Rector's Note: Annual Meetings and Everything in Between-1.22.26

Just as the dust settles on the Christmas and New Year holidays, our parish Annual Meeting is upon us. Our parish bylaws set the date as the last Sunday in January, with an allowance for the first Sunday in February if we get snowed out. This weekend we are invoking that flexibility as we anticipate record snow, leading us to not only move the Annual Meeting but to cancel in-person services and move to online Morning Prayer this Sunday.

That gives us all a little more time to read the Annual Report that has been e-mailed out to parishioners, offer prayers of thanksgiving for all who are running for elected positions, and appreciate the work that our ministry leaders have reported to us.

The parish Annual Meeting is the smallest unit of a system of shared governance, elected representation, collective discernment, and regular reporting that describes life in the Episcopal Church. We do similar things on the diocesan level at the annual Diocesan Convention, and on a denomination-wide level at the General Convention of the entire Episcopal Church, held every three years.

Early on in my life as an Episcopalian, I thought these kinds of meetings incredibly institutional, and (can I say it?) boring. However, I have to say that as I’ve studied and experienced the work of these annual gatherings, as well as all that goes on in between, I am really impressed by the structure and the opportunity for participation and transparency that our church provides its members.

Our Annual Meeting is a bit simpler than these other gatherings. Much of what we do can be approved on voice vote, rather than multiple ballots. We do not ask parishioners to vote for resolutions, or to approve budgets. That leaves us more time to ask questions, to consider the work that we do as a parish, and to appreciate those rollings of ministries and those rolling on.

Unless you have served on a Vestry or read the monthly minutes (available in binders in the library), you might not be aware of the kind of work that happens between these annual meetings to keep the parish running.

The largest lifts are in monitoring and managing our parish finances. Over the past two years, Vestry members and ministry leaders have invested an incredible amount of time in managing the design of, and the insurance issues around, rebuilding our steeple, which was damaged by lightning in 2024. Our new Accounting Warden, Ernie Dixon, has worked with the Vestry to design a new budgeting process that gives ministry leaders more tools for monitoring their ministry income and spending, and empowers Vestry liaisons to offer more support. At the same time, the Vestry has worked to prioritize much-needed repairs to our buildings and to create a schedule that goes beyond 2026.

As you can imagine, Vestry meetings are packed with this kind of work, and they really illustrate how the many gifts that God places in our parish are called forth and put into action.

But it’s not just the Vestry that keeps things going between Annual Meetings. More than 64 percent of the families listed in our directory have at least one member, and often several, involved in parish ministries. We list more than 30 individual ministries in our Ministry Catalogue. These make up the bulk of what we do as church day to day.

As an illustration, I want to highlight a new minister and ministry that has come forth for 2026. Sue Hills, who grew up at St. Peter’s and has had a long-distance connection to the parish through her sister Jeanne Robson, has returned to the area and was received as a member of St. Peter’s last month. Immediately upon joining, she offered to serve as Trustee of the Memorial Courtyard, a position that her father held many years ago. At its January meeting, the Vestry approved Sue’s proposal for the position and her request to be trustee, which will be renewed annually.

Sue said her desire to serve as trustee stems from her family’s connection to this ministry and from the fact that several family members, including her recently departed husband, Andy, are interred in this sacred space. It also builds on the work that Jeanne Robson has been doing to maintain courtyard records for several years.

The trustee position will include such tasks as ensuring the Memorial Courtyard is in compliance with applicable state law, updating policies and procedures, assisting people having loved ones interred in the space, collaborating with those involved in courtyard upkeep, and educating the parish about the ministry.

It’s another example of how gifts meet needs in a busy parish, and it invites us to be always thankful for both those who have come before, those who have newly joined, and those who find us again after moving away.