April Chapter Musings: People's Warden Reports

 Elizabeth Carey reports:

A busy and full month has passed and our extra-long May Chapter meeting last Tuesday night was evidence of the many items that needed our attention.

There are many important things happening at the cathedral that point to the vibrancy of the congregation. The usual battery of reports was presented.

 Staff reports – This is my favorite part of the meeting where the amazing and varied work of our cathedral staff is showcased.

•   Kathleen Burgess – Administrative Operations – is involved in basically all of the projects going on around campus. She manages the daily operations of the staff with calm confidence. There is no operational question that is too big or too small for her to tackle.

•  Robin Taylor – Children, Youth and Family (CYF) – is constantly reassessing programming to meet the needs of the whole congregation. Youth offerings range from newborn through high school. The latest fast growing group seems to be those attending the nursery. 

•   The Rev Laurel Mathewson – Christian Formation – was applauded for presenting a terrific series addressing clergy abuse. She is pleased with the good turn out at related events and is looking forward to the culminating healing service on Saturday May 14.

•   The Rev. Jeff Martinhauk – Congregational Development and Stewardship – presented the case for a staffing shift (with a budget-neutral solution) for a Communications Support position. We had a lively discussion about the need to streamline all channels of communication for greater clarity and transparency. 

• The Rev. Canon Brooks Mason – Liturgy and Music – shared feedback on the new Sunday morning leaflets and many accolades for the St George’s Day festivities.

• The Rev. Colin Mathewson – Outreach, Mission and Latino Ministry – shared exciting participation statistics from the 1 pm Sunday Latino service. 30-40% of the attendees are under 18 years old!! The publicity video has been distributed and worth a look. Check it out here https://vimeo.com/164442207

Regular and Occasional Reports

• Columbarium – 

• Finance Committee – Betsey Monsell presented the monthly financials and sought a vote on a resolution to finalize the Lay Employee Defined Contribution Retirement Plan. It was discovered quite by accident that this plan had not been being managed properly for many years. An extensive investigation led to conclusions of repayment to current and former employees what was overdue.

• LLC – Ken Tranbarger – the monthly financials and agenda from April meeting were presented. A deal with Greystar is getting closer. Keep tuned!

Wardens’ Reports

• People’s Warden – Elizabeth Carey – in addition to writing monthly blogs, it is important to share that minutes of Chapter meetings are available in hard copy in the church office.

• Dean’s Warden – Mark Patzman – presented a visual of the dashboard that is being created to track success in the Vision For Mission (V4M) plan. Aspects of the easy to understand graphics (great visual snapshots of data ranging from Sunday attendance to pledging units and then some) will be shared as they become available. 

• Dean’s Report – What a busy lady! There are so many aspects of Cathedral and Community life that Dean Penny is actively pursing it is difficult to narrow down to most important. The Chapel Committee has been actively considering possible finishing touches. Of particular interest is altar furniture, which is to be built by a master carpenter. Another finishing touch, appropriate chairs, is being discussed. Dean Penny reminded us all that a bench in remembrance of Stew Dadmun was being dedicated on Sunday May 8 after the 10:30 service.

Old business

• Chapter liaison assignments – all Chapter members will assist in the 6 goal areas defined by the V4M plan with 2 Chapter members for each goal area.

• Dashboard status and discussion – High level tracking of success of the V4M process.

New business

• Approval of Candidacy for Holy Orders – Christie Fleming, studying at CDSP (at Berkeley), is ready for the next step in the ordination process which requires a sign off of support by Chapter. 

•  Nominating Committee Policy discussion – not much energy left for this topic.

• Chapel Restoration Project – discussed during the Dean’s report

Date of the next meeting – Tuesday, June 7

• Appreciations, Regrets and Closing Prayer

And that is a Chapter meeting in nutshell!

Until next month, I am your People’s Warden,

Elizabeth Carey.