The Rector has drafted a report to the Vestry for its September 2009 meeting, and members of the parish are invited to attend that meeting and any others they choose:

Dear Friends,

I’m writing to remind you of our Tuesday, September 8 Vestry meeting at 7 p.m. in the lower level conference room. Please let Kathy know whether you’ll be able to join us for that meeting.

The final agenda still is being developed, but here are the major topics I would expect us to cover, and I invite the wardens to correct me if I left anything out from our earlier meeting on the subject:

• Consulting: Barb Barnes will report on the current status and upcoming actions associated with Lou Ness, our organizational consultant.
• Stewardship: We’ll distribute pledge cards to Vestry members at the September meeting and ask you to return them as soon as you’re able. The stewardship team will be sending a mailing in late September, to be followed by one from the Vestry that makes the strongest statement we’re able to make about our own giving (e.g., we’ve all increased our pledge, or we’ve increased overall by X%, etc.) It will help our stewardship efforts if you can return that pledge card as soon as possible.
• Vestry Size: At our January 2009 meeting, the Vestry approved a proposal to amend the Parish Constitution to reduce the number of at-large Vestry members from 12 to 9 on the grounds that our Vestry size is huge relative to the size of our average Sunday attendance, and relative to comparably-sized parishes. That makes it difficult to recruit qualified candidates every year. But I didn’t move the resolution at the annual meeting because I had reason to believe, going into the meeting, that there may be some excitement, and that proposing to reduce parish representation on the Vestry right at that time would not have been well received. But the issue remains, and I’d like the Vestry to consider whether to move the resolution again at the January 2010 annual meeting. If the Vestry feels the answer is yes, that also raises the question of how many new Vestry members to nominate. Normally, we would be filling four at-large positions in January. But if we were to move from 12 to 9, that would suggest that we should only nominate only three instead of four. Further complicating this is the fact that Sandra Taylor and Mark Steffen moved out of town and resigned from the Vestry mid-term. Both their terms were scheduled to end in 2011, so we need to determine whether or not to replace them if we reduce the at-large representation from 12 to 9. If we were to nominate and elect only three Vestry members in January 2010, we’d end up with 9 at-large members all at once, rather than through attrition. As it stands, I’m attempting to secure interest from six people. Before I get too far into those conversations, I need to know how many positions we’re filling.
• Salary Adjustments: In prior years, when we’re trying to set the budget for the coming year, one of the considerations is employee salary adjustments. (Day Care staff salaries are set by the Day Care Board; the Vestry’s consideration applies only to me, Kathy, Amy Johnson, Debbie Trapp, and the organist.) The Vestry usually finds itself wishing it had more information, e.g., comparative salary data from other congregations. Before we get our backs against the wall at a later meeting, I thought I’d ask the Vestry what information it wants, and how it proposes to get the information.
• Vestry Goals, Roles for the coming year: Very broadly, I’d like to review the document adopted by the Vestry a couple of years ago, A Guide to Vestry Leadership, to see whether that still accurately and completely describes our work, our aspirations, the requirements and expectations for service, and accountabilities. The document only has value insofar as it’s accurate, and that requires frequently review. Please take a look at it and be prepared to discuss it. Related to that, I’d like to understand the Vestry’s hopes and aspirations for its own work in the coming program year: When it comes to the big picture, what do we want to accomplish together? What do you want me to accomplish?

Financials

The summer month financials are online here: (June|July|August), and the minutes for the June meeting are here. As you can see, we’re in the red year to date, as often is the case at the end of the summer, but not as far (on the church side) as we had budgeted. The day care is struggling because of declining enrollment, although we received a flurry of last-minute registrations for September, which should help strengthen our position there. As you can see, costs on the day care side were well contained – better than in any previous year – but the reduced enrollment hit us hard. Suzanne tells us that programs all over the area report declining enrollment, and cutbacks in program offerings.

Broadbent Home Sale

Sandy Broadbent’s home has sold, and Transfiguration received 15% of the net to be used for day care scholarships. The $42,023.97 we received is in addition to more than $65,000 already received from the estate. The document is online here.

Tree Damage to the Rectory

A tree fell very unexpectedly on the Rectory this summer, causing about $5,800 in damage. We’ve already paid invoices totaling $5,600, and are awaiting repair of a large hole in the driveway, which I’m guessing will cost about $200 to patch. Our insurance carrier has sent a check for $5,662.85, which is not bad, considering that we have a $1,000 deductible.

Police Chaplaincy

I’m currently in conversation with Palos Park police chief Joe Miller to assist the department as a very part-time volunteer chaplain. Chief Miller is enthusiastic about the idea, and I’m hoping that it will be in place by the end of the year.

Other Reports

I’m hoping to have reports from other Vestry members, including Sue Burke about our KGPS training, Tim Moore about our door replacement project, and Ed Hood about our musician search.