Notice of Annual Meeting
When: Sunday, January 24th at 11:30 a.m.
Where: Online – Meeting will occur on the Zoom platform

Greetings St Paul’s Parishioners,

On Sunday, January 24th, we will celebrate St. Paul's Sunday. During worship will be a recognition of our 175th Anniversary and Dr. Brian Blount, President of Union Presbyterian Seminary will preach. In addition to our Sunday morning worship, we will hold our annual congregational meeting at 11:30 a.m.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and public health and safety requirements, this year’s Annual Meeting will be held online through Zoom. The Annual Meeting is a yearly gathering where the church’s congregational business occurs. This year, we will provide annual updates regarding programs, the budget and elect the Vestry Class of 2024.

Because the meeting will be held virtually, the Vestry has determined that the voting process for the new Vestry Class will be simplified to a single slate of one nominee per seat open on the Vestry. After an open nomination process, the nominations committee nominated four willing parishioners to serve on the Vestry and recommends them as a slate for the four open positions (profiles of candidates below). Under this temporary approach for the 2021 Annual Meeting election, each voting member of the parish who is present at the online Annual Meeting may vote to accept or reject the slate. After 2021, we plan to return to our previous method of electing Vestry.

Anyone is welcomed and encouraged to participate in the Annual Meeting, however, in order to vote in the Vestry election, you must be present at the Annual Meeting and be an “Adult Communicant in Good Standing” at St. Paul’s. There are three elements to being an “Adult Communicant in Good Standing” under Canon I.17.2 of the Canons of the Episcopal Church:

  • An “adult” is someone sixteen years of age or older;
  • A “communicant” is a member of the Episcopal Church who has received Holy Communion in the Church at least three times during the preceding year (or participated faithfully in online services – due to change in worshipping because of COVID);
  • A communicant “in good standing” is one who for the previous year has been faithful in corporate worship, unless for good cause prevented, and has been faithful in working, praying, and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God.

If you consider yourself to have met these requirements and plan to attend, please considering registering for the meeting at stpaulsrva.org/annualmeetingregistration. This will allow us to better prepare for the meeting, as well as, give you the opportunity to update your information in our database.

We have developed a page on our website for you to stay up-to-date as the Annual Meeting approaches. It will include the Zoom link to join the meeting, more details on voting, the Vestry Candidate profiles, and the Annual Report. You can find the information at www.stpaulsrva.org/annualmeeting2021.

Please also note, that while Zoom is primarily an online platform, if you have an unstable internet connection or no internet at all, you can join by phone. At the end of the letter is the online web address, as well as the phone number and meeting code needed to join the meeting (which you can also find on the webpage listed above). If you have any questions about using Zoom, accessing the meeting or technology issues, please contact Carter Johann at cjohann@stpaulsrva.org or 804-545-5401.

Finally, we will be providing the Annual Report electronically this year to reduce our printing and paper footprint. We will make a handful of printed copies, if you will need a physical copy, please let Carter Johann know by Monday, January 18th and we will mail you one (see contact information above).

We are grateful for your participation and patience during this unprecedented year and look forward to continuing to grow together as a church community and Proclaim Christ in the Heart of the City.

With Gratitude,

St. Paul’s Clergy, Vestry and Staff
St. Paul’s Annual Meeting Quick Facts

When: Sunday, January 24th at 11:30 a.m.
Where: Online on Zoom

Access Meeting through Online Zoom:

Access by Phone:
Call: 1-301-715-8592 Enter: Meeting ID: 998 1414 9702 | Passcode: 224199

Vestry Candidate Profiles (Class of 2024)
Anne Hayes

I, along with my husband, Dion, and our two daughters, joined St. Paul’s in 2012. Since then, I have been involved with a variety of ministries including the Youth Program, Lenten Lunches, Micah, Tour Guides, the Community Giving Campaign, and the History and Reconciliation Initiative. As part of my HRI work, I helped compile a catalogue record of memorials in the church. Most recently, I have been helping organize and update St. Paul’s library and historical archives.

Outside the church, I volunteer with the Community Tax Law Project, Advocates in Parenting, and Virginia voter protection efforts. After graduating law school, I clerked for a Virginia Supreme Court judge before practicing law at Hirschler, Fleischer for several years.

I pray St. Paul’s parishioners will find new and creative ways to connect with one another and make meaningful contributions in our downtown community.
Sheena Mackenzie

I have lived in Richmond for most of my life, becoming an Episcopalian as an adult. I am a multi-career person, having worked in higher education (VCU), serving as a health care administrator of profit (nursing homes) and non-profit organizations (community health centers), and spent 17 years as the Development Director of a community health center.

Now retired, I am enjoying this new chapter in my life. I have been a member of St. Paul’s for nearly 3 decades and have participated in many areas of church life. At one time or another, I have been a Lay Eucharistic Minister, a Sunday school teacher for young children, a mentor for middle school children, Worship Team co-chair and lay reader, member and then chair of the Adult Forum, and have served three times on Stewardship Committees, most recently in 2018. I currently chair the Newcomer’s Committee. This past spring I was a Life Group co-facilitator. This fall, I represented St. Paul’s as the annual Diocesan Convention.
Marti Truman

I have been a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church for 30 years and a consistent participant in worship and both new and longstanding parish life activities like the Advent walk and the Shrine Mont retreat. I have volunteered in a variety of ways over the years from bread baker for the 9:00 Eucharist and cook for women's retreats in my earlier years to being a member on an associate rector search and vestry selection committee in more recent years. And I am eager to help craft action plans for the future of St. Paul’s including our sustainability efforts. 

The unique perspective that I can offer to the St. Paul’s vestry is informed by my work at Trinity Episcopal School. As a teacher, faculty board representative, and coordinator of our International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, I have experience working for a mission-driven organization that seeks to cultivate both minds and hearts within community.

My immediate family includes my spouse, Kia Bentley, our sweet feline boys Zach and Tyler, and our garden of flora and fauna.
Christopher West

I first began attending St. Paul's in 2015 shortly after moving to Richmond and was immediately welcomed into the St. Paul's community. Since joining, I served as a co-chair of the Winter Formal, led a discussion series on faith in politics, and currently serve as a member of the Community Engagement & Outreach Committee.

Outside of church, I am the Director of Government Affairs for Kaiser Permanente, a national integrated healthcare company. I enjoy spending time with friends and connecting with nature in our beautiful Commonwealth.

I am grateful for the faith community at St. Paul's and would be honored to continue to serve this community as a member of the Vestry.
We are glad that you are here.