Dear St. Paul’s family,
Last Sunday we celebrated our annual Cathedral Day with several special events, some planned and some surprises. It seems fitting that on a day when I preached about letting go of expectations and allowing the Holy Spirit to be messy, that we encountered noisy technical difficulties, a disruptive visitor, and a glitch in the presider’s copy of the bulletin, all in one service! It was also fitting that we blessed the stunning triptych of Holy Family icons written by Kara Nelson for the altar in our Chapel of the Holy Family.
The annual meeting of the congregation went off smoothly. Just over 100 members attended, giving us a quorum. A delicious and healthy lunch was provided by The Invisible Chef: thank you to all those who were able to make a donation towards the cost. We elected four new Chapter members to three-year terms: Margret Hernandez, Jairus Kleinert, Bob Knight, and Donna Perdue.
We passed a motion to amend the cathedral by-laws, allowing Chapter members to stand for re-election to a second consecutive term. This change will now go to the Standing Committee as the ecclesiastical authority, for approval, before it can take effect starting with next year’s Chapter elections. There was some discussion and disagreement at the meeting about this and related issues of recruitment, service, and tenure on Chapter. I invite anyone interested in continuing the conversation to let me know, and we will set up a task force to examine how to improve the functioning of Chapter.
I am deeply grateful to those who have completed their terms on Chapter: Jen Jow, Mark Lester, Joan Reese, and Jasmin Kaeser. Each brought unique gifts to the table and enriched our life through their service.
I was privileged to bestow the Robinson Cross on two parishioners, Roxanne Perfect-Knight and John Will. Both are longtime members who have served in a wide variety of ministries.
I appointed Marshall Moore as Dean’s Warden, and at a brief Chapter meeting immediately following the annual meeting, Chapter elected Susan McClure as People’s Warden. We re-elected Betsey Monsell as treasurer and Andrew Brooks as chancellor. The election of chapter clerk was tabled for further discussion.
Special thanks are due to Kathleen Burgess who worked long hours to prepare the annual report packet and make sure the annual meeting ran smoothly. Thank you Susan Forsburg for the slide show! Please take the time to read the reports: there is so much more happening at the cathedral than most people ever realize.
Your sister in Christ,
Penny
