VESTRY NEWS

REPORT FROM THE MARCH VESTRY MEETING:  
Vestry met Sunday, March 16. The Financial Report for January and February was approved. The Outreach Budget was approved for 2008.

Ministry Area reports were discussed. The Adult Education Class will be discussing Moslem and Christian Relations. The Property Committee submitted a report detailing the work that has been done and a list of outstanding projects. Problems with the heating in the Parish Hall are being addressed.

Communication Ministry Area reported that as of this meeting, 92 photographs were taken for the directory. Possibly a slide show will be available. Barbara Johnson is looking at the completion time to be in June, and noted that it has been an enjoyable experience.

The Vestry Nominating Committee is working on this process and welcomes any nominations for the upcoming term. A moment of prayer was shared on new leadership and the upcoming Parish Meeting in May.

The Montgomery Deanery Habitat Build is off to a good start. Fundraising, further organizational planning, and “breaking ground” will be updated.

A Rummage Sale is scheduled for Saturday, April 19.  Proceeds are for the ongoing Heifer Project. The public will be invited.  
The Salad Luncheon in May will be run by Sue Plybon and Henrietta Kiel.

The Fall Vestry Retreat was briefly discussed and ongoing information will be given at future meetings. The Mutual Ministry Review will be addressed at a later date.

Raising new leadership is a topic of interest. Communication within the Vestry was added under “New Business” and affirms the need to present brief reports from each Ministry Area. The next Vestry meeting is scheduled for April 20.

Vestry meetings are normally held at 7:00 PM on the third Sunday of the month. These meetings are open and all parish members are invited. Furthermore, if a member has an issue for the Vestry they should approach a Vestry member to get it on the agenda. Complete Minutes from Vestry meetings are posted in the Parish Hall.
Janet Plum, Clerk of the Vestry

Vestry Nominations Being Sought 
Names of interested and qualified persons to run in the next Vestry election (May 2008) are being solicited. After reading the following requirements and expectations, if you or someone you know would like to be a candidate, please contact a member of the Nominating Committee: Henrietta Kiel, Janet Plum, Bill Millar, Stan Klotzbach, Karl New, or Alan Kiel.

Requirements & Expectations for Vestry Membership:
 1.  A Vestry member should be someone who sees his/her life as belonging to Christ, and who publicly professes that faith by regular attendance at worship and by a commitment to participate regularly in some form of adult Christian education and formation.

2.  The By-Laws of the parish stipulate that those serving on Vestry be “baptized and confirmed lay persons at least 18 years of age, and a contributing member of the corporation.” A member is someone who has publicly affiliated with the congregation through baptism, confirmation or reception; or by transfer from another Episcopal congregation. Contributing refers specifically to making a pledge of financial support of the mission and ministry of the parish, in addition to the contribution of time and energy and skills.

3.  Attendance is expected at all Vestry meetings which normally occur on the 3rd Sunday of each month at 7 P.M., with the exception of July. Meetings are sometimes moved to other days because of conflicts with the program of the parish, with feast days of the Church year, or because of significant conflicts with schedules. On occasion, special Vestry meetings need to be scheduled, and will be done so at the mutual convenience of members and the Rector.

4.  Vestry members are expected to participate on Committee Night (1st Monday night of each month except July), and to give leadership around some aspect of the parish program by devoting the time necessary to follow-through on planned tasks, including the personal time needed to prepare for meetings and functions.

5.  Leadership in the congregation includes making home visitations in the Fall (normally the 1st Sunday in November) for the purpose of receiving pledges of financial support from members of the congregation for the mission and ministry of the parish. It also involves a willingness to make visitations outside the context of the Every Member Canvass for the sake
of building a stronger sense of community, and to receive training for the making of such calls.

6.  Participation is expected in periodic Vestry retreats which are scheduled over a Friday and Saturday night, generally during the Fall of the year.

7.  The Church of the Advent is committed to open elections for Vestry. This means that there will be more nominees than openings to serve.

Autobiographies for Vestry Candidates

Susan Capinas Holmes
1. How long have you been a contributor of record and a member of Curch of the Advent?   9 years
2. Currently, what volunteer activities/ministries are you engaged in at the Church of the Advent? On Saturday evenings prepare the coffee/for Sunday mornings.  Acolyte Mom (help the children hang up their vestments proprerly and make sure everyone has the proper size.)  This summer, along with my daughters, I plan to take part in the Habitat for Humanity project. 3. Are you involved in community volunteer activities?  Please list them if so.        Involvement at various levels with my daughters school and sports activities.
4. What gifts and/or skills do you feel you would bring to the Vestry?       Since this role would be a new experience for me, I am eager to learn and grow  with the position.   I look forward to working with other members on projects andI feel that with my work ethic and determination anything is possible 

Crystal Finn
1. How long have you been a contributor of record and a member of Church of the Advent?   22 years
2. Currently, what volunteer activities/ministries are you engaged in at the Church of the Advent?  I have been teaching Sunday school at the 3rd/4th grade level for the last several years.  I am also a lay reader and a nursery volunteer.
3. Are you involved in community volunteer activities?  Please list them if so.        None at the present time.
4. What gifts and/or skills do you feel you would bring to the Vestry?  I have previously served 8 years on Vestry and served as the chair of the Property Committee.  I feel that I have strong organizational skills, as well as a strong sense of commitment.  I am also good at coordinating projects and scheduling.  I would truly appreciate the opportunity to serve again at the Vestry level and become re-immersed in the inner workings of the church.

Alan L. Kiel
1. How long have you been a contributor of record and a member of Church of the Advent?  Since 1987
2.Currently, what volunteer activities/ministries are you engaged in at the Church of the Advent?    Church School Teacher, Caritas member, Lay Eucharistic Visitor.
3. Are you involved in community volunteer activities?  Please list them if so.        For the past seven years, I have been an active board member with the Samaritan Counseling Center, a non-profit, non-denominational counseling center, located in Chestnut Hill.  I have been board president for the past four years.
4. What gifts and/or skills do you feel you would bring to the Vestry?         ability to deal effectively with people, compassion for others, previous experience on the Advent Vestry.

Gerry Strowger
1. How long have you been a contributor of record and a member of Church of the Advent? 5 years
2. Currently, what volunteer activities/ministries are you engaged in at the Church of the Advent? Usher. Generally help out with various food prep, set-up, cleaning, etc., when possible.  Worked on brochures to help advertise the Church. 
3. Are you involved in community volunteer activities?  Please list them if so. Chosen 300 – Soup Kitchen in Philadelphia.  Also print work for above and various other inner-city AME Churches in PA and Md.
4. What gifts and/or skills do you feel you would bring to the Vestry?       Could help the Church in its efforts to promote itself in the community and attract new members.

ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
 
Mark your calendars now to attend the Annual Meeting on Sunday, May 4.     

MINISTRY AREA NEWS 

COMMUNICATION About being “green” ...  
In an effort to become a greener parish office (and to be better stewards as well), the quarterly ROTA will be emailed to those households with email addresses.  It will still be mailed to households without emails.  If you receive it in the mail, and have an email address, please let me know so I can update my records.  (The next ROTA will be sent the end of June for the July through September quarter.)Other types of information/reminders  will also be emailed as it is possible. If you would like to receive The Herald  by email, please contact me at the parish office and let me know  (215-675-5737 or secretary@advent-hatboro.org)Kathleen Breuer

FELLOWSHIP
Coffee Hour Volunteers are still needed to help with cleanup after Coffee Hour. Thanks are extended to those folks who have been helping with the set-up, cleanup, and providing snacks. A signup sheet for volunteers is posted on the pass-through to the kitchen. Address any questions to Joanne or Gloria Mills.

Parish Breakfast The next Parish Breakfast will be on May 18th. Chef Joanne will be taking control of the kitchen for this event. Extra hands are needed to help set-up, prepare food, and clean up after the meal. Sign-up sheets are posted in the hallway outside of Robin’s office.

Annual Parish Picnic We didn’t have one last year but this year it’s back. Thanks to Gail Johnson we have space reserved at Warminster Community Park for Sunday, June 8th. The Men of Advent will be cooking and serving up the burgers and dogs. Attendees are asked to bring snacks, salads, side dishes or dessert. Sign-up sheets will be posted as the date draws near. Address any questions to Alex Rodemich.Bill Millar and Joanne Mills, Fellowship Ministry coordinators

A Personal Note
Vestry members are required to coordinate (or co-coordinate) a ministry area. It has been my pleasure to serve as Fellowship Ministry co-coordinator first with Janet Gilman and then with Joanne Mills. Even after she stepped down from the Fellowship Ministry Janet Gilman has remained a major participant in this ministry. As I step down from the Vestry I now turn this ministry over to Joanne and to whoever decides to take on this wonderful ministry. I consider it an honor to have been permitted to serve. I will continue to serve in the Fellowship Ministry in a lesser capacity. You ain’t getting rid of me that easily! Thanks for listening.Bill Millar 

OUTREACH
Episcopal Community Services (ECS)
Episcopal Community Services (ECS) is the social services arm of the diocese.  Founded in 1870, ECS serves impoverished people of all faiths.  The many services provided by ECS include:

Homecare for the elderly and disabled- services include home meal delivery, nursing services, and homemaker  
services.

St. Barnabas Mission provides meals and shelter for up to 112 women and children at one time as well as case management, preschool and after-school programs, and alcohol and drug use monitoring.

• Foster care for over 100 children, especially those with severe medical problems and disabilities.
• After-school programs and summer camps at six locations in Philadelphia and Coatesville.
• Criminal justice ministries which provide information and referral services to groups concerned about criminal justice  
  as well as pastoral care and advocacy to those in prison.
• Chaplaincy program to train and support Episcopal clergy and lay volunteers who offer pastoral care in hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons.

For further information, please check out the website http://www.ecs1870.org/.

Sunday, May 4th is ECS Sunday at Advent. Please consider making a contribution to support this important outreach function of the diocese on that day.         

PROPERTY
Inside Clean Up Day Update   On March 2, the interior of the church was spiffed and polished. The chapel was dusted, vacuumed and polished. The church pews were washed. The library and the area outside it were vacuumed. Stuff was moved to the basement. The steps up to the balcony were washed and the balcony was de-cluttered. Pictures were hung. The laminate floor was washed. Thanks go to Steve, Janet and Chris Gilman, Henrietta Kiel, Stan, Connor and Rowan Klotzbach, Lauren, Karl and Heidi New, Doris Scherf and Jean and Dennis Cunningham. Jean Scherfcunningham will be organizing a painting crew for the exterior railing. If you are willing to help, contact her at 215-672-5483.

STEWARDSHIP
Stewardship is not only about what we give. It’s also about what we spend.  The cost of mailing the monthly newsletter is one of those “spend” stewardship issues.  There are many households that still require the newsletter to be mailed to them. At forty-one cents a copy, the average cost to mail the Herald is $30.00 each month; or $330.00 a year for 11 issues.    Consider taking a Herald to a parishioner who is home bound, or friend/neighbor from the congregation who has not yet picked up their copy.  There is a separate tab in the Herald pick-up box in the Narthex labeled “Homebound” to help you identify the person you might deliver to and visit.If it is more convenient for you to receive the Herald via email, be in touch with Kathleen at the church office. At this time, there are about 30 households receiving the newsletter via email.

WORSHIP
The Feast of Pentecost will be celebrated on Sunday, May 11.  This day, second only to Easter in the Church year, is when we rejoice and give thanks for the gift of the Holy Spirit poured out on all of humanity for the rest of time.  There will be music at both services that day and the annual Mother’s Day breakfast will be served between services.  Please join us on this joyous occasion and bring someone with you to share in the day.

Question of the Month: Who is Dame Julian of Norwich?  
Julian was a Christian mystic whose life is observed on May 8 in the Christian calendar.   She was probably born in the year 1342, but we don’t know much about her early life.  When she was 30 years old she became so desperately ill that she received the last rites.  However, on the seventh day, all pain left her, and she had fifteen visions of the Passion.  In some way her own suffering opened to her the suffering of our Lord, and the visions brought her great peace and joy.  From that time on she was possessed by a deep desire to know what the visions meant, a desire that was answered fifteen years later by the Holy Spirit.  The answer was “Love.”After she recovered from her illness she lived as a recluse in a little dwelling attached to the Church of St. Julian in Norwich, but she was not always in solitude.  Her fame as a mystic and a spiritual counselor brought a steady stream of clergymen and lay people seeking her insight and wisdom.  Lady Julian’s book the Revelations of Divine Love is a beloved Christian classic with it’s assurance that Love is the meaning of all that Christ did and said and is, and her comforting assurance that “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner shall be well.”Robin Martin

ADULT NURSERY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Due to a couple of “retirements” of long time nursery volunteers, new caregivers, especially adults, are needed.  This duty involves watching babies and preschool children during the 10 o’oclock service once a month.  Nursery care is provided by a team of two volunteers. If you feel called to participate in this ministry or have further questions, please contact Ellen Kavash (215-885-3648)..

NEWS FROM THE PARISH

A Memorial Service for Thom Kelly, long time member of the parish and former Vestry member and Accounting Warden will be held at 11 AM on Saturday, May 10 at the Church.  Thom’s ashes will be interred in the Memorial Garden immediately following the service.  You are all are invited and encouraged to come and give thanks for his life and ministry among us. 

THE LONG-TERM PRAYER LIST has been updated for the April through June quarter.  Requests not entered on the recently posted sign up sheet are not included in this month’s prayer list. Names are not automatically transferred from one quarter of the year to the next.  You may contact Kathleen at the parish office to add names to this list. Forms are also available in the Narthex for prayer requests; or call the church office  at 215-675-5737, or email Kathleen at: Secretary@Advent-Hatboro.org.  Thank you for your help in keeping our prayer lists current.

PLEASE REMEMBER IN PRAYER 
Irene Barger – parish member
Jack Boyd – Catherine Wehmeyer’s grandson
Joan Branston – Tony Lawson’s cousin
Jean Bready – Trish Troilo’s request
John Care – Sue Plybon’s requestRosemary Chambers – Laurie Ulrich’s cousinTerri Cooper – Bill Millar’s request
Doris & Harry Coulston – parish members
Anne Daze – Marge Burns’ sister
Joan DeLoach – Robin Martin’s friend
Doug Detweiler – Gina Driver’s request
Beverly DiDonato – friend of the parishRobyn DiDonato – parish memberScott Farrell – Catherine Wehmeyer’s son
Michelina Finn – Crystal Finn’s mother-in-law
Dean Francis - Barbara Johnson's uncle
Brine Frank – Kemp’s request
Kathy Franklin – Janet Plum’s sister
Paul George – Dan Holmes friend
Mary & Ted Gilligan – Scott Moschett’s aunt & uncle
Theresa Gillespie – friend of the parish
Cass Gilman – Stephen Gilman’s mother
Jack Gilman – Stephen Gilman’s brother
Chris Giorno – Trish Troilo’s friend
Ryan Glenwright – Jackie Freeman’s request
Olga and Joseph Gordon – parish members
Bill Harrison – Carolyn Smith’s son-in-law
Mikayla Havers – Jeanne Bernosky’s granddaughter
Gianna Hay – Magill’s request
George & Faith Holmes – Dan Holmes’ parents
Sam Hutchison – Laurie Ulrich Fuller’s request
Dorothy Ilvento – Catherine Wehmeyer’s sister
Dayna Irwin – Janet Plum’s request
Jim Lamb – Gilman’s request
John Loomis – Trish Troilo’s request
Dorothy Lynch – parish member
Jeanette Martin – Robin Martin’s sister-in-law
Nancy Meehl – parishioner
Kate Nellett – Bernadette Marass’ request
Carol Nicolais – parish member
Muriel Oberholtzer – Janet Gilman’s mother
Baby Paitn – Trish Troilo’s request
Carol Peniston – Marge Burns’ request
Charles Phillips – Catherine Wehmeyer’s brother
Connor Brian Platt – Betty MacAleer’s grandson
Ramos Family – Elaine Kemp’s request
Nancy Rodemich – parish member
Steve Senderoff – Barbara Johnson’s request
Paul Shawaluk – Barbara Johnson’s brother-in-law
Margaret Simpkins - parish member
Michael Sinclair – Catherine Sinclair’s grandson
Doris Sinclair – Wayne & Linda Sinclair’s request
Roy Smith – parish memberMargaret Spathelf – Jeanne Bernosky’s motherTed Teichman – Maureen Roberts’ request
Michael and Dolores Thorne – Carolyn Smith’s friends
Marilyn VanKirk – Laurie Ulrich Fuller’s request
Mrs. Muriel Wehmeyer – parish member
Eileen Wetzel – parish member
Rosalie Wetzel – Eileen Wetzel’s sister-in-law
Ronnie Wetzel – Eileen Wetzel’s nephew
Cathy Witiconis – Barbara Johnson’s friend
Doris Wonderly - parish member 

THOSE SERVING IN THE MILITARY
Sean Day
David Jester
Ethan Surrusco
Rosemary & Yancey Zinkon 

HERALD REMINDERS:  Articles  are due in the church office no later than 10th of each month. This includes information for the parish calendar. Articles submitted after the deadline may not be able to be published. Articles are due by May 10 for the June 2008 issue of the Herald .

SPECIAL NEWS AND THANK YOUS

Aid for Friends Meals
The Outreach Committee would like to thank Steve Gilman and the Boy Scouts of Hatboro who donated the leftovers from their ham supper fundraiser to Aid for Friends.  The assistance of the parish members who filled and labeled meal trays on March 16th is also greatly appreciated.  The generosity of the Boy Scouts generated 131 meals for shut-in clients!

Episcopal Church Women Ministries
Thank you so much for the wonderful response during Layette Month. We sent two large cartons of beautiful baby items to our friends at St. Timothy’s Mission in Irvine KY.Because of your generosity, we were also able to send $505.00 to Church World Service to purchase blankets to be sent to those in disaster situations all over the world – including the U.S.
Henrietta Kiel

Flip Flops for Africa
There was a great response for this “collection”.  A big THANK YOU to all who donated the flip flops.
Kayla Eppley, William Tennant High School

MAY BIRTHDAYS  5/1        Rob Martin
5/2        Norma Lane
5/2        Sierra Finn
5/2        Kenneth Miller
5/3        Joseph Gordon
5/4        Marion Miller
5/4        Betty MacAleer
5/5        David Weaver
5/5        Kathleen Weaver
5/5        Ronald Myers
5/6        Thomas Wolf
5/6        Victoria Peterson
5/6        Steven Butcavage
5/8        Karen O’Keefe
5/8        Dorothy Zintner
5/9        Jessie Swiski
5/10      George Madden
5/10      Doris Wonderly
5/12      Tom Bilinski
5/13      Scott Cunningham
5/13      Margaret Burns
5/14      Patricia Troilo
5/15      Alan Kiel
5/15      Alex Rodemich
5/16      Stephen Woytowicz
5/17      Christian Rodemich
5/19      Dylan Fagan
5/21      Candy Plybon
5/22      Jamie Menzies
5/23      Katelyn Irvine
5/24      Rosemary Patanovich
5/27      Watson Wioncek
5/27      Barbara Carver
5/27      Lisa Furness
5/29      Nancy Rodemich
5/29      Erika Driver
5/30      Jonathan Nicolais
5/30      Joseph Blaha
5/31      Andrew SinclairIf your birthday is “missing” from the monthly birthday list, please be in touch with Kathleen at the parish  office:  215-675-5737  or email her at secretary@advent-hatboro.org.