Vestry Minutes
Monday May 18, 2026
Present: Rev. Bob Carlson, presiding; Rich Gabrielson (2); Deb Marrer (2) Brian Erle (1); and Maui Palmiter (1)
The meeting opened at 1:10 with Vestry reading a portion from Noonday Prayer.
The minutes from the April meeting were revised, but otherwise approved.
Response from Reverend Michael Bridge:
We received a response via email regarding the application for Rector. Michael Bridge withdrew his application due to his own parish and diocese concerns. (Letter to be filed)
Finance Report:
The April Finance report was submitted by Cathy Smales. Payment for the furnace repair and new windows (around $6,000) was taken out of 1205 General Acct in Savings (rather than from 1310 Capital Improvement in EverBank) We discussed and decided that it would make more sense to have the payments come out of Capital Improvement in EverBank. We will have Cathy transfer the funds back to the General Account.
Joyce Carlson substituted for Craig on two separate Sundays playing organ. We agreed to pay her $100 and Rich will ask Cathy to cut her a check. We are grateful for her stepping in when she can.
Property Report:
Town of Union Code Inspection:
The Town of Union code re-inspection has been moved ahead a bit to make the required repairs to the supply room ceiling and light fixture. The plan is to fix these on Saturday 5/23. All other repairs have been made.
Door by garbage cans:
Mike mentioned that the side door by the garbage cans is difficult to lock and can be quite tricky. We decided to get a new lock set and Brian will look into that. Until then Deb will tell Mike to use the other door to take the garbage out.
Old Business:
Ministry Safe Training Status:
Maui and Brian have completed their bi-annual certification from the Ministry Safe. The rest of the Vestry agreed that they would do this by the June Vestry meeting. Deb will help Craig with this using the church computer. All printouts still need to be properly filed or displayed.
Rectory Residents and Groundskeeping:
Brian will show Timothy how to properly use the side discharge because Brian believes he may be trying to mulch tall wet grass and the mower won't do it, and doesn't have the correct blade to do so. Otherwise things have been going well with the boys. We have been enjoying Rowan helping on the altar when he is free. We appreciate his willingness to serve.
Memorial services for Barb Lounsberry:
Rich has touched base with Barb's daughter Cheryl, and Barb’s memorial service will either be on 6/26 or 6/27. Reverend Bob will be away so Rich will ask Jonathan about possibly doing the service at St. Andrews. The reception will be at a different location.
Use of Joan’s Monetary Gift:
There was a discussion about what to do with Joan Mueller's gift to St. Andrews. One option would be to put this money toward a new roof and furnace. The other option would be to set the money aside for a future Rector salary. We decided it might be good to look into the salary guidelines for Anglican priests, which would allow us to make a better decision and how much we should set aside. (Rich will look into this) In the meantime we will get a quote from JKS for the roof to get an idea of what it will cost. A previous quote for a new furnace was around $30,000. Currently the furnace is working, so we may put this aside for now.
Church Picnic:
The church picnic will be on Sunday June 14th after service. Brian will call about tent rental and Phil's Chicken. We will ask everyone to bring a dish to pass, and Maui will put up a sign up sheet
Vestry Retreat:
The Vestry retreat has been moved to Fri. June 5. Reverend Bob will lead the retreat which will take place between 9:00 and 1:00 with a light lunch and dessert.
New Business:
Marcia Erle Funeral:
Brian will be putting out an email and notice on Constant Contact about Marcia’s funeral service on Friday 5/22 at Allens Funeral Home, with a reception at the Endicott Visitor Center to follow.
Adult Education:
Reverend Bob proposed the idea of a possible informal Christian Education or Q&A session during (or after) coffee hour on Sundays. We discussed the idea of gathering questions from parishioners about the sermon or general theology. (Or any other ideas they had) Bob would like to propose/announce this at coffee hour on 5/24, and get a feel for what people would like. He could start on 5/31.
Reverend Bob Away:
Rev. Bob will be traveling and away from St. Andrews on the Sundays of 6/21, 6/28 and 7/5. We will need coverage for those three services.
The next Vestry meeting will be Monday 6/15/26
Meeting adjourned at 2:35 p.m. in prayer.
Draft minutes submitted by Maui Palmiter, Vestry Clerk