CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY
Vestry Minutes
September 13, 2010
Attending:
Pam Bayliss, Ed Boksan, Tom Brandt, Garry Bruchok,
Carl Chegwidden, Barbara Iannelli, Tom Kolepp, Kim Plyler,
Phil Rizzo, Phil Schenkel, Lee Snyder, Ray Vernon
Absent:
Bill Krueger, Mary Ann Lynn, Marirose Sartoretto
Clergy:
Interim Treasurer:
Dean Tony Pompa, Canon Mariclair Partee
Dee Montgomery
Following fellowship and dinner, a Tour of our Facility including the Shawnee Building and Litany, our
meeting was called to order.
CONGREGATIONAL PRACTICES
S.W.E.E.P.S
Education Report – Barbara Iannelli & Canon Partee
Barbara reported that the first day of Sunday School went really well. She gave us some
important dates for our youth activities. The first event is the CROP Walk on October 10.
Barbara said our older students will be participating in the walk and encouraged us to support
them with a donation. She said on November 6 our YAK and Rite 13 youth groups will be for
hire. If anyone needs a garage cleaned out, attic straightened up, grass cut or leaves raked,
you can pay them and they will help you. Barbara also mentioned that the Christmas Pageant
for the lower school is scheduled for Saturday December 18 and encouraged all of us to attend.
Canon Partee reported on the Cathedral’s 2010-11 Program Guide. She said that our adult
forums started yesterday with Archdeacon Cluett and that it was well attended and that he did
a great job. Archdeacon Cluett and Dean Pompa will also be presenting another forum in
October. Canon Partee said that we will continue with two tracks of adult forums. One
change, since we are going to have the 321 Contact Service, is that on the 3rd Sunday of the
month at 9 AM, we will have a ministry sponsored light breakfast in the Dining Room for folks
who are not interested in going to the service. The ministry that is hosting for next Sunday is
the Men’s AnD Group. They will be hosts and give a little background to highlight their ministry
here at the Cathedral to give our people an idea of what they do and who to contact if they
would like to be part of it. Canon Partee said since we will be having Heritage Worship on the
1st Sunday of the month, the adult forum will partner with the service that we are having. We
are going to have a Morning Prayer Service at 10:30 so we will have a forum speaker talking
about the Morning Prayer Service and how we made the transition to Eucharist as the primary
service. Canon Partee said we will continue to have seasonal offerings like our Lenten series
and we will also have our e-residency again. Two additions to our program will be an ICON
painting class which will be a 4-day retreat after work and all day Saturday and Sunday
afternoon. This will take place May 6 th through the 8th. There will also be a couple’s workshop
offered. Both of these programs are contingent on having enough people commit. She also
plans on doing contemplative prayer and retreats that will be a one-day program on a
Saturday.
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MINUTES
Sr. Warden Phil Schenkel asked if everyone reviewed the minutes and if there were any questions or
comments. A motion was made to accept the minutes as presented. It was moved, seconded and all
were in favor.
Treasurer’s Report: July and August – Dee Montgomery
Dee Montgomery reported that earlier this year the Vestry directed them to look at special checking
account combination fees and interest. Bill Korp and Dee Montgomery met with Carol Weaver from
Lafayette Ambassador Bank and discussed options. One option is a savings account attached to the
special checking account. We could place excess cash that’s sitting in the checking account and gain
some interest on it. In order for us to open this account, we need Vestry approval. Dee Montgomery
recommends that we do this.
Sr. Warden Phil Schenkel made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s recommendation to allow the
bookkeeper to establish this interest bearing account that will enable and improve cash flow
distribution for their purposes. The motion was approved and seconded and all were in favor.
Dee Montgomery reported on the EFT capability the Cathedral is now promoting. He said we have 8-10
people using this option for pledging. There have been some bugs in the system but Bill Korp is ironing
them out as he goes. He is very encouraged with the process.
Dee Montgomery also reported that pledge income is down 12% and non-pledged is ahead of that
percentage. He said this happens every year at this time. He also mentioned that our DIT last quarter
report has not been received yet.
Sr. Warden Phil Schenkel made a motion to accept the July Treasurer’s Report subject to audit. It was
approved and seconded and all were in favor.
Before the August Treasurer’s report was approved, Sr. Warden Phil Schenkel questioned the Treasurer
about the unrealized gain in account 3548. He said there should not be zeroes on this account; there
should be some kind of realized gain. Dee Montgomery explained that we didn’t receive the report yet
and that is why it’s zero.
Sr. Warden Phil Schenkel made a motion to accept the August Treasurer’s Report as submitted subject
to audit. It was seconded and all were in favor.
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN TRANSITION: Phil Schenkel
Sr. Warden Phil Schenkel reported that we have entered the implementation phase of the Capital
Campaign. This phase involves fine tuning our analysis with regard to specific projects that have been
identified for correction, i.e. the structural repairs, some of the mechanical repairs, some of the things
that have been identified throughout the last year. He explained that last week a meeting convened
with several individuals from these committees: Property Committee, Capital Campaign Committee,
Communications Committee, Vestry, Finance Committee, the Dean and himself to begin dialogue with
the groups that have been invested and involved in getting us to this point. This group has begun the
process of taking the recommendations that were originally laid out and beginning to frame the
dialogue about how those monies will be implemented. He said no decisions whatsoever have been
made. Phil said they did have fairly good and open discussion relative to the timeline associated with
the necessary capital repairs for the structure and also with regard to some of the mechanical
potential priorities. Our Property Committee has not had the sufficient amount of time to hear the full
complete recommendation as to what items are being recommended for priority. They did hear a
presentation from Bill Krueger relative to the communications piece and we’ve had dialogue about the
endowment part. Phil said that they would have more detail at the October Vestry meeting and then
later at the November Vestry meeting.
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At this time there was some discussion about the Capital Campaign Committee waiting for the Property
Committee to give them a list. A comment was made on how we can be this far down the road without
the Capital Campaign Committee not hearing from the Property Committee with the updated list of
dollars.
The Dean then explained that a detailed report came to him and the members of the Steering
Committee for the Capital Campaign who was charged to raise funds to support the detailed projects
that were given to us by the Property Committee. Dean Pompa asked at this point that he would like
reflected in the minutes that the Property Committee gets everyone on the same page.
BUILDING USE AND INCOME PRODUCING OPPORTUNITIES: Kim Plyler
Kim Plyler reported that she has been studying use and opportunities to gain revenue for the Cathedral
these past couple of months. She has been focusing on the building use itself and coming up with a
cost analysis to charge people for the use of our rooms, i.e. wedding receptions, birthday parties, etc.
Kim came up with a spreadsheet for Phil Schenkel and Dee Montgomery and is waiting to get some
feedback from them and then she will circulate the report. She went to different places in the Lehigh
Valley that had similar size rooms, took a cost analysis of what they were doing and then came up with
a price structure both for members and non-members. Kim needs to meet with the committee yet
which is Canon Partee, herself, Martha Capwell-Fox and Marirose. The purpose is to use our sacred
spaces here to generate other forms of income and figure out other creative ways to close our
budgetary gap.
STANDING COMMITTEES
A. PROPERTY COMMITTEE REPORT – Lee Snyder
Lee Snyder reported that this Thursday, Friday the engineers will be here and there will be two lifts
and two masons to check out the baptistery wall, rose window and choir room.
Lee also reported on the Deanery roof that is damaged and leaks. He explained the decision to repair
instead of replacing the roof at this time. Repairing the roof would mean removing the existing coating
on the metal and installing a new coat. The roofer said this would extend the life of the roof for 5-8
years and that would buy us time right now. If we don’t do anything there’s some damage that would
incur. Lee was asked by the Property Committee to present it to the Vestry for approval--to award the
contract for $8700 to coat the existing roof. Copies of the proposal were sent around. They are asking
for immediate action. Sr. Warden Phil Schenkel explained that the funds would come out of the
capital campaign funds to cover the cost since it’s not in our budget this year. He also asked for Vestry
approval. The Vestry reviewed the proposal. It was asked by a Vestry member what it would cost to
replace the roof. Lee said approximately $30,000. It was also noted that we do an annual
maintenance on the roof. A motion was made to accept the proposal, the motion was seconded by
Garry Bruchok, and all were in favor. The motion carried for the work order with a note to the
congregation that the Capital Campaign has been kicked off with the 1st project.
B. BUDGET COMMITTEE REPORT – Phil Schenkel
Phil Schenkel reported that the Budget Committee met. He said their committee consists of Karen
Boksan, Ted Ailing, Dee Montgomery, Dean Pompa and himself. He said that we will be sending out a
letter at the end of this week to ministry, department and program leaders asking them to complete
their budget request application. Those requests will be due on October 5. On the 10 th of October the
Budget Committee will be meeting to review those requests. On November 1, a week in advance of
the November 8 meeting, the Vestry will get a look at the proposed 2011 budget.
C. PERSONNEL COMMITTEE REPORT – Garry Bruchok
No updates from the Personnel Committee.
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CALENDAR REVIEW
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September 19: 4-6 PM, “Carrying Vision Forward Reception”
September 26-28: Diocesan Clergy Retreat
October 5: Pre-Convention meet at Cathedral
October 8-9: Diocesan Convention
THIRD MILLENNIUM FUND MEETING REPORT – Phil Schenkel
Phil Schenkel reported that two proposals were passed:
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1st Request – New Bethany Ministries requested $10,000. The TMF approved $5,000 for part of
their hunger campaign. Earlier in the year they requested $20,000 they were given $10,000.
This is an additional request they had asked. A motion was made to accept it and it was
seconded.
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2nd Request – From Eddie Hart, long-standing member of the congregation, who is a Life Scout
and working towards Eagle Scout. The project he chose is for a storage area for Victory House.
The TMF approved $600 grant request for this project. We are asking him to provide us with an
accounting of the other funds prior to disbursement of TMF fund. A motion was made to
accept the TMF’s acceptance of the $600 grant to Eddie Hart and his Victory House project. It
was moved, seconded and approved.
Dean Pompa closed with a prayer.
The meeting adjourned.
Next Vestry Meeting is Monday, October 11
Respectively submitted,
Deb Smith, Clerk of the Vestry
Debra R. Smith
Assistant to the Dean & Cathedral Administrator
Cathedral Church of the Nativity
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