2015 Vestry Nominee Packet

Annual Parish Meeting and Nominations for Vestry and Diocesan Council

The Annual Parish Meeting will take place in Crail Hall on Sunday, Jan. 25th at 10:15 a.m. At the meeting, we will elect five Vestry members for three-year terms and two Vestry members for two- year terms. In addition, we will elect one Diocesan Council representative for a four-year term.

Please consider nominees for these important positions and encourage others to submit their names. Self-nominations are also encouraged.

Those accepting nomination for parish office must be confirmed communicants of St. David’s parish. The canons read confirmed or the equivalent which means “confirmed, received or have re-affirmed baptismal vows before a bishop of this Church.” They must be pledging members who are regular in attendance at worship. Nominees should also be pursuing spiritual growth in the Christian faith by being active in some ongoing class(es) or small group(s) in the parish. Vestry members are also asked to make approximately 10 calls per month to parishioners to ask for prayer needs and solicit feedback for the leadership of the parish. In addition, each Vestry member will be asked to attend a Vestry retreat, which will take place on a Friday-Saturday in February. Each Diocesan Council member will be expected to attend the Diocesan Council meeting, which is scheduled Feb. 6-7, 2014 in Houston.

If you wish to run for the Vestry or Diocesan Council, please download this packet from the Web site or contact Catherine Roberts ([email protected] or 610-3530) for a copy of the nominee packet. Then, please, complete the following steps:

1. Write a brief bio using the Nominee Form on the back of this page. Please read and follow the introductory paragraph at the top of the form.

2. Provide a picture no smaller than 2” x 2” at 300 dpi.

3. Return your completed bio and picture to Catherine Roberts at the church or via e-mail no later than Monday, January 12th , 2015.

Included in this packet:

1. 2015 St. David’s Vestry & Diocesan Council Nominee Form

2. Sample: Vestry Expectations and Covenant

3. Sample: Vestry Member Declaration required by the Diocese of Texas

4. Sample: Stewardship Statement of St. David’s Vestry ST. DAVID ’S VESTRY & DIOCESAN COUNCIL NOMINEE FORM

Please tell us a little bit about yourself, keeping your write-up to between 300 and 650 words. Please provide information that addresses the following questions, along with whatever else you feel is pertinent to you serving as a member of the St. David’s Vestry or as a delegate to the Diocesan Council.

1) For which position are you submitting your nomination?

Vestry Diocesan Council

2) What is your name?

3) What class(es) or small group(s) do you regularly attend?

4) Please list parish activities/programs in which you have been involved.

5) What is your occupational/education/vocational background and how might this assist you as a Vestry member?

6) In what community activities are you involved?

7) Why do you feel called by God to serve on the Vestry or Diocesan Council?

Vestry Expectations and Covenant Mission Statement of St. David’s Church : St. David's is a diverse worshipping community of believers unified in Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit to receive and share God's love, hope, joy, vitality, and vision as we serve others. As a member of the Vestry, I am fully committed to the vision, mission and ministry of Christ through St. David’s parish. I am dedicated to carrying out its mission. I understand that: 1. I commit myself to a discipline of worship, study and personal spiritual growth. I will be regular in my attendance at worship (present at least more Sundays than not). I will involve myself in some form of ongoing spiritual formation by regularly attending at least one class or small group. 2. I understand that a facet of my spiritual formation is good stewardship of the resources God has given to me. I will make a timely pledge of financial support to my parish which reflects my commitment to God and to my parish. I commit to proportionate giving, with the understanding that a tithe (10%) is a desirable goal to be sought by all Christians. 3. I understand that it is the responsibility of the Vestry to make certain we have the necessary funds to meet our Parish’s mission and work. I will actively engage in raising the financial resources necessary for our mission and ministry in whatever ways are best suited for me and most effectively serve the purposes of Christ at St. David’s. 4. I take responsibility to be engaged with my Church and my Parish – our mission and ministry and our vision for the future. This includes attending each of its worship services in the course of a year, attending special functions and Feast Day liturgies, and reading carefully all parish publications and mailings (i.e. Looking Ahead, Messenger, Website). 5. I will support the staff and encourage them to grow professionally and personally. I will be prepared to assist them in any appropriate ways. 6. I will be an enthusiastic booster, a positive advocate for the Parish. If I have concerns, I will raise them in an appropriate venue. I will seek to be a part of the solution for any problems that we face. 7. I will attend Vestry meetings, be available for phone consultation, and serve on at least one committee. 8. I will consider my service in the Parish to be my one of my highest priorities after my family and my job/vocation. 9. I recognize that the Vestry and Rector are responsible for St. David’s future. I will participate in strategic planning and other means of planning and providing for our future. 10. I commit to making monthly vestry calls to parish members seeking their feedback and asking for their prayer needs. In signing this document, I understand that every Vestry member makes a statement of faith to be a partner with every other Vestry member to strive for the success of Christ’s mission at St. David’s. We trust each other to carry out the above agreements to the best of our ability.

(Signature)______Date ______Vestry Member

25 January 2014

Constitutions & Canons of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Texas Canon 9 The Vestry Section 9.1(b) No person shall serve as a member of the Vestry until he or she shall have subscribed to the following declaration: “I am persuaded that the Holy Scriptures contain all doctrine required as necessary for eternal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ; and I accede to the Doctrine, Discipline and Worship of the Protestant Episcopal Church.”

______Signature Printed Name

25 January 2014

Stewardship Statement of St. David’s Vestry

In recognition of the church's tradition of calling us to work, pray, and give for the spread of God's kingdom, all members of St. David’s Church are encouraged to develop a personal spiritual discipline that includes, at a minimum, the holy habits of tithing, daily personal prayer, life-long Christian formation, Sabbath time, and weekly corporate worship.

We challenge members of St. David’s Church to embrace a new vision of stewardship through a joyful response to God's extravagant gifts; to confront fears of scarcity; and to empower the mission of Christ through generous giving.

We commit to pledge a tithe (10% of our treasure) or to work toward meeting or exceeding this goal, recognizing that our giving may include financial support for other ministries and organizations. We also commit – as individuals and as the Body of Christ at St. David’s – to following the example of Jesus Christ by offering a portion of our time in service to others and by being stewards of the earth.

We offer this statement to you, the parishioners whom we are called to serve, as a witness of our commitment to be good stewards of all God’s gifts.

Signature Printed Name

______Signature Printed Name

25 January 2014

Stewardship Statement of St. David’s Vestry (continued)

______Signature Printed Name

25 January 2014

2009 General Convention Resolution on Tithing

FINAL VERSION - Concurred

RESOLUTION: C055 TITLE: Reaffirm Tithe as Minimum Standard TOPIC: Tithing COMMITTEE: 17 - Stewardship and Development HOUSE OF INITIAL ACTION: Bishops PROPOSER: Mr. Albert T. Mollegen, Jr.

Resolved , the House of Deputies concurring, That the 76th General Convention reaffirm the tithe as the minimum standard of giving for Episcopalians; and be it further

Resolved , That the General Convention Secretariat is requested to make provisions for the members of each House conveniently to indicate that they either are tithing or are firmly committed to tithing within five years, by signing their name and clearly printing their name and diocese, or, if they feel it inappropriate to make such a private matter public, signing and clearly printing the word "Anonymous" and giving either their state of residence or the state or foreign country where they were born; and be it further

Resolved , That the record of names and "Anonymous" signings be published in the Convention Journal and in such other Church publications as the Presiding Bishop may designate.

EXPLANATION: In living memory, the 1982 General Convention was the first to state that the tithe is "the minimum standard of giving for Episcopalians." Several subsequent Conventions have re-affirmed this concept in the same or similar language. In the 1982 Stewardship Legislative Committee, there was vigorous debate as to whether the resolution should be a canon (they decided "no"), whether passing such a resolution was too legalistic, whether the resolution should specify whether the calculation should be based on before-tax or after-tax income, whether the calculation is restricted to gifts to this Church or whether financial support for other Godly work should be included, and so on. The 1982 Committee ultimately intentionally left such matters up to each individual Church member to decide. Subsequent Conventions have followed this precedent. Tithing is an important spiritual discipline. Except in the most unusual circumstances, it is a major contributor to the giver's spiritual health and inner joy.

Note that the sometimes-offered wording "biblical tithe" is inaccurate because the word "tithe" does not always refer to the same thing in different places in the bible: sometimes it refers to income, sometimes to property. Other biblical standards include "all" as in "You shall love the Lord your God with all..." and 50-50, as in "If you have two cloaks..."

25 January 2014