The Vestry convened on October 25, 2023.
Here are some highlights:
We began with prayer for the world and introductions of the guests present. This time we had our seminarian Peter Meyr observing our deliberations. We approved the consent agenda (approving September minutes and receiving the Rector’s report).
St. James’-sponsored seminarians Scott Madison (middler at the Seminary of the Southwest) and Addison McMillan (senior at Virginia Theological Seminary) spent some quality time with the Vestry checking in and updating us on their progress in seminary. This was a great time to catch up and hear about what our seminarians are learning and experiencing in this time of formation for ordination. The Vestry will sign Addison’s paperwork for candidacy and the diaconate and pray for him as canonical exams and his final semester in seminary approach. We will see him in January for a quick visit after his canonical exams. The Vestry will sign Scott Madison’s candidacy paperwork and will be praying for him as he is almost at the halfway point through seminary. We will not be seeing him around much since he is doing his field education at St. Michael’s.
The Vestry reviewed our September financials, which looked good on the income and expense side. Pledges were a bit behind, but we did not see reasons for concern. Usually people receive their fall statements and catch up. We have begun to spend money on some campus security measures which will be reimbursed by a government grant. Those reimbursements will take time but our cash flow is solid. Next month, we will start our budget process. Great appreciation for the Vestry Finance Committee!
Junior Warden Jim Crosby gave us some updates on buildings and grounds items.
The Vestry reviewed an exciting proposal for a campus-wide signage revamp. Currently, our signage does not reflect the various groups doing work on our campus. It is not always accurate or bilingual or ADA compliant. Many of our signs are temporary or construction-grade. This signage proposal from Endlos Design, a local Austin firm whose staff seems to understand what we are about, addresses all of those issues so that we can better welcome people, English and Spanish speakers alike, to our campus. At the recommendation of the Vestry Administration Committee and the Vestry Finance Committee, the Vestry voted to approve the proposal from Endlos Design for use in our Cain Grant Application and set forth some funds to be combined with individual donations for this project to get the design phase moving. The process from design to construction and installation will likely take six months, so there is more work ahead. However, this work was a key goal in our 2013-4 Master Plan, and it will be exciting to see it take shape.
The Vestry reviewed and approved a proposal related to lay pension benefits, which we believe will be beneficial to our staff.
The Welcome Table leadership brought a letter related to the Nutrition Title in the Farm Bill to our attention. In our Neighbor 2 Neighbor (N2N) gatherings, we noticed that changes to SNAP benefits earlier this year had immediate effects on the needs of our neighbors. N2N has increased the number of bags of food they are packing on Tuesdays and has started providing for some walk-ins in addition to those who have appointments. The Nutrition Title in the Farm Bill drives SNAP and TEFAP benefits and supports partner organizations like the Central Texas Food Bank. It was an easy decision for the Vestry to sign this letter on behalf of St. James’ Episcopal Church, and the Welcome Table board has also decided to sign. Rev. Eileen has reached out to some other local partners who were not yet on the list.
Rev. Eileen added a couple updates, and the Vestry adjourned.
