The Vestry

Originally the word referred to the room where the priest/minister would put on his robes, at which time the local laity would meet with him to discuss the affairs of the parish/church. Over time the name of the room came to signify the group of men and women who governed the parish because it was there where they met.

The Role of the Vestry

The Vestry of an Episcopal church has three primary responsibilities. The first two are managerial; to take care of the church's finances and to be responsible for the care of the building(s). The third is to make appointments such as the choice of rector and appointment of the Treasurer and Secretary. The vestry also has a vital leadership role in that it supports the Rector and staff in the spiritual welfare of the church.

Membership

The vestry consists of lay members of the church elected by the congregation at the Annual Church Business Meeting. Each vestry member must be a communicant member of the church, in good standing within the church community and 18 years of age or over. The vestry then elects the Treasurer and Secretary to the vestry.

Meetings

We meet monthly and at other times whenever neccessary. We are also responsible for organising the Annual General Meeting of the church, usually at the end of November. The church's financial year ends on 30th September.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the vestry do? The vestry meets each month to review and approve the normal monthly operational expenses of the church, receive reports from various groups as necessary, plans and approves matters concerning the building(s) belonging to the church. The vestry oversees the relationship between the church and Diocese and with the Church of Scotland whose building we rent. The vestry deals with all matters concerning the life of the church such as budgets, salaried appointments and health and safety.

How are vestry members elected?

The vestry consists of 8 elected members and a number of ex officio members. Nomination forms are available three weeks before the AGM giving the number of vacancies on the vestry for that given year. These nominations are presented at the AGM and voted on.

Who is eligible for membership?

Anyone who is a full communicant member of our Episcopal Church, over the age of 18 years and is supportive of the vision, values and mission of our church.

How do I become a member?

There are no forms to fill in. If you feel that this is where your spiritual home is to be then simply attend regularly, maybe join one of our homegroups so that you can get to know others in the church and join our Network course which we run from time to time - a course that will help you discover your gifts and how to use them in our local church and community.

The Rector would love to visit you and explain more of the vision, values, practice and DNA of our church. This will help you to understand why we do things the way we do here. He will also be able to give you more information about our church and our Leadership Team.

Look out too for our Newcomers Welcome Lunches. These are held from time to time and usually take place after one of our morning services. These give you an opportunity to meet the people involved in the various ministries within our church.