St. Paul’s Englewood — Archived Revised Vestry Response

February 25, 2022 Dear Parishioner, Your new Vestry has been working to reorganize committee structure and to resolve and improve church operations and ministries based on input from the parish in a series of cottage meetings in the months of August and September 2021. To improve communications, below is a Vestry roster with contact information, and a list of committees and co-chairs. Following this is a detailed response to the cottage meeting concerns.

VESTRY The Rev. Dr. Bill Allport, Rector revballport@stpaulsenglewood.org 201-515-7769 Patrick O’Neil, Senior Warden poneil@att.net 201-569-4584 Melissa Kelley, Junior Warden Kelley74ny@icloud.com 201-421-6704 Beverley Lannaman, Treasurer bloomlann26@gmail.com 201-567-6123 Dawn Baxter-Woodhouse Baxter.dawn@gmail.com 917-848-2444 Andrea Bills-Evering andreabills@hotmail.com 201-697-4315 Soribel Holguin soribelholguin@gmail.com 917-291-5410 Margaret King margareteking87@gmail.com 201-394-0121 Coralius Noble corlissn@yahoo.com 201-888-7812 Karen Pestaina khpestaina@aol.com 201-429-2302 The Vestry in their September 2021 working meeting put in place a re-organization whereby there is at least one vestry member on each committee to allow for better communication and to ensure that each committee is accountable to the Vestry.

Working Towards the Future: 1. The Vestry has re-organized the committee structure to focus on the following areas: The new committee structure is as follows: Next Generation Ministry (Families, Children, Youth) ■ Co-Chair: Margaret King ■ Additional Vestry: Sori Holguin ○ Social Justice ■ Co-Chair: Coralius Noble ■ Additional Vestry: Melissa Kelley ○ Parish Life and Membership ■ Co-Chair: Sori Holguin ■ Additional Vestry: Karen Pestaina ○ Worship

■ Co-Chair: Melissa Kelley ■ Additional Vestry: Margaret King, Karen Pestaina ○ Financial Stewardship ■ Co-Chair: Coralius Noble and Melissa Kelley ■ Additional Vestry: ○ Outreach ■ Co-Chair: Coralius Noble ■ Additional Vestry: Sori Holguin, Beverly Lannaman ○ Administration ■ Finance Committee ■ Co-Chair: TBA ■ Additional Vestry: Victor Osunfisan ■ Buildings and Grounds ■ Co-Chair: TBA ■ Additional Vestry: Sori Holguin 2. Volunteers are needed to serve on all committees. Please respond to the Vestry chairpersons as they issue invitations to their respective committees.

To address the concerns put forward in the cottage meetings, the Vestry met in a special meeting on 9/27/21, and continues with the newly constituted vestry to work to address the issues that arose, outlined generally as follows: 1. Transparency in the organization 2. Staffing/employment issues 3. Financial situation 4. Lack of facility maintenance 5. Lack of pastoral care 6. Non-functioning committees 7. Working towards the future The Vestry has made provisions to ameliorate as many concerns as possible, though difficult issues are still being addressed, such as the ongoing financial situation.

Transparency: 1. The Vestry has resolved to make vestry meetings open to Parishioners on the following guidelines: a. Attendance will only be during the general session of the meetings, not during any executive sessions when personal confidential information is discussed. b. Parishioners attended will be allowed a 10-minute session at the beginning of the meeting in which to bring up issues, to be divided among however many parishioners wish to speak. c. Parishioners should give the Vestry advance notice of attendance, and of any issue they wish to bring before the Vestry in the meeting. Call or email the parish administrator if you wish to attend. d. Attendees, including any who do not wish to introduce issues, will not take part in any discussion during the general session of the vestry meeting.

2. Vestry will continue to communicate with Parishioners by mail, phone, email and social media, and will endeavor to ensure that communications reach all parishioners.

3. Parishioners will be provided with an electronic link to an abridged version of current vestry meeting minutes.

Staffing/Employment Issues: The Vestry expect employees to resolve grievances with the Rector; however, any employee not satisfied with the Rector resolution must escalate the grievance to the Wardens, and to the Vestry if not satisfied with the Wardens resolution. Recent staffing/employment issues are still under discussion.

Financial Situation: 1. The Parish has been running a deficit budget for several years and the endowment has been used to fund ministry and operating expenses.

2. The primary source of income is Parishioners’ financial stewardship; pledges have remained static for several years, and have decreased the last few years, though costs have been steeply increasing.

3. Parishioners need to carefully consider their stewardship calling. Those who have hitherto not been pledging should consider doing so. A viable budget depends on having an idea of the income.

4. Vestry decided since last year to limit the use of the endowment to run ministries. However basic things such as staff salaries and statutory obligations must be fulfilled.

5. A taskforce has been formed to make a strategic plan covering years 2023 through 2025 with a view to improving the financial situation and take us out of deficit budgeting.

Facility Maintenance: 1. Maintenance is triaged because we are struggling for funds. We are only able to do what we have resources to do; hence some things have to wait in the queue.

2. We are down to a half-time sexton from two sextons and there is a limit to the maintenance that the half-time sexton can carry out.

3. This situation would be gradually alleviated as resources improve.

Lack of Pastoral Care: 1. Clergy has been made aware of problems.

2. The Vestry will institutionalize regular calling of Parishioners to see how they are doing. Clergy will be notified of Parishioners requiring in-home or hospital pastoral care.

3. The Vestry proposes the establishment of Neighborhood Groups to aid in communication and fellowship.

4. Many parishioners participate in pastoral care on their own, by calling and visiting others. The Vestry encourages everyone to consider their ministry and care of other parishioners.

Please know that you can contact any vestry member or warden if you have any concerns or further questions. Also please know that we appreciate your concern and support.

The Rev. Dr. Bill Allport, Rector Patrick O’Neil, Senior Warden Melissa Kelley, Junior Warden