The Vestry

The Vestry is the legal representative of the parish with regard to all matters pertaining to its corporate property. The presiding officer of the Vestry is the Rector. The basic responsibilities of the Vestry are to help define and articulate the mission of the congregation, to support the church’s mission by word and deed, to select the rector, to ensure effective organization and planning, and to manage resources and finances.

There are nine members of the St. A’s Vestry. Each member is elected to a three-year term. Terms are staggered so that each year we elect three new Vestry members at our Annual Parish Meeting.

What is your Vestry working on?

For a full account of all that your Vestry undertakes, all of the minutes of Vestry meetings are available on this web page. Minutes are added after the Vestry has approved them (generally a month after each meeting date).

The Vestry’s work is guided by prayer. Every meeting begins with prayer and a meditation and concludes with a sending prayer.

Please pray for your Rector (Rev. Jenny) Vestry (Mark, Bryan, Kathryn, Gail, Ron C., Elaine, Maureen, Brad, & Frank) Treasurer (Nancy) and Clerk (Joan J.)

Mission

St. A’s has several mission-like and value statements. This year we asked ourselves, how do these disparate statements and values guide the decisions we make and how we invest in our future? At our Annual Parish Meeting in January, our congregation members spent time considering and sharing their "hopes" and "dreams" for St. A's as we look ahead. Inspired by our congregation, the Vestry is developing a new mission statement that reflects these “hopes” and dreams in this exceptional time of “abundance” in which we find ourselves.

We have started our mission development process by looking at the work of Simon Sinek and the “Golden Circle.” He describes an approach that drives us to think about our “why” as the foundation for “how” and “what” we do! This work is ongoing at each Vestry meeting.

Systems and Connections

As we grow and our ministries expand, this has been a valuable time to look at the systems in place that support our efforts. One activity has been to develop an organizational chart that not only shows the categories of what we do, but how those activities connect. This helps us to better ensure that “the right hand knows what the left hand is doing” and that we better anticipate the impact of any activity or ministry on other parts of the church.

We have also been working on the policies and procedures that support our work, enhance our welcome, and ensure a safe space for all. Particular accomplishments have been a new consolidated building use form and policies that guide building use (we have more groups wanting to use our church all the time). In April, the Vestry adopted new Policies and Procedures for Event Safety and Security (see next section). The Vestry is now developing parallel policies and procedures for regular worship and church activities like adult forums.

We are strengthening our connections to both our sister church of St. Stephen’s in Oak Harbor and our connections to the Diocese of Olympia. Rev. Jenny and Brad meet regularly now with their counterparts at St. Stephen’s and we had a glorious Cathedral Day with our three members who were confirmed and received at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle.

Finances

Stewardship of the church’s financial resources is one of our most important responsibilities. In line with developing our mission statement, the Vestry had a special retreat in March to look at a new financial model called, “Mission Based Budgeting.” We used materials from the Episcopal Church Foundation and the Diocese of New Jersey. Mission-based budgeting is a way to marry our fiduciary responsibilities with the life-giving God of abundance that we serve and make sure our budget reflects our mission and priorities.

Also, our Treasurer and members of the Endowment Committee gave us an orientation to the different types of funds that we are blessed to have—thanks to the generous saints of St. A’s past and present. These are our reserves and investments that help us face the future with optimism.

Outreach and the Future

The hopes written by parishioners at our Annual meeting are continually before us. In addition, the growth of our congregation brings new hopes, abundance, and needs.

Earlier this year, Sarah Ruggenberg presented her university capstone project entitled: St. Augustine’s In The Woods Children and Family Ministry Three Year Strategic Plan 2024-2026. The Vestry is now reviewing this strategic plan toward the renewal of Children and Family ministries at St. A’s (a priority noted by a third of responses recorded at the Annual Meeting).

The Vestry also allocated funds so that St. A’s will be a “Platinum Sponsor” of South Whidbey Pride—an outreach to the LGBTQIA+ community that supports our message of inclusion.