• Milind noted he has been meeting parishioners for coffee or at church and looks forward to more conversation. Parishioners are invited to reach out to him.

• As junior warden, Ray will be the liaison to the Buildings and Grounds committee. A meeting will be scheduled in early July to discuss upcoming projects.
  

• Milind plans to continue our tradition of spiritual formation programs after worship on some Sundays. He invited ideas and input from the Vestry. On June 28th he offered a biblical defense of affirming and inclusive theology. He plans to schedule an Inquirers class for the fall.

The Ministry Spotlight this month was provided by Elliot Jones on our Music Program. He expressed appreciation for the warm welcome all have offered him. He is pleased that some prior choir members are returning to sing with the choir again. He invited all to the Ensemble Continuo concert on May 31.

Coby shared that he is organizing monthly All-Church BBQs again this summer.

Milind is considering Spiritual Formation programs to offer, and will ask for input at the next Vestry meeting. He will offer a program after worship on June 28th.

For our Ministry Spotlight this month, Kirsten Matsumoto provided an update on Our Little Roses in Honduras. Kirsten works for OLR, and spends 4 months of the year in Honduras. She showed us this video of the founder and executive director, Diana Frade, describing OLR and its impact. Kirsten so appreciates all of the support St. Mary's members provide to Our Little Roses, whether it be via donations, or by visiting the home and helping with projects. We discussed the idea of holding a lunch in late summer or early fall at St. Mary's in which she could share about the impact OLR has on the girls who live there. Stay tuned!

Robert Daunt, our Vestry liaison to the Rector Search Committee, provided a brief update. He notes that the group is starting to schedule sessions with the parish about the rector search.
The first one will be May 26th at 5:30, led by Bishop Lucinda. Please attend! Read more in the article below.

• The Vestry invited Karin Forno to provide a Ministry Spotlight for Altar Guild. Karin notes that the altar guild volunteers are a joy to work with, and they always step up to help. When asked about challenges, Karin noted that she could use some additional regular volunteers for Altar Guild, and also folks that can offer occasional help with tasks that require physical strength. We discussed various ways of recruiting such volunteers. Prospective volunteers are invited to reach out to Karin.

• The diocese requires that each parish conduct an Annual Financial Review. The Vestry voted to appoint Mickey Welsh to lead the review again this year; Mickey had expressed willingness to do so.

• The Bridge 1887-2027 Pledge Campaign has raised $39,650, thanks to the 40 households who participated.

• Approved the  2026 Operating Budget

• Approved the 2026 Capital Budget

• Approved the 2025 Parochial Report 

• Coby shared the good news of CSC receiving a $7,000 grant from Regen Monterey and Salinas Valley Recycles which will fund the replacement of two CSC refrigerators, and the purchase of a freezer, new shelves and a cart.

In the January 21st meeting, the Vestry reviewed the draft 2026 Operating Budget prepared by Ann Roberts and Kathy Stoner. The group discussed the revenue shortfall and decided to launch a special campaign to ask the congregation to increase 2026 pledges, entitled Bridge 1887-2027 Pledge campaign.  The Vestry also approved the quarterly distribution schedule from the investment accounts that was recommended by the Investments Committee.
The group agreed  to interview a candidate for the Interim Rector position on January 26th.

On January 28th, the Vestry approved the appointment of members to the Rector Search Committee. The committee was announced at the Annual Meeting. The members include:

Robert Daunt - vestry rep
Howard Burnham
Fran Foote
The Rev. Wendy Howe
Joy Kumagai
Jeanette Ramirez

• The Vestry and Pastor Kristine reflected on the joys (e.g. collaboration, energy, love your neighbor) and challenges (e.g. COVID)  of our time together in a structured "Exit Interview" dialogue. 

• Keely Clifford stepped down from her role as junior warden. The Vestry expressed appreciation for her leadership.
  Ray Ramirez was elected as the new junior warden.

• The nominating committee is making good progress on the slate of nominees for the vestry and delegates, which will be voted on by the parish at the 2/1 Annual Parish Meeting.

• Kathy Stoner and Ann Roberts presented a first draft of the 2026 operating budget. A final draft will be voted on at the next Vestry meeting, January 21.

Below are highlights from the December 3rd* Vestry Meeting:

• Pledges for 2026 are now $226K, from 62 households, exceeding the pledges in 2025.

• Our next Music Director and Organist will join us May 1st! (Editor’s note: Announcement was sent and posted Monday 12/8)

• Bishop Lucinda will visit us December 14, when we will have a baptism, confirmation and a reception.

• The nominating committee, consisting of Mary Hood, Ray Ramirez and Coby Palmer, was appointed to identify a slate of vestry and delegate nominees. If you are interested, reach out to one of them. 

• The palm tree at the edge of the Labyrinth Garden was recently inspected by an arborist and was found to be unhealthy. The arborist recommended it be removed.  The City has approved removal and replacement with another type of tree. (Editor’s note: see previous article for more info).

*Instead of a meeting in the last week of November and December, a meeting was held December 3rd.

Coby Palmer provided a ministry spotlight on CSC. He noted the roles in which more volunteers are needed. We discussed how to recruit more desk volunteers and folks to do Lucky pickups to back up those who regularly do them.  Watch for more information on these roles, and let Coby know if you are interested. The 60th anniversary of CSC will be celebrated on November 22nd.

The Vestry authorized the spending of Leslie Garden funds to clean, polish and seal the stone in the columbarium.

Two St. Mary's members participated in the Walking the Mourners Path workshop recently.

Our stewardship season will begin October 12th when we will hold a kickoff event after worship. In addition to requesting  annual pledges for the 2026 operating budget, we will also be raising funds for Technology Upgrades. 

• The Vestry appointed Mickey Welsh to conduct the annual financial review process required by the diocese.
  

• Pastor Kristine is now recruiting members of a search committee for the Music Director/Organist position(s).
  

• Penny shared that two volunteers, a local historian and a teacher, are inventorying our historical files and photos so we have a better understanding of their contents. The intention is to digitize many of the historic photos.