Vestry Members and Elected Leaders
The Vestry consists of the Rector, two Wardens, 7 to 9 members, and two non-voting members – the Treasurer and the Secretary of the Vestry. In addition, the Parish elects a Delegate and an Alternate to the annual Diocesan Convention to represent St. Mark’s to the Diocese. Current Members
Vestry Duties and Opportunities
Vestry members serve as leaders in the life of St. Mark’s. This includes being the vestry contact or “point person” to other St. Mark’s organizations and ministries. Specifics of these opportunities is available here.
The Diocese of Washington has a large assortment of resources available to vestry members that are useful in defining the role and expectations of vestry members. The Vestry 101 toolkit includes information on the national and diocesan mission, how St. Mark’s fits into the Diocese, How the Diocesan staff can help the vestry, roles and responsibilities and many other resources. Vestry members are encouraged to make extensive use of the tools and knowledge presented here. In addition, the Warden Toolbox provides a list of resources that, while specific to the wardens, should be helpful to all members of the vestry.
Vestry Meetings and Minutes
The vestry meets monthly. Special meetings may also be called to accommodate urgent business that should not wait until a monthly meeting. Reports from the vestry officers and from vestry liaisons are provided to vestry members a few days before the meeting, and discussion of those reports includes only questions or discussion items from those reports. Minutes of each meeting are kept and reviewed at the next meeting for approval.
St. Mark’s Parochial Report
St. Mark’s submits a Parochial Report to the Diocese each year. The report contains general information on the health of the parish, including top-level financial information, congregation size, activities over the past year, and for 2021, impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the church.
Annual Meetings
St. Mark’s Annual Meetings are open to all parishioners. At this meeting we update the congregation on the activities of the past year as well as plans going forward. An extensive Annual Report is available at these meetings that includes reports from all the committees and ministries of the church as well as a summary. The 2022 Annual Meeting is on Sunday, February 13th, at 11:30am, in St. Mark’s Parish Hall. The 2022 Annual Report is here.
In addition, St. Mark’s is represented at the annual Conventions of the Diocese of Washington. A report from our delegate to the 2021 Convention is available here.