Have you ever wondered why the Vestry and clergy retreat to Roslyn, the Diocesan Conference Facility near Richmond almost immediately after the congregational meeting where new members are elected? Or what they do there?

The Vestry retreat provides an opportunity for all members, new and continuing, to get to know each other better and to lay a solid foundation for making decisions together over the coming year. For example, this year we began our weekend by celebrating the Eucharist together in the beautiful chapel overlooking meadows leading down to the James River. We continued to worship and pray together throughout the weekend, observing Book of Common Prayer and other orders for worship at morning, midday, and evening. We spent time sharing intimate snapshots of our personal spiritual journeys, a bonding experience that left us understanding and loving each other better, so that when we encounter times when we may disagree about the particulars of issues before us we will trust the power of the Holy Spirit and one another’s goodwill and common desire to find the best solutions for St. George’s as a whole. We spent time studying and reflecting upon ten principals for discerning listening to guide our collective decision making. We were briefed by the Capital Campaign leadership team and learned the time line for some of the big decisions we will be asked to make in the coming year.

Finally, we organized ourselves for action – electing Crystal Hardin Senior Warden, Anna Alt-White Junior Warden, Melanie Lilliston Register (one of those charming archaic Episcopal church words), and George DeFilippi Treasurer. We practiced our discerning listening skills as we allocated liaison responsibilities for the various ministry areas and departed from recent tradition to assign San Jose to the Vestry as a whole, with each Vestry member responsible for ensuring that our cross-cutting relationship with our sister parish is considered in all the ministry areas. Finally, we discerned the need for a new ministry area focused around Accessibility and Inclusion, for which Dennis Fish will be the Vestry liaison. Watch for more news in coming months as this spark is fanned into fire.

And of course, being St. Georgians, we enjoyed good food and drink and relaxed around a roaring fire.

Mary Martha Churchman, Vestry Liaison for Communication and Administration.