, mission and evangelism for the good of the church locally, regionally and nationally. They function as a “trustee” body, making sure the best interests of the local church are being managed on a regular basis. As trustees, they carry a dual responsibility: to carry out a set of legal mandates as officers of a chartered corporation; and to be the decision makers of a congregation that is committed not merely to preservation of a physical institution but engagement in ministry and mission that is constantly changing.
THE WARDENS. . . are the chief stewards and servants of the ongregation. The word wardens means managers or stewards, not jailkeepers as is often mistakenly assumed. Many of their peculiar functions have evolved historically. They are responsible for making sure worship services are held on a regular basis, even if there is no rector; they see that bread and wine are furnished for the Eucharist; they are to see that
money is collected and distributed to relieve human suffering; they must communicate with the bishop when there is a rector vacancy and when the parish is ready to elect a new rector; they may preside at some vestry meetings or the annual meeting of the congregation in the absence of a rector."
DEPUTIES TO CONVENTION are Trinity's voting lay representatives at the annual Diocesan Convention, held on a Friday and Saturday in early March. Elected delegates will be expected to attend both the Friday and Saturday sessions and, depending upon the location, will have a Friday overnight stay. Work at convention includes electing members of various Diocesan committees, voting on policy and other business.
THE MONMOUTH CONVOCATION, one of eight convocations in the Diocese of New Jersey, is a group of about 25 parishes in Monmouth and Northern Ocean counties. Delegates from each parish attend meetings of the convocation, which are typically held on a Sunday afternoon, two or three times a year.