By: Marla Carew
In 1979, the great poet, soon to be great Christian poet, Denise Levertov sat down to write an agnostic mass. She grew up with an Anglican priest father and so knew how a liturgy worked, but she felt more connection to protesting war and advocating for human life and dignity than she did to a church. However, after months of writing – a long swim through waters of unknown depth – Levertov found herself and her questions and doubts converted by the incarnation, by the sacredness of seeing each individual life, by word made flesh. To quote from her resulting poem Mass for the Day of Saint Thomas Didymus, “my question not answered, but given its part in a vast unfolding design lit by a risen sun.”
I mention this in my hour as Senior Warden, perhaps an improbable role for someone who did not grow up with the habit of regular church attendance, but instead within the crossfire of Catholic and Protestant religious and ethnic family camps, and therefore a skewed impression of what faith is all about. But in over two decades, years of corporate law practice I had advised numerous nonprofit corporations and boards and served as an officer and director on a few as well. A Vestry or Warden role could not be very different, could it? It is, and it was.
David Romanik, past president of the Episcopal Church Foundation, says the following about Vestry service:
“You are engaged in holy and important work. Contrary to the traditional concept of the role of vestries, it’s not just about the budget, the buildings or the boiler. Vestry service is a whole lot more. In essence, the vestry, in partnership with the rector, is responsible for overseeing the spiritual, missional, strategic, administrative and fiduciary aspects of the congregation. While particular individuals, especially the clergy, are charged with specific roles and responsibilities, the work of a vestry is a team effort with mutual accountability. It is holistic and comprehensive.”
Canonically, the Warden role is what Romanik describes for the Vestry, but concentrated. Specifically, Wardens work to cooperate with, assist and advise the clergy in numerous ways – keeping a climate of mutual ministry, trust and honesty, communicating with the congregation, preserving order and decorum, and “acting as chief stewards and spiritual lay leaders of the congregation.”
That’s a lot, it could be intimidating to some, and I ultimately found it transformative. This is not just another board or chair role.
For me, personally, it was the most impactful and transformative experience I’ve had at a place that has also been profoundly life changing. My long swim through waters of unknown depth, to use Denise Levertov’s language, was a conversion through seeing how the spirit works in people united for a common cause, whether that cause be comfort for the troubles or losses of one person, intense sessions at an offsite Vestry Retreat or working level committee, or in an interview where we had to think about who we are, where we are going, and what we will need in the future.
So what did we do in the last year?
In the past year of Vestry work we passed 57 resolutions, including approval of 9 Consent Resolutions that contain updates and requests from the Church’s many working committees, which range from Buildings and Grounds and Finance to Artworks and Love Wins. We’ve had big wins, such as formation of the Friends of Music and a CCC 100th Anniversary Committee, the hiring of Father Bill Carroll, who I am beyond delighted has joined us, and most recently the receipt of a $5M Lilly Endowment Storytelling grant. We’ve also addressed critically important topics that may not be visible to most parishioners, such as kicking off the process to get a refreshed website, and the purchase of a larger, safer and more comfortable van for our youth. A symphony of voices and skill sets are at play in each meeting and each decision, with longstanding staff and ex officio advisors (such as Treasurer and Recording Secretary) partnering with some of the newest members of the Vestry. And this work will continue with the new Vestry class.
For all of this, I have a lot of thanks to give. First, thank you congregation for electing me to the Vestry 3 years ago. Thank you to the more than 30 people I’ve worked with over the past three years, Vestry members current and past, clergy, staff, the fantastic Rachel Ippel Redman, Junior Warden, and our extraordinary officers and ex officio professionals in the Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer roles (Jim Trask, Tom Post), Recording Secretary and Parliamentarian Linda Ban and Chancellors Enang Akan and Scott Erskine. This church has an extremely deep bench of talent and expertise and is in good hands.
Thank you.