The annual Retreat of the Vestry of R. E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church took place at the Peaks of Otter Lodge on January 9 and 10, 2009, beginning on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m.

Present:  Molly Brown, Sarah Lanford, John Milford, Woody Sadler, Don Whittington, Junior Warden George Brooke, The Rev. Tom Crittenden, Jay Crawford, Punky Dod, Judy Glick, Susan Cross, Julia Littlefield, Elizabeth Harralson, and Mary Doyle.

Absent:  Dick Rathmell and Tim Gaylard. Clerk Gail Dick was also absent. Julia Littlefield and Elizabeth Harralson agreed to serve as clerks in Gail’s absence.

Gospel and Eucharist:  Tom offered a prayer and read from the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 4:18-22 regarding Jesus’ calling of Peter, Andrew, James and John. He likened this calling to that of the Vestry’s response to serve the church.

Opening Comments:  George thanked Woody for securing arrangements for the retreat, recognized Julia and Elizabeth for taking minutes, and welcomed new Vestry members. Noting that January 5 was the anniversary of the death of the Dabneys’ son, George passed on the Dabneys’ appreciation to Tom and the Parish for the support the family received at the time of this tragic event.

Election of Vestry Officers:  George announced the need for nominations from the floor for the office of Junior Warden to complete the 2009 slate of Vestry officers for election; i.e., George Brooke for Senior Warden, Buddy Atkins for Treasurer (but off the Vestry), and Gail Dick for Clerk (non-Vestry). Tom offered insight into the customary distinction between the roles of the Senior and Junior wardens.  Although both wardens meet regularly with the Rector, the Senior Warden works most closely with him/her, and thus is often referred to as the “rector’s warden”. The primary focus of the Junior Warden, often referred to as the “peoples’ warden”, is the parishioners and their needs and concerns.  Tom suggested that the Junior Warden may also work closely with the Property Committee. However, he said that a commitment to become Junior Warden did not obligate him or her to become Senior Warden. George asked the members to discuss among themselves the Junior Warden nomination to be addressed later during the retreat.

Role and Duties of a Vestry:  George cited the church canons that assign vestries the responsibility to regulate all the church’s temporal concerns; i.e., property, finances, outreach. He described the Vestry as a trustee body carrying out legal mandates and serving to spearhead decision-making without becoming involved in minutiae. He noted that the Vestry discusses and decides on recommendations by committees. He cautioned members to put aside personal agendas and avoid contentiousness. The role of the Vestry is to bring together into balance all temporal concerns under its charge. Tom added that while the Vestry cares for the buildings and grounds and finances, the rector has the responsibility for the parish’s spiritual life, though much blending of responsibility takes place. Discussion followed with comments from members regarding the need for the Vestry to listen to the concerns of parishioners and encourage a two-way flow of communication between the congregation and the Vestry. George suggested that the names of the Vestry members should be listed in the Sunday bulletins, and Woody noted that a picture board of vestrymen might be helpful to parishioners who wish to voice their concerns. It was agreed that both of these steps would aid in Vestry identification and that they should be implemented.

Woody reported that the 2008 yearly financials through December 2008 look good in net terms. Overall, there was an $8000 shortfall for the year, but it had already been agreed that the 2007 surplus of approximately $10,000 would be used to cover the projected deficit. The Rector cautioned, however, that the market value of the parish’s investments was down over $1 million and that this must be carefully considered when addressing with the 2009 budget.

George presented the 2009 budget (revised since the December Vestry meeting), developed by 2008 Senior Warden Bob Glidden and refined in detail by Bob, the Rector, Treasurer Buddy Atkins, and himself on December 30.  This budget includes $44,500 of $128,000 of unrestricted capital campaign funds to be spent down over the next five years. Inclusion of this money freed up funds which allowed for a less risky budget projection and allowed for better balance among key expense areas, specifically, outreach (increased from the December budget), capital improvements/maintenance (increased with much to be done in 2009), and the draw on the endowments (lowered from 5% to 4.5%). Tom noted that the key to the success of this budget was pledges. According to the latest figures available at the time of the retreat, pledges of $359,264 from 180 units had been received; this was about $11,000 short of the goal of $370,000 but compared favorably with last year’s pledges from 195 units

Action:  Woody moved, Elizabeth seconded, to approve the revised balanced budget. Woody then moved an amendment to give the Outreach Committee a block grant rather than to limit the committee to specified amounts for each charity in case other funds have become available to one or more of them. Judy seconded.  Molly pointed out that agencies need to count on certain amounts. Punky and Sarah agreed that the allotments were fine but the committee needs to have flexibility. The amendment passed.  The amended budget, moved by Woody and seconded by Elizabeth, passed unanimously.

The Rector closed the budget discussion with reference to the parish’s diocesan pledge. He pointed out that the Diocese is the owner of R. E. Lee, and he is considered the vicar or bishop’s representative at the Lexington church. He also explained that the Diocese’s formula for the parish’s annual pledge is 14% of plate and pledge income, and although next year’s pledge to the Diocese is less than this year’s, it still exceeds the standard.

The Friday evening session ended with self-introductions of Vestry members around the table. The business meeting recessed at approximately 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

The Vestry convened at 9:00 a.m. in the conference room at the Peaks of Otter Lodge. Woody Sadler was absent in addition to the absentees mentioned at Friday’s session. The Rector and all other Vestry members were present.

 The opening prayer was offered by Jay Crawford.

 Action: George opened the floor for nominations for the office of Junior Warden. After much discussion, Judy Glick accepted the nomination by John, and Elizabeth moved to close the nominations. Sarah seconded. Elizabeth then moved to elect Judy Junior Warden, Julia seconded, and the vote in favor was unanimous.

Administrative details included the following:

• Sign-up sheet for providing the closing prayer at Vestry meetings

• Sheet for preferred current mailing addresses, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers

• New members of the Vestry signed the oath of office sheet presented by Tom

• Tom announced that the Vestry would be installed at the 10:30 a.m. service on January 11, 2009

• John moved, Mary seconded, to approve the December minutes with the correction of the spelling of Paul Bugas, pointed out by Elizabeth.

Committee Reports

·         Stewardship:  Susan reported on the Every Member Canvass (EMC) and addressed some of the difficulties that the committee had faced this year. She noted that the decline of the economy, when considered with pledges already made to the Capital Campaign (the final pledge payoff date is 31 December 2009) seemed to make many parishioners reluctant to pledge more (or sometimes even as much) as they had in previous years. In addition, several parishioners, when called as part of the EMC follow-up process, indicated that they had already mailed in their pledge to the church office—although office personnel could find no record of receipt. Tom suggested that a color-coded envelope system might be employed to reduce future problems with lost pledges. Discussion followed on the cost effectiveness of the stewardship materials; how best to compensate for the declining number of pledges; the impact of Jonathan Webster’s stewardship witness from the pulpit (it was universally agreed that this had been very effective and should be repeated again in 2009, if by someone other than Jonathan); the appropriate comments offered by the rector during the EMC; and the positive effect of the mailing inserts, especially the color graph showing 2008 levels of giving.  Tom commented that the EMC is like an institution’s fundraising appeal, open to all, as opposed to a capital campaign targeted to those most likely to support it. Elizabeth added that the standard of the tithe in a church distinguishes the EMC from an institution’s annual fund.

·         Green Committee:  Molly and Elizabeth discussed the committee’s continued sponsorship of guest speakers and two ongoing committee projects. The first project is to replace paper cups with ceramic mugs of standard size on Sundays when coffee is served. The second is a program for youth providing lessons on garbage management and ending with a musical play about saving the environment.

·         Outreach Committee:  Punky reported that the Boys’ Home was the monthly focus on the bulletin board for January, and that Yellow Brick Road would be featured in February. Inserts in the bulletins and articles in the “Cross & Crown” are planned to highlight these. Elizabeth suggested that “Moments for Mission” presentations during scheduled services be limited to three to four minutes. Tom reminded the Vestry of the need for communicating the need for volunteers at the RARA food pantry, which is now open on Thursdays from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Old Business

Report of Committee on Committees:  The ad hoc Committee on Committees was formed by the Vestry in September 2008 for the purposes of reviewing the continued viability of and recommending changes to the existing thirteen Vestry Standing Committees and their mission statements; for updating the written Vestry Guidelines for these committees as necessary; and for recommending the creation of any new Standing Committees. Membership consisted of George Brooke, (chairman), Molly Brown, Jay Crawford, Susan Cross, and Julia Littlefield. In December it produced a written report for Vestry review and subsequent decision at the January Retreat. The following were the Committee’s conclusions: 

• The Standing Committee structure, most committee mission statements, and the 2004/2008 “Vestry Guidelines for Standing Committees” are generally sound, though some updating was required.

• Some committees need to be made Standing Committees and some Standing Committees should lose that status.

The Vestry considered and voted on the following recommendations:

1.       Rename the “Memorial Contributions Committee” the “Memorial Gifts Committee.” Rationale was that the new title was more descriptive of the committee’s functions. Moved by Elizabeth and approved.

2.       Approve the updated mission statement for the Memorial Gifts Committee, This, among other things, deleted its purview over bequests. Moved by Judy and approved.

3.       Approve the new mission statement for the Christian Outreach Committee. The new statement was more specific, and included support of the national Millennium Development Goals. Moved by John and approved.

4.       Approve wording change in the Welcoming Committee’s mission statement as follows: replace “Hospitality and Christian Nurture Committees” to “Parish Life Guild and Pastoral Care Committee.” This updated obsolete wording. Moved by Julia and approved.

5.       Re-classify the Parish Life Guild (formerly the Hospitality Committee) from a Vestry Standing Committee to a “stand alone” committee like the Altar Guild. This was recommended because the Parish Life Guild is organized and operates more like the Altar Guild than it does a Vestry Standing Committee. Moved by Julia and approved. Further Action:  George moved that Vestry liaisons be appointed to both the Parish Life and Altar Guilds to improve communication between them and the Vestry. Seconded by Susan and approved.

6.       De-classify the Worship Committee as a Vestry Standing Committee and re-organize it as an advisory council of fixed representation to the Rector. George pointed out that the Worship Committee functioned well when R. E. Lee lacked a permanent Rector, but today it would be more useful as an advisory council to the Rector, meeting at prescribed intervals and consisting of designated representatives from all those directly concerned with the planning and conduct of worship: Junior Warden, music director, Christian Education Director, Altar Guild representative, chaplain, acolytes, chalicists, and representatives from youth, young adults and seniors. The rationale was that spiritual responsibilities are the purview of the clergy and that the existence of a Vestry Standing Committee on Worship per se seemed to infringe on this. Most Vestry members disagreed with this argument and when put to a vote as a motion the recommendation of the Committee on Committees to disestablish the Worship Committee and create a Worship Advisory Council to the Rector in its place was rejected. Following the vote Tom asked that the mission statement for the Worship Committee be revised. Elizabeth moved that the Vestry charge the Worship Committee to re-write its mission statement, and Sarah seconded. Motion passed. Elizabeth then stated that she would get together with Tom and the new Worship Committee chair, Mary Doyle, and together they would produce the new mission statement.

7.       That the Green Committee, which has been in unofficial existence for more than a year, be made an official Standing Committee of the Vestry and that its new mission statement, prepared by the committee, be approved. Motion by John passed.
That the Columbarium Committee, which has been in unofficial existence for about two years, be made a Vestry Standing Committee and its proposed mission statement, prepared by the committee, be approved. Tom questioned the need for this committee to be so classified, noting that regular reporting is no longer needed because the heavy work of getting the columbarium established has essentially been completed and that now it is a matter of maintaining what has been done in perpetuity. Elizabeth agreed, stating that columbarium matters should now more properly come under of the purview of the Property Committee. Sarah and Judy concurred, pointing out that the publication of clear guidelines should be enough to monitor the program and keep it on track. Tom noted that these guidelines had yet to be published and made available to the congregation as a whole, and that this should be done soon. Elizabeth moved and the recommendation was defeated.  Molly then moved that the Columbarium and Memorial Garden be charged to the Property Committee. Julia seconded. Motion passed.

8.       That the Gadsden Committee be officially recognized as a Vestry Standing Committee and that its proposed mission statement be approved. Tom noted that a conflict seems to exist in the status and responsibilities of the Gadsden Committee. He stated that the church canons assume all monies come under the authority of the Vestry, but that the Gadsden Trust appears to have been originally set up by the Vestry and the parish’s Trustees to protect it from rapacious future vestries. Elizabeth said that the Committee’s mission statement appears on the first page of the December 1985 (updated June 2005) written agreement between the Trustees and the Vestry that suffices for the administration of the income of the Gadsden Endowment. She recommended that the Gadsden sisters’ executrix and attorney Louise Moore be consulted. She moved to table a decision on the recommendation until a time when Louise could address the Vestry.  Sarah seconded, and the motion passed. The choice is whether to make it a Standing Committee or a “stand alone” legal entity. What is needed is a clarification of the Committee’s status relative to the Vestry. Tabled until the March meeting.

9.       That the following wording changes be made to the “Guidelines for Standing Committees” (dated 5/17/04, updated 2/08):

a.       That the list of Vestry Standing Committees at the top of page 1 be updated to reflect today’s Vestry decisions. George moved and the motion passed.

b.       Under “Identification of Prospective Members”, line 2, sub-category (a), change the wording from “from interest expressed on the “talent” section of the Every Member Canvass questionnaire” to “from interest expressed in periodic “talent” questionnaires sent out to the Parish”. Elizabeth moved and the motion passed. Further Action: In conjunction with this recommendation, Mary suggested the need to follow up on responses to parish questionnaires. Elizabeth moved that the Welcoming Committee be charged with this responsibility and the motion passed.

c.        Page 2, second line, insert “will be provided with a copy of this document and” following “prospective members” at the end of line one. George moved and the motion passed.

d.       Page 2, last line, first paragraph, change “Vestry’s Steering Committee” to “Wardens in consultation with the Rector”. George moved and the motion passed.   

Vestry Liaisons Appointed to Committees: George assigned Vestry members to the various Standing  Committees and Guilds as follows: Christian Education (Mary Doyle), Pastoral Care (Punky Dod), Higher Education  Ministries (Tim Gaylard), Christian Outreach (Molly Brown, Sarah Lanford), Welcoming (John Milford), Green (Elizabeth Harralson), Admin/Personnel (George Brooke), Finance (Woody Sadler, Don Whittington), Endowments and Investment (Jay Crawford), Memorial Gifts (Julia Littlefield), Property (Sarah Lanford, Dick Rathmell), Stewardship (Susan Cross, John Milford), Worship (Mary Doyle), Altar Guild (Elizabeth Harralson), and Parish Life Guild (Julia Littlefield).

George stated that next week he will publish a current list of all committee chairs, their contact data, and the respective Vestry liaisons. He noted that the Christian Education and Property committees still need chairpersons. In addition, he reminded liaisons that they should attend all meeting of the committee(s) to which they are assigned as liaison and subsequently report to the Vestry as necessary all business that needs to be brought to that body’s attention. Unless they are already regular members of the committee, vestry liaisons are ex officio members, and therefore have no vote on committee motions.

Sign Update:  George reported that Andy Wolfe of Mariner Media will have a sign blank made from re-claimed Douglas Fir this week. He has been provided with the Vestry-approved colors and lettering. Once the blank has been made, and a down payment of $300 received, Mr Wolfe will have it engraved, with the balance due on delivery. As Mr Wolfe cannot produce the standard for hanging the sign, it will have to be contracted separately, probably with a local blacksmith.The sign is to appear in the corner of the Memorial Garden on the left of the church courtyard. It will be visible from Lee Avenue, and W&L’s directional sign to the Lee Chapel will be on campus nearby. Tom stated that he would follow up on the status of the sign.

Elizabeth expressed a need for a sign on the highway coming into town and volunteered to research this possibility.

Replacement of Chancel Lights:  Tom reported he had not had a response from a second electrician to compare with Lexington Electric’s December estimate. He will pursue the matter again and provide an update to the Vestry in February.

Church Globe Lighting: In November the Property Committee recommended to the Vestry that the Church standardize the globe lighting in the nave with the old style, longer yellow globes. At its November meeting, the Vestry acknowledged this recommendation but decided that the Finance Committee would have to provide cost estimates before it could make a decision. The fundamental reason was that the old style globes will require that an expensive new mold be made, whereas the shorter globes can be bought “off the shelf”, albeit by special order. Since then, no response had been received from the Finance Committee. Tom recommended that the Property Committee should seek a quote on replacing the yellow globes and the making of a new mold and have the Finance Committee make a recommendation at the February Vestry meeting. This was agreed to. Molly suggested that with other pressing property needs everything should be put into priority.

Energy Audit: George noted that Woody had arranged with the Mechanical Engineering Department at VMI to have 2-3 cadets conduct an energy audit of the church facilities as part of their senior project. There will be no cost to the church and the cadets will provide a final report. The parish’s responsibility will be to monitor the cadets and assist in providing a grade at the end. John Burleson of the Property Committee is the parish’s point-of-contact and the VMI supervisor is Howard Arthur. The Property Committee was tasked with effecting coordination with VMI to set up the audit, to provide an initial report to the Vestry when the project was in place (presumably February), and to brief the Vestry on the final report of the audit (presumably May).

Repointing: The Vestry reviewed the status on the repointing of the mortar in the joints between the stones on the church’s exterior. The original four-year contract estimate provided by stone mason John Friedrichs to complete the work was $40,000. The east side of the church was completed during the summer of 2008 at a cost of about $8,000. Since then, Mr Friedrichs has indicated his intent to repoint the front of the church (south side) this summer and has submitted a new estimate that includes additional scaffolding to do that work. In consideration of this much higher estimate and the tight 2009 budget the Vestry decided that, on the assumption that the west side of the church would cost about as much as the east, that the Property Committee get with Mr Friedrichs and set the west side to be done during the summer of 2009. Funds available for 2009 include $5000 from the Capital Campaign, matched by $5000 from the Gadsden Fund and a grant of $2000 received from the Wise Foundation in Marshall, VA in September 2008 (funds deposited in the (Capital Campaign). George will ask Woody to submit requests to other foundations to raise additional funds to support remaining repointing over the last two years of the project.

Roof Replacement: Tom described the drainage problems with the Parish Hall’s aging rubberized flat roof, which is estimated to be about ten years old. The problems are reflected primarily in poor drainage, notably severe leaking in the choir room following moderate to heavy rain, and in leakage around the sheathing surrounding the elevator shaft. The latter is externally apparent in the repeated growth of mildew in the sheathing which occasionally seeps through to the outside surface. Contributing to the problem are the poor siting of the roof drains and the unevenness of the roof, which allows runoff from the air conditioning condensers and rain/snow to stay pooled for extensive periods. A local roofer assessed the situation in August 2008 and recommended that the roof be replaced, although he stated that his firm was unable to undertake the work at the time. Nothing has been done since then. The Vestry tasked the Property Committee to get estimates from two firms on replacing the roof and to make a recommendation at the March Vestry meeting. Fixing this problem is considered a priority. Capital Campaign and depreciation funds are available.

Undercroft:  George said that because of cost and the fact that it is not an immediate necessity, renovation of the undercroft is at a lower priority to other needs. Last year’s Vestry developed two floor plans. Since then, Tom Hart, a parishioner and contractor who also works on construction issues with the church, has provided a cost estimate for each of these plans. The first plan, designated 11/08, envisions the construction of several dividing walls. The estimate for this construction is $64,580. The other plan, designated 12/08, contains less construction; the estimate for this is $50,544. George said that because of the cost and the shortage of sufficient funds to undertake the renovation at present, this project cannot be a priority. Nevertheless, the Vestry should decide on a preference between the two plans or provide an acceptable alternative. George appointed Elizabeth chairman of an ad hoc committee to study the plans and make a recommendation on its preference to the Vestry in March. Other committee members are Jay Crawford, Mary Doyle, Tim Gaylard, Tom Crittenden and Daniel Brinson.  Tom stated a minimal cosmetic stopgap project was needed to make the undercroft safe and secure; i.e., cleaned, floor painted, walls painted, furnace rooms and kitchen area secured.

New Business

Proposed General Property Inspection:  Jerry Nay has informed the Rector that for a fee of $1,000, John Aulbach, a certified housing inspector, will conduct an inspection of the church property. The inspection would cover drainage, roofing, and electrical and plumbing systems, and offer suggestions for preventive maintenance. George recommended that this inspection be conducted. The Vestry agreed and passed unanimously a motion by Elizabeth, seconded by Mary. The Property Committee was charged to contact Mr. Aulbach. The objective is to get the inspection completed by the end of February, with a report and recommendations from the Property Committee to the Vestry in March.

Cadre Team Concept:  George announced a proposal by Jerry Nay which would organize a permanent team (which Jerry called the “Cadre Team”) which would be composed of up to seven volunteer parishioners. In general, the Cadre Team would work on lower-level repair/maintenance issues beyond the immediate capability of the church sexton or her assistant. Under the concept, the sexton would identify repairs/maintenance items that she believes require Cadre Team assistance: generally those in which the cost of materials would not exceed $50. If the Cadre Team assesses that the job is something beyond its capability in terms of time and expertise, then it would refer the issue to the Property Committee through that committee’s Vestry liaison. Jerry has offered to set the Cadre Team up initially. In discussion, Vestry members noted the many apparent benefits afforded by this approach, such as the cost-savings on things like plumbers. Judy noted that in her last church a similar program had been organized and had worked well. However, there was some concern expressed about coordination among the groups involved. George moved that the Cadre Team concept be approved for possible adoption by R.E.Lee Church and Julia seconded. The motion passed. George charged the Property Committee to get with Jerry Nay and to report back to the Vestry in February on the feasibility of implementing the concept.

Facility Safety/Security Lighting: George discussed the need to improve the lighting throughout the church property, primarily at night and during other periods of limited visibility. Most of the lighting was installed during the 1960s and is outdated because of the large increase in traffic. This presents distinct safety and security liability issues. Elizabeth cited the steps leading into the lower level of the Parish Hall as a clear example of a safety problem and suggested that sensor lights might be installed. While the Vestry agreed that this was a problem which needed to be addressed, it was deferred for action until later in the year.

Elevator Shaft:  The moisture build-up and developing mildew in around sheathing of the elevator shaft is a matter of concern. This appears to be due to either to the roof leakage problems mentioned earlier or possibly to leaks in the mortar around the masonry on the “bridge” to the church which adjoins the shaft, or to guttering problems. If the problem is not corrected, the wood in the sheathing may eventually need to be replaced. If it is not replaced, it will probably need to be removed and dried out at some point. Pending action with the roof, no action was recommended at this time.

Boy Scout Sunday: George reminded everyone that Boy Scout Troop/Cub Scout Pack 29 is a mission of this parish and stressed the need for continued recognition and support of these Scouts. He noted that Sunday, 8 February, has been set aside as National Boy Scout Sunday. He asked that the Vestry express its support of this event and Troop/Pack 29 by officially recognizing the date as Boy Scout Sunday at R.E. Lee Church. If approved, the plan is for a suitable representation of Scouts to be present and to take part, as coordinated through the Rector, in the 10:30 service. George asked for the Vestry’s approval of such action. Judy seconded, and the motion passed.

Comments by the Wardens:  George said his focus for 2009 will be on three items: 1) better communication among parishioners and better use of “corporate knowledge” in decisionmaking; 2) stressing the need to get business done through the proper channels, such that issues (either developed by the respective committee or referred to it for action by the Vestry) are worked by the Standing Committees, which provide sound recommendations and solid supporting data to the Vestry for decision; and 3) completing or organizing for completion as much of the backlog of pending property issues as possible. Judy had no comments. Julia asked about the status of the By-Laws, and George responded that he would check with Bob Glidden, who had indicated last year that he might undertake completion of the draft this year, when he was no longer Senior Warden.

Comments by the Rector:  Tom asked that the Vestry meet on Monday, January 19, at 5 p.m. in the Parish Hall to discuss the issue of Vestry size. The canons allow for vestries to consist of between 3 and 24 members. He observed that one of the problems in getting sufficient qualified candidates to run for the Vestry at R.E. Lee might lie in the fact that we ask for more than we really need. A smaller Vestry might be even more effective than what we have now. Tom also said that he would like to move new Vestry elections to October (vice early December at the Annual Parish Meeting as is currently done) so that new Vestry members would be able to participate in the next year’s budget planning. They would not actually take office and become voting members until January, however. He would also like to move the Annual Meeting from December to the first half of February. This new schedule would give time to include year-end reports, budget preparation, and reports from the annual diocesan council.

Following a lunch break from 1:00 to 2:00, the second day of the business meeting adjourned at 3 p.m.

 Respectfully submitted,

Julia Littlefield and Elizabeth Harralson, Acting Clerks