Lyn Walker and Ross Hatch, Wardens
Richard Burt, Clerk
Stephan Christiansen, Treasurer
Paul Glover, Assistant Treasurer
Lynn Brooks, Deanery Representative
Class of 2006-08: Ellen Flynn, Jim Miller, Jeff Verney
Class of 2008: Masha Ringquist
Class of 2007-09: John Amamoo, Sheri Sparks, Susan Thomas, Brooke Whittemore
Class of 2008-2010: John Earnhardt, Lori Noyes, Bill Palifka, Mark Proft
COMMITTEES
St. John's Church has many blessings. As a parish, we demonstrate our faith in countless ways and face new challenges as a faith community with strength and grace. In the midst of managing the daily affairs of the church, such as finances, building management and maintenance, worship services, committee meetings and fellowship, we also tackle the longer term strategic work of the church. It is the delicate balance of managing today with an eye on tomorrow that makes us successful and effective.
The Vestry assesses our accomplishments in the areas of Engagement, Stewardship and Faith Centered Community Building. To a good extent, the work on three fronts has been moving along well, Stewardship perhaps being the most mature. Our work on Engagement has included excellent work by the Public Relations Committee who have thoughtfully created and executed on a communications strategy to help enhance our reach to others and ourselves in our community. We have continued to push ourselves on the front of Faith Centered Community building through our Sunday forums, special events, Christian education as well as our outreach work. As we continue to learn how to demonstrate our faith more outwardly we tend to be more inclusive and thoughtful in how we extend ourselves.
We continue to focus on global outreach both in the form of our relationship with our Cuban companion parish, Santa Cruz del Norte, as well as our work in Haiti. Patti Lynn O'Brien began such important work there and a number of our parishioners have traveled to continue that ministry. The reports from these trips are moving and inspiring - faith, joy, learning and hope all growing in the midst of extreme poverty. These are important lessons for us as we consider our lives and blessings.
ST. JOHN'S CHURCH STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE
The work of the Stewardship Committee bears much fruit including giving parishioners an opportunity to share their vision for the future of St Johns in areas such as worship, social activities, education, governance, information and outreach. We continue to position ourselves well to ultimately meet our goal of a fully pledge funded operating budget, thus allowing us to focus more of our stewardship to doing God's work both in and outside our doors. This Committee focused on our fellowship on Sundays and worked to add more hospitality time together after the 10:30 service - it's amazing what a little food and conversation can do to enhance our time together.
The Committee meets monthly and attempts to reach every household in the parish. We are working to make giving a part of our parish worship and to help more members learn to give proportionately. We hold spring dinners to hear people's thoughts and ideas on parish growth, and we hold a fall Canvass.
We are seeking to add one more member and welcome self -nominations.
Tom and Kay Cox, Chairs
ST. JOHN'S CHURCH INVESTMENT COMMITTEE
The investment committee of St. John's Church is responsible for overseeing the investment of the church's substantial endowment fund. The endowment is invested largely in mutual funds selected with the assistance of our investment consultant, UBS.
St. John's Church is very fortunate to have had many members over the years that cared about the future of the church and had the foresight to provide for St. John's in their estate plans. The endowment which helps support the church's programs and outreach today is the result of their generosity.
Spending from endowment is guided by a rule of spending 5% of the average endowment value (calculated quarterly) over the past three years. This spending rule is meant to provide a balance between current and future needs. Endowment spending decisions each year are the responsibility of the vestry.
Alex Vance, Chair
THE FRIENDLY VISITOR COMMITTEE
The Friendly Visitor Committee has been active at St. John's Church since the spring of 1992. This committee was formed for the purpose of maintaining a link with those unable to attend church. Through the years we have visited many parishioners either in their homes or in health care facilities. The list of people who might enjoy a visit is provided by our clergy. The Rev’d Anna Pearson attends our meetings and we appreciate her guidance.
We meet monthly.
If you are interested in this committee, you are most welcome.
Anita Parsons, Chair
ST. JOHNS CHURCH HOUSE COMMITTEE
The House Committee is dedicated to the maintenance and enhancement
of St. John's
Episcopal Church. The committee deals with maintenance contract
negotiations, general maintenance problems, enhancement issues, new
construction and satisfying submitted suggestions. The suggestion/Work
Order system instituted in 2000 continues to serve the committee. These
lists are available for review in the Financial Secretary's Office.
The Committee meets quarterly but follows activities year round. Open
Meetings are generally held second or third Monday of March, June,
September and December.
Mark Proft, Chair
NEWCOMERS COMMITTEE
This group welcomes visitors and newly registered members of St.
John's through a
systematic approach which recognizes the importance of establishing
personal contact
with those individuals and families who are seriously considering
joining the parish.
We hope to provide a friendly face at church and at coffee hour, helping
the newcomer
feel more at ease.
Summer meetings have been held at the home of various parishioners to
explore new
methodologies to attract outsiders to St. Johns. New Members are welcome
to help enhance the positive and welcoming atmosphere of our parish.
Ben Flynn, Chair
OUTREACH COMMITTEE
The Outreach Committee focused on needs of our neighborhood of West
Hartford and Hartford. This included the use of our building to help
serve some of those needs as well as activities/projects to involve
members of the parish. Increased involvement of parishioners in projects
is needed. The committee is always looking for new opportunities.
Possibilities could be establishing a "Needs Bank" which parishioners
would contact when they were looking for volunteer opportunities or
exploring the option of increased interactions with St. James Church
(Zion Street in Hartford). New ideas and members are needed. Please
contact us!
A typical year's activities include allocating funds to operating grants
and small capital projects, and supporting struggling families.
Small Grants: The committee members decide on support levels for
applicant organizations that serve people in our community by giving
grants usually ranging from $500 to $2,500. The budget for this program
is always spent in full, as needs are greater than available funds. A
small amount of funding for small grants is held in reserve for special
needs at the end of the year or emergencies during the year.
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), begun in 1998, is a
groundbreaking cooperative effort between the parish and West Hartford
Continuing Education. The parish's participation allows people in our
neighborhood, who are residents of Hartford, to participate in the
program. The parish partially funds the program, participants pay a
small fee, and the parish offers its facilities free of charge for these
classes. The program consists of two semesters with Beginner,
Intermediate, and Advanced levels as well as a summer session to assist
with Citizenship classes. Volunteers from the parish are also involved.
Christmas Bags for Nurturing Families CT (VNA Healthcare). Another
annual opportunity for parishioners to fulfill physical needs of
families at risk. Parishioners select a bag listing particular items
needed by that family. Typically 80-100 bags are filled.
Easter Baskets at Hospital for Children with Special Needs. This annual
project allows the parish to be sure that children who are cognitively
or physically challenged are not forgotten. They receive delightful,
healthy, Easter baskets.
The parish is considering other opportunities for significant
involvement in our community.
Global Missions Committee. This committee actually functions
independently with its own chair and members but is under the Outreach
umbrella. Please reference Global Missions'.
Other programs. The committee provides funds for the parish's ministry
of emergency city bus transportation for people who come to the parish
office in need. The Loaves & Fishes program involves purchase and
preparation of meals by different parish groups (including this
committee) throughout the year. Parishioners may request reimbursement
from this budget and any money remaining at year's end is donated to
Loaves & Fishes. The committee also sponsors collection boxes for winter
clothes or other personal items needed throughout the year by homeless
people or other people with special needs occurs.
Alf Millard, Chair
GLOBAL MISSION
(SUB-COMMITTEE OF OUTREACH)
The Global Mission Committee was established at the annual meeting
in January of 1999, to review ways to support those outside our
community. The committee meets monthly with the exception of July and
August. The committee is active in CCRC (Caribbean Companion
Relationship Committee), a Diocesan organization focusing on the
Caribbean communities and their needs. St. John's has a Companion
Relationship with Santa Cruz del Norte' as a result of a trip to Cuba by
parishioners in 2002, and a relationship with Saint Sauveur Church and
School in Les Cayes, Haiti.
Kathleen McIntosh, Chair
Haiti - In February, 2003, Patti Lynn O'Brien attended the Haiti
Connection in Port au Prince, Haiti. While on a field trip from that
meeting, she committed personally to build Saint Sauveur School in Les
Cayes, Haiti, responding to an appeal from Father Kenol Rock, the priest
at Saint Sauveur. Patti Lynn returned from Haiti with an agenda that
included the participation of the rest of the committee and funding. In
response computers, printers, overheads and supplies were sent in the
sea container that goes annually to Haiti from the Friend's of St.
Vincent, an outreach of St. James Episcopal Church, West Hartford. Funds
to supply desks, chairs, books and teachers' salaries were sent to Les
Cayes with Patti Lynn and given to Father Rock on a visit here. Haiti is
the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The opinion is that it
has no resources, the land is depleted, there is no public education, no
public health and the leaders are more interested in enriching
themselves than providing any of the necessary public structure for the
people. We are considering what we can do to help make the people
self-reliant; i.e. education and income from craft sales.
Cuba - Rrestrictions on travel and funds transfer to Cuba inhibit
our support of Santa Cruz del Norte'. However, St. John's and Santa Cruz
del Norte' are actively involved as companion parishes in spite of the
difficulties.
ST. JOHN'S CHURCH LOAVES AND FISHES SOUP KITCHEN
Loaves and Fishes has many volunteers from St. John's who cook and
serve a meal for 200 homeless men, women and children at Immanuel Church
in Hartford. The YPF, groups of friends, and associations within the
Church, each take a month to coordinate the buying and cooking of meals.
Ann Krissinger has been the person who has contacted the people who very
faithfully serve the meal the second Wednesday of each month. This is
cooperation at its best and an important ministry at St. John's Church.
We wish to thank all the volunteers who have made this ministry
possible. Here is a list of people who, during the year, have given
their time to Loaves and Fishes.
ST JOHN'S PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE
The public relations committee promotes St. John's to the public,
including infusing its image with inherent attributes and purpose, to
enhance St. John's visibility and strengthen our identity in the
community. This includes work on this website showing photos of people
and parts of the church, as well as a colorful and inviting graphic with
many buttons on the home page linked to activities and further
information about St. John's. The committee is also charged with
improving communications with parishioners about the varied programs at
the church. Ultimately these activities support increasing membership
and parishioner involvement.
MaryJo Keating, Chair