Vestry Delivers the News

The Vestry has now sent its statement responding to the feasibility study report on Fulfilling the Vision to parishioners on the church’s e-mail distribution list. (See posts “Fulfilling the Vision Postponed” and “The Episcopal Church Foundation Feasibility Report.”) The statement is not on the St. Paul’s Web site, but those who did not receive a personal copy can read it on the Constant Contact Web site. (Constant Contact is the e-mail distribution service used by St. Paul’s. An image of the Constant Contact page is shown at the left.)

Alas, the statement does not suggest that the Vestry has any regrets for having handled this matter poorly. We are told, however, that it “ will take the time necessary to revise and refine the various aspects of a capital campaign to focus on those items of greatest interest and concern to the congregation, and then explain more fully the need and rationale for each of them.” This is all well and good, but it is not clear that the Vestry really intends to consult parishioners in any effective way before presenting yet another take-it-or-leave it package. The congregation as a whole needs to be involved in charting our future.

More disappointing is the news that the church “will be providing a summary of the feasibility study report in the near future,” but not yet. “A copy of the full report is available to be read in the parish office.”

Why is there no copy of the report on the parish Web site? Why is the message from the Vestry not on the parish Web site?

In case you missed it, the report is available here. It is a quick and informative read. Don’t wait for the executive summary or the promised report on the Web site. Read it now!