Church Resources
Church Resources
Annual Parish Meeting & Annual Reports
Stay informed about St. John's activities for the past year, including detailed reports from our many ministries and committees.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
JANUARY 29TH, 2023, 12:00 PM
MINUTES
The annual general meeting of the St. John’s Episcopal/Anglican Church was held in a hybrid format on Sunday, January 29th, 2023. Mrs. Deanie Anderson, Senior Warden, presided over the meeting, which was called to order at 12:23 pm.
1. Call to Order
A silent roll call was taken, and 74 parishioners were present at the meeting (56 in-person and 18 online)
2. Opening Prayer
Mrs. Deanie Anderson provided the opening prayer.
3. Reading of Minutes/Amendments and Acceptance of Minutes
N/A
4. Senior Warden Report
The Senior Warden reported that she was a bit anxious when she took on the role of Senior
Warden because of the state of the church, but progress has been made over the past year, and she went on to highlight some of the accomplishments during the year:
• A financial literacy education series facilitated by the Treasurer.
• The Adopt-A-Project program was re-launched by the Junior Warden, and all the projects on the list were adopted and completed.
• The Spring cleaning was completed thanks to parishioners who volunteered.
• New security cameras were installed.
• Active shooter simulation training was completed due to collaboration with the Mount
Rainier police, and the Junior Warden plans on implementing a security group at the church.
• Shona Bramble completed the newly re-designed website.
• Seabury Celebration of Service at the Cathedral to honor our senior members’ contributions to the church and community. The honorees were Brian Roman, Desiree Sloane, Egerton Foster-Jones, and Judith Davies.
• The Parish partnered with the Washington Lion’s Club to host a health fair.
• The Outreach ministry is still vital; over a thousand food bags have been distributed since
COVID-19.
5. Nomination of Candidates
Mr. Brian Roman acted as the parliamentarian for the nomination of candidates and informed the congregation that two (Ms. Daverly Cole & Mr. Leslie Rogers-Wright) of the three open vestry seats are seeking re-election. Mrs. Antionette Johnson was nominated as a vestry member. There was no additional candidate from the floor or online.
Motion: Mr. Brian Roman passed a motion that by acclamation, Daverly Cole, Antionette Johnson, and Leslie – Roger-Wright be voted as the vestry members for 2023-2026.
Mr. Richard Gabbidon seconded the motion
Senior Warden: Mr. Paul Ruffins nominated Deanie Anderson, seconded by Brian Roman.
Motion: Brian Roman passed the motion that Deanie Anderson be declared the Senior Warden for a two-year term. Most of the parishioners were in favor.
Youth Representative: Christopher Kaloko was nominated in absence for a term of one year. The motion was passed, and most of the parishioners were in favor.
Delegates to Diocesan Convention and Alternate: one–year term
Candidates:
Sonia Anderson nominated Neil Knights, but he declined.
Avril George self-nominated – seconded by Deanie Anderson
Paul Ruffins – nominated by Neil Knights; endorsed by Layard Pabs- Garnon
Naomi Scott was nominated for Alternate by Sonia Anderson, but she declined.
Neil Knights – nominated by Sonia Anderson; seconded by Jestina Heroe
A motion was passed to accept the candidates by Brian Roman, seconded by Jestina Heroe. All in favor
6. Reports: The packet included all reports except the previous year’s AGM minutes.
a. Stewardship Committee: Neil Knights reported on the organization’s progress over the past year. He reiterated that the organization’s goal is to raise funds for the church, and their main driver to achieve that goal is the pledge drive. He gave a recap of events and highlighted the events planned for 2023.
i. Financial Seminar – facilitated by Layard Pabs-Garnon
ii. Annual BBQ in collaboration with the Senior group - $2,300 was raised.
iii. Lion’s Club community fair – October 2023
iv. A series of mental health workshops with Simone Bramble slated for summer
2023.
b. Junior Warden Report: The Junior Warden thanked members of the congregation for their continuous support and highlighted some projects that she’d like to kick off in 2023.
i. Cleaning of the boiler room.
ii. Refurbishing the pews in the sanctuary.
iii. Cleaning of the ceiling
iv. Move the location of the altar.
c. Treasurer Report: The treasurer reported that the church’s financial standing has improved, and based on all improvement renovation, $64,000 was added to the assets. Accounts payable decreased, and other liabilities also reduced over the past year.
The number of pledges decreased. Parishioners and non-parishioners will be charged for
utilizing/renting equipment from the church.
The treasurer reported that the church owes $63,000 in back payroll taxes from 2018 to
2020. A payment of $750 is made monthly, and the Women of St. John’s and Mother’s Union donated $35,000 towards the outstanding balance. He also mentioned that there is a lien on the church from the federal government, and the state government might also have some penalties in the pipeline for unpaid taxes.
A conversation ensued about the unpaid taxes, and parishioners wanted answers on how and why this happened. The treasurer advised that because this happened before he took office, he might not have all the answers, but it will be beneficial to have checks and balances in place to prevent such an event from happening in the future.
Sonia Anderson and Donald Davies stated that members of the vestry were ruled with “fear,” and questions/inquiries were not adequately addressed.
Proposals from Parishioners:
Vestry investigates how and why salary taxes were not paid.
Quarterly statements to the congregation on the church’s financial standing and the outstanding debt with the IRS.
The budget for 2023 is $250k, and the treasurer urged parishioners to increase their pledge to meet the financial goal set by the treasurer’s office.
The draft of policies and procedures on the operations of the treasurer’s office was compiled. The treasurer’s office will update the membership application to capture accurate parishioner information. He appealed that members fill out their donation envelopes and stipulate how funds should be distributed.
Mr. Rogers-Wright inquired about the budget for the year as it was not in the packet distributed to the parishioners. The treasurer responded that the budget would be handed out to parishioners and discussed during the third Sunday in February when he made announcements.
7. Any Other Business
The Senior Warden reported it has been brought to the attention of the parish's executive
leadership that if a supply priest serves a congregation for more than five months, contributions must be made to their pension fund. As a result, the vestry is developing a job description for the long–term supply priest role with assistance from the Diocese to select who can serve as a long-term supply priest since we can’t pay pension for two priests. In the interim, Rev. Morsal Collier and Rev. Jennifer Mackenzie will serve alternate months until the vestry and Diocese approve the job description. Both candidates will go through an interview process, and the vestry will make the ultimate decision.
The Senior Warden appealed to parishioners and asked for assistance with the Outreach program, as many people in the community rely on the support from the church.
8. Adjournment & Closing Prayer
The motion to adjourn the annual general meeting was passed by Mrs. Jestina Heroe and
seconded by Valarie McCree.
The closing prayer offered by Mrs. Mariama Johnston-Taylor
The meeting adjourned at 3:05 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Cheryl Johnson
Clerk of the Vestry
2022 Annual Reports
Annual Reports for the year 2022 (also Diocesan Convention 2023)
(as presented at the Annual Parish meeting on January 29, 2023)
Download the full Annual Report in PDF format:
2022 Annual Parish Meeting
ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
JANUARY 30, 2022, 2:00PM
MINUTES
The annual Parish meeting was held on Sunday, January 30, 2022, via Zoom. Ms. Deanie Anderson, Senior Warden, presided over the meeting which was called to order at 2:11pm.
1. Call to Order
Having met the quorum, the meeting was called to order at 2:11pm. Forty-seven parishioners attended the meeting.
2. Reflection
The Senior Warden provided a reflection.
3. Opening Remarks
The Senior Warden provided opening remarks which focused on how the COVID pandemic
impacted church functioning. She reported that the Vestry made the decision to resume in-person worship beginning next Sunday, 2/26/2022. Temperature checks and masks will be required, with parishioners seated in alternating pews to mitigate close contact. The Senior Warden further reported that during the service, parishioners who wish to receive blessings for birthdays, anniversaries and travel will remain in the pews rather than coming to chancel.
The Senior Warden reported on the resumption of the Holy Eucharist with wine during Sunday services. The wine will be distributed in individual cups, courtesy of the Mother’s Union.
4. Acceptance of Minutes from 2021 Annual Meeting
There were no corrections to the minutes. The Junior Warden moved that the minutes from last year’s annual meeting be accepted. Cheryl Thomas seconded the motion.
5. Matters Arising from Minutes
There were no matters arising from the minutes.
6. Report on Diocesan Convention
Brian Roman reported that the Convention was held via Zoom from 9am-3pm. He reported that the Bishop’s report emphasized self-care, given the impact of the pandemic on everyone. Mr. Roman’s report also highlighted the Convention’s agenda, from passing resolutions to creating a task force on Black ministries.
7. Nomination of Candidates
Fredericka Hamilton was nominated an Alternate to the Convention. The nomination was
seconded and accepted.
Avril George was nominated as a Delegate to the Convention. The nomination was seconded and accepted.
Egerton Forster-Jones was nominated as a Delegate to the Convention. The nomination was seconded and accepted.St. John’s Episcopal/Anglican Church
There were no candidates for the Youth Representative position.
A motion was made by Mr. Roman to close the nominations. Motion was seconded by the Senior Warden.
A Zoom poll was delivered to all participating voting parishioners on the roster of candidates, with a “yes” or “no”.
Sonia Anderson received most votes for Junior Warden. All candidates for Delegates and
Alternate to the Diocesan Convention prevailed as they were unopposed.
A second Zoom poll was delivered to participating voting parishioners for candidates to the
Vestry. The candidates: Jennifer Elba, Neil Knights, Hannah Rogers-Wright, Paul Ruffins, and Cheryl Thomas.
Jennifer Elba, Neil Knights, and Hannah Rogers-Wright were elected as new Vestry members.
An additional poll was launched to elect a candidate to fill the remainder of the incoming Junior Warden’s vestry member term. Paul Ruffins and Cheryl Thomas were the candidates. Mr. Ruffins was elected to fill the last Vestry vacancy.
8. Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer provided a report on the church’s financial position and the overall health of the parish. FY2021 ended:
Unrestricted = $11K
Restricted = $4k (includes funds received from the Diocese for Outreach and Vestry-
designated funds from second Sunday collection)
41 parishioners pledged which represents 35 percent of the operating budget.
9. Election Results
The candidates were given an opportunity to offer remarks on their election to the Vestry.
10. Adjournment & Closing Prayer
Closing prayer offered by Diana Edwards
Meeting adjourned at 4:26pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Simone Bramble, Clerk of the Vestry
2021 Annual Parish Meeting
Sunday, January 31, 2021 at 11:30 a.m. via Zoom
2021 Annual Reports
Annual Reports for the year 2021 (also Diocesan Convention 2021)
(as presented at the Annual Parish meeting on January 31, 2021)
Download the full Annual Report in PDF format:
