As we begin the new year of Vestry activities we welcome four new Vestry members on the three year rotation prescribed in our bylaws. With this change, I began reflecting on my role on the Vestry. One “hat” a Jr. Warden wears as I understand it, is to serve as the “peoples warden”.

My interaction with members of the congregation has been most enjoyable, if not fully successful. Most everything shared of late is highly positive, however at times, I find myself wishing I could always ameliorate issues with promptness. That having been said, please continue to use me, the people’s warden, as a sounding board via conversation, telephone or email. Our greatest resource may well be the Holy Spirit moving among us and causing us to be warm and welcoming with each other and with visitors. This was clearly in evidence this past weekend in the Lenten Bible Study, the successful Adult Forum on our future as a church body and during our Vestry Retreat.

If we continue to personify the love, generosity and tolerance of Christ and remaining open to each other and our community, I trust our future will hold unlimited blessings in terms of what God calls us to do. With prayers, yours and mine, we will achieve God’s will. An additional thought, I don’t mean to infer that I have a substantial understanding of this Holy Spirit/God connection; it’s a journey of learning.

A word about our relationship with COPA and related activities. On February 8th, eight members of our COPA Core Team convened with Annie Willis, in a significant organizational meeting. After hearing a report on the two day COPA Conference for Clergy, called by Bishop Mary and attended by Fr. Joel, we proceeded as is typical of COPA meetings, with a high level of participant contribution as we discussed our reasons for joining COPA, the history of Calvary COPA activities since late 2010 and a discussion concerning our hopes for our future with COPA. We observed that the skills taught by COPA during the past year have greatly helped us in our recent discernment process.

Future Calvary COPA meetings were scheduled for the first Sunday every other month at 4 PM beginning on March 4. These meetings under the leadership of Annie Willis directly involve the COPA Core Team and are open to new team members and all interested. Please mark your calendars.

Respectfully submitted,

Al Reetz

A title for this report could well be “A Church We’ve Grown to Love Almost as Much as Calvary”. I will elaborate but first I want to express our joy in being back after four weeks. Perhaps being away is the best way to really see the beauty of our worship and the ongoing labor of love by so many here at Calvary. The leadership of Fr. Joel and many others is evident in areas such as the progress of the COG Committee, the planning with COPA, the work of the Fund Raising Committee, the action of the Vestry, as well as that of the many other committees and ministries. Are we ready to be featured in a Butler Bass book as an example of an “emerging New Testament church”? Join me in a hearty “thanks” to all. During our time away we were able to spend time with family at Truckee (yes, even the five and seven year old grands caught trout) and also to have a brief visit with my sister and family in Idaho. An additional gift

of the summer was attending services at two very different churches, a Lutheran church in Buhl, Idaho, where we noticed there had been no announcements. When we inquired about this, my nephew responded

with, “There is nothing going on, Summer Bible School is over.” The other church was the Truckee Lutheran Presbyterian Church (TLPC), our daughter and family’s church and our church of choice whenever we visit

Truckee. It’s my opinion that the TLPC could also be featured by Butler Bass as an example of a vibrant present day “emerging New Testament church”.

Their spirit of radical hospitality is palpable, as is their healing ministry and the array of projects for helping those less fortunate.

An amazement for us has been the number of parishioners deeply committed and active. This is demonstrated by the long line of parishioners making announcements at the podium prior to service closure. One gets the feeling that most every member must head up a committee, be it the annual Walk for Cancer, the Funds for Youth Camp, the aid to Africa, Bread For The World and any one of many other acts of justice. Announcements are also made regarding social events in homes, many of which are noted to be celebrations for having completed a service effort. We are so thankful to be part of two caring, friendly and yes, emerging churches where God is love.

Respectfully submitted,

Al Reetz 

One of the things I’ve been enjoying at church this summer is attending the adult forum between the 8:00 and 10:30 services. We have a fairly consistent group that meets and participates in very wide-ranging but always thoughtful and interesting discussions. One of the subjects that came up recently concerned boundaries: what are the boundaries that define the Episcopal Church? Someone mentioned the Book of Common Prayer as a distinct boundary. I don’t particularly like the term “boundary” as it is used in pop culture, that is, in the sense that “you have to have clear boundaries.” It has always sounded to me like setting up walls and limiting experience rather than exploring. But I do agree that the Book of Common Prayer is indeed a key identifying factor of the Anglican tradition. As I thought about it in the ensuing days, I concluded that I see the Book of Common Prayer as the center point from which one starts ones spiritual journey, not a wall beyond which one should not go. A center point holds together a circle, or an individual, or a community of people, and remains always present at the core of one’s self or community.

It strikes me that COG’s intent for the parish small group meetings this coming October is to discuss what we see as the key center points or core values of our community. What is it that holds our circle together? How have we each radiated out from that center, and what pulls us back? I like the idea that we are searching for what centers us as a community. Although perhaps the same at heart, for me the image of an inner centering, as in centering prayer or centering oneself, is more fruitful than the image of outer boundaries.

I experienced this sense of being centered, or grounded, at the first Taize service at Calvary in July. The simple chants, all taken from the scriptures and sung over and over, acted as a core image or theology in which we could center ourselves while letting our thoughts wander to whatever personal places the images in the chants may evoke in us. It was a very relaxing and at the same time refreshing period of time and I recommend the service to all of you. I’m looking forward to the next Taize service and also to the small group gatherings COG is busy planning and to all the other ways we as a community discern, define, and celebrate our common center.

Respectfully submitted,

Cathy Watson

A meeting of the Vestry of Calvary Episcopal Church was held at 7:00 PM on Thursday, May 19, 2011. The following actions were taken:

The Vestry Minutes of April 14, 2011 were approved.

The parish continues to experience a shortfall in income. Pledge income is running $7,476 behind projections, and Use of Church income is running $5,161 behind projections. Outreach income is running $4,987 behind projections. Specific remedial actions are being taken. These actions include instituting mechanisms to advertise the availability of our parish hall through the Internet and in other ways, promoting the SCRIP program, reducing the size of the meals served at the Monday Night Coffee House, seeking new grant sources for funding of our outreach ministries, a call for additional pledge income by members of the Stewardship Committee, and holding fundraising events for these programs like the upcoming “Gin Sing” on Friday May 20, 2011.

Four workshops are scheduled with Communities Organized for Relational Power in Action (COPA) to train Calvary members for COPA leadership roles. These training sessions are Sunday, June 5th - 3 to 5pm; Sunday, June 12th - 3 to 5pm; Saturday, June 18th - 10 am to 12pm; and Sunday, June 26th - 3 to 5 pm in the parish hall. All Calvary members who are interested in leadership training are encouraged to attend these four sessions. Those interested in participating will be asked to attend all four sessions.

The proposal by the "Committee for Growth in a Changing World" (COG) has been developed more fully. This proposal specifies a discernment process to redefine the mission statement of the parish. The Diana Butler Bass book, Christianity for the Rest of Us offers focused study questions to guide readers, which will be important in this process. Twenty-one members of the parish attended the Diocesan workshop on May 14, 2011 in Salinas conducted by Diana Butler Bass. Fr. John Buenz will be meeting with the COG on June 7, 2011 and will lead the parish-wide kick-off event on September 11, 2011.

Worship surveys are being analyzed by the Worship Committee at their upcoming meeting at 3:00 PM on Friday May 20, 2011. All members of the parish are encouraged to complete and return a survey form. Survey forms are available in the narthex or at the parish office.

At the next Vestry meeting of June 16, 2011, the Vestry will approve the minutes of the Vestry meeting of May 19. 2011, adopt the Financial Report for May 2011, review the Financial Reports for May, discuss the ongoing COPA Training sessions; receive a status report on the COG discernment process, and receive the reports of the various parish committees.

Scott Galloway, Clerk

VESTRY MEMBERS

The Rev. Joel P. Miller, Rector

Richard Enriquez, Class of 2014

Scott Galloway, Clerk, Class of 2013

Sally Green, Class of 2012

Melinda Martin, Class of 2012

Ola Monaghan, Class of 2013

Tony Nickel, Class of 2012

Penny Oliver, Class of 2012

Chris Perrin, Class of 2014

Sarah Peterson, Class of 2013

Al Reetz, Jr. Warden, Class of 2013

John Vesecky, Class of 2014

Cathy Watson, Sr. Warden, Class of 2014

Eddie Cepeda, Treasurer, Non-Vestry Member

Joshua Reinke, Youth Vestry Member