Vestry

  • Linda Chapman (’25), Wellness Advocate & Clerk of the Vestry
  • The Rev. Pam Jester (’25), Liaison to the Finance Committee
  • Don Pendleton (’25), Counter Coordinator & Pledge Administrator
  • Kathryn Garcia-Rivera (’26), Rector’s Warden
  • Greg Nunes (’27), People’s Warden
  • Larry Churchill (’27), Food Pantry Coordinator

Non-Vestry Appointed Roles:

Ron Cook, Treasurer
Kathleen Waters, Chair of Finance Committee
John Owens, Payroll Coordinator
Candace Carpenter, Family Ministries Liaison

Delegates to Deanery/Convention:

Shawn Anderson, delegate
Linda Nunes, delegate
Kathryn Garcia-Rivera, alternate
Sharon Vaughn, alternate

Parish Bylaws (Revised March 31, 2024): Download PDF (168kb)

What is the vestry?

The vestry is the legal representative of the parish with regard to all matters pertaining to its corporate property. The number of vestry members and the term of office varies from parish to parish. At All Saints, the Bylaws dictate that our parish must have at least six vestry members. Vestry members are usually elected at the annual parish meeting. The presiding officer of the vestry is the Rector. The basic responsibilities of the vestry are to help define and articulate the mission of the congregation; to support the church’s mission by word and deed, to select the rector, to ensure effective organization and planning, and to manage resources and finances.

When does the vestry meet?

The vestry currently meets monthly on the fourth Tuesday of the month from 6:30-8:00pm. These meetings are open to members of the parish, except when vestry goes into a closed session for confidential matters (e.g. personnel matters). If you would like to attend a vestry meeting (in person), please contact Fr. Justin at rector@saintsalive.net.

Who can serve on a vestry?

The Bylaws state that members of the Vestry shall be Communicants in good standing, age 18 and over, duly registered in the Parish for at least the six months immediately preceding election, and having a stated pledge on the books of the Treasurer, with that pledge not being in arrears.

What are wardens and other roles on the vestry?
  • Rector’s Warden – the Rector’s Warden (at some parishes called Senior Warden) shall represent the Rector in all temporal matters and, in the rector’s absence, shall preside at all Vestry and Parish meetings.
  • People’s Warden – the People’s Warden (at some parishes called Junior Warden) shall represent the people and organizations of the Parish and, in the absence of the Rector and the Rector’s Warden, shall preside at all Vestry and Parish meetings.
  • Clerk – the Clerk shall record the minutes of all meetings and shall carry on all correspondence of the Vestry as directed.
  • Treasurer – the Treasurer shall receive and hold all funds and pay all bills authorized by the Vestry, provided that routine bills may be approved by the Finance Committee, in accordance with the budget. He or she shall render a monthly report of receipts, expenditures and balances.

The vestry has also appointed vestry liaisons to the Finance Committee, Family Ministries, and a UTO Coordinator, though the latter does not need to be a vestry member. Other roles often appointed to vestry members include Pledge Administrator and Neighborhood Center Coordinator, though it is not required that these persons be on the vestry. 

How long does someone serve on the vestry?

Members of the Vestry are elected to terms of three years except in the case of members elected to fill vacancies in unexpired terms. One year must expire before retiring vestry members can be eligible for re-election, provided that this does not apply in the case of a member retiring after serving for the unexpired portion of a term in which a vacancy occurred. Vacancies occurring during the year are filled by a vote of the Vestry.  

Why’s it called the ‘vestry’?

“In England the annual election of churchwardens took place in Easter week. The parishioners gathered at the church to hear the outgoing wardens render their accounts and elect their successors. The parishioners assembled in the vestry, the room off the chancel where the clergy vested. The assembled parishioners came to be known as the vestry. These were open vestries in that all adult male parishioners could participate. It was like a modern annual congregational meeting. In Virginia the parishes were very large and it was difficult to get all the male parishioners together. So they would meet only once and elect twelve of their number to serve for life. This was known as a closed vestry. The transition to a closed vestry was completed by 1633 or 1634, when a Vestry Act was passed. It provided that “there be a vestrie held in each parish.” The current vestry evolved from this colonial pattern.” (Source: https://episcopalchurch.org/library/glossary/vestry).