PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A DRAFT COPY OF THE 2011 MINUTES. THESE MINUTES WILL NOT BE OFFICIAL UNTIL APPROVAL AT THE 2012 ANNUAL PARISH MEETING.
Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting of
Holy Cross Faith Memorial Episcopal Church
Sunday, February 6, 2011
The meeting was called to order with a prayer by The Reverend Tommy H. Tipton at 11:45 am.
Ushers distributed to the congregation a booklet that contains written reports from the various HCFM ministries. Father Tipton encouraged the congregation to utilize this booklet as a reference resource of the day to day activities of the ministries. Apologies were made to the ECW whose report was submitted in a timely manner, was, due to a malfunction of machinery, stuck in the fax machine memory and left out of the booklet. Therefore, the ECW report is found as an insert.
The congregation was given an opportunity to review the Minutes of the 2010 meeting. John Sands motioned that the Minutes be accepted as written and Michael Cureton seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
HCFM Treasurer, Harold Stowe, delivered a financial report. For more detail, attention was drawn to the written Treasurer’s report included in the APM Booklet, but Harold pointed out the following points regarding the 2011 budget:
Expenses are budgeted about the same as they were in 2010 with the exception of a 4% Cost of Living increase for the staff (the first pay increase in 3 years).
The bottom line shows a deficit for the second year in a row.
This budget was approved prior to the announcement that Father Tipton would be leaving HCFM. Thus, the budget, as approved, may prove to be outdated.
One of the biggest budget issues we have faced has been collecting pledges. Approximately 10% of the 2010 funds pledged have not been collected. This makes financial planning extremely difficult. The 2011 budget is counting on that not happening again this year.
As no questions were posed, Harold invited the congregation to feel free to contact him should any questions come up.
Father Tipton thanked outgoing Vestry Members Kathy Besse and Martha Propps for stepping up to the plate as leaders at HCFM. This statement was greeted with applause from the congregation.
John Sands delivered the Nominating Committee report. The Nominating Committee is comprised of outgoing Vestry Members who submit a list of recommendations of parishioners to fill the vacancies left by those Vestry Members whose terms have expired. Submitted for this term are Dreema Clarke for a 3 year term; Allen Saum for a 3 year term; Sheryn Waterman for a 3 year term and Sarah Wilson for a 2 year term. All nominees have agreed to accept the responsibility of serving on the Vestry should they be elected. The floor was opened for additional nominations. As none were made Jim Mallow motioned that the call for nominations be closed and the slate be accepted as proposed. Nancy Hopkinson seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Father Tipton spoke next about the position of the Rector’s (aka Senior) Warden. This position is appointed by the Rector. Father Tipton has spoken to Judy Ingle about filling this position. Judy has accepted the position but was not able to be at the meeting today due to a death in the family. She did, however, request that Father Tipton convey to the congregation that she is ready and willing to step up to the plate and it will be an honor to serve in the capacity of the Rector’s Warden.
Tommy then said a few words about the outgoing Rector’s Warden, John Sands. John was described as a sincere, committed, caring, loving, leader in the parish as well as a great friend to Tommy personally. This statement evoked a round of applause from the congregation.
Harold Stowe was appointed as Treasurer for another year. Harold has diligently served this parish ever since he arrived and his services will be greatly appreciated for as long as we can keep him.
John Hart, has done an absolutely superb job as the People’s (aka Junior) Warden. There is still 1 year left to his term.
2 positions are open for Delegates and 2 positions are open for Alternates to the 2012/2013 Diocesan Convention. The floor was opened for nominations. John Sands nominated Suzy Brown and Oscar Weinmeister as Delegates and the Senior and Junior Wardens, by virtue of their titles, as Alternates.
As no other nominations were made, Geales Sands moved to close the floor to nominations and to accept and elect the proposed slate by acclamation. Bill Wilson seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
John Sands spoke briefly about the transition that the parish is encountering due to the current Rector’s acceptance of a new position in The Episcopal Church. It is a confusing time for the parish. Bishop Lawrence will be here on February 28, 2011 to meet with your Vestry to discuss the Search Process. HCFM is further along than most parishes in our situation because we recently completed a (time consuming) parish profile. This profile, however, may need to be updated so there may be a need for additional parish meetings in the near future.
In the absence of the Rector, the Senior Warden becomes the Ecclesiastical Authority. The Vestry will appoint a Search Committee that will be reflective of the congregation as a whole. This search will tie into the National Church’s system and will last a minimum of 6-8 months. The Reverend Alex Barron has agreed to act as Interim Rector and The Reverend Melissa Timmerman will assist. Bear in mind that this process has the potential of being very unifying if we allow it to be.
Vestry Member Doug Billings added that Bishop Lawrence has assured us that he will allow the Vestry to determine who is called to HCFM. He implored the congregation to ignore the rumor mill and to ask a Vestry Member if there is a question as to how this process is moving along.
Father Tipton addressed the congregation with a final statement. He said that this is a bittersweet time in his life. He will only be at HCFM for 2 more Sundays. He loves this church, its parish and its people. It has been a wonderful experience to serve this parish for (almost) 12 years. The congregation has kept it alive. There was a time (when he first arrived) when the flame was almost out, but the people fanned it and kept it alive. Father Tipton leaves HCFM with mixed emotions because he is also very excited about his new position as Canon to the Ordinary to the Bishop of the Upper Diocese. He will attend one more Convention in the Diocese where he has been a priest for 21 years. Then he will move on to experience The Episcopal Church in a capacity outside of this Dioces and he does look forward to that.
After a few brief questions regarding his new position, Father Tipton closed the meeting with a blessing and the congregation adjourned to a time of fellowship.
