When I was a child, my family would occasionally gather in the living room to watch old reels of family movies projected onto the wall (I’m showing my age!). Those were always bonding moments when we could relive significant moments as a family and bask in that connectedness. Our annual parish meeting is rather like watching a video of the past year. It’s an opportunity to glance back at the previous year and celebrate all that God has done among us.
Perhaps family meetings don’t always summon the most positive of feelings. Maybe you associate them with resolving problems or needing to hash something out. In the case of our parish “family meeting” (i.e., our annual parish meeting), such is not the case! Our parish bylaws state that a business meeting must be held each year, and we typically do so at the end of January. This Sunday, January 28, we will hold our annual parish meeting after Sung Mass.
I hope you will attend. As I’ve been saying in the announcements at Mass, the annual meeting is really a joyous occasion. While there is some business to conduct, the meeting is primarily an opportunity for us to gather as a parish family for conversation, reflecting on the joys and challenges of the past year and looking ahead with hope to a new year. We will elect new members of the parish vestry (the governing board of the parish that holds fiduciary responsibility). We will also elect lay delegates to the annual diocesan convention, as well as lay delegates to local deanery meetings (a deanery is a geographical collection of parishes within the diocese).
But what is most exciting to me about the annual meeting is rejoicing in how God has been vividly at work at Good Shepherd in 2023. I strongly urge you to read our annual parish report, which has been the collaborative effort of staff and those in leadership positions. Reading this report is like watching a video of the past year at Good Shepherd. So much has happened, thanks to the marvelous grace of God and the faithfulness of so many people.
If you are an eligible voter, please review the biographical information about candidates for the elections at the meeting. Elections are not contested, but your vote is essential. If you are not an eligible voter, I do hope you will still come to the meeting. This meeting is for everyone. And the annual meeting is about far more than elections. Your presence is crucial as we move forward in ministry together. Our parish meeting is really a loving conversation.
Although I have offered a written report in the annual report, I will offer additional reflections at the parish meeting, and you will also hear from others in leadership. Brett Hart, the parish treasurer, will give a summary of our financial situation and introduce the vestry-approved 2024 budget, also found in the annual report. You will get the most out of the meeting if you are able to review materials ahead of time. There will be time for your questions as well.
The meeting will be held in the church, so if you’re attending Sung Mass, please hang around, and vestry members will distribute materials for the meeting. If you normally attend the 8 a.m. Low Mass, I hope you will come back for the annual meeting. Lunch will follow the meeting in the retreat house (thanks to Jack and Jeannette Burnam), and this will be yet another opportunity to engage in fellowship with one another. Additionally, Jonathan Adams, one of our parishioners, will be present with a laptop to assist each of you in updating your contact and personal information in Realm, our parish database. Please do this sometime over lunch or before you leave for the day!
I have said more about this in my rector’s report, but I’ll say it again: each of you is integral to the growth and health of Good Shepherd. No one is exempt from this! We’ve all been given specific gifts for ministry by God, and this parish (and the wider Church) is not what it can be without your gifts and presence. I’m looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!
Yours in Christ,
Father Kyle