About Us
The Vestry of Grace and Holy Trinity Church
About the Vestry
The Vestry is an elected body that sets the course for mission and conducts the business of the congregation. Vestry members are elected for three-year terms and cannot immediately stand for reelection. New Vestry members are elected each year at the Annual Meeting. The outgoing Vestry class serves as a nominating committee which solicits recommendations from all members of the congregation and proposes a slate of candidates.
The Vestry meets monthly on the third Wednesday of the month and gathers once a year for an all-day retreat. The Vestry is also tasked with conducting the Annual Stewardship Campaign each year.
Minutes of Vestry meetings are kept at the Church. If you would like an electronic copy, please contact the church.
The officers of the Church for 2024-25 are: Meredith McGuire, Senior Warden; Chuck Bleick, Junior Warden; Mary Ann Blankenship, Clerk; and Mike Joyce, Treasurer.
Vestry Terms
Class of 2025
Class of 2026
Class of 2027
Vestry Qualifications and Expectations
To be nominated to serve on the Vestry, candidates must be confirmed adult communicants in good standing of GHTC. This means that they must:
- Be at least 16 years old;
- Have been baptized or received and confirmed in the Episcopal Church;
- Have received Holy Communion in an Episcopal church at least three times in the preceding year;
- Have, for the previous year, been faithful in corporate worship, unless for good cause prevented; and
- Have been faithful in working, praying, and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God.
- In addition to these requirements, GHTC expects candidates to have exercised strong leadership in one or more areas of parish life and to have made and paid a personally meaningful and strong financial pledge to the general operating budget of the church for at least the year prior to the election.
- Before taking office, each Vestry member must sign a declaration and promise set forth in the canons of the church.
Nominating Committee
Vestry members in the last year of their terms will serve as the Nominating Committee. The Senior Warden will appoint the chair. The Nominating Committee will:
- Solicit nominations from members of the congregation;
- Obtain nominations who represent the breadth of the congregation and possess the skills needed to further the mission of the church;
- Determine the eligibility to serve of all potential nominees;
- Inform all potential nominees of the responsibilities of Vestry members;
- Ask all potential nominees if they are willing to serve;
- Obtain from all nominees a short biographical statement and picture for inclusion on the website, Sunday bulletin and other communication;
- Present to the congregation the number of nominees equaling at least the number of vacancies plus three.
In addition to nominees presented by the Nominating Committee, members of the congregation may submit nominations to the chair of the Nominating Committee no later than fifteen days prior to the Annual Parish Meeting. The committee will add to the information shared with the congregation prior to the election the names, pictures and biographical sketches of those congregational nominees eligible and willing to serve.
Vestry Election Process
- Candidates’ names, pictures and brief biographical statements will be included on the website and in at least one Sunday bulletin prior to the Annual Parish Meeting.
- The election will be in person at the Annual Parish Meeting held at a place and time designated by the Vestry.
- Election will be by secret ballot.
- Ballots marked for more than the number of vacancies will not be counted. Ballots marked for fewer than the number of vacancies will be counted.
- The Senior Warden will appoint election tellers who will count the ballots and report the results to the Senior Warden.
- Eligible voters must be adult members in good standing of GHTC, meaning they:
- a. Are at least 16 years old;
- b. Have been baptized or received and confirmed in the Episcopal Church;
- c. Have received Holy Communion in an Episcopal church at least three times in the preceding year;
- d. Have, for the previous year, been faithful in corporate worship, unless for good cause prevented; and
- e. Have been faithful in working, praying, and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God.
- Qualified voters must number at least 10% of the number of active communicants in the church.
- Nominees receiving the most votes will be elected. In the event of a tie vote, the Senior Warden will determine the winner by lot.
- The Senior Warden will announce the names of those elected upon completion of the vote count. New Vestry members will also be announced on the website and in the following Sunday’s bulletin.
- In the event of a vacancy on the Vestry, the remaining members may elect a qualified member of the congregation to fill the vacancy until the next Annual Parish Meeting, when the vacancy will be filled in the same manner as the election of other members of the Vestry. A person elected by the congregation to fill a vacancy will serve for the remaining portion of the term of the person being replaced.
Vestry Election Procedures
Recommended by the Vestry on December 14th, 2022, for adoption by the Congregation.
Adopted by the Congregation on February 19th, 2023.
The following procedures will govern election to the Vestry of GHTC:
- At each annual meeting the congregation will elect new Vestry members to fill the vacancies created by the end of terms or resignation of Vestry members.
- The number of positions open each year will be adjusted if necessary to maintain the maximum size Vestry allowed by the Diocesan Canons.
- The term of Vestry members will be three years, beginning at the next meeting of the Vestry after their election and ending when their successors take office.
- A Vestry member may not be elected to a consecutive term, except when a Vestry member has been elected to fill an unexpired term. In such cases, a Vestry member will complete the unexpired term and then be eligible for election to a full term, provided the Vestry member has served less than one and one-half years of the unexpired term.
- Those nominees receiving the most votes will be elected, without requiring that each receive the number of votes equal to the majority of those voting.
- Other rules pertaining to the Annual Parish Meeting and election of Vestry members will be consistent with the Diocesan Canons and will be adopted by the Vestry and communicated to the congregation.
- These procedures will remain in effect unless they are changed at an Annual Parish Meeting. They may be changed by majority vote of the congregation, upon recommendation of the Vestry after notice to the congregation of at least one week.
2023 Wardens
Meredith McGuire, Senior Warden
Chuck Bleick, Junior Warden