Vestry election: Christie Thomas elected senior warden; Lloyd Snook junior warden

From left to right:
Janice Dean, co-chaplain
Christie Thomas, senior warden
Lloyd Snook, co-chaplain
Gwynn Crichton, co-chaplain

ROSLYN -- This morning we held Vestry elections for our officers, and we used a method of discernment whereby each member of the Vestry is able to say who he or she believes is called. It takes time and the willingness to be vulnerable to each other, and to hear the Holy Spirit calling to us through each other.

It gives me great pleasure to tell you that we have unanimously elected Christie Thomas as senior warden; Lloyd Snook as junior warden; Jack Bocock as treasurer; and John Reid as register. We agreed that the Vestry project for the year is a continuation of the long range planning project begun last year. Lloyd agreed to continue leading that project as junior warden. We also discussed at the length role and position of a Vestry chaplain, and agreed to elect two co-chaplains to share that ministry. Elected Vestry co-chaplains were Janice Dean and Gwynn Crichton.

I am very thankful to everyone who participated in the retreat, and for the prayerful, thoughtful rich conversation -- and for the laughs. We were ably led by Canon Susan Goff, for whom all of us are deeply grateful.

This morning we celebrated the Holy Eucharist, and used Prayer C, dedicating it to the Glory of God in memory of Paul Brockman who died last year before completing his term on the Vestry. Paul's career had been working for NASA, hence the prayer with its celebration of space seemed appropriate to us all.

Please keep all of these wonderful leaders in your prayers, and please support your 2012 Vestry as they go about their work among us.