From the Rector: Shared Leadership and the Annual Meeting

Dear friends,

One of the things I really value about our Episcopal tradition is the way we govern ourselves. Governance may not sound all that exciting or "spiritual." But in reality, how we make decisions together and how we hold authority in community are deeply spiritual issues that connect directly to our understanding of God. As Christians we believe God is Three in One and One in Three. The Three Persons of the Trinity are not identical. They have different parts in the story of creation and salvation. Yet they never act independently of one another. The Trinity is our model for relationships that are loving, respectful, and egalitarian.

There are lots of different Christian traditions and they each bring different gifts. As Episcopalians I believe one of ours is that we value both ordained and lay leadership as distinct, yet equally important, modes of authority. In our denomination, elected lay leaders in every congregation share authority for decision-making with clergy. At the level of the diocese, elected lay delegates from every parish do the same; and at the level of the national church, elected lay and ordained delegates from every diocese share authority with the bishops.

Because we organize ourselves this way, every Episcopal parish's Annual Meeting is an important event. It's a kind of town-hall experience that is a celebration, a learning event, and an experience of small-scale democracy all rolled into one. We had a great Annual Meeting last Sunday with over 80 parishioners in attendance. Together we looked back at 2023, learned about our budget for 2024, elected several new leaders, and celebrated outgoing Vestry members and others who have served in special ways.

I'm grateful to all those who offered themselves as candidates for Vestry and for Convention. We had an extraordinary slate of candidates this year, and in the end we elected Robert Aguero, Matthew Bonacorso, Rebecca Kendall, and John Torres as our four new Vestry members; Sharon Cronan, Matthew Elias, Rebecca Kendall, Amy Nykamp, John Nykamp, John Torres, and Doreen Van Leeuwen as Delegates to Convention; and Kathleen Baumgardner, Joseph Ferrucci, Jonathan Kendall, Patrick Lancaster, Laura McLellan, and Sam Collins as Convention Alternates.

We also celebrated our four outgoing Vestry members Kathleen Baumgardner, Allan Bolchazy, Sara Joslyn, and Patrick Lancaster.

Finally, congratulations are due to the six people we recognized this year with the Angels Among Us Awards for their exemplary service in our congregation, often in unsung ways. To Kathleen Baumgardner, Andrea Budd, Jim Furness, Inese Heinzel, Diane Schoenrock, and Anne West, thank you for being the hands and heart of Jesus!

If you didn't get a chance yet to read them, you can download our Annual Report and Financial Report.

I'll be away on a family vacation this coming week, from Saturday through the following Sunday. Our own Priest Associate Jamie Knutsen will be presiding and preaching at this Sunday's services, and Rod McAulay (who served as our Sabbatical Pastor this past summer) will be presiding and preaching on the 28th. I'll be back in the church office on Monday, January 29th.

In Christ's peace,

Stephen

Tags: News & Notes