2009: Revisioning and Rededication

Reflecting back on the year 2009, it seems best to start at the end. On December 9, a special meeting of Vestry approved a proposal to redesign our worship space - to move, not only the furniture, but to move the choir and the clergy and the congregation and the servers so that we might all sit together, in the same space, surrounding the Lord's Table.

This had been the vision that many, many people in our parish had held to and worked towards for many years. It was viewed less than enthusiastically by many others. Experts were consulted, designs submitted and revised, and parishioners were kept advised at every step in the process. In the end, everyone had to put some water in their wine. And the new layout is still tentative, and has not yet been formally endorsed as permanent.

This case depicts the energy and charism of the parish of St John the Evangelist. When you walk into the nave on Sunday morning, it is evident that something new is happening. But it is not something that happened overnight; it developed slowly, over many years, many dinner discussions, many coffee hour conversations, and many meetings. The project was made possible by the fact that those with differing views about the centerpiece of our Sunday worship respected and supported each other enough to arrive at a workable, and beautiful compromise.

During this past year, we had many discussions about our identity - who we are, what our message is to the community inside and outside our walls. The first visioning exercise was held during last year's annual meeting, continued in our Parish Council, summertime meetings with small groups, and during the three Stewardship dinners in the fall. It is a process which will continue.

Posing such questions is appropriate in this time of transition for St John's. This was the first full year of the incumbency of our new rector, the Rev. Dr. Dana Fisher, At the beginning of the year we welcomed the Rev. Naomi Kabugi, our curate, to our clergy team. Not only have they both inspired us with their preaching, they are a welcome sight on the church steps on Sunday mornings, welcoming parishioners and passers-by.

As befits a time of transition, important steps were made to strengthen our governance. The Stewardship, Finance, and Worship Committees were revitalized. A new Treasurer and a new Bookkeeper got into their rhythm, and a new Envelope Secretary was recruited. A Long-Term Facilities Planning Committee has been created, as a subcommittee of the Architectural Renewal Committee. It will work alongside the Building Committee to ensure that we plan not only routine maintenance, but also the kinds of major capital repairs and improvements needed to ensure our buildings are structurally sound, meet the needs of our ministries, and are aesthetically pleasing.

One of the reasons for the development of a long-range facilities plan is the realization that all those who made a five-year pledge in the wonderfully successful Hearts & Hands campaign will have their pledges expire over the course of 2010. It is hoped, now that our renovations have been completed, on time and under budget, that most parishioners will feel moved to continue their donations, to meet the ongoing needs to both maintain and improve our buildings. The Stewardship Committee has been mandated to ensure the parish is kept informed of such needs.

The flip side of the "visioning" coin is the "stewardship" coin, making sure we have the time, talent and treasure to transform our collective vision into reality. Our young people gave us a valuable lesson in this over the last year. We admired their inquisitive faith and their sense of adventure when planning last summer's pilgrimage to the island of Iona in Scotland. For months they had sold home baking and crafts in the Parish Hall to raise funds. The actually raised $1,100 more than they needed, agreeing to donate the surplus funds to cover the immigration fees of another parishioner and her children who are refugees to this country.

It has been a great pleasure for the two of us to serve as your churchwardens over the last year, and we are the first to acknowledge that thanks should be extended to many, many people, those who sit on committees, staff our offices, participate in worship, manage our money, cook, clean up, phone people, and on and on. St John's is a very busy parish, and relies not only on staff but scores of volunteers.

This being said, two individuals deserve a particular vote of thanks. Roger Cooper for many years served as both counter and envelope secretary, developing his own software to keep track of our donations and to issue our tax receipts, along with other important duties. We will miss his cool dedication. And last spring Bruce Marshall stepped forward when Ron Chaplin was seriously ill to fill in as churchwarden and member of Corporation with all the attendant responsibilities.

Finally, Ron Chaplin would like to thank the parish for all its support during his illness - for all the kind gestures, and for the prayers. At no time during my stay in Intensive Care, when my health was at its most critical juncture, did I feel any anxiety. I felt, instead, bathed in prayer. Thank you all.

Ron Chaplin	Ann Chaplin
Rector's Warden	People's Warden