St. Barnabas Episcopal Church

Vestry Meeting Minutes

November 13, 2006

Present: Fr. Hubbard, Jeff Flick, Bill Armstrong, Joe Scaturro, Martin Barbour, Barbara Moreno

I. Opening Prayer at 7:03.

II. Spiritual Reflection: What do you imagine for the short-term and long-term of this congregation? Responses for the short-term included financial relief and stability to be able to focus on mission rather than finances; and a relationship with the Diocese as a realistic financial partner. For the long-term, hopes were for the parish to continue as a vibrant congregation for future generations and to grow and change according to community needs. Financial stability and a focus on missions were also long-term goals.

III. Minutes:

A motion to accept the minutes of the October meeting was made by Jeff Flick, seconded by Bill Armstrong and passed.

IV. Treasurer’s Report

Highlights of the Regular Fund

There were five Sundays in the month which affected income. Income this month is 1% above last year at the same time.

Fund raising- printing for raffle tickets has been paid.

Stewardship – new printed materials were selected for use this year, exceeding the budgeted amount.

The third quarter pension payment has been made.

We were not able to pay the expected $1000 for the water bill.

No payment was made on the Diocesan loan due to the moratorium.

The cost of materials for education and publications increased due to the larger confirmation class.

Highlights of Special Funds.

The report reflects the addition of the Sanfilippo Memorial Fund. Additional donations are arriving.

Youth Group – Income from the sale of pies will go to designated charities.

Choir Robes are on order. Some monies from the Spilatore Memorial Fund were added to cover the cost.

Joe Scaturro moved to accept the reports, seconded by Barbara Moreno. The motion passed unanimously.

Audit Report

The team from All Saint’s Church, Princeton is currently working on three years of our financial records. Formal recommendations on recording procedures are forthcoming. One suggestion was to include the value of our building in the Annual Report.

Joe Scaturro will coordinate a team from St. Barnabas to audit the financial records of All Saint’s Church.

Dedication of the Christmas Offering

The vestry considered a request for donation from the Committee on Religious Ministries from Princeton Hospital. The vestry decided by consensus to donate $250 fro the Christmas offering to the Committee with the remaining going to Diocesan Outreach.

Joe Scaturro is working on a banner to advertise the Christmas services.

Debt Restructuring

The proposal will go to the Diocesan Council on November 21. Lowering our debt payments will allow us to pay Fr. Hubbard’s full salary and increase our Diocesan pledge payment without draining the Building Fund.

A proposal for replacement of aging furnace and air conditioning units was presented. The total cost would be approximately $17,000 and could be partially covered by the Building Fund. It was suggested that it would be wise to replace them before they fail which may increase the cost.

V. Warden’s Report

The Nominating Committee is considering approximately thirty names for the slate to fill vestry and warden positions. The next committee meeting is scheduled for next Monday. Concern was expressed that the Vestry should reflect the full diversity of the parish.

Four workers attended the Property Clean-up Day this past Saturday. Leaves were raked and repairs to the building were made.

VI Old Business;

Goal # 1 (servant leadership) Bill Armstrong has ordered a package of materials on gift discernments which includes a leadership guide, software, books and a video. He suggested that the materials may coordinate well with the Stewardship campaign. Martin Barbour suggested that the program be presented after each service on a designated Sunday.

Goal #2 (new members): It was noted that some new comers are ready to assume leadership roles after a short time but that it may take others several years to feel comfortable enough to volunteer in that regard. A suggestion was to continue to advertise volunteer needs on a regular basis.

Goal #3 (sufficient resources)

The Stewardship Campaign is underway with a new approach which is fresh and appealing.

Joe Scaturro reported that raffle ticket sales are slow. The deadline is December 3. Since the tickets to be raffled were all donated, our only cost is the ticket printing ($200).

Other fundraisers include igive.com and the Tastefully Simple sale sponsored by Women’s Link.

Report by Lay Leaders in Fr. Hubbard’s absence: the only problem was a malfunction of the front door lock.

VII. New Business

No reports were made by Vestry liaisons.

Rector’s Report: Fr. and Mrs. Hubbard just returned from attending a Cursillo Weekend. He expressed concern regarding the presentations of the leadership team and will communicate his concern to the Bishop.

The meeting ended with the singing of The Grace at 9:15.

Next meeting: Sunday, December 10 at 7:00

Respectfully submitted,

Barbara Moreno