stack the deck? ‘Members’ pay? St. John’s, Aptos

What’s in the national news? Power.

Winners and losers.

The reality of power. Will the powerful have their own way? What agenda will be followed?

And there’s similiar  news at St. John’s Episcopal church in Aptos, CA.  

Power.  Winners and losers. Will the powerful have their own way? What agenda will be followed?

Read below and you decide.

To discuss and accept revisions to  the church Bylaws and nominations for the board,  the church Vestry held a meeting Nov. 22, 2016 at 6:45.

Very short   ‘notice’ of the November Vestry meeting:    An email was sent  the afternoon   of 11/22 which stated   that a Vestry meeting was happening at 6:45 pm that day.   No prior  notice of the Nov. Vestry meeting put on the church website or in the 11/20/2016  church bulletin.

At the beginning of the meeting C. Jackson asked that two handouts be given and discussed. One is a Letter from a member which states that she regularly sees the monies given weekly  by an applicant for Vestry.  The other  is a Statement  by C. Jackson detailing reasons why an  applicant meets criteria for nomination ‘from the floor’.

Both handouts were passed out to  all of the Vestry members present at the beginning of the meeting.  [The Treasurer came later —  and did not  hear what C.  Jackson said nor  did she  receive the two handouts.]

Early on in the meeting  the Vestry  discussed  the criteria persons who self-nominate  must meet to  run for election to the corporate board of the Parish.

The  current  Bylaws  rules  state that any contributing member who gets X number of persons to support  them can  stand for elections from the floor.

The existing Bylaws are ambiguous. They   do not  define  a ‘Member’ as someone who has  donated money via a specified manner , i.e., via a Pledge or  putting in the collection basket an envelope  containing money with one’s name on it.

C. Jackson was given the opportunity to speak and stated that overall communications need to improve.  In the past, there have been allegations of  possible spiritual abuse and not taking care of staff and volunteers. No discussion of these allegations or how they were being addressed had been discussed at the last 2 Vestry meetings stated Jackson.

One way to improve communication during  church meetings was suggested by Jackson:   Simple changes in communication:   Use  a format of

“I feel  [        ] when [    |    ] happens”   reduces finger pointing and encourages individuals to take responsibility for their feelings.

Notice and Agendas:   C. Jackson noted that providing better  Notice of meetings,  and providing  Agendas ahead of time will improve communication.

C. Jackson asked:  Does this church want to tell the world that you gotta pay money via a Pledge  to be considered a Member and  ‘be one of us’?   

Stacking the deck:   Controlling who can stand for election is one way to ‘stack the deck’.  At the national level many people are aware that the Democrat National Party ‘stacked the deck’ in favor of Hilary.  The system is rigged claimed Bernie Sanders.

Will the current Vestry   successfully  stack the deck — shape in advance —  the church elections on Dec. 4, 2016?   Who can stand for election and who cannot is one way to ‘stack the deck’.  

   Did you know?   Under the new, revised Bylaws to be a ‘member’  you must take communion 3 times ….  Who will count the wafers eaten?

Of course proof of Communion will be on the honor system.  What about proof of giving/ donating also on the honor system?   

See pg. 20 of the Dec. 20, 2016 church bulletin:  No Notice is in the bulletin concerning upcoming Vestry meeting in two days.  The next Vestry meeting is listed as Dec. 14, 2016.

To summarize:  Very short notice was  given to the congregation  that  who is a church  “Member”  becomes  ….  You have to Pay  to Pray as a   ‘Member’ of the Corporation.   

If the Vestry makes these changes then   — after the fact —  the church gives itself a Good Housekeeping stamp of approval for current nominations and proposed changes to the Bylaws.

National politics:  Remember how Donna Brazile  during one of the debates  fed questions ahead of time to Hilary?  Donna later got fired.

During the election cycle,  the Democrat  operatives  –called journalists  — shaped what the general public got in the way of news.  Similarly, their are  ‘church operatives’  which shape the “news” that the church attendees get.

‘Don’t publicize this stuff’  a few people said to C. Jackson.   ‘It makes the church  look bad’ they said.   Oh?  My response:  Then read and re-read the Book of Acts.   The apostle Paul had a lot to say  about  the early Saint/ Sinners and their antics:  including dishonesty,  laziness and mis-guided actions.

So — who will be the winners and losers  at St. John’s Episcopal church in Aptos, CA?  

**** The Vestry decides  at the Tuesday, Nov. 22 meeting  at  6:45 pm (in the Cafe)   whether to change the rules  — or stay  with the existing rules.   Come if you are able. What do you think?  Here’s the names to contact:    

Billl Kell –  Senior Warden (appointed by Merritt)

Andy Pudan – Junior Warden (elected by Vestry)

Jane Dawson – Adult Education

Diane Scofield – Outreach

Suzanne Krakover-Nickel  – Stewardship

Jon Showalter – Building & Grounds

Vicky Wilson – Hospitality

Andrea Seitz – Newcomers

Debra Spencer – Worship

Anne Baker – Treasurer

Eileen Fernald – Finance

Peter Goodman – Children & Youth

Nancy Shephard – Clerk

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Back to basics:  Who is a ‘member’ of an Episcopalian church?

To become an Episcopalian — what does a person have to do?  The following is from Forward Movement which is a general resource for Episcopalians.

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“How Can I become a Member of the Episcopal Church? How can you become a member? First of all, we would love to have you join Grace and Holy Trinity Church! Please contact the Rev. Bo Millner or Carolyn Chilton and they will be happy to help you.

“Here is some general information about membership in the Church. Baptism makes us members of the Church. And, we can then live into the meaning of our baptism within specific congregations and Christian denominations. The five sections below will spell this out more fully.

1. “Most importantly, the sacrament of Holy Baptism, makes you a member of the Universal Christian Church. The Episcopal Church recognizes as Christian all persons who have been baptized with water and in the name of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).

2. “If you were baptized into the Universal Church in an Episcopal congregation then, in addition to becoming a member of the Universal Church, you were enrolled as a member of that particular congregation and also became an “Episcopalian.” You are member at the church where you were baptized until death or until you transfer to another congregation. So, if you were baptized at Grace and Holy Trinity Church, you are a baptized member here. If you have asked that the record of your baptism be transferred here, then you are a member here as well.

3. “If you were baptized with water and in the name of the Trinity in another Christian communion or denomination, you can become a member of Grace and Holy Trinity Church by asking that your letter of baptism be transferred so that you can be enrolled on the books of this parish. This makes you a baptized member of the Episcopal Church in general and a member of Grace and Holy Trinity Church specifically.

4. “All baptized members are encouraged to receive the sacrament of confirmation, either when they reach maturity or in connection with baptism if they are baptized as adults. In confirmation ‘we express a mature commitment to Christ and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop.’ After confirmation, a person is a confirmed member.

5. “If you were baptized and confirmed in another church you may be received (rather than reconfirmed) by a bishop of The Episcopal Church. This makes you a confirmed member of The Episcopal Church.

Adult (16 years of age and older), confirmed, communicants in good standing (you have been faithful in attending corporate worship and in praying, working, and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God) may vote for Vestry (the ruling body of the congregation), run for the Vestry and represent the congregation in the diocese.

“We hope this answers some of your questions. And we encourage you to be in touch. You are most welcome at Grace and Holy Trinity Church! (Much of the information above was taken from the Forward Movement brochure on “Membership in the Episcopal Church”. Forward Movement is an official, non-profit agency of The Episcopal Church and is sustained through sales of tracts and through tax-free contributions. They can be reached at 300 West Fourth Street, Cinicinnati, OH 45202-2666, 800-543-1813; www.forwardmovement.org)

written by Cameron Jackson, Ph.D., J.D.   DrCameronJackson@gmail.com

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Any questions about the above?  Happy to chat!