The Vestry met Tuesday night and made some important decisions affecting the future of St. James after a presentation from the Transition Working Group and some lively discussion. In our continued vein of being transparent, we wanted to share these with you.
Two of the motions that passed related to the original grid we had with all the options for the future of St. James. We removed two of the options that were still on the table from that grid – dissolving the parish of St. James and the option to find rental space to hold services and remain St. James. Dissolution is not considered viable as there are too many parishioners that are open to consolidating with another parish. Regarding the rental space option, there was no energy for that option. Nobody had stepped up to investigate that option. As a result, both options were removed from further consideration. This leaves one option to pursue – consolidating with another parish.
The Vestry voted to investigate consolidating with St. Luke’s or St. Mary’s. These two churches received the most interest based on the straw poll. A plan for consolidation will be explored by a committee of 5 St. James Parishioners. This committee would meet with a similar committee from St. Luke’s and one from St. Mary’s. They will explore similarities/differences regarding governance/finance, worship, education, service, property, music and congregational life and develop a plan for consolidation with one of the parishes. Keep in mind that you, as a parishioner of St. James, need to be engaged in the process. Ask questions, give your input, stay informed. You will be asked to vote on the final path that we will follow.
The final item to share with you is the timeframe for all of this to happen. The Vestry voted to close the doors and hand over the keys to ECMN by June 30, 2020. This means there will be a lot to be done prior to this including exploring consolidation with St. Luke’s or St. Mary’s, reporting information to the parish so you are able to make an informed decision, holding joint services with each of the churches and finally and most importantly, celebrating all the wonderful people and stories of St. James.
Attached is a link to the presentation from the Transition Working Group for you to read. The Vestry welcomes your comments, concerns and questions. Please reach out to any of us. Stay engaged in the life at St. James.
Kerry Nelson,
Senior Warden
920-915-6429
