A Guest Reflection by Cynthia Ries, Senior Warden
Those who know me well are aware that I am not a fan of meetings, or even committees for that matter. This is pretty funny, given that I spend a lot of time at Trinity in meetings! Good friends find this to be mysterious, and honestly, I do, too. What could possibly be the power that compels me to participate in what might be called an endless cycle of meetings?
Since February, I have served as your senior warden, and along with our junior warden, John Chapman, we lead the work of the vestry of the cathedral. Together, we meet bi-weekly with Dean Owens to discuss all things Trinity—from details such as the leases for our Commons spaces, to how we should engage the congregation in worship and programming. Most importantly, we meet to discuss how to ensure the cathedral’s values and mission are front and center, always the North Star of everything we do.
Our goal is alignment. The vestry is a 12-member group elected by the congregation that meets monthly and holds an annual retreat. Our priests also attend vestry meetings. Most of our work is about the practicalities of running the business side of the church—developing and managing the budget and working in committees to oversee finances, stewardship, and personnel. Behind-the-scenes work, if you will, and we divide into committees, serving as liaisons to the eight mission teams. But we also balance this work with the chief reason we all gather together: how do we best serve God and be a witness to Jesus’ love in our community? Bringing heart to the head work is important.
Vestry members represent you—every member of this congregation, in all our shapes and sizes. We are your voice, and we seek to ensure that everyone is included, but also that the finances and management of the cathedral comply with required laws, and that we follow the policies of the Episcopal Church and our diocese. We ask important questions and pay attention to the details. And yes, part of that is dutifully attending all our meetings, as well as the various committees and mission teams. To that end, we want to hear what you are thinking and what you need to be a better disciple of Christ and grow in faith.
Vestry meeting minutes are posted on the Trinity website, thanks to our dedicated clerk, Darrell Lausche. If you ever have questions or concerns, please reach out to one of us. If we don't know the answer, we'll find out.
Trinity is blessed with a wonderful vestry with a broad range of skills and talents. I want to thank them for their dedication and passion for Trinity. They include: Mark Biddlestone, John Chapman, Marie Curry, Martin Hermes, Diane Hexter, Audrey Hudak, Jon Logan, Wendy Miano, Toni Ponzo, Jeff Spiess, and Marilyn Valencia. We are also joined by our treasurer, Melody Hart, and our clerk, Darrell Lausche. Please keep us in your prayers for wisdom and guidance in our governance role, and thank you for trusting us with this work.
I love Trinity, and the joy I feel from working with this wonderful group of people makes meetings okay. It's truly a labor of love.