Hello –
This Saturday is our annual Vestry Retreat, the time when the elected leaders of our parish, its Board of Directors, takes time away to look at the longer view. For the fourth year in a row we will be hosted by our neighbors at Nativity on their beautiful hilltop campus.
The members of the Vestry this year are Keira, Vladimir, Judy, Steve, Eric, Meg, Doug, Jae, Joan and Kay.
We will be considering four themes for 2015. These are the things we believe will call forth our best efforts in the coming year. Please consider with us the following:
• Pastoral Care. A lot of our dearest friends who were coming regularly on Sunday morning a few years ago are having a harder time leaving home. Already, I’ve doubled the amount of time I spend each week on home visits. Further, in the last year, three people have each adopted one of our home-bound matriarchs and patriarchs. We’d like to see even more care of the ones who have brought us to where we are today.
• SPRIF III. Our capital campaign is not an optional luxury. We simply must have a courtyard that is safe and accessible. Further, increasing our curb appeal through beauty is essential for taking our proper place in the San Rafael community. Very roughly, we’ve raised $85,000 and so have completed our obligation to the school and secured our ten year, financially generous contract with them. We’ve also made a start on the money for the new courtyard. We need $115,000 more before we start tearing out the broken concrete. Thanks to the great leadership of Maggie and Jay, we can do this! But we can’t take our eye off the ball.
• Data Management. This is an unsexy term for an essential project. Right now, we’re doing a fine job of keeping records, but we want to do a very good if not excellent job. We want to know that, if we need to clean out the pipes every five years, we’ll remember to do it. We want to know that, when someone says they want ‘A Mighty Fortress is Our God’ at their funeral, when they die twenty years later, it will happen. And so on. Michael G. will be leading this effort and we hope to win great confidence from all of you with our report of work done by next year’s Annual Meeting.
• Church Partnerships. I believe Christian teamwork in Marin is essential for our common future. Already, we are partnering with Grace Marin in weekly prayer and Lenten services. We are beginning work with St. John’s to address homelessness. We are talking with Nativity about strengthening Christian Practices together. The priests-in-charge of all twelve Episcopal communities in Marin meet weekly for lunch to talk and dream. Our Deanery is showing new signs of health and vitality. Great work has begun. How can we make sure it continues?
Our Vestry retreat is from 9am to 3pm and includes great time to get to know each other and also a nice walk through the woods. These are in addition to time to dream, discuss and plan.
We look forward to coming down from the Nativity hilltop on Sunday and then continuing our conversation with each of you. Pastoral Care, SPRIF III, Data Management and Church Partnerships- it looks like it will be another year of growing in health and strength at St. Paul’s.
Faithfully,
Christopher
(415) 456 4842