Episcopalians: Have you requested your Letter of Transfer?

by Mother Tracy

The office is working hard to get membership records in order, and we're finding that we don't have paperwork for many people who are active in the community at St. John's. Over time and changes of priest and staff, records can get incredibly out of date and inaccurate.

If you have been a member of another Episcopal church in the past, and never officially transferred to St. John's, technically you are still a member of the other church and not of St. John's.

The transfer process is very simple. Contact (by phone or email) the last Episcopal church in another city, town, or state you were a member of and request that they mail a Letter of Transfer for you to

The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist

P.O. Box 188, Aptos CA 95001

When you make this request, the staff and priest at your old church fill out an official form to certify that you were a member on their books. They mail this form to us at St. John's. I sign it and send it back to them, certifying that we have received you as an official member here. You're then added officially to our membership rolls and deleted from the rolls of your old church.

Why worry about it? It is easy for folks to skip this technicality when moving from parish to parish, and many priests don’t follow up and encourage them to do it. Taking care of this official paperwork is important for the record-keeping process of the church. If not followed, we wind up with inaccurate membership numbers on a denomination-wide level as people are counted as members in more than one parish when each parish does its annual parochial report.

There is another unfortunate side to not taking care of official paperwork. Sometimes no one pays attention until there is a “problem” during a Vestry election. Then concern is raised that someone does not have their paperwork and they may be excluded from voting or serving because they aren't officially a member. Others may have served without the proper paperwork, but since all was running smoothly the clergy and church leadership turned a blind eye.

This, to me, is unethical. If there are going to be rules, they need to apply equally to everyone. I might come across as a "stickler for the rules" causing some frustration or hassles, but please know that my motivation is to ensure that everyone is treated equally.

What if you were baptized or confirmed in another Christian denomination?

If you were baptized Methodist or Presbyterian or Catholic or Baptist and were confirmed in another church, or were baptized as an adult in another church, but have never officially joined the Episcopal Church, there is a formal process to be confirmed or received into the Episcopal Church in order to be an official member of St. John's.

I will start a new program at St. John's (in the past called RCIA) after the first of the year for adults seeking to join the Episcopal Church through confirmation or reception, and also for adults just becoming Christians for the first time through baptism. When Bishop Mary makes her annual visitation to St. John's on April 15, 2018 (save the date!), the people who have gone through that class can be officially received into the Episcopal Church through being baptized or confirmed or making a reaffirmation of their baptismal vows.

As we look through our records, if we find that we have no record of your having officially joined the Episcopal Church, we will reach out to you and invite you to be part of that class so that you can officially join, if you would like to do so.

NOTICE: Vestry Election to be held
Sunday, December 10, 2017

A hard copy of the full text of this notice is also posted on the Parish Notices bulletin board at the church and will be included as a bulletin insert for the next several weeks.

Nominations for Vestry Now Open
Deadline November 19

The Vestry Nominating Committee is currently considering nominees for vestry positions for 2018. The Nominating Committee uses a formal discernment process to prayerfully discern who to ask to serve on the vestry next year.

First, the qualities and characteristics and skills needed on the vestry at the current time are discerned from the collective wisdom of the group (each individual forms a list, and the lists are then shared, looking for common things that appear on all lists). Then, each member of the Nominating Committee goes through the parish directory with the list of desired characteristics in hand, praying for God to reveal to them who has these qualities and God may be calling to serve on the vestry next year, and forms a list (without input from anyone else on the committee). Then the Committee meets and shares their lists. If someone's name comes up on more than one person's list, that person is sent a letter asking them to consider running for vestry next year.

The Nominating Committee this year consists of the three vestry members who are rotating off the vestry at the end of this year: Eileen Fernald, Debra Spencer, and Vicky Wilson, two members-at-large from the congregation: Ray Wolfe and Brian Raney, and the rector: Tracy Wells Miller.

Members of the parish at large may also nominate themselves or others as candidates by filing a petition with the Clerk of the Vestry, who is currently Nancy Shephard. (You may email her at MnGramcomcast.net or leave a note in her box in the mailbox slots in the church near the Godly Play room.) A petition naming the nominee must be signed by five (5) voting members of the Parish and filed with the Clerk no later than November 19, 2017. Each petition shall name only one nominee. No nominations are accepted from the floor at the Annual Parish Meeting.

All nominees for Vestry will be announced to the parish by November 25, 2017. Those names Will appear on the ballot for election to the Vestry at the Annual Parish Meeting (Part 1) on December 10, 2017. No distinction shall be made as to those candidates who were discerned and recommended by the Nominating Committee and those who are on the ballot by petition.

What is the Vestry?

The Vestry is the governing board of the church, similar to the Board of Directors in a secular organization, but serving on the Vestry is not exactly the equivalent to serving on a board. Although the Vestry is charged with oversight of the business and temporal affairs of the church, they are also spiritual leaders within the congregation. Together with the Rector, they cast vision and set direction for the parish.    -

Why serve?

In order to contribute your gifts to the overall well-being of St. John's, and ultimately, to the glory of God, and to guide the vision and supervise the overall operations of the Parish. The combination of the collegiality of the group and impact of the work makes serving on the Vestry both satisfying and important.

What kind of commitment is involved?

Vestry members serve a three-year term. Those elected this December will serve from January of 2019 through December of 2021. The Vestry meets monthly (currently on the 2nd Tuesday from 7-8:30 p.m., or 7-9 p.m. if we have a guest presentation), and from time to time as needed on particular projects. Each Vestry member oversees a ministry area (like Worship, Newcomers, Outreach, or Hospitality) and facilitates involvement in and communication about the parish's ministries in their area. (The Vestry member doesn't have to do everything in that area themselves, but they are responsible for making sure someone does them.)

What are the qualifications to serve?

Per St. John's by-laws, Article 4: "Vestry members and candidates other than the Rector shall be lay persons who are voting members of the Parish. Additionally, during the 12 month period before the announcement of election (60 days prior to the second Sunday in Advent), vestry candidates and members must have contributed to the undesignated fund or building fund of the parish." This means that if you have not contributed financially to the undesignated fund or the building fund of the parish .at the time this notice comes out, you are not qualified to run for vestry this year. Check with Mother Tracy (rector©st-john-aptos.org) if you have any questions about your qualifications to run.

Election Calendar

• October 11 - Notice to Parish of Vestry Election
• November 19 -Nominations for Vestry Candidates Close
• November 25— Parish Notified of Nominees for Vestry, Parish Register Open for Inspection By Candidates
• December 10 - Annual Parish Meeting, Part 1: Election of Vestry Members
• January 14— Annual Parish Meeting, Part 2: Election of Delegates to Diocesan Convention

Who can vote in the elections?

Article 2 of St. John's by-laws states that Voting Members are those who "have made a mature public affirmation of their faith (either through being baptized as an adult, or being confirmed or received as an adult if baptized as a child), who have been faithful in corporate worship (unless for good cause prevented) and in working, praying, and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God, and who are at least 16 years old. They must, also, be listed in the Treasurer's books as a contributor within the previous 12 months, and have been a member of the Parish for at least six months."

This means that you need to be a communicant in good standing (the technical term as defined by The Episcopal Church for a member who meets the qualifications listed in this section of our by-laws) in order to vote, and you must have given some kind of financial gift - of any amount, to any fund - to the church in the past year.

You do not have to have made a financial pledge to St. John's in the past year to vote. As long as you have given some amount of money to something, you are qualified to vote. (Examples: You put $1 in the plate one Sunday. You attended Nico's concert earlier this year and paid $20, which went to the music fund. You contributed money (any amount) to one of our outreach programs.)

Here's the catch, though: the contribution must be traceable to you. That means cash dropped in the plate, or cash given to pay for an event like the aforementioned music fundraiser concert -- without any identifying information that shows you are the one who gave it -- doesn't count. If you've been a regular cash giver but have done so anonymously in the past (just dropping cash in the plate on an occasional basis), please take the time in the next few weeks to use one of the new giving envelopes in the news (pictured here) to make sure you are "listed in the Treasurer's books as a contributor." It's simple: just put your cash offering for the day in that envelope and write your name and the date on it.

If you give anonymously out of principle (you don’t want anyone knowing exactly how much you give), please still put a token dollar in an offering envelope in the next few weeks so we at least know THAT you give (and we still won’t know the total of how much).

Full Text of Relevant Sections of St. John's By-Laws

Article 5, Section 8 of St. John’s by-laws requires that “The Vestry shall notify all Parish members, not later than sixty (60) days preceding the APM, of the qualifications and duties of Vestry members and of the provisions of this Article.”

In order to comply with this requirement, as part of this official notice we include the full text of Article 4 (Qualifications of Vestry Members), Article 5 (Vestry Member and Delegate Elections) and Article 7 (Powers and Duties of Vestry Members). (The entire text of the by-laws are available on the vestry page of St. John’s website at http://www.st-john-aptos.org/about/our-vestry. A hard copy is also posted on the Parish Notices bulletin board in the church.)

ARTICLE 4

Qualifications of Vestry Members

Vestry members and candidates other than the Rector shall be lay persons who are voting members of the Parish. Additionally, during the 12 month period before the announcement of election (60 days prior to the second Sunday in Advent), vestry candidates and members must have contributed to the undesignated fund or building fund of the parish.

ARTICLE 5

Vestry Member and Delegate Elections

Section 1.        The term of office of Vestry members shall begin on January 1 of the year following their election and shall continue for three years or until the term to which they were elected has expired. The terms of  Vestry members shall be staggered so that one-third of the members shall be elected each year to the extent that this is possible. In addition, at the APM session one, members shall elect Vestry members to fill any unexpired terms, whether previously filled by interim appointment or vacant.

Section 2.        The candidate(s) receiving the highest number of votes shall be appointed for a term of three years; the candidate(s) receiving a lesser number of votes shall be appointed to fill the unexpired term(s). The candidate receiving the next highest number of votes shall be appointed for a term of two years. In the case of candidates who receive an equal number of votes, the Rector shall indicate which candidate(s) shall be appointed for full terms and which shall be appointed to fill shorter unexpired terms of office.

Section 3.        Should a candidate be unable to stand for election for a full three-year term, the Rector may, in his/her discretion, appoint such individual, if elected, to a term of less than three years if this action would be in the best interests of the Parish, with Vestry approval.

Section 4.        The results of the election of Vestry members shall be announced no later than the Sunday following adjournment of the APM session one. The results of the election of Delegates shall be announced no later than the Sunday following adjournment of the APM session two.

Section 5.        No Vestry member shall hold office for a continuous period of more than three (3) years; provided, however, that after the lapse of one (1) year from the termination of such three year period, s/he may be re-elected to the Vestry; further provided, however, that a member of Vestry elected or appointed to fill a vacancy of less than one year shall, after the expiration thereof, be eligible to election for a term of three (3) full years.  Additionally, when the Rector leaves (by retirement, resignation, death, or removal), the incumbent Senior Warden shall remain eligible for re-election to the Vestry for an additional one-year term.

Section 6.        No later than the August Vestry meeting, the Vestry shall appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of at least three members of the Vestry. The chairperson of the Nominating Committee, who is one of the three members, shall be designated by the Vestry. The Nominating Committee may choose one or two additional members from the Parish at large. At least 21 days prior to the date of the APM Session 1, the Nominating Committee shall select nominees of no less than one person for each vacancy on the Vestry . Written notice of the names of the nominees shall be given to the Clerk of the Vestry.

Section 7.        In addition, members of the Parish at large are encouraged to nominate candidates by filing with the Clerk of the Vestry, not less than 21 days before the APM, a petition signed by five (5) members of the Parish with the name of the nominee. A petition shall name only one nominee. The nominations will close on the (21st) twenty-first day prior to the APM and no nominations will be accepted from the floor at the APM.

Section 8.        Each member of the Parish shall be notified of the names of the nominees at least fifteen (15) days before the date of Session 1 of the APM. No distinction shall be made among the nominees as to whether they were selected by the Nominating Committee or by petition.  Additionally, beginning that date the Parish Register will be open for inspection by candidates.

The Vestry shall notify all Parish members, not later than sixty (60) days preceding the APM, of the qualifications and duties of Vestry members and of the provisions of this Article.

Section 9.        Notice of a Vestry membership election, or of any Parish meeting shall be given during worship service on the Sunday preceding the day on which the election or Parish meeting is to be held. On the Sunday following such election or meeting, the names of such Vestry members elected and/or the nature of the business transacted at the meeting shall be announced.

Section 10.      The voting shall be by secret ballot, and each member shall have one (1) vote for each vacancy.  When several candidates are running for several seats, no one may cast more than one vote for any single candidate.  The person or persons receiving the largest number of votes shall be elected to fill each vacancy. In case of a tie, there shall be additional ballots until it is resolved by election.

Section 11.      The election will be conducted and the ballots counted by members of the Nominating Committee unless, at the request of three (3) members, there shall be appointed from the membership three (3) judges of the election, one of these to be appointed by the Rector, one by a vote of the Vestry, and these two shall elect the third, who shall together be the judges of the qualifications of the Electors, and who shall canvas the ballot and certify in writing the results of the election.

Whenever a vote shall be challenged, the voter will be allowed to cast a ballot, however, his/her ballot shall be placed in an envelope upon which their name shall be written along with the reason for the challenge. The Nominating Committee or Election Judges shall consult the Parish records and attempt to resolve challenges to the satisfaction of the challenger.  The resolved challenge ballots will be opened and mingled with all other ballots. The ballots will then be counted.

If the number of remaining challenged ballots would determine the outcome of the election, the Rector will enclose all ballots cast at the election, and all challenged ballots, in a sealed envelope along with a copy of the Parish Register and other pertinent documents, and deliver this material to the Ecclesiastical Authority of the Diocese (EAD) for a final determination.

If the remaining challenged ballots would not determine the outcome of the election, the election results will be certified by Election Judges or Nominating Committee, and this certification as well as all ballots cast will be placed in a sealed envelope and delivered to the Vestry. The envelope shall be preserved unopened, subject to the order of the EAD, for a period of one year.

An appeal from the certified result of the election shall be to the EAD.

Section 12.      It is the duty of the Rector or, in his/her absence, of the Wardens, to certify to the Diocese the names of the Wardens, Vestry members, Delegates, Treasurer, Clerk and other officers elected or appointed in January of each year.

ARTICLE 7

Powers and Duties of Vestry Members

The Vestry shall have the power and responsibility:

1.      To conduct, manage and control the temporal affairs and business of the Parish, approve the wages and selection of employees, and to make such rules and regulations not inconsistent with law, the Constitution and Canons of TEC and the Diocese, and these bylaws, as they may deem best.

2.      To establish an annual Parish budget, to monitor the current and long-term financial circumstances of the Parish; and to oversee the congregation’s vitality. A preliminary Parish budget for the coming year shall be prepared and presented to the Vestry at the November Vestry meeting.

3.      To appoint or dissolve such committees as are deemed necessary to facilitate management and control of the Parish’s ministry.  Committees shall take no action unless approved by the Vestry unless the committee was specifically empowered to take such action.

4.      To borrow money and incur indebtedness for the purposes of the corporation, and to cause to be executed and delivered in the corporate name, promissory notes and other evidence of indebtedness subject to the provisions of the Constitution and Canons of the TEC in the Diocese.

5.      To call special Parish meetings, upon petition of at least four (4) Vestry members.  Such petition shall include the agenda for the special Parish meeting.

6.      To do and perform every act or thing which may be done by a Board of Directors of a corporation.

Free Childcare Safety Plan Workshop & DACA Work Permit Renewal Information

Free Childcare Safety Plan and
DACA Work Permit Renewal Workshops for Immigrants:

A childcare safety plan (family preparedness) workshop will be held at St. John’s on Monday, September 25, 2017 starting at 7:00 p.m. in the church.   The workshop is open to all parents but may be especially helpful for immigrants who wish to plan for the care of their children, in case they should be detained or removed from the country by immigration authorities. (Workshop is not for DACA work permit renewal.)

The childcare safety plan enables parents to designate the person(s) who should care for their children, or become the children’s legal guardian, if the parent should be detained by immigration authorities or removed from the country.  Parents will leave with a notarized written plan for the care of their children.

Volunteers at the workshop will be available to help with Spanish-English translation.

Parents who wish to prepare a plan should bring the following to the workshop:

•  Caregiver information.  The names, addresses and phone numbers of up to three potential caregivers for the child.
•  Optional guardian nominees.  The names and addresses of up to two people whom the parent wishes to nominate as guardian if the parent is detained for a long time or is removed from the country. (The guardian will be need to formally appointed by the court.)
•  Optional Travel information.  The following information, if the parent wants to permit the child to travel out of the country with a caregiver or other adult: 

           For the Child:

§ Passport Number and Date of Issue

§ Passport Issuing Authority

§ Birth Certificate Registration Number

§ Birth Certificate Issuing Authority

           For the Person Authorized to Travel with the Child:

§ Passport Number and Date of Issue

§ Passport Issuing Authority.

•       Identification required for notarization of childcare safety plans. One of the following forms of identification so that the plan can be notarized:

§  A CA drivers license or CA non-drivers id card that is current or issued in the past 5 years OR

§  a U.S. passport that is current or issued in the past 5 years OR

§  Any of the following, if the id is current or was issued in the past 5 years and has an identifying number, a photo and physical description of the person, and the person's signature:

v  A Mexican or Canadian drivers license

v  A valid consular id issued by the consulate from the person’s country of citizenship

v  A valid passport from the person’s country of citizenship

v  A drivers license or non-drivers id card from a U.S. state other than California

v  A U.S. military id

v  An employee id issued by a CA city or county

v  An id card issued by a federally-recognized tribal government (for Native Americans.) 

If someone has none of these forms of identification, it may be possible to establish their identity through witnesses who have proper identification, but it is much easier if everyone brings id.              

Additional Free Childcare Safety Plan and
DACA Work Permit Renewal Workshops in the Community:

Additional free workshops at which participants may prepare childcare safety plans and also renew DACA work permits will be held in Watsonville, as follows:

•         September 20, 2017 - 6-8:30 p.m.  - EA Hall Middle School, Brewington Ave., Watsonville
•         September 25, 2017 - 6-8:30 p.m.  -  Pajaro Valley High School, 500 Harkins Slough Rd, Watsonville (for childcare safety plans only, not DACA work permit renewal.
•         September 27, 2017 - 6-8:30 p.m. - Pajaro Middle School, Salinas Road, Watsonville.

There is a short time (until October 5) in which DACA work permits can be renewed, so it is important to attend a workshop soon.

Persons who wish to renew DACA work permits should bring the following information to the workshops:

•        Their current work permit
•         A check or money order for $495 made out to USCIS
•        Two passport style photos
•        Their social security number
•         If possible, their last application form and approval notice.
•         Identification for notarization, as described above.

Volunteers at the workshops will be available to assist with Spanish-English translation.

These workshops are sponsored by community groups, including Community Bridges, the Santa Cruz County Immigration Project, Monarch Legal, and volunteers from the Bar Association and the community.

If you have questions, please contact Myra Prestidge at (831) 685-3270 or myra.jane@charter.net.

Vestry Adopts Animal Policy for St. John's Buildings and Grounds

By Mother Tracy

Rector

After an incident this spring in which a dog belonging to a woman staying in her RV on St. John’s property allegedly bit one of the church’s neighbors, the vestry decided to take a look at how and when animals are present on St. John’s campus. We decided it would be wise to put in place clear guidelines and expectations for the behavior of animals and their owners while they are on our property.

A subcommittee was formed to look more closely at the issue, which consisted of vestry members Eileen Fernald, Suzanne Krakover-Nickel, and Gina Muller and members-at-large Nancy Shephard, Karen Greenleaf, and Janet Duncan. I also served on the committee. 

Our office manager, Chrys Sparks, very helpfully compiled a list of sample policies from other churches and universities and after reviewing and discussing those samples, the subcommittee drafted a policy for St. John’s that was approved by unanimous vote of the vestry at the August meeting.

The full text of the policy is printed below, and will be posted on the parish website, the parish bulletin board, and other areas around the campus. Please draw pet-owners' attention to this policy if they plan to bring their pet with them to St. John's.

Animal Policy

Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist, Aptos, CA

Approved by the Vestry on August 15, 2017

Our animal policy aims to take into consideration both the needs of animal owners and people who may be allergic to or fearful of those animals, in order to create a welcoming atmosphere for all people and creatures on our church grounds.

Animal owners are welcome to bring their dog, cat, or other pet to St. John’s grounds and in the church's facilities, under the following conditions:

1.      The animal must be on a six foot (or shorter) leash or crated, and it must be under the control of the owner at all times.

2.      Employees and volunteers may have a pet with them in their office while doing church work, but must have a sign on the door notifying others that an animal is present and must provide an alternative meeting space if someone prefers a pet-free zone.

3.      No animals are allowed in the kitchen or the nursery.

4.      If bringing an animal to a group meeting, the pet owner must ask the other members of the group ahead of time if they are okay with the animal being present.

5.      The animal should be well-behaved. This means that the animal can sit quietly and not distract the owner or the rest of the people present from the tasks at hand. If the owner has to constantly interact with the pet, or if the pet is interacting with others in the room such as to cause a distraction, others present may ask the owner to remove the animal.

6.      Owners must clean up after their animal. This includes disposing of pet waste (i.e., scoop the poop), cleaning up any other messes made by the animal while on St. John’s campus, and removing hair or dander from areas where the animal has been sitting (to try to keep the area as allergy-free as possible for the next people who use the space).

7.      All animals must be tagged, registered, and vaccinated in accordance with appropriate state and county regulations. This includes being up-to-date on anti-flea medications.

8. If you have a complaint or concern about an animal present at St. John's, please contact the rector.

This animal policy may be expanded or revised in the future as needs arise.

Selecting the Vestry Nominating Committee

By Mother Tracy
Rector

At the August meeting, the vestry appointed the following people to the vestry nominating committee for 2018:

Eileen Fernald, Chair

Debra Spencer

Brian Raney

Vicky Wilson

Ray Wolfe

I will serve as facilitator of the Nominating Committee. I will attend meetings, but my primary role will be to facilitate rather than participate in the discernment process used to guide the invitation of the nominees.

To give you some background on what the Nominating Committee is and the selection process:

Article 5, Section 6 of the parish by-laws states:

"No later than the August Vestry meeting, the Vestry shall appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of at least three members of the Vestry. The chairperson of the Nominating Committee, who is one of the three members, shall be designated by the Vestry. The Nominating Committee may choose one or two additional members from the Parish at large. At least 21 days prior to the date of the APM [Annual Parish Meeting] Session 1, the Nominating Committee shall select nominees of no less than one person for each vacancy on the Vestry. Written notice of the names of the nominees shall be given to the Clerk of the Vestry."

Traditionally, the vestry members who serve on the Nominating Committee are those who are about to rotate off the vestry that year. The vestry decided to continue that tradition this year. (The three vestry members on the committee, Eileen, Debra, and Vicky, are rotating off the vestry at the end of this year.)

In consulting with Eileen, Debra, and Vicky, we felt it was important to follow the by-laws' invitation to choose "one or two additional members from the Parish at large" because in doing so, the voice of non-vestry members would be heard in the nomination process. This way, it won't be just vestry members selecting who the next vestry nominees are going to be.

We intentional chose two men, to add gender balance to the group. We selected one person who has been a member here for many years (Ray) and one person who is a newer member of the congregation (Brian, who joined St. John's when he was baptized as an adult a few years ago).

The Nominating Committee uses the standard, structured discernment process that has been used at St. John's for many years for making important decisions in the life of the parish. First, the committee discerns what characteristics are needed in new vestry members -- what qualities or skills are missing on the vestry, or will be missing after the current class rotates off, that we need on our board right now?

After praying and listening for God's guidance on that question, the group brings the list of characteristics they have come up with to the rest of the Nominating Committee. The committee as a whole then decides upon one list of characteristics, drawn from each committee member's input, taking special notice of characteristics that appear on more than one person's list.

Then, each member of the committee looks through the parish directory with those characteristics in mind and prays that God would reveal to them who might have these needed characteristics. Each individual creates a list, and then shares that list with the rest of the Nominating Committee. Anyone whose name shows up on more than one person's list is sent a formal letter from the Nominating Committee inviting them to prayerfully consider running for vestry next year.

This thoughtful, prayerful process for inviting people to serve on the vestry was one of the most exciting things about St. John's to me when I was learning about you all from conversations with the Search Committee and Vestry in my application process to become Rector here. I'm very impressed with the level of prayerful consideration you as a community put into this process, and I'm looking forward to getting to facilitate it myself this time around.

If you have questions about the Nominating Committee and our work over the next few months, please contact Eileen Fernald, who the vestry has appointed as chair of the committee.

Rector sets performance goals for 2017-18 program year

By Andrea Seitz
Junior Warden

Every year the Vestry goes through an evaluation of the year called a Mutual Ministry Review (MMR). The purpose of the MMR is to look carefully at the work that has been carried out on behalf of the parish’s mission to see how well goals have been met and where the Holy Spirit may be leading in the future. It is an honest, prayerful appraisal that can provide much cause for both celebration and a revisioning of the future. The process leads directly into another planning process that takes place each year: the Rector’s personal goal-setting for the purpose of her annual performance evaluation.

During the planning process for our new Rector, the Rector’s evaluation procedure was reviewed. The former process was vague and lacking in specificity. So, the Executive Committee rewrote that section of the contract to create an evaluation process that would encourage self-reflection and improved planning and coordination.

When Mother Tracy was hired, the process was collaboratively refined and finalized with her. The current contract asks the Rector to write five goals with accompanying measureable objectives. One goal is specifically for the parish, one for the Vestry, one is a personal goal and two others are her choice.

The goals are to be developed with the MMR in mind (where the Vestry has had input), any strategic planning document in place, input from the evaluation given that year, and for this year Mtr. Tracy also referred to our Parish Profile. The goals are then reviewed with the Executive Committee and the entire document is shared in closed session with the Vestry. It should be stressed that this is a collaborative process, covered with prayer and careful thought and completely undertaken for the good of the parish.

Mtr. Tracy's goals for the 2017-18 program year are as follows:

1. Curate a Sunday worship experience that is accessible to all ages, welcomes newcomers, and joyfully proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a way that is relevant to people’s daily lives. (Goal for the Parish)
2. Expand and develop my public speaking skills. (Personal Development Goal)
3. Encourage and promote reconciliation and healing throughout the congregation.
4. Develop efficient and clear procedures and practices for vestry meetings that encourage transparency and reduce conflict. (Goal for Support of the Vestry)
5. Support strategic planning for the next 5-10 years of St. John’s future.

Mtr. Tracy was intentional about formulating her goals based on information from parish-wide reflection and input led by the Vestry. This past year the reflection process was led by the Search Committee during our Lenten Study and resulted in our Parish Profile. The Rector’s evaluation is tied directly to this shared search for what we are being called to do, which leads to goals and objectives to accomplish and then assessment of how well they were accomplished.

If the process works as intended, the Vestry as a whole will be taking this information back to their ministry areas and collaboratively, seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance, will develop yearly goals during the Mutual Ministry Review. These goals and objectives will be shared at Vestry meetings and will form the major work of the Vestry for the year. The process is dynamic, lively, focused on our mission as disciples and should provide for opportunities for celebration as we see our plans to serve Christ in ever more meaningful ways come to fruition. We can all be a part of this yearly journey.

Office and Godly Play Room to Switch Spaces

By Mother Tracy
Rector

During the last week of August, the main office in the church building and the Godly Play room in the trailer annex building will switch spaces.

This change will make the annex building the center for all office operations at St. John’s, creating more collaboration and community amongst a staff that is currently disconnected from one another by physical location. Having the Godly Play Sunday School room in the church building instead of across the parking lot will be more convenient and safer for parents and children on Sunday mornings.

The tentative plan is:

• Move furniture Monday, Aug. 28 (Can you help?)
• Deal with all IT issues on Tuesday, Aug. 29 (computer hook ups, printer set up, networking, etc)

Whose idea was this? Why is this happening?
The idea to switch the spaces emerged from conversations I had with some office staff and Sunday School teachers. I then consulted with the rest of St. John’s employees, the regular office volunteers, the Sunday School teachers, and the vestry liaisons for Children and Youth and Building and Grounds, keeping the entire vestry informed about the process along the way. I received a lot of positive feedback from the majority of the people consulted about how this space use change would be beneficial to both the office staff and the Sunday School, so I made the decision last week that we would go ahead with the move.

So if you’re reading between the lines here, yes, I was ultimately the one to make the decision to move, but it was a decision made in consultation with those it would affect most and after an overall consensus emerged that this would be a positive change.

Why now?
The timing of the move allows Sunday School volunteers to set up the new space with plenty of time before Sunday School resumes on Sept. 10.

What all will be moved?
Chrys’s desk and the office volunteer desk will move to the largest room in the Annex, the room that is currently the Godly Play room.

The office copier and printers and the Riso duplicator machine used to copy the bulletins (now in the hall closet) will also move to the annex, along with other needed equipment and furniture.

Godly Play will move into the present office space.

The large mailbox center across from the bathroom near the current office will stay where it is, since that mailbox serves more than just the staff (it includes mailboxes for all vestry members, supporting clergy of the parish, and other key volunteers).

Adult library books will move to upper shelves in the current office (soon to be the new Godly Play Room), making room for Sunday School supplies on lower shelves, and the possibility of a collection of children’s books near those lower shelves. There will also be the possibility of using the Godly Play Room during the week for small meetings.

How will this change benefit the office staff and volunteers?
Currently, the staff is spread out between the trailer annex and the main building. Chrys and the office volunteers are in the main building while the bookkeeper and I are in the trailer annex. What this means for the daily operation of the parish office is a lot of running back and forth between the annex and the building and a lack of connection between the staff and volunteers. There is also no permanent, reliable office space for our other employees, organist Nico Canzano and Helpful Shop Manager Jil Anderson, to use. Though they are both part-time and need minimal office use, if they ever come in and need access to a computer, there is no guarantee they will have a place to sit and work.

Wilma Staver, our office volunteer extraordinaire who prints the bulletins for us each week, has to pull the Riso machine out from one of the storage areas into the hallway near the nursery every time she wants to use it. And since the Riso machine is very loud, there can be nothing else going on in the sanctuary or café space while she’s printing because of the noise it generates.

In the new configuration, the plan is to create several work stations and make sure there is always one available for Nico or Jil to use when they have need of it. Everyone will be in the same space and able to collaborate more closely. Wilma will not have to plan her schedule of printing bulletins around when groups are using the sanctuary and café space.

Won’t we lose the sense of community we have in the office now if we take it outside of the church building?
We have a sense of community created in the office by people dropping by when they’re at church for other things and we don’t want to lose that. The hope is that people will continue to “drop in” to the office as they always have, with a need for copies, to talk to Chrys, drop off donations to the Helpful Shop and library, since all those things will now be in the trailer. We'll leave the door to the trailer propped open when the office is open (as it usually is on Tuesdays already). (Ed Note: Chrys and volunteers are in office Tues-Thurs 9-2, Fri, 10-12:30).

Remember: This is all temporary!
Is this an ideal situation? No. It means the office will be more disconnected from the church building, even as the people working in the office are more connected to each other. But remember that the trailer annex is not a permanent location for the church office. The office’s final home will be in the office wing of the church when it is built. Moving all the offices into the trailer begins to create an “office wing” feel that is what the designers of the church were aiming for when they planned for an office wing in the building. Think of the office trailer as a placeholder for what is to come, and let it remind you of the vision of the completed building that we’re working towards.