St. Martin-in-the-Fields Vestry Meeting January 19, 2025
Vestry Reports & Financial Updates
Present: Alan Bentrup – Rector, Mary Beth Butler – Senior Warden, Rick Schulz – Jr. Warden, Dick Seeber – Jr. Warden, DJ Mitchell – Treasurer, Bob Bess, Carlie Briggs, Shawn Casey, Eloise Frye, Bob Garrity, Rebecca Haynes, Bryan Hedrick, Elizabeth Jordan via Zoom, Glenda Morehead – Clerk, Gary Wilkinson – Finance Committee Chair.
Also Present: Linda Seeber.
A regular meeting of the Vestry of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church was held Sunday January 19, 2025 in the West Parish Hall.
The meeting opened at 12: PM with prayer by the Rector who chaired the meeting.
Consideration of the Minutes
DJ Mitchell moved the minutes of the December 22, 2024 vestry meeting be approved as distributed. Dick Seeber seconded the motion and the motion carried.
Financial Matters
Finance Committee Report: Gary Wilkinson reported that for the first time since he came to St. Martin’s the church did not end the year with a deficit but with a surplus on hand of $71,429.00
Use of Surplus Recommendations: The committee recommends the Financial Manager be directed to create temporarily restricted funds as follows:
$9,300.00 for Website Reconstruction.
$2,300.00 for upgrade of the playground.
$10,000.00 for Emergency relief efforts and request the Rector donate immediately some or all of these funds to the most pressing needs of the day (e.g., to the Episcopal Church of Greater Los Angeles to assist in fire destruction relief).
$25,000.00 to increase the temporarily restricted building fund to increase the amount available for AC replacements that remain (i.e., the Sanctuary’s AC Units).
$20,000.00 to the Emergency Fund with two instructions:
To the Financial Manager: Monies sent to Baird from the Emergency Fund (i.e., $30,000.00)
should be put in a separate Baird account but remain with Baird for the purpose of earning higher amounts of interest to distinguish them from the unrestricted funds sent to Baird for the same reason, to earn higher amounts of interest.
To the Jr. Warden: Repairs which are made in 2025 to the church’s plumbing, HVAC, and sprinkler systems and which individually cost more than $1,000.00 and have a useful life of over 1 year will first be funded from $10,000.00 of the $20,000.00 referenced under this point. Only after this $10,000.00 is exhausted will monies identified in the 2025 operating budget be tapped to pay for subsequent repairs costing individually more than $1,000.00 and with a useful life of more than 1 year.
Bob Bess moved the vestry vote to approve all the uses of the surplus as recommended by the Finance Committee. DJ Mitchell seconded the motion and the motion carried.
Endowment Committee Report: Bryan Hedrick, chair of the Endowment Committee, has passed to Michael Yackira the development of a Planned Giving outline for St. Martin’s. Yackira brought to the vestry the draft he has prepared thus far. When the complete plan is approved by the committee it will be brought to the vestry for adoption. It will be shared with the congregation after vestry approval.
Treasurer’s Report Accepted: Dick Seeber moved that the Treasurer’s report be accepted as presented. Rick Schulz seconded the motion and the report was accepted.
Budget 2025 Approved: Mary Beth Butler moved the budget for 2025 be approved as presented. DJ Mitchell seconded the motion and the budget was approved.
Junior Wardens’ Reports
The reports prepared by the Jr. Wardens are attached to and made a part of these minutes. The Jr. Wardens received a hearty round of applause for all their work during the past year.
Senior Warden’s Report
The written report of Senior Warden Mary Beth Butler is attached to and made a part of these minutes.
Curate Information
Curate Possible in 2026: The Rector reported that the earliest St. Martin’s might have a new curate would be July of 2026. St. Martin’s is known as a church where curates thrive.
EDOT 2025 Payment Received: A payment of $3,368.75 was received from EDOT – the diocesan portion of the Curate Covenant Agreement with St. Martin’s in 2025 for the Rev Gavin Tomlin. The Rector, wardens, treasurer and vestry members signed the acknowledging receipt which was then returned to EDOT.
Rector’s Report
The Rector’s written report is attached to and made a part of these minutes.
Vestry Meeting Schedule: The following are the dates of 2025 regular vestry meetings:
January 19
February 23
March 23
April 21 Monday via Zoom 7 PM
May 18
June 23 Monday via Zoom 7 PM
July – no meeting
August 24
September 21
October 19
November 23
December 21
January 19, 2026
Master Plan Update
DJ Mitchell reported that he is still working with experts in the various fields to reduce the costs of the education building reconstruction and renovation. He hopes to be prepared to request a vestry vote at the February 23, 2025 meeting.
Remarks by Eloise Frye
Eloise Frye expressed her pleasure at having served the past year on the vestry of St. Martin’s. She is more knowledgeable about all the work that is done by a wide variety of people in such a dynamic church as St. Martin’s. She plans to happily leave vestry work to others and to serve St. Martin’s in other ways.
DJ Mitchell moved the meeting be adjourned, Rick Schulz seconded the motion and the motion carried.
The meeting closed with prayer by the Rector at 1 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Glenda Morehead, Clerk
ANNUAL PARISH MEETING JANUARY 26, 2025 IN THE CHURCH AT 9:30 AM
CALLED VESTRY MEETING IN THE CHURCH IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE ANNUAL MEETING
VESTRY MEETING FEBRUARY 23, 2025 12 PM LOCATION TO BE ANNOUNCED